Captain W Anderson, Shah's Service, 1842

Coloured lithograph after Lieutenant Vincent Eyre, Bengal Artillery, 1842 (c).

William Anderson (1803-1858) arrived in India as a cadet in May 1823. In April the following year he was appointed ensign and posted to the 30th Bengal Native Infantry, later transferring to the 59th Bengal Native Infantry. Promoted to lieutenant in December 1824, he served in the Arakan in Burma in 1825, before transferring to the cavalry. Anderson was adjutant of the 2nd (Gardener's) Local horse and then its second-in-command until 1838. He was promoted to captain in October 1838 and served as Commandant of Shah Shuja's 2nd Cavalry during the 1st Afghan War (1838-1842). Taken prisoner during the retreat from Kabul in January 1842, he was later released on 22 September that year. Promoted to major in May 1853, Anderson later served as second-in-command of the Jodhpur Legion, a unit that mutinied in 1857, before eventually retiring with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

From 'Portraits of the Kabul Prisoners', a set of pre-publication coloured lithographs later published by John Murray in 1843.

The artist's original drawings were made during his captivity in Afghanistan after the Retreat from Kabul during the 1st Afghan War (1838-1842).