Historedia
Asia PacificEvent

Army of the Indus sets out for Afghanistan

When
1838
Where
Ferozepore; Punjab
Episodes
2

In December 1838, the Army of the Indus departed Punjab to support Shah Shujah Durrani's claim to the Afghan throne. This military movement, following the Simla Declaration, marked the opening phase of the First Anglo-Afghan War, involving British and Presidency armies under various commanders.

Episodes

  1. 25 November 1838 · FerozeporeGrand Review at Ferozepore

    A grand military review took place at Ferozepore in November 1838, featuring Sikh and British forces marching together in a display of military might.

  2. December 1838 · PunjabDeparture of the Army of the Indus

    The Army of the Indus, comprising 21,000 troops, set out from Punjab in December 1838 to support Shah Shujah Durrani's claim to the Afghan throne.

Background and detail

Background. British intervention in Afghanistan stemmed from a succession dispute involving the Durrani dynasty. Lord Auckland issued the Simla Declaration in October 1838, asserting support for Shuja Shah Durrani against Dost Mohammed Khan. The British framed their involvement as aiding a legitimate government against foreign interference, despite Shuja's lack of popular support among his former subjects.

Military Preparation. Prior to the departure, a grand review occurred at Ferozepore in November 1838. Ranjit Singh's forces marched alongside East India Company sepoy troops and British troops. This demonstration of military might included colorful uniforms, horses, and elephants, attended by Lord Auckland, signaling the scale of the impending expedition.

Command Structure. The Army of the Indus consisted of 21,000 British and Indian troops. Initially commanded by John Keane, 1st Baron Keane, leadership subsequently passed to Sir Willoughby Cotton and then William Elphinstone. These forces were tasked with supporting Shuja Shah's restoration to the Afghan throne.

People involved

Sources

  1. First Anglo-Afghan War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-04

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.