Battle of Peiwar Kotal
The Battle of Peiwar Kotal was fought on 28–29 November 1878 between British forces under Sir Frederick Roberts and Afghan forces under Karim Khan, during the opening stages of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The British were victorious, and seized the strategic Peiwar Kotal Pass leading into Afghanistan.
| Battle of Peiwar Kotal | |||||||
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| Part of Second Anglo-Afghan War | |||||||
 "Storming the Peiwar Kotal," by Vereker Monteith Hamilton | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Afghanistan | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Sir Frederick Roberts | Karim Khan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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4,000 13 guns |
4,000-5,000 25 guns | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 21 killed, 75 wounded | 200 casualties (Estimate) | ||||||
Order of battle
British Regiments
- 10th Hussars
- 8th King's Regiment
- 72nd Highlanders
Indian Regiments
- 5th Gurkha Rifles
- 12th Bengal Cavalry
- 5th Punjab Cavalry
- 21st Bengal Native Infantry (Punjabis)
- 23rd Bengal Native Infantry (Punjab Pioneers)
- 29th Bengal Native Infantry (Punjabis)
- 2nd Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force
- 5th Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force (Vaughan's Rifles)
- 21st (Kohat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)
- 22nd (Derajat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)
Aftermath
Captain John Cook was awarded the Victoria Cross for his role in the battle. First Battalion the Fifth Gorkha Rifles was awarded its first battle honour.
References
- Richards, D.S. (1990). The Savage Frontier, A History of the Anglo-Afghan Wars. London: Pan MacMillan. ISBN 0-330-42052-6.
- Robson, Brian (2007). The Road to Kabul: The Second Afghan War 1878-1881. Stroud: Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-416-7.
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