'The Storming of Ghuznee. The Storming Column entering the Fortress', 23 July 1839

Lithograph from a volume of 14 coloured lithographs 'The Storming of Ghuznee and Kelat' by W Taylor after Lieutenant Thomas Wingate, 2nd Queen's Royal Regiment, 1839 (c).

After forcing the Bolan Pass and capturing Kandahar without a fight, Sir John Keane's Army of the Indus advanced on the formidable Ghazni fortress. Protected by thick, 60-feet high walls it presented a major problem for the British who lacked heavy artillery. They were only able to capture it because Mohan Lal, a Kashmiri interpreter, spy and assistant to the political officer Captain Sir Alexander Burnes, managed to discover that one of the gates was poorly defended.