nadir shah and the afghans, 1732–47pledged he and other leaders would accompany the army and ensure their
safe passage. As for Shah Shuja‘, he could stay or go as he pleased, for Akbar
Khan knew that the king’s days were numbered.
The British withdrawal and massacres in the Haft KotalPottinger objected to the humiliating conditions and urged Elphinstone
to march the troops into the Bala Hisar but he was ignored, for in the
wake of Macnaghten’s assassination Elphinstone and Shelton had mounted
what was tantamount to a coup d’état, placing themselves in sole charge
of both military and political operations. In the end the army hung on
for nearly three weeks, by which time snow lay deep on the ground and
many more camp followers had died from exposure. After enduring one
of the most miserable Christmas Days any British army could have ever
spent, on 1 January 1842 a new treaty was signed with even harsher terms
imposed on them for the withdrawal. This recognized Nawab Zaman Khan
as regent and not Akbar Khan, possibly because Akbar Khan planned to
accompany the army to Jalalabad. The signatories included Akbar Khan,
Mir Hajji, ’Amin Allah Khan Logari and Sardar ‘Osman Khan. The seals
of Hamza Khan of Tezin and the khans of the Jabbar Khel were notable by
their absence for they had their own plans for the army as it passed through
their territory. In return for the pledge of safe passage, Pottinger drew up
bills on the East India Company treasury to the tune of nearly fourteen
and a half lakh rupees, which was shared among Akbar Khan, Nawab
Zaman Khan, ’Amin Allah Khan Logari, Khan Shirin Khan Jawanshir,
Sardar ‘Osman Khan and various Ghilzai chiefs.
Finally, on 6 January 1842, 4,500 British and Indian troops and some
11,500 camp followers set out in deep snow and icy conditions for Jalalabad.
The night before they left Lady Sale had a chilling premonition of what
was to come when she found the works of Thomas Campbell open at ‘The
Battle of Hohenlinden’, a poem about a bloody, winter battle during the
French Revolutionary Wars:
Ah, few, few shall part where many meet!
The snow shall be their winding-sheet
And every turf beneath their feet
Shall be a soldier’s sepulchre.The evacuation was a shambles. As soon as they left the cantonment
what was left of Shah Shuja‘ al-Mulk’s regiments deserted. The escort