Connecticut western news., 1884-02-27
THE WAR IN EGYPT.
HOW BAKER WAS DEFEATED.
Account of the Battle near TOk"r-COward.
 ice and Confusion.

Full details are given of the disastrous defeat of Baker Pacha, briefly reported by cable. It appears that on Sunday evening, February 3, Bakers force, 3,600 strong, encamped two miles from Trim kitat. The night passed off quietly, and before daybreak on Monday morning, at half-past seven, 300 baggage camels were laden and ready to move forward. The guns moved in advance of the col umn, the infantry following them, and the greater part of the cavalry were scattered round in @ circle of skirmishers, a half mile or so from the column, thus effectively protecting it from any sudden attack. The Turkish cavalry were in reserve. ''Shortly after eight o'clock" says the special correspondent of the London iStanddrd, "parties of the enemy were sighted. These retired slowly upon the approach of cavalry skirmishers, but showed more and more thickly as we ad- vanced. At half-past eight the column halted. A Krupp gun was brought for ward and unlimbered, and few rounds of shell were fired. It was hardly to be expected that any execution would be done upon the scattered parties of the enemy. but the effect was to cause them again to fall back.
 About nine o'clock the enemy again approached, this time in considerable numbers. The guns of the attacking party opened fire, and the force was ordered to advance. When the cavalry skirmishers came up with the enemy they were soon hotly engaged. Pres ently about a dozen Arabs riding bare backed on wiry little horses, appeared from behind @ hillock and coolly galloped round our right flank within 300 hundred yards of our cavalry on that side, run nung the gauntlet of the latter's fire. They passed scatheless, and as they still kept along parallel to our columns, with the evident intention of gauging its strength and disposition, the General ordered the Turkish cavalry to charge them and out them off. After & hot chase the enemy escaped, but as the Turks rode back again toward the column they again appeared, and this time gal loped across our front and round to the left.
 "While our attention was distracted from the front by this incident sudden commotion arose in the midst of our cavalry skirmishers on our left flank. The enemy must for some time have been lylng concealed close to them, and they now sprang to their feet, and with wild cries charged the Egyptian horsemen. These at once turned rein and came gal loping in in wild and very disorderly fashion. The order was then given for the infantry to form square-a manoeuvre in which they had been daily drilled for weeks. At this crisis, however, the but half disciplined mass failed to &C., complish it. Three sides were formed after fashion, but on the fourth side two companies of the Alexandria regi- ment, seeing the enemy coming on leap- ing and brandishing their spears, stood like panic stricken flock of sheep, and nothing could get them to move into their places.
 Unto the gap thus left in the square the enemy hotly poured, and at once all became panic and confusion. The troops fired, indeed, but for the most part straight into the air. The miserable Egyptian soldiers refused even to de- fend themselves, but, throwing away their rifles, flung themselves on the ground and grovelled there, screaming for mercy. No mercy was given, the Arab spearmen bouncing upon them and driving their spears through their necks or bodies. Nothing could we'll surpass the wild confusion which the mass pre- sented-camels and guns mixed up to- gether, soldiers firing in the air, with wild Arabs, their long hair streaming be- hind them, darting among them hacking and thrusting with their spears. The right side of the square was not at first assailed, but kept mp continuous fire toward their front, which killed many of our cavalry.
 "When the charge had been made by the enemy on the left flank, General Ba- ker, with his staff, were out with the cavalry in front. Upon riding back they found that the enemy had already got between them and the column. They at once charged them and cut their way through, but not without several being killed, among them Abdul Rusac, the chief Egyptian staff officer. His horse was hamstrung, and as it fell he was in stantly speared by the Arabs. On near ing the square the General had to run the gauntlet of the fire of the Egyptians in front, who, regardless of what was go- ing on around them, were blazing away in their front. When the General reached the square the enemy had al. ready broken it up, and it was clear that all was lost. General Sartorius, with his staff, had been in the inside of the square when the enemy burst into it. They in vain tried to rally the panic stricken Egyptians, and were so closely cooped Tn by the huddled mass of sol diers, that, for the time. they were un- able to extricate themselves. When, at last, the Arab spearsmen had thinned the throng of Egyptians, they succeeded in breaking out and in cutting their way through the enemy.
 "It now became total rout, the shat tered column streaming across the plain toward Trinkitat, preceded by the flying cavalry, the enemy pressing hotly on the rear of the infantry and slaughtering at will. All mounted men unable to ride we'll were dismounted by the rush of the flying horsemen and killed. When last seen Dr. Leslie, Morice Bey and Captain | Walker, with drawn swords and pistols, were standing in group surrounded by the enemy, close to the guns in the front face of the square. There also the Turkish battalion and thirty-six Italian policemen were annihilated, scarcely one escaping. So for five miles the flight and pursuit were kept up. The Masso- wah black battalion behaved well, and for a portion of the distance retired steadily, firing volleys into the enemy.
 Zobehr's blacks were undrilled and
 hardly able to fire their rifles, not hav-
 ing arrived long enough before the ad.
 vance to enable the officers to get them
 into any shape. They therefore bolted
 as promptly as did the Egyptians.
 "When the earthwork was reached,
 where we had encamped the night before,
 the General made great efforts to protect
 the rear Of the flying fugitives by a
 charge of the Turkish cavalry with a
 few Egyptian horsemen whose flight
 had been stopped by the officers, but
 nothing would induce them to charge.
 Half regiment of Indian cavalry would
 have swept the plain of the scattered
 enemy with the greatest ease. However,
 although the General could not induce | tho nnrkS fn aboroa bo ooI Gl.o.. l.