Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-02-07

Al zBoUr THE soUDAv War.

? y ---'~~s 1900 4AS cVCU4N w Az.
Nsssssv e she Il mahdss Rsss.,sss and
~ sese sf kAsrsssus~ Genera, esrSss's
cssess.
u was In July, 1881, about two
yssss after the deposition Of Ismail
Pesha. that III Mahdi, the Prophet.
sI<ed the standard of revolt in
ne SoudAn. Arab Bcy hxd be-
gun his agitation against the Khe-
dives government in February pre-
ceding, but il had no serious
consequences until the close Of jan
nary, 1882, when his demonstration
sorccd q change IN the Government. and
new ministry under Makmoud pasha
Bsrosidi was formed. The rioting in
Alexandria which precip;tated the
British Intervention began on June III,
i6S2, and about the same time FL
Mahdi scored his first great success by
capturing and massacrcing 5000
Egyptians under Yussuf Pasha. The
bombardment Of Alexandria by the
British feet began on July 18th, and
Lord Wolseley arrived to assume the
command on August 18th. On Scptem-
Der 18th, the day before FL Mahdi was
compelled to retreat from Fl Obeid,
Arab was defeated BY Lord Wolseley
Ut Tel-el-kebir. and the rebel
bon headed by him was cifectually
crushed. In October an attempt was
made 10 reinforce the garrison of III
Obeid, but the two bsttalions Of Egyp-
tian regulars and the 500 Bashi- Bazouks
which were sent from Khartoum for |
th,,s purpose were intercepted by FL |
Mahdi and utterly annihilated.
At the close OF October. 1882. the |
second important step in the British |
scheme of interference was taken by |
the mission Of Lord Dufferin to Cairo
for the purpose Of recognizing the
Government Of Egypt--a task which he
professed TO have accomplished by the
close Of the year.
On March 4th Colonel Hicks. an
English officer, arrived at Khartoum
and began the organization Of an expe-
dition for the recspture Of III 0beid.
September 9Th Hicks marched out Of
khartoum at the head Of 1000 avail
able fiehting-men. lie encountered I'll
Mahdi's army near Ell Obeid, and in a
three-days' battle, November 3d-5th,
was utterly routed, his whole force
being killed or captured. Desultory
operations have since been carried on
IN this section, but the Suakim-Berber
route to Khartoum was abandoned as
impractieable, and attention was direct
cd 10 the Nile route.
To General Gordon, mean while, had
been assigned the task of rescuing the
loyal Egyptian garrison from Khartoum.
and on January Is, 1884, he started ,,
from London on that mission. ,
General Gordon arrived at Cairo on =
January oath, and Immediately tele- =,
graphed to Khartoum - You are men s
not women. BE not afraid. am COM !
ing II was his belief that he could :
organize an army at Khartoum, and he A..
said: "If ] am sent, ! will go alone" ;
The instructions he received from Sir /,
Evelyn Barring were You will bear !,
in mind that the main end is =
the evacuation Of the Soudan." q
Before leaving Cairo he stated that his =
plan was to restore the son of the late =,
Sultan of Darfur, to give Kordofan to ~
the Mahdi, and leave Fashoda and Bahr T.
Gazelle TO their native rulers. He -,
Iound that the first part Of his plan was =,
because the young Sultan =,
,f Darfiir was drunkard. Gordon's -
route was up the Nile valley by train to ~ ~
Assiut. by steamer to Wady Halfa, and 10
hence to korosko. A four-days' ride -;
IN . dromedary would then carry him b;
o Abu-Hamar. 80
On arriving at Berber he telegraphed: 80
Do not bother at all about us. hope :"
he Soudan will soon be in good order" ~ ~
All along the Nile. on his journey, Cor q,
lon invited the chiefs TO go to Khar- =,
oum to an assembly of notables, where 81,
he independence of the Soudan was to re re
e discussed. On February 18th he 81
elegraphed from Berber: g Just leay- u.
rs for Khartoum. Give yourself no ="
nrther anxiety about this part of Sou he
an. The people, great and small, are ice
earthly glad to be freed from union 49,.
hich has only caused them sorrow" ~. ~"
our days later February Is, 1884, he T T.,
rived at Kbartoum and was enthu- Esq.,
astically received by the people, who 90
joiced over his proclamation remit ,ho
ne half their taxes, promising not to Az
terfere with the slave trade, and re- 49,; ~"
'gnizing the Mahdi as Sultan of Kor c." 'o
dan. The books in which the records ~
back taxes were kept were publicly tro
irncd. Tie threw open the doors of ~
small dungeons and made free many ,ha
retched prisoners. A council of nota- g..
es was organized, and Gordon was -
cognized as the saviour of the people. an.
His first important conflict with the fff
siegers occurred on March 10th, and ~,
got the worst of it through the l..
,achery Of the native officers of his ~;
xed army Of blacks and Bashi-Ba- -
uks, and lost $50 in killed and " "
Funded. From that time forth fight c..
, was kept up until the fall Of the arn
y. The siege was close and vigor- a."
S one, and scarcely day elapsed ,.a.
thout conflict with the rebels. ""s
Lord Wolseley left England on the 60.
ST Of August. On the Sd of Novem- c. CO.
r he arrived at Dongola, and eight , uo,
ndred whale-boats reached Wada a.a
llfa ON the 18th Of November. Four a.
Us later 5000 British soldiers were -,
nth Of Assouan, and the ascent of the ~. De,
le began in earnest. On the 10th of u 1
cember Lord Wolseley had arrived 90
korti, from which place General ~"
'wart advanced across the desert to MN
kdul, when the campaign, strictly ~
ssking, may be said to have COM
need. no"
General Stewart left Korti with l,150
n and 1900 camcls at 3 O'Clock on A
30th Of December for Gakdul, half stol,
y to Metemneh. The column. which pctr
s one mile in length. reached Gakdul mo,