[Gutenberg 50219] • A Journal of the Disasters in Affghanistan, 1841-2

Florentia Sale (1790 – 1853) was an Englishwoman who travelled the world while married to her husband, Sir Robert Henry Sale, a British army officer. She was dubbed "the Grenadier in Petticoats" for her travels with the army, which took her to regions such as Afghanistan, Mauritius, Burma and India, and various other areas under the control of the British Empire.

During the First Anglo-Afghan War, Lady Sale, along with other women and children, as well as soldiers, were kidnapped in 1842 and detained for nine months. The group were taken hostage by Akbar Khan following the massacre in the Khurd Karbul Pass. Amongst the hostages with Lady Sale was her youngest daughter Alexandrina, along with her husband Lieutenant John Sturt and their newborn daughter.

Lady Sale bribed the Afghan officers into releasing them; they were then rescued by Sir Richmond Shakespear on 17 September 1842. Her courageous and defiant actions meant that she endangered herself frequently; she was shot in the wrist, with the bullet lodging there. Throughout her time as a captive, Lady Sale kept a diary, detailing the events of the ordeal. A year later, Lady Sale published her journal which documented her experiences throughout the Afghan War, and the book received critical acclaim.

Lady Sale, without a touch of affected modesty, confesses that "a much better narrative of past events might have been written, even by myself; but I have preferred keeping my journal as originally written, when events were fresh, and men's minds were biassed by the reports of the day, and even hour." She has, we doubt not, judged rightly in so doing; for even as regards the spirit of the notes, they have, as they stand all the tension of thoughts expressed on the spur of the moment, and when the feelings were incapable of an utterance that was unreal or unfaithful to the speaker's thoughts; whereas retouchings would, in a literary sense, have smoothed down and shadowed away the living points; and any degree of fine writing would have wrought perversions. More particularly in the case of a woman's recordings and sentiments, and still more especially when that woman is the personage whose celebrated letter drew praise from the great captain of the age—the best judge too of military literature,—-would revisings and dressings have been injurious both to her own vigorous style, and to the vast interests she has so much at heart.

Lady Sale, an observer and reporter of the events which transpired in the late Affghan war, shows little partiality to the British officers engaged in that tragic scene. She speaks of the Afghans as fine soldiers, and of their treatment of the female prisoners—among whom was herself—as honorable. Lady Sale describes the various scenes of assault, conquest, and defeat graphically; and those who love the records of bloodshed will read the Journal with interest. Such scenes are horrible in real life, and to delight in their description is somewhat brutal. We advise our fair readers to be satisfied with this notice.

Sale writes:

""A woman's vengeance is said to be fearful; but nothing can satisfy mine against Akbar, Sultan, Jan, and Mohammed Shah Khan. Still I say that Akbar, having, for his own political purpose, done as he said he would do—that is, destroyed our army—letting only one man escape to tell the tale, as Dr. Bryden did—and having got the families into his possession—I say, having done this, he has, ever since we have been in his hands, treated us well—that is, honor has been respected."