 Under the command of Major-General William George Keith Elphinstone, 4,500 British and Indian soldiers plus 12,000 civilian camp followers, including wives and children, set out for Jalalabad on 6 January 1842, on the understanding that they had been offered safe passage.Afghan tribesmen intercepted them and proceeded to attack them during the next seven days.The final stand took place at Gandamak on the morning of 13 January 1842 in the snow.