Indignant, Lytton issued the emir an ultimatum: Apologize for refusing the embassy and accept its demands, or face invasion. Regardless of such threats, Chamberlain colorfully but succinctly reported to Lytton that Sher Ali ‘had no more intention of apologizing than of turning Christian and applying for a Bishopric.’

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Both Salisbury and Lytton pushed the British cabinet to approve an invasion of Afghanistan. Their goal was simple–to replace Sher Ali with a more pliant ruler. But in spite of its tough stance on foreign policy the cabinet was unsure about risking another military disaster in Afghanistan, and a consequent collapse of public confidence. On the other hand, Lytton had raised the stakes to such a degree that backing off would have undermined British authority in the subcontinent, which largely depended on the perception of British might. Many argued that letting Sher Ali off the hook would encourage a reprise of the 1857 Indian Mutiny. Reluctantly, in the name of ‘Pax Britannia,’ the cabinet allowed Lytton to have his war.

Ready to Fight
The British and Indian armies were in relatively good shape in 1878, with generals who, in contrast to their bumbling predecessors, worked to a clear and concise plan of action. The invasion was to take three lines of advance. One column of 13,000 well-equipped men, under Maj. Gen. Sir Donald Stewart, would march from Quetta to Kandahar. A second 16,000-man column, commanded by one-armed Victoria Cross recipient Maj. Gen. Sir Samuel Browne (designer of the famous ‘Sam Browne’ belt), was to fight its way from Peshawar through the Khyber Pass to Jalalabad. The third, numbering a mere 6,600 men, was to secure the Kurram Valley and then threaten Kabul. To lead that so-called Kurram Field Force, the British had appointed Lord Roberts.

Multilingual and a man of quick intelligence, the 46-year-old Roberts had earned the Victoria Cross during the Indian Mutiny, but he now had much to prove. His first field command was predominately made up of native soldiers, or sepoys, including the 5th Gurkhas, a crack regiment of fearsome Nepalese troops. Four of Roberts’ regiments, however, had large contingents of Muslims, some of whom had misgivings about fighting their religious brethren. His largest British unit was the 2nd Battalion of the 8th (Liverpool) Regiment, whose troops were inexperienced and completely unused to the climate and altitude. Roberts requested further support and received a number of Sikh units, as well as a detachment from the veteran 72nd (Seaforth) Highlanders.

On November 21, 1878, the deadline on the ultimatum for Sher Ali passed. At 3 a.m. the Anglo-Indian columns began their advance into Afghanistan.

Into Afghanistan
The Kurram Valley is approximately 60 miles long and surrounded by mountain ridges that rise to a height of 6,000 feet. Now long since deforested, in 1878 those ridges were heavily wooded, and offered perfect cover for defending forces. The region was unfamiliar to the British, who were unprepared for the natural obstacles of boulders and glacial debris scattered across the valley floor. Movement of equipment and supplies was difficult and time consuming. The local population, however, were mostly Shia Muslims who had suffered for decades at the hands of the Sunni Afghan warlords. Therefore they mostly welcomed the British, whose lines of command and control through the valley were, on the whole, relatively secure.

Toward the end of the valley the surrounding mountains fan out to form a large, steep and uneven horseshoe ridge, the peak of which thrusts up 9,000 feet. Intersecting that mountain ridge is a pass, the Peiwar Kotal, 60 miles beyond which lies Kabul. To defend the Peiwar Kotal, Sher Ali placed eight well-led but not so well-equipped regiments and a number of artillery batteries under the command of his best general, Karim Khan. Although the other British columns had been making headway, Sher Ali was confident that Roberts’ force could be held at bay. ‘Wage a holy war on behalf of God and his Prophet,’ he urged his troops, adding, ‘A foreign nation, without cause or the slightest provocation has made up its mind to invade our country and conquer it.’ Supported by hordes of irregulars, Afghan forces outnumbered the British almost 6-to-1.

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