The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-02-28
THE HERO OF THE REGIMENT.
A Young English Soldiers Gallantry at
the Battle of Eel Teb.

| the Battle of Ell Teb.
Only those who have been engaged
on active warfare in the Soudan can
realize fully to what extent the re-
ligious fanaticism of the Mahdi's fol-
lowers will carry them in time of war.
Reckless as TO death, they rush madly
into the thick of the fray. Fearless,
bold and resolutc is a true description
of the Hadendowa tribe of Soudanese
| warriors, whose native home lies in the
wild and mountainous districts of the
eastern Soudan.
The warlike tribe of warriors had
never known what it was to suffer de-
feat at the hands of an enemy until
they received their first check from
the British troops at the battle of Ell
Teb. Many brave young fellow shed
his life's blood fighting hand to hand
with this warlike tribe in defense of his
country on the field of battle that day,
and many a poor mother at home in
England mourned the loss of the ono
great joy of her heart, and whose home
was left desolate and bare, now that
the beloved one had perished gallantIy
The disastrous defeats of Hicks Pasha
on the Nile and the intrepid Baker
Pasha in the eastern Soudan led up
to the subsequent events which l am
about to narrate.
AT the battle of Ell Teb February
90, 1884, Col. Barrow and Trumpeter
Tanning, young fellow of 10 years,
were leading a wing of the Nineteenth
Hussars, i'll the charge against the Arab
forces, who were then in full retreat.
when suddenly they were cut eff from
the main body of the regiment by a
superior force of the enemy. Col.
Barrow had already been badly wound
ed in the charge, having been speared
through the left arm and side, and was,
therefore, pOwerless to defend himself.
Trumpeter Tanning, who WIS riding by
his side, took in the whole situation at
a glance, and, quickly dismounting
from his horse, stood on the defensive
over the body of his fallen colonel, and
fought with that indomitlbie pluck
and courage which only the true SOL
dier can do when put to the test.
Drawing his revolver, and with de-
termined look to do or die upon his
manly young face, he calmly awaited
the onslaught of the savage horde.
Not a shot was wasted. Livery bullet
had its mark; for Tanning knew only
too well his chances would be small
once his revolver was empty.
AT last the critical moI1ent came.
and he had fired his last shot. Draw
ing his sword, he awaited the attack
with firm grip. And now came a ter
rife hand-tO-hand struggle, in which
he fought like lion, until, stabbed
In the right arm with a spear, the eaI-
liant fellow, though weakness and loss
of blood, was compelled to relinquish
his hold upon his sword.
Nothing daunted, however. the gal
liant trumpeteI seized his trumpet with
his left hand and again fought the
enemy hand-to-hand until literally
borne to the ground by sheer force of
numbers. Here they fell upon him and
hacked his body with their short stab
bing spears and knives, and left him
and the colonel for dead upon the field.
When We recovered the bodies they
were taken back to camp. Here we
found that Tanning was stabbed inl7
different places, yet, despite this fact,
the gallant fellow fingered for five
days afterward, and died at Victoria
hospital, Suez, where he was buried.
Needless to say, had he recovered from
his wounds, he would have received the
Victoria Cross for bis bravery. He
leaves widowed mother to mourn his
loss.
The trumpet, which bore such
mute testimony by the biood-stained
finger marks in his deathly grasp of
the gallant stand made by the heroic
youth, was afterwards recovered and
preserved as memento by his COM
rades. Col. Barrow afterwards died
from the effects of his wounds. al
though not until he had rendered ex.
cellent services on the Nile expedition.
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