Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-09-08
Victory Not Easily Won.

spondent of the Daily News says: Our
victory was not easily or cheaply won.
The deryish loss was enormous. 1t is
estimated that the killed Of the enemy
were no fewer than 5000.
Our whole force was engaged in
fighting from $50 q. m. until sun
down. The dervishes displayed mar
velous bravery to the last. Instead of
waiting for us in Omdurman, where
they could have made q resistance that
would have cost us thousands of lives,
they advanced to meet us. The sight
was extraordinary. Some $4,000 men
in four brigades attempted to rush our
zeriba.
With desperate gallantry they were
repulsed, suffering huge loss. Our
Maxim guns especially made terrible
lanes in their ranks and our artillery
dealt havoc in the town, which was full
OF women. The dervish army of 10000
is utterly broken, but we are fully pre-
pared to fight tomorrow if they wish it.
The Standards war correspondent
also pays tribute to the magnificent
courage of the dervishes, but adds:
Fortunately for us, their leaders showed
little or no wisdom in choosing battle
field. By not occupying the hill on our
left front, the enemy missed his oppor-
'tunity. That would have left the sir
dar two alternatives. He might have
either accepted the challenge, or elected
to make wide detour into the desert to
reach Omdurman. In the former case
we should have been compelled to meet
the dervishes in the open. In the latter
the enemy's chances of offering pro-
longed resistance would have been ma.
terially increased, but the baggara have
lost none of their former courage and
were resolved to attack us where we
stood, trusting to sheer weight of num-
bers and hoping to hurl themselves
against us with an irresistible rush.
Hardly Rider Escaped.
Dashing across the level stretch of
pebbly soil, the khalifa's cavalry rode
madly at the steady line of infantry.
Our troops awaited the charge without
flinching. On came the dervishes, but
again the deadly fire poured into them
did its work. Men and horses fell thick,
and hardly a rider in that desperate
charge escaped.
A large body of the enemy's infantry,
undismayed by the slaughter, could be
seen preparing to follow the cavalry,
but our field artillery and Maxims de-
scending from the hill ON which they
were posted, came again into action and
the conflict entered q new phase.
T1nn tfna l.nl
pulsed and the only question was
whether the defeat of the enemy was
complete. 1t was not long before the
dervishes were seen in full fight to-
ward the right, leaving their dead on
the field as they fed. Practically the
whole army of the khalifa was de-
stroyed. Our casualties number over 200
Our losses in the zariba when the en-
envy first attacked us were small, con-
sidering the number of the enemy. Our
artillery and rifle fire was terribly eff
fective. The dervishes fought well,
displaying courage that would have
seemed marvellous had we not known
their spirit.
Welcome the Visitors.
great fight was comparatively without
incident. The sirdar with his chief of
staff, General Rumble, Colonel Win
gate and Slatin Pasha rode behind two
companies of Egyptians and Soudan-
csc, who proudly carried with them the
khalife flag, the black banner which
was to lead his troops to victory. As
we neared the place the pesple living in
houses outside the walled part, poured
out to welcome the victors Passing
through the street we came to the wall
itself, a solid looking piece of masonry
There had been no need to employ
heavy artillery to effect a breach. An
entrance was found near the river and
the sirdar rode in unopposed. The city
seemed deserted save for women and
some two score men who came forward
to make submission and lay down their
arms,