ht near the gate,
and detached one company of the 17th Regiment, under Captain Darley, to
the western side of the fort, followed by a portion of the 31st Bengal
Native Infantry, commanded by Major Western, conducted by Captain
Outram, acting as my extra Aide-de-Camp, for the purpose of securing the
heights, under which the southern angle is situated, and intercepting
any of the garrison escaping from that side; having driven off the enemy
from the heights above, the united detachments then descended to the
gate of the fort below, and forced it open before the garrison (who
closed it as they saw the troops approach) had time to secure it.

When the party was detached by the western face, I also sent two
companies from the reserve of the 17th, under Major Deshon, and two guns
of the Shah's artillery, under the command of Lieutenant Creed, Bombay
Artillery, by the eastern to the southern face, for the purpose of
blowing open the gate above alluded to, had it been necessary, as well
as the gate of the inner citadel; the infantry joining the other
detachments, making their way through the town in the direction of the
citadel.

After some delay, the troops that held possession of the town at length
succeeded in forcing an entrance into the citadel, where a desperate
resistance was made by Mehrab Khan, at the head of his people; he
himself, with many of his principal chiefs, being killed sword in hand.
Several others, however, kept up a fire upon our troops from detached
buildings difficult of access, and it was not until late in the
afternoon, that those that survived were induced to give themselves up
on a promise of their lives being spared.

From every account, I have reason to believe the garrison consisted of
upwards of 2000 fighting men, and that the son of Mehrab Khan had been
expected to join him from Nerosky, with a further reinforcement; the
enclosed return will shew the strength of the force under my command
present at the capture.

The defences of the fort, as in the case of Ghuzni, far exceeded in
strength what I had been led to suppose from previous report, and the
towering height of the inner citadel was most formidable, both in
appearance and reality.

I lament to say that the loss of killed and wounded on our side has been
severe, as will be seen by the accompanying return; that on the part of
the enemy must have been great, but the exact number I have not been
able to ascertain. Several hundreds of pri