The Siege of Chitral

The Fort


"Each night there were alarms, when the Garrison still wanting experience, responded with unnecessary commotion and much sounding of bugles."


--Major Robertson

CHITRAL Fort: Showing the Marble Rock, the Water Tower Tunnel, and the remains of Campbell's Covered Way

FORCES ENGAGED

BRITISH

Commander - Major Robertson
Lt. - Gurdon
Capt. - Campbell,Townshend, Harley, Baird
Capt. - Whitchurch (surgeon).
Native Officers approx. - 8
Kashmir rifles (Sepoys) - 260 ind. some Gurkhas
14th Sikhs - 83
TOTAL - 356 men approx.
543 total people within fort.
Total made up by clerks, servants and Puniali levies.
There were 54 Chitralis within the fort incl. the young Mehtar and some followers.

CHITRALIS/PATHAN BESIEGER

Commander(s) Sher-Afzul and two Khans acting for Umra Khan. Approx. 1,500 - Pathans - many well armed with Martini and Snider rifles (1,000 arrived on the 5th March all followers of Umra Khan.) Approx. 1,000 Chitralis - not as well equipped, many armed with older Jezail and Matchlock rifles. Generally supporters of Sher-Afzul. TOTAL - 2,500 at start of siege.

THE FORT

Major Robertson explains the construction and layout.

"The Chitral fort, and its attached buildings, are on the verge of the river bank, so scarped away at that particular place as to be practically inaccessible, except at one narrow gully where a rough rocky path, of surprising steepness, has been partly converted into a tunnel by the isolated water tower which encloses and roofs it in, and is then carried, in two floors, above the plane of the stable enclosure, but not quite so high as the north-east parapet. According to the seasonal meltings in the mountain-born river, the distance between the lower end of the tunnel and the water's edge is lengthened or contracted. During the early months Of the year it is at its greatest. Over this intervening space, as already mentioned, Campbell, previous to our beleaguerment, constructed an invaluable passage more than five feet high. On account of the inequalities of the ground its direction was as irregular as its floor was uneven.

"Several great boulders, including the marble rock half in and half out of the water, were utilised in marking the walls, and gave them strength. From lack of time and material no roofing had at first been attempted. One night the enemy ran up a crafty work, showing no loop holes, on the opposite bank, whence their marksmen found the short range so helpful, that out of the five men wounded during the first week, four were shot in this passage.

By the marble rock and at the foot of the tower were the dangerous spots. Wood for properly closing in the narrow way was now obtained by the demolition of the storerooms and other apartments just outside of the main gate, under one of which poor Baird's body lay buried. This head cover was hastily and clumsily made, but fulfilled its object.

Plan of CHITRAL Fort and the Chitrali and Pathan Sangars

Large Fort plan (slow: 99K)
Jumbo Fort plan (slow: 147K)

"From the fort side of the water - tower there is a steep but short climb to the narrow level space separating the stables from the parapeted wall. The last two of three feet of this sharp ascent always remained exposed, but a couple of quick steps to the left gained good shelter. Water-carriers, however could not be persuaded of the risk in pausing for breath just at the top of the slop.

"Fatalistically, or fatuously, they invariably rested a moment at this dangerous edge, and it was not until two of the poor fellows were shot dead within a short interval that the remainder could be induced to halt two yards short of the top, take breath, and then scramble up the last few feet and dodge smartly to the left for the protection of the stable wall. By this method, they gave not time for that deliberate shooting which the Chitralis marksman, properly parsimonious of ammunition, loves so well.

"Campbell's waterway constituted the rigid south boundary of a bay of white sand, which is covered in the melting season. Its curving northern limit, the only accessible place, was the comparatively low bank of a marshy flat covered with big trees. This flat, held by the enemy, was considerably lower than the level of the fort, which it reached by a steep path debouching in front of the main gate. Between path and gate an oblong enclosure intervened, thanks to Sifat Bahadur, who, by his demolitions, had converted a mass of buildings and passages into that simple form. Ae sand itself, being the open way for a direct assault upon the loopholed waterway, had to be sedulously protected, and one ofthe chiefproblems of the defence was how to converge from walls, parapet, and towers, such a fire upon it as would crush the masterful charge of a furious foe.

'And now, a word about the structure of the fort. The walls are made of coarsly-squared timbers, some 4 inches by 4 inches, laid horizontally between the layers of stones embedded in mud mortar. In thickness the walls vary, being especially strong near the main entrance, which is on the west side, and feeblest on the flank looking down the valley to the south. The long timbers are strengthened in position by short cross pieces, similarly made of inflammable pine wood, which stick out some few inches from the wall like stumpy almonds from the surface of a plum pudding. at the corners of the tower, where the long lateral timbers overlap, they are often fixed together by a clumsy tenon and mortise and jut forth several inches beyond the uneven walls.

"Projecting knobs are, therefore, to be found all over the foil, but particularly close together upon the towers. A monkey would find them convenient steps to climb anywhere, while a little Chitralis could follow him in most places.

"The immense amount of wood in the towers, where the intervening layers of masonry are only a few inches thick, is not all disclosed to the view. For there is an inner pine wood frame corresponding to that seen form without, and separated from it by about a foot of rubble. In very dry weather it would be almost sufficient to light one of these structures with a torch to make it blaze like a blast furnace.

'A transverse block of buildings divides the foil into two unequal oblongs, that on the river side being the larger. this part is used by the public generally, and it is provided on three sides with a maze of living roomsfor the garrison, servants and guests. One room of great size, with a ood verandah, was the old durbar hall. We uselit as hospital. Many of the rooms have a central smoke- hole large enough for the passage of a man, as poor Gurdon found one night when going his rounds to visit the sentries on the banquette. Hefell through one of these apertures on the floor below, happily with no worse damage than bruises and a bad shake.

"On the other or south side of the great partition is the private half of the fort and the women's quarters. None but a very select few of their subjects ever visited the Mehtars of Chitral in that dignified and secluded place. It has one large and three smaller courtyards, the rest being covered in; and it was on its flat, continuous roofs that promenades were possible at night when the firing was slack. While there was light all business there had to be transacted at a trot. it was interesting to watch the different modes of hurrying across this exposed place in the daytime. Most did so at the double, as above described. One or two walked with prodigiously long rapid steps, which took them faster than another man's run, and with a nervous grin, almost amounting to a frozen smile, in the direction whence a shot might be expected. A very few ambled along, gurgling with facetiousness, and making occasional jumps over imaginary bullets. These were the wags among the native servants."

SUPPLY SITUATION

Ammunition

300 rounds per man for the Sikhs Martini Henry rifles.

280 rounds per man for the Sepoys Snider rifles.

2 old 7-pd cannons with 80 rounds of ammunition - solid shot.

Capt. Harley started to prepare DIY forms of bullet from the large supply of gun powder available. He luckily possessed a book on the subject.

Food

Eough for 3 months.

1 lb of flour per day for each man. There were some tins of beef and some condiments as well as some pea flour.

The Officer's had some rice and at least 2 geese, with some sheep kept for the wounded. There were several ponies within the fort which could be used as food in an emergency. Some rum was available, one dram was issued every 4 days, religion permitting.

More Chirtral: The Siege

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