Battle of Ali Masjid 1878
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 21 November 1878 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1878 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Pakistan | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Second Anglo-Afghan War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | British Empire, Emirate of Afghanistan | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 34.1102, 71.1144 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Ali Masjid, which took place on 21 November 1878, was the opening battle in the Second Anglo-Afghan War between the British forces, under Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel James Browne, and the Afghan forces, under Ghulam Haider Khan. The perceived offence of an Afghan general's refusal to allow a British envoy entrance to the country was used as an excuse to attack the fortress of Ali Masjid, as the opening battle in the war. Despite numerous setbacks, including half the troops getting lost or delayed and missing the battle entirely, the British were lucky that the Afghans abandoned their position overnight.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Ali Masjid (revision 1370431667), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Balakot 1831 · 27 km
- Battle of Jamrud 1837 · 27 km
- Battle of Peshawar (1001) 1001 · 43 km
- Siege of Kunar Khas 1945 · 63 km
- Battle of Saragarhi 1897 · 65 km
- Battle of Jalalabad (1842) 1841 · 70 km
Other battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
- Battle of Charasiab 1879
- Siege of the British Residency in Kabul 1879
- Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment 1879
- Battle of Kandahar (1880) 1880
- Battle of Maiwand 1880
- Second Battle of Charasiab 1880
All 7 battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War →
Browse more: battles in Pakistan · Asia · 19th century battles