Who commanded the British-Indian garrison at Kabul during the disastrous retreat of January 1842?

General William Elphinstone commanded the British forces in Kabul whose retreat in January 1842 turned into a disaster. He died in Afghan captivity in April 1842. General Pollock later led the Army of Retribution. Chronology resolves the item: General Elphinstone occupies the position required by “Who commanded the British-Indian garrison at Kabul during the disastrous retreat of January 1842?”, while a merely famous contemporary name would not satisfy every part of the stem. This event belongs to the expansion of Company power, when warfare, alliances and revenue rights converted a trading corporation into a territorial authority; Treaties with similar names or battles from the same war should be distinguished by date, belligerents and political consequence, a distinction applied here to General Elphinstone. The alternatives need separate labels: General Auckland belongs to another association, General Pollock does not fit the chronology, and General Nott performs a different historical role. A useful study note pairs General Elphinstone with the date or decision embedded in the question and places General Pollock on its own timeline. On that evidence, the supported choice is General Elphinstone.