nt by a burst of
firing.

Our troops were already under arms and at their posts, waiting for the
assault, which commenced with heavy firing against the eastern and
southern faces. The most determined attack was directed against the
two sections commanded by Brigadier-General Hugh Gough and Colonel
Jenkins, who by their able dispositions proved themselves worthy of
the confidence I had reposed in them.

It was too dark at first to see anything in front of the walls, and
orders were given to reserve fire until the advancing masses of the
assailants could be clearly made out. Gough's Mountain guns, under
Lieutenant Sherries, then fired star-shells, which disclosed the
attacking force up to a thousand yards off. The 28th Punjab Infantry
were the first to open fire; then the Guides, the 67th, and 92nd, each
in their turn, greeted by their volleys the _ghazis_ who approached
close to the walls. Guns from every battery opened on the foe moving
forward to the attack, and from 7 to 10 a.m. the fight was carried on.
Repeated attempts were made to scale the south-eastern wall, and many
times the enemy got up as far as the abattis, but were repulsed,
heaps of dead marking the spots where these attempts had been most
persistent.[3]

Soon after 10 a.m. there was a slight lull in the fighting, leading us
to believe that the Afghans were recoiling before the breechloaders.
An hour later, however, the assault grew hot as ever, and finding we
could not drive the enemy back by any fire which could be brought
against them from the defences, I resolved to attack them in flank.
Accordingly, I directed Major Craster, with four Field Artillery guns,
and Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, with the 5th Punjab Cavalry, to move
out over the hollow in the Bimaru range and open fire on a body of the
enemy collected in and around the village of Kurja Kila. This fire had
the desired effect; the Afghans wavered and broke.

From that moment the attacking force appeared to lose heart, the
assault was no longer prosecuted with the same vigour, and by 1 p.m.
it had ceased altogether, and the enemy were in full flight.

This was the Cavalry's opportunity. I ordered Massy to follow in
pursuit with every available man, and before nightfall all the open
ground in the neighbourhood of Sherpur was cleared of the enemy.
Simultaneously with the movement of the Cavalry, a party was
despatched to destroy some villages near the southern wall which had
caused us much