Gen. Sir Robert Henry Sale (1782-1845)
Maj.-Gen. Sir Robert "Fighting Bob" Sale, G.C.B., of the 13th Somerset Light Infantry
He was a Major in the First Burmese War (1824-26), leading the 13th Somerset Light Infantry in all their actions up to the capture of Rangoon when he famously fought in single combat against the Burmese leader, and killed him. In the First Afghan War (1839-42), as a Brevet Colonel he commanded the 1st Bengal Brigade during the advance on Kandahar. He then took part in the march to Kabul and led one of the storming columns into the formidable fortress of Ghazni under moonlight in 1839.
In 1841, his brigade was ordered back to India but it encountered such hostility from the Ghilzai tribesmen that they were forced to seek refuge at the fortress of Jalalabad in November. Ignoring orders to return to Kabul following the murder of the British envoy, he resisted his personal desire to return there to protect his wife and daughter, and instead set about preparing the half-ruined fortress for a siege. The garrison subsequently withstood a siege from mid-November 1841 until April 1842. The besieging Afghans eventually retired, partly as a result of Sale’s own sorties, including a brilliantly planned and successful attack on Akbar Khan’s lines. Relieved by General Pollock, salutes were fired at every military cantonment in India to mark his heroic leadership during the siege.
Returning to Kabul, he advanced into hostile territory at the head of a cavalry detachment to rescue his wife and daughter in person. Despite his reputation as a ferocious disciplinarian, he was very popular with his men. He invariably led from the front, often engaging in single combat with the enemy, which earned him his nickname ‘Fighting Bob’. In 1845, as Quartermaster-General to General Sir Hugh Gough's army, he took part in the First Sikh War (1845-46), but was killed in action at the Battle of Moodkee.
In 1841, his brigade was ordered back to India but it encountered such hostility from the Ghilzai tribesmen that they were forced to seek refuge at the fortress of Jalalabad in November. Ignoring orders to return to Kabul following the murder of the British envoy, he resisted his personal desire to return there to protect his wife and daughter, and instead set about preparing the half-ruined fortress for a siege. The garrison subsequently withstood a siege from mid-November 1841 until April 1842. The besieging Afghans eventually retired, partly as a result of Sale’s own sorties, including a brilliantly planned and successful attack on Akbar Khan’s lines. Relieved by General Pollock, salutes were fired at every military cantonment in India to mark his heroic leadership during the siege.
Returning to Kabul, he advanced into hostile territory at the head of a cavalry detachment to rescue his wife and daughter in person. Despite his reputation as a ferocious disciplinarian, he was very popular with his men. He invariably led from the front, often engaging in single combat with the enemy, which earned him his nickname ‘Fighting Bob’. In 1845, as Quartermaster-General to General Sir Hugh Gough's army, he took part in the First Sikh War (1845-46), but was killed in action at the Battle of Moodkee.
