[Footnote 6:  The walls had an average height of 30 feet, and breadth of 15 feet on the north and east fronts.]

[Footnote 7:  Two Royal Artillery guns, 3rd Bengal Cavalry, and 15th Sikhs.  Lieutenant-Colonel Chapman accompanied the party, and was of great assistance to Brigadier-General Gough.]

* * * * *

CHAPTER LXII. 1880

Commencement of the fight—­72nd Highlanders and 2nd Sikhs —­92nd Highlanders and 2nd Gurkhas—­Ayub Khan’s camp —­Difficulties about supplies—­Parting with the troops —­A pleasing memory

The next morning, the 1st September, in accordance with instructions from Simla, I assumed command of the army in southern Afghanistan.  There was no return to show the strength or composition of General Phayre’s column, but the troops at Kandahar all told now amounted in round numbers to 3,800 British and 11,000 Native soldiers, with 36 guns.

An hour before daybreak the whole of the troops were under arms, and at 6 a.m.  I explained to Generals Primrose and Ross and the officers commanding brigades the plan of operations.  Briefly, it was to threaten the enemy’s left (the Baba Wali Kotal), and to attack in force by the village of Pir Paimal.

The Infantry belonging to the Kabul column, upon whom devolved the duty of carrying the enemy’s position, were formed up in rear of the low hills which covered the front of our camp, their right being at Piquet Hill and their left resting on Chitral Zina.  The Cavalry of the Kabul column were drawn up in rear of the left, ready to operate by Gundigan towards the head of the Arghandab, so as to threaten the rear of Ayub Khan’s camp and his line of retreat in the direction of Girishk.  Four guns of E Battery Royal Horse Artillery, two companies of the 2-7th Fusiliers, and four companies of the 28th Bombay Infantry, were placed at the disposal of Brigadier-General Hugh Gough, whose orders were to occupy with these troops the position above Gundigan, which had been so useful during the previous day’s reconnaissance, and to push his Cavalry on to the Arghandab.

Guards having been detailed for the protection of the city, the remainder of Lieutenant-General Primrose’s troops were ordered to be disposed as follows:  Brigadier-General Daubeny’s brigade to occupy the ground between Piquet Hill and Chitral Zina as soon as the Infantry of the Kabul-Kandahar Field Force advanced to the attack.  The remnant of Brigadier-General Burrows’s brigade, with No. 5 Battery, 11th Brigade Royal Artillery, under Captain Hornsby, and the Cavalry under Brigadier-General Nuttall, to take up a position north of the cantonment, from which the 40-pounders could be brought to bear on the Baba Wali Kotal, while the Cavalry could watch the pass, called Kotal-i-Murcha, and cover the city.

From an early hour it was clear that the enemy contemplated an offensive movement; the villages of Gundigan and Gundi Mulla Sahibdab were being held in strength, and a desultory fire was brought to bear on the British front from the orchards connecting these two villages and from the Baba Wali Kotal.