Brigadier-General Burrows’s position had now entirely changed; instead of there being a loyal force under the Wali, with which to co-operate and prevent Ayub Khan crossing the Helmand, he found himself with an inadequate number of troops, the Wali’s men gone over to the enemy, and the Wali himself a fugitive in the British camp.  The Helmand was fordable everywhere at that season, making it easy for Ayub to cut off Burrows’s retreat; the first twenty-five of the eighty miles by which he was separated from Kandahar was a desert, and no supplies were forthcoming owing to the hostile attitude of the people.  Burrows therefore determined to retire to Khushk-i-Nakhud, an important position half-way to Kandahar, covering the road from Girishk, and where supplies and water were plentiful.

Burrows reached Khushk-i-Nakhud on the 16th July.  On the 22nd the Commander-in-Chief in India, who had been inquiring from General Primrose whether there were ’any routes from the Helmand passing by the north to Ghazni, by which Ayub Khan might move with his guns,’ telegraphed to Primrose:  ’You will understand that you have full liberty to attack Ayub, if you consider you are strong enough to do so.  Government consider it of the highest political importance that his force should be dispersed, and prevented by all possible means from passing on to Ghazni.’

On the afternoon of the 26th information was received by Brigadier-General Burrows that 2,000 of the enemy’s Cavalry and a large body of ghazis had arrived at Maiwand, eleven miles off, and that Ayub Khan was about to follow with the main body of his army.

To prevent Ayub Khan getting to Ghazni, General Burrows had to do one of two things, either await him at Khushk-i-Nakhud, or intercept him at Maiwand.  After consulting with Colonel St. John, he determined to adopt the latter course, as he hoped thus to be able to deal with the ghazis before they were joined by Ayub Khan.

The brigade started soon after 6 a.m. on the 27th.  It was encumbered by a large number of baggage animals, which Burrows considered could not be left behind because of the hostile state of the country, and the impossibility of detaching any part of his already too small force for their protection.

At 10 a.m., when about half-way to Maiwand, a spy brought in information that Ayub Khan had arrived at that place, and was occupying it in force; General Burrows, however, considered it then too late to turn back, and decided to advance.  At a quarter to twelve the forces came into collision, and the fight lasted until past three o’clock.  The Afghans, who, Burrows reported, numbered 25,000, soon outflanked the British.  Our Artillery expended their ammunition, and the Native portion of the brigade got out of hand, and pressed back on the few British Infantry, who were unable to hold their own against the overwhelming numbers of the enemy.  Our troops were completely routed, and had to thank the apathy of the Afghans in not following them up for escaping total annihilation.