 During the first night of the battle , the garrison at Malakand North had not seen much action despite being in the more exposed position , and had spent much of the night firing flares and manoeuvring artillery units . In response Meiklejohn ordered a reconnaissance of the vicinity , whereupon Major Gibbs , the commander of the force , encountered large groups of tribesmen in the valley . Subsequently , he was eventually ordered to collect his forces and stores from Malakand North , and transfer them into the southern camp . 
