1842 retreat from Kabul

Battle context

The retreat from Kabul stands as one of the most catastrophic military disasters in British imperial history. Forced out of Kabul by an Afghan uprising, the British and East India Company force under Major-General William Elphinstone attempted to withdraw to the garrison at Jalalabad. The column, which included dependants and camp followers in addition to soldiers, suffered catastrophic losses of approximately 16,600 to Afghan tribal attacks, exposure, frostbite, and starvation. The destruction of the force effectively ended the British position in Afghanistan during the First Anglo-Afghan War, demonstrating the limits of British power projection into the interior of the country and the vulnerability of large, encumbered columns operating in hostile terrain far from reliable support.