Sir John Keane


Sir John Keane was ultimately placed in charge of the 'Army of the Indus' as it entered Afghanistan to replace Dost Mohammed with Shah Shujah. The force had serious supply issues that were only resolved with the taking of Ghazni in the major engagement of the mission. The operations concluded with the occupation of Kabul on 7 August. In October 1839 the army of the Indus was broken up with part of the force being left in Afghanistan under Major-General Elphinstone, the others marched for their respective presidencies, Keane leading back the Bengal column by way of Lahore. He was fortunate to miss the calamity that befell those forces that remained behind in Kabul.

The image above is taken from when Sir John Keane was arriving at Quetta where he was put in overall control of the invasion of Afghanistan.


First Afghan War | Significant Individuals


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by Stephen Luscombe