Beschreibung:

Lett's Office Diary and Almanac for 1880 and 1881 containing the account of the major events of the second Anglo-Afghan War between 1880 and 1881 written by an English army officer who fought in the conflict. The first volume provides a vivid and firsthand description of the long relief march from Kabul to Kandahar (8 August "Started at 4.30 a.m. and marched 20 miles to Bini Hissar where a force is encamped ready to march at once to the relief of Khelat-J-Ghilzai and Kandahar. The Infantry is in 3 Brigades under MacPherson, Baker and MacGregor; we are in the 3rd under the last-named. A violent storm of rain caught us halfway between Bukkhat and Bini Hissar"; 14 August "road fairly good and level all the way, but very dusty"; 15 August "Ghazni is a tumbledown old town surrounded by a high and irregular wall with circular bastions..the place could not hold out for a day against modern artillery...the plain is covered with fine gardens and cultivations of all kinds"; 23 August "Started at 2.30 a.m. and marched about 17 miles to Khelat- i - Ghilzai; small patches of cultivation here and there and at Khelat itself a considerable amount...The Fort at Khelat is built on a high mount in the middle of a plain. There is a offering of beautifully clean water in the cisterns and with supplies the present garrison might hold it against the whole of Afghanistan"), an account of the Battle of Kandahar fought on September 1st, 1880 ("At 9 a.m. we fell in again and the 1st and 2nd brigades advanced to the attack, 3rd brigade in reserve. Very little artillery work. The Infantry, especially the 2nd, 92nd Gurkhas attacked with undeniable dash and carried everything before them. The whole affair was over before mid-day and Ayub’s army had disappeared while his camp were in our possession. Poor Maclaine, the prisoner, was found near their camp with his throat cut. Col. Brownlow of the 72nd, Frome 72nd and Stratton were killed in battle by a wounded Ghazi.Our loss there is about 100 killed and 200 wounded. The enemy must have had at least 400 killed besides those killed by the cavalry in pursuit. Our attack was on the enemy’s left flank through the gardens, while the Kandahar (battalion?) shelled the Baba Wali Pass. Got back to camp about 4.30") The second volume mostly describes the writer's march through India, his stay in Simla (mentions of his working tasks, lunches, dinners and several polo matches) and his journey back across Europe (23 October "Reached Rome in the early morning [...]visited the Pantheon, Forums, Colosseum and St. Peter"; 24 October "Reached Florence in the morning [...]Inspected the Loggia dei Lanzi, the Uffizi and Pitti galleria"; 25 October "Left Florence at 7.45 a.m. Stpped at Pisa for 4 hours and had a look at the leaning tower"). The final note is dated 3 November 1881 and reads "Went down home with the last train. Found Ann there [...]Walter looking a different man to the pallid one I parted with last year at Lahore"; dark green cloth with gilt lettering, marbled endpapers, wear to margins and spine extremities, scattered soiling, some yellowing to paper, 1880-1881 (2)