St. Landry democrat., 1882-09-09
THE WAR IN EGYPT.
A Night Engagement at iaSsassin.
LoSDO,;, August %

Mt l:l0 O'Clock this morning IS follows:
81 have lust received news tr IN the front
that General Graham WAS heavily attacked last
evening by l;rg force Of Egyptians. British
c.tyalr,- from Nj ths:lmeh went t. his asst
ancc, and h, has had bril.ja 1t success. tax
ing eleven guns Only II few British soldiers
were killed, but over 100 were wounded am
lust about to proc led to the front.
An lsmailia dispatch of tn 18th gIvas the
following account of the fighting:
When morning came great excitement pre-
vailed in camp a. ka-sassin III cun>n.
qucnce Of the Egyptians show ne themselves
in considerable force III various directions.
General Graham presently sent Major Hart,
with ali escort of mount I'd ina TRY under
command of Lieutenant Pigott t. ascertain
the strength and exact position of the enemy.
Major Hart pr ceedcd i'll the direction Of Tel
el-ketir, and had gone forward two miles
when the enemy o ened fir with two guns.
Lieutenant Pjgott dismountad his III n and re-
turned the fire brisklv. his men holding their
ground well for some time, though eventually
they were obliged to retire upon our camp.
At ten o'clock 1000 Bcdouin> appeared on
our right and 'front.' extend ng two
miles, but the guns opening tire
on them they retired About three O'Clock
their infantry advanced in open ord T upon
our left, bringing up several guns, VIII ca they
placed at IL short distances from Zach other
and presently showed several pieces OF artj.-
lery on our right. Our guns opened fire ald
our men turned out to face the attack. The
t1ght now waxed wa IN, and during the whole
afternoon the gallant little garrison 1lade
good defense. Meanwhile the cavalry, which
was five miles in our rear, had been twice sig
nailed by General Graham to supp TT him. and
had advanced almost to our post on without
| he J{v -..N
whole force, consisting of the First AMI
Second Life Guards, the Horse Guards, the
Seventh Dragons, part of the Fourth
Dragons, and the Nineteenth Hussars, with
four guns, set out to succor the troops
at hasstssln. The march had to be
made very cautiously. The moon rising,
and showed the little army of holsemen to
strange advantage as thy passed over the
shining ground, the clanking Of their swords
swelling musicaly through the air Colonel
Stewart, who directed the course of the brig
AIDE, disposed of his men SO exccllently that
he was able to pilot them safely to the point of
contact without coming under the fire of the
guns which were then pounding the kassassin
camp. He led the way along the ridge with
the idea of outtianking the enemy and turning
his position. Colonel Russell brought his men
over four miles of heavy ground so that by
nine O'Clock. when they silently halted on the
stav-line, they found themselves so close to the
Egyptians that the shells went over their be ads
IN quick succession, landing nearly half
mile in their rear. From the position
the cavalry had now gained they could see the
enemy close on the horizon in very large num-
bers, whereupon Colonel Russell dismounted
his cavalry and ordered them TO open a sharp
musketry fire, but they found that the enemy
was cl, ser than they had anticipated Then
Najor-General Lowe dashed up and gave the
words of command to Mount" Form in
line, and Charge" Scarcely had the words
been uttered when the Household Cavalry and
Dragons rapidly obeyed the order, and with
suppressed but ominous murmurs swept On to
meet the foe with drawn sabers and stern de-
termination In very few moments the
horsemen had charged the enemy with great
bravery, and our guns having by this time
ceased firing, mingled with the Egyptians and
cut them up seriously. A general rout
hereupon ensued, Arabs artllerymen
getting their guns away, while his
| infantry fell into dsordered mass upon
the banks of the canal. A few dashed into
the water to save themselves. 1t would be
difficult to imagine a more complete success
! than was now seen. The bravery of the cav.
airy in thus grandly charging a blind position
the strength of which it was impossible to tell
rendered the enemy almost panic stricken,
They fell back rapidly, nor is this to be won
dered at when the race between the various
regiments of English cavalry is considered, in
which the Seventh Dragon Guards exerted
themselves beyond DIES cription to be first, ply
ing their sabers with considerable aacrity
In this way our position at kassa ssn was
relieved. We now command the country lead
ing to Tel-el-Kebir.
AL out ten o'clock the cavalry came in in
high spirits over their brilliant achievement.
Many were missing in the darkness. but they
will no doubt turn up in the morning.
IsMAILIA, August 80
Tho official report of General Lowe regard
ing the action of the cavalry at Kassassn con-
firms the details already printed. He says that
after the charge the ground was strewn with
| the bodies of dead Egyptian infantry.
A correspondent describes the scene of the
cavalry charge at kas sasSin Lock as follows:
II found two acres thic;lly strewn with corpses
of the enemy. Some of our cavalry were still
| seeking our dead and wounded. Two dead Life
| Guardsmen were mutied that they were
| quite unrecognAable. Their faces were horri-
| bly, gashed. One of the men had one hand
| completely severed from the arm and the
| other hand nearly so, and of the
eyes was scooped from the socket The hands
| OF announcer Dody were just hanging TO the
| wrists by pieces Of flesh and some sinews. A
| wounded guardsman relates that, in the
| charge, his horse was shot, and, in falling,
broke the riders thigh. While lying on the
| field he saw Egyptian sid ers ride by. He
called for help whereupon an Egyptian rode
| up and sabered the guardsman's face from
| temple to chin. The man is now, however,,
doing well. The enemy's loss must have been
at least 400.'
| 1t has been learned from the prisoners that
| Arab Pasha was present at the action Mon
day, but did not take command.
| The troops wni n attacke l our forces di not
! come from KalrelDwar, but from Tei-e
F! Kebir. They were strengthened by tn First
Regiment of the Guards consisting OF three
| strong battalions. from Cairo.