author

Howard Hensman

d. 1916

Known for vivid first-hand writing on imperial wars and empire-building, this British journalist turned frontline reporting into gripping narrative history. His best-known books follow the Second Anglo-Afghan War and the rise of Cecil Rhodes with the detail of someone close to the action.

1 Audiobook

The Afghan War of 1879-80 Being a Complete Narrative of the Capture of Cabul, the Siege of Sherpur, the Battle of Ahmed Khel, the Brilliant March to Candahar, and the Defeat of Ayub Khan, with the Operations on the Helmund, and the Settlement with Abdur Rahman Khan

The Afghan War of 1879-80 Being a Complete Narrative of the Capture of Cabul, the Siege of Sherpur, the Battle of Ahmed Khel, the Brilliant March to Candahar, and the Defeat of Ayub Khan, with the Operations on the Helmund, and the Settlement with Abdur Rahman Khan

by Howard Hensman

About the author

Howard Hensman was a British writer and journalist best remembered for The Afghan War of 1879-80. Contemporary library and archival records identify him as a special correspondent of the Allahabad Pioneer, and the book itself grew out of letters he wrote from the field during the campaign.

What makes Hensman stand out is his proximity to events. Records for The Afghan War of 1879-80 describe him as the only journalist to accompany the Anglo-Indian Kurram Valley Field Force on its march toward Kabul in 1879, which gives his writing an immediacy that still appeals to readers of military history.

He also wrote A History of Rhodesia and Cecil Rhodes: A Study of a Career, showing a wider interest in the politics and personalities of the British Empire. Reliable catalog records confirm that he died in 1916, though many details of his personal life are hard to pin down, so his reputation today rests mainly on the energy and eyewitness value of his books.