Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-29
STEWARDS FORCE SAFE.
THE GENERAL PUT HORS DE
COMBAT BY ABAD WOUND.

A Successful Series of Stubborn En-
! gagemeDts with the Enemy-The Brit
ish Loss 100 Killed and 216 Wounded
Over 5000 of Their Foes Slain or
WOunded-TwO Correspondents Killed
Communication Established with
Gen. Gordon.
LONDON, Jan. 2S.-Intelligence was
received at the War Office at II O'Clock
this morning that Gen. Stewards force is
entrenched south of Metemneh. The dis
patch also gives the gratifying informa-
tion that Gen. Stewart is in communica-
ton with Gen. Gordon. Gen. Stewards
force had several fights with the Arab
rebels before it reached Metemneh, and
Gen. Stewart himself is badly wounded.
Five of Ell MahdPs Emirs were killed in
the fights. Gen. Lord Wolseley, in DIS
patch, reports the capture of Metemneh
by the British. He also says that Sir
Charles Wilson has gone to Khartoum on
board a steamer to confer with Gen.
| Gordon. 1t is expected that he will re-
turn as soon as possible to report per-
sonally to Gen. WOlseley.
A dispatch received from Cairo this
afternoon declared that Lord Charles
BeresfOrd, with small contingent, is
pushing on from Metemneh to Khartoum.
This afternoons official dispatches in
dicated that the march OF Gen. Stewart
and his little army from Abu Klea wells
to their present position was no easy task.
Almost every foot of the way appears to
have been sharply contested by the resO-
lutte Arab foe. There was constant sue
cessiOn of encounters from the action of
Jan. II till the Nile was reached, the
British troops steadily gaining fresh vic
tories over the impetuOus but easily de-
mOralized rebels.
THE FIRST FIGHT AFTER ABU KLEA.
On the morning of Jan. 19, two days
after the fight at Abu Klea, the enemy APP
peared in force in front of the advancing
British army, and a short fierce battle was
fought. This occurred at a point about
three miles from the Nile. The British
were compelled to sustain fire for some
time. Early in this engagement Gen.
Stewart received his wound, and Sir
Charles Wilson thereupOn assumed COM
mand. Works were hastily constructed
under leaden rain, which continued to
pour upon them from the enemy's rifles.
The wounded men and the baggage train
were left under guard behind their
quickly built earthworks, while the rest of
the force advanced in the face of the hostile
fire to a grayelly ridge some distance in
front. Here a large force of rebels had
established themselves in strong posi-
ton. AS soon as the British line came
near fierce charge, led by several
Emirs, was made against it by the rebel
force.
SUSTAINING THE ATTACK.
The British troops were arranged, as
usual. in the form of a square, and
steadily advanced to meet the wild onset of
the lOudly-cheering enemy who were rush
ing down upon them. AT the same time
the rifles of the British were doing bloody
execution. The charge was checked, and
not an Arab got within 80 yards of the
British square. The rebels did not long
stand before the murderous English fire,
but were repulsed with heavy loss. Five
Emirs and 250 men were left dead upon
the field and large numbers of wounded.
About the English losses few details have
been received. 1t is known, however,
that Mr.. Cameron, special correspondent
Of the London Daily Standard, and Mr..
Herbert, special correspondent of the
Morning Post, were killed. The place
where this battle occurred is a slight dis
tance beyond the Shebacat wells.
NATURE OF STEWARDS WOUND.
Gen. Stewards wound, while not fatal,
is so serious that he will be disabled for
the remainder of the present campaign.
Gen. Lord WOlseley considers the de-
privatiOn of his services national loss.
He characteriZes Gen. Stewart as the
ablest soldier and most dashing COM
mander he ever knew, and recommends
him to the Queens most favorable con-
sideration. Lord st. Vincent, of the
artillery, was among the British slain.
An official dispatch received this after
noon from Gen. Gordon shows that his
position at Khartoum IS by no means as
desperate as has been supposed. He says
that he could hold out there for years. Gen.
Stewards wounds are reported to be doing
well.
MARCHING UNDER HEAVY FIRE.
When he was struck the work of making
the Zareba was almost completed, and the
army had been put in motion to form its
battle array. This was a hollow square.
The square was formed in the following
order: In front, the naval brigade and
GTenadier Guard; on the right, the Cold
stream Guards and Scots Guard; on the
left flank the mounted infantry, and on
the rear the Sussex regiment and heavy
camel corps. AS soon as completed, the
square advanced under a steady ambush
fire a distance of two miles. At this point
the enemy began to move upon the square
in two large echelons. These were di-
rected against the British right front,
which stood unmOved during the rebel
charge.
INdPEDED BY THE SLAIN.
The English troops forming assailed the
front and delivered a terrific fire aimed
right at the enemy's middle, moving
down men in such heaps that they formed
actual obstacles and interfered so seri-
ously with the eVenness necessary to the
success of the onslaught that ITS centre
line was brought to standstill about
sixty yards from the British front line.
The force of the general movement threw
the unimpeded parts of the line like ends
of broken timber around the corners of
the square, and the rebels 80 displaced
were simply cut to pieces. From this on
the warfare was as disastrous to the
rebels as it was irregular on their side.
When the enemy's line was broken, the
Arabs seemed to break up into bands,
each of which waged war on its own ac-
count.
THE ATTACK ON THE DEFENSE.
A large detachment, mostly on horse
back, went back to attack the Zareba.
This was garrisoned by body of English
soldiers made up of little detachments
left behind by each corps which had gone
forward in the square. Lord Charles
BeresfOrd was in command. He sustained
the attack for two hours, when the enemy
was compelled to retreat. During the
general attack upon the square only six
men were killed and twenty-three wound
ed on the English side. Capt. Norton
worked the guns during the fight, and his
firing did awful execution.
DEFENDING THE ZAREBA.
During the advance of the main body of
the English from the Zareba the garrison
left behind at that point kept up a heavy
fire from their guns and rifles. An effort
was made to erect a small redCubt some
fifty yards to the right Of the zareba under
the protection of a steady fire from the
Zarpha During the erection of tho rp-
doubt one man was killed and three were
wounded. Lord Cochrane, with so men
from the Life Guards and Scots Greys,
held the redoubt and maintaised a heavy
fire throughout the battle. They did
much to repel the constant rushes of the
enemy. The losses of the rebels during
the whole day are estimated at 1000
killed and wounded. Among the enemy
were many slaves, several of whom have
submitted to the British. They say that
FL Mahdi sent them from KhartOum.
PANORAMA OF METEMNEH.
The square reached the Nile at sunset
Monday evening and encamped for the
night. Early Tuesday morning scouting
parties made a reconnaissance and de-
strOved some empty villages, the recent
inhabitants of which watched the opera
tions from distance, and afterwards re-
treated to Metemneh. The British then
advanced through the villages around
Metemneh. On Wednesday they made a
reconnaissance and found Metemneh fair
ly well fortified. Shots were exchanged,
but the rebels kept out of sight. The
ground around the town is sandy, with
depressiOns full of grass and bushes, af-
fording good cover. Prisoners state that
the enemy came from KhartOum, and that
the force which attacked the British at
Abu hlea was the advance guard.