author
A young British officer left behind a vivid, firsthand record of the march into Afghanistan during the First Anglo-Afghan War. His letters feel immediate and personal, turning a 19th-century campaign into a human story.
by T. W. E. Holdsworth
T. W. E. Holdsworth is known for Campaign of the Indus, a collection of letters he wrote as a lieutenant during the British campaign into Afghanistan. The letters were written between November 27, 1838, and April 21, 1840, and were later edited and published by his father, A. H. Holdsworth.
Writing to his family rather than for a public audience, he captured the long journey by sea and river, the march inland, camp life, and the uncertainties of military service. That private, eyewitness quality gives the book much of its lasting appeal.
Library of Congress material identifies him as part of the Anglo-Indian force involved in the First Anglo-Afghan War, and notes that he was severely wounded during the capture of Kelat in November 1839. Beyond those details, confirmed biographical information about his life appears to be limited, so he is remembered chiefly through this striking historical account.