La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-09-10
A BRITISH VICTORY.
GREAT BATTLE ON THE NILE.
Twsaty YIvs Thousand Anglo Egyptian
Troops Scatter . Handrsd TboasAnd OF
tn. KhAiifA's Forces Afsss . Desperate
Fight

hIttueuet,
evening:
..Thc remnant OF the Khalifa's force
has surrendered, and 1 have now u
very large number OF prisoners on my
hands.
Our cavalry and gunboats are still
pursuing the Khalifa and his chiefs,
who with only about 14O fighting men,
are apparently making for kordofan.
THE left bank Of the White Nile is
so difficult OF approach. owing to the
overflow and the thick bushes, that
the gunboats cannot effect n landing.
l therefore can only rely upon the cav
airy to capture him.
Il visited khartoum to-day. The
town Is a complete ruin. but the lower
portions show some OF the principal
houses still standing. The people are
naturally delighted 10 see w. So far
as l can see at present. khnrtoum Is
the best position. Omdurman Is very
extensive and the stencil there Is IN
bearable.
II have therefore moved the troops
down to khor Skambat. where We
now are In good camp ON the river.
All the British wounded will descend
the river with this dispatch. There are
no cases that cause grave anxiety"
the Nile. Nubla, Sept 3.-By camel
post to Nnri.-The Sirdar. General Her
bert Kitchener. with the khalifa's
black standard. captured during the
battle. entered Omdurman. the capital
OF Mahdiam at o'clock this after
noon. at the head OF the Anglo Egyp-
tian column. after completely routing
the Dervishes and dealing u death
blow 10 Mahdiom.
Roughly. our losses Mere 300. while
thousands Of the Dervishcs were
killed and wounded.
Last night the Anglo Egyptian army
encamped ut Agazia. eight miles from
Omdnrman. The Dervisles were three
miles distant. AT dawn to-day our
cavalry. pairoling toward Oindurman,
discovered the enemy advancing TO the
attack in battle array. chanting war
songs. Their front consisted OF infan-
try and cavalry. stretched our for three
or four miles. Countless banners iiut-
tered over their masses and the cop
perand brass drums resounded through
the ranks OF the savage warriors who
advanced unswcrvingly with all their
old-time ardor.
Our infantry formed up outside the
camp. on tho left were the First bat
TALON northumberland FusIleers. the
Second battalion Lancashire Fusileers
and the First battalion Grenadier
guards. with the Maxim battery. man
ned by the Royal Irish Fusileers. In
our center We're the First battalion
wnrwickshire regiment. the First bat
talon Cameron Highlnnders and the
First battalion Lincolnshire regiment,
with Mnxims worked by detachment
OF the Royal artillery. under Major
Williams on our right were the Sou
dancse brigades. commanded by Cen
eral Maxwell and General Macdonald.
The Egyptian brigndes held the re-
serves and both tanks were supported
by the Maxim -Nordenfelt batteries.
At 100 a. IN. the enemy crowded the
ridges above the camp and advanced
steadily in enveloping formation. AT
TAO our artillery opened fire, which
was answered by the Dervish ride
men. Their attack developed on our
left, and in accordance with their trn-
ditionaI tactics, they swept down the
hillside with the design OF rushing our
flank. But the whitening fire main
tanned for fifteen minutes by all our
lines frustrated the attempt and the
Dervishes, baked. swept toward our
center, upon which they concentrated
fierce attack. A large force OF horse
men,. trying to face u cortinuous hall
OF bullets from the Cameron High
landers, the Lincolnshire regiment and
the Soudanese, was literally swept
away. leading to the withdrawal OF
the entire body, whose dead strewed
the field.
The bravery OF the Desvishes can
hardly be ovcrstated. Those who car
ried the flags struggled to within a
hundred yards of our fighting line.
When the Dervishes withdrew be
hind the ridge In front OF their camp
the whole force marched In echel0n Of
bnttalions toward Omdurnan. As our
troops surmountcd the crest adjoining
the Nile. the Soudanese on our right
came into contact with the enemy,
who had reformed under cover OF a
rocky eminence and had massed be-
meath the black standard OF the Khal-
ifa in order to make a supreme enort
to retrieve the fortunes of the day. A
mass. 1900 strong, bore down on the
SotNlanese.
General Kitchener swung round the
center and left of the Soudanese and
seized the rocky eminence. and the
Egyptians, hitherto in reserve. Joined
the firing line In ten miutes and be
fore the Dervishes could drive their
attack home.
The flower Of the Khalifa's army
was caught in a depression and with
In a zone of whitening cross-fire from
three brigades. with the attendant ar
tillery. The devoted Mahdists strove
heroically to make headway. but every
rush was stopped. while their main
body was literally mown down By q
sustained deadly cross-fire.
Defiantly the Deryishes planted their
standards and died beside them. Their
dense masses gradually melted to COM
panies and the companies to driblets
beneath the leaden hail. Finally they
broke and fed. leaving the field white
with Jibbah-clad corpses, like q snow
drift dotted spot
At 1:15 the Sirdar ordered an ad-