25. A Disastrous Retreat
A British column of 16,000 soldiers and civilians set out from Kabul on January 6th, 1842. They were barely a mile beyond the city before they began to take sniper fire from the surrounding hills. By day’s end, emboldened Afghan tribesmen were dashing in and out of the column to loot the supply train and butcher whoever they could lay their hands on. That night, many froze to death as the column camped in the open without tents.
The following day, some Afghan leaders arrived and demanded that the British halt while they tried to ensure the safety of the route ahead. They extorted a large sum of money, negotiated a British agreement to withdraw immediately from all of Afghanistan, and demanded that they be given officers as hostages. The following day, the British resumed the march, by which point many of the soldiers had become too debilitated by the cold to fight. As they entered a narrow pass, the column was fired upon by tribesmen ensconced on the rocks above, losing 3,000 casualties.