Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment

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Coordinates: 34°31′58″N, 69°09′57″E

The Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment

Part of Second Anglo-Afghan War

The Sherpur cantonment

Date	December 15-December 23, 1879
Location	Kabul, Afghanistan
Result	British Victory

Belligerents

British Empire

Afghanistan

Commanders

Sir Frederick Roberts

Mohammed Jan

Strength

7,000 Anglo-Indian troops

50,000 tribal warriors^{[citation needed]}

Casualties and losses

33 dead and wounded

3,000 dead^{[citation needed]}

v • d • e Second Anglo-Afghan War

Siege of Sherpur - Ahmed Khel - Maiwand - Kandahar other battles

The Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment was a battle fought in December 1879, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

On 3 September 1879 Sir Pierre Cavagnari, the British Resident in Kabul, and his escort were massacred by mutinous Afghan troops, initiating the second phase of the Second Afghan War.

A force was assembled and named the Kabul Field Force, under the command of major-general Frederick Roberts. Its objective was to restore Abdur Rahman Khan (the "Iron Amir") to the throne in Kabul. After defeating Afghan forces at Chariasab on 6th October, Roberts marched into Kabul on 13th October.

At the end of November, an army under the command of Mohammed Jan, who had denounced Yaqub Khan as a British puppet and instead declared Musa Jan the new amir, gathered in the area north of Kabul. On December 15th, it began to besiege the British forces entrenched in the Sherpur Cantonment.

As news of a relief column under the command of Brigadier General Charles Gough reached Mohammed Jan, he ordered his troops to storm the cantonment on 23rd December. By midday, the assault had been repulsed, and the Afghan army dispersed. No quarter was given to Afghans found in the area with weapons.