The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-28
BATTLE OF FERKEH.
How the British Surprised and
Routed the Soudanese.
MAXIM GUMS TERRlslE WORK,
Not Much Blood Shed by the New
Ffrearms-A Magnificent Spec
sacie at Sunrise.

<ew York Tsrrez
First 90 the Is1r1on papers 70 publish q
detailed account 81 the hattie az Ferkeh.
in which Ger. Kitchener defeated the
Hover OF the aahdlss army. was the
ChronicEe. Tha. journals special CORE
spcnSens in tie soCdan was an eye wit
Ness o1 the fight. and after IL was over ne
rode hastily back 20 skasheh while his
rivals rested At Ferkeh. From Akasaeh
his letter went by camel post 10 Aub go.
Weais and was teisgraphss TO Eng.and.
The enterpx4saffg correspondent hal been
IN the saddle Just twenty hours when no
reached Akasheh. having meanwhile made
the trip TO FeFseh. seen the hattie. writ
ten his story ant returned. Hfs account
OF this very important engagement fol-
lows.
Al p. n. or Saturday. June s. I was
told 20 be really TO march out with the
infantry at .. m Il was 10 be night
march, followed by an attack at dawn
starting al 4. We would have about two
and threerauar:er hours OF daylight. but
the mos. e1ricnIt part of the march would
have to be done by starlight only. namely,
the passing of the staff. three infantry
brzga6es with their mounted officers. tho
leo cameis OF the ammunition reserve. and
another loo with the hospital equipment.
over a narrow and broken path along tho
river bank. the worst portion being a
mere corniee OF rock above the Nile.
where the men and animals had 20 move
cautiously one by one In the darkness.
The result was. OF course. long and weary
halts. slow short mounts. and though We
started at IL was nearly a N. when the
rear guard. with the last OF the cameis.
reached the biyouac. between eleven and
twelve miles south of Akashen. near the
deserted village of Sarkamatto.
There are two routes from Akasheh to
Ferkeh. first. the desert route by a series
OF sandy khors east OF the mass OF rocky
hills. OF which Dial mountain is the high
est point and Jchel Ferkeh the southern
summit; second. the river route, rarity by
rocky and sandy khors In the desert on
the western SIDE OF the hills. partly near
or upon the river hank. Its last three
miles is plain between Sarksmatto and
Ferkeh. sloping from the hills to the river
bank. The desert route Was the really
easy route for an army. The river route
seemed all but impossible. ard was there
fore carelessly watched by tsle enemy. So
the Sirdar chose II for his main advance.
The Ssrsiar's plan was 10 send Major
Burn-M Murdoch up the desert route with. a
mounted force. composed OF one battery OF
horse artillery: 500 sabers. cavalry; go
rifles. camel corps: TIT officers and men OK
the Twelfth Soudansse. mounted on trans
port cameIs until they reached the actual
scene of action. and two Maxim guns. In
all. Burn-Murdoch had some $50 men.
The~ were 10 be in position on the hills
east of Ferkeh by 4:3o q. m on Sunday.
conceaiing their presence from the enemy.
keeping SO far hack as 20 be out OF tho
field Of fire of the river column. and OPEN
ing with their artillery as soon as they
heard their guns. At about a. m. they
were TO use their artillery and Maxims to
break up from the flank any attempt Of
the enemy 20 mass for a charge. and when
q. @laa
cavalry and camel men ready TO fall on
The flank OF the retiring dervishes, and
pursue southwark, the object being 10 de-
stroy and capture all their force.
The Slriar himself had In the river route
column the following force. Two mule and
camel batteries. az guns. two maxims.
and Hunter Pasha's infantry division OF
three brigadeS. The brigadiers and their
regiments were. First brigade U.ewis Bey)
Third Egyptians. Foarth Egyptians.
Tenth Souudanese: second brigade, Mac
Donald Bey)-Sluth Soudanese. Eleventh
Soudanese Thirteenth Sonndanese, third
brigade, tMaxweil Bey)-Second Egypt-
iana, Seventh Egyptians. and Eighth
Egyptians. In all the riser column mus
tered over 5.09 men. They were 10 halt
near Sarkamatto aud hlyouac without
fires. There was 10 be no noise of any
kind. no lights, not so much as burning
At&aEfkt@ TIP .liU UASat1 Htkf ~ G0NGtBs
and x any OF the enemy's patrols were
met they were 10 he bsyonsted. no rides
being discharged on any account. The
troops were 10 be ready 10 attack Ferkeh
at a. m.
the discipline OF the troops was excel
lent. The highs march was absolutely ST.
lent. and AT the h!vouac n was hard TO
realize that zoe men were around one in
tha darkness The camels (which no pow
h. h =xa1f
90 thA rear IN rocky hollow. got just
one hour of sleep on the sand by the
track. and at a.. m was getting break
fast and preparing 10 move.
A few minutes before 4 ] mounted my
horse and rode forward. I soon found the
third brigade marching IN darkness and
siience, and rode with them till the dawn
began. about $50. when ] gradually work
ca ny way raarer the front OF the long
infantry column. The light had increased
so that one could see the bold plateau OF
Ferkeh mountain against the sky IN front
TO The left, and the saadoxy line of palms
along the river OH the right-between
MAS a narrow. sandy plain with scattered
rocks.
Daylight came quickly. hai 81 al was
stiH silent Ia front. was Their about one
and q half miles north Of Iefkah and Il
struck me the plsee must have been evac-
uated in the. night. But the fact was that
the dervish eutposts wefe in the broken
ground a few hundred yards fn advance
OF The village and did not ssgat Our lead
ing Brigade til we were cloAe un. But sgst
AZ sos came 4 pAtter % rife shofs and
then the deep boom Of one OF Bufn-Mur-
dochs guns from beyond Jebel Ferkeh.
4 minute later ore Of car own mountain
batteries was 81 action on she rocky slope
Vasf % the hill and one heard Yoliey iir-
ing FROM I.ewss's brigade.
pat my horse TO a sharp caatar so long
as the ground allowed. and made for the
aIora between she mountain ana the VIZ
lsxe. which seemed 70 promise a good
view. As passed along the column, e
Vas nleasaat 30 see how the men were
qssiekeuing the pace They evidently
meant business
We had heard HammDda's crops was
about 4es3 strong IL certainly SEEMED
70 me that there as eyem a larger farce
nl.thA against us. bas in the broken
ground they hela il was not easy 20
estimate their numbers accurately. The
Village rAa for p mile along the river
wen-bauf. ciay-U allied hassas. wi;h au-
rse~sas straw fnkais Tar the extra force
assembled fh@Fe-and on an island a
great castelistea structure. partly n
rasn. I~lree large mounts % cay rose
among ire r0cks on the sas. side Of the
piacr.
TIE F'irat hsieaae. under Leafs. YVES ss-
vAncing against the ncTta era ~ tAe VIZ
lace. the Egyptians near tfe river. the
Thtra leaainE. tire Tenth Soaaauese ~
t9,s{r left NacTsnaa lstss Scala ness brig
aae u-as pushing forward between fae VII
lake and the hsfls. ard 50 spare WIS nas =
- =. kssxur~FF.s Egs4-rtsev h-fes as ftsss se-s