The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-05
K|TCHENER'S
CAPTURE OF
ONDURMAN
How Followers of the
KhaIifa Fought.
THOUSANDS OF THEM SLAIN
WONDERFUL VALoR DISPLAYED
on BOTH SIDES.
One British Regiment, Surrounded by
the Natives, Cuts It's Way,
Through Living Walls of
the Enemy.
THOUSANDS OF THEM SLAIN
WONDERFUL VALoR DISPLAYED
on BOTH SIDES.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

OMDU U R M N, opposite
Khartoum, on the Nile, Nubia,
September 2 (by camel post to
NasrD-The Sirdar, General Her
bert Kitchener, with the Khali-
fa's black standard captured dur
ing battle, entered Omdurman,
the capital of Mahdiam, at 4
O'Clock this afternoon at the head
of the Anglo-Egyptian column,
after completely routing the Der
wishes and dealing a death blow
to Mahdism.
Roughly our losses were 200. while
thousands of the Dervishes were killed
and wounded.
Last night the Anglo Egyptian army
encamped at Agaiza, eight miles from
! Omdurman. The -Deryishes were
three miles distant. At dawn to-day,
our cavalry, patrolling toward Omdur-
man, discovered the enemy advancing
to the attack in battle array chanting
war songs. Their frort consisted of in
fantry and cavalry stretched out for
three or four miles. Countless banners
fiuttered over their masses, and the
copper and brass drums sounded
through the ranks of the savage war
riors, who advanced unswervingIy with
all their old time ardor. Our infantry
formed up outside the camp. On the
left were the First Battalion Northun-
berland Fusileers, the Second Bat
| TALON Lancashire Fusileers and the
First Battalion Grenadier Guards, with
the Maxim battery, manned by the
Royal Irish Fusileers. In the center
were the first Battalion Warwickshire
Regiment, the First Battalion Cameron
Highlanders and the First Battalion
Lincolnshire Regiment with Maxims
worked by a detachment of the Royal
| Artillery under Major Williams. On
our ~'ght were the Soudanese brigades,
commanded by General Maxwell and
General Macdonald. The Egyptian bri-
gades held the reserves and both fianks
were supported by the Maxim Norden
| feldt batteries.
AT 1920 a. m. the enemy crowded the
ridges above the camp and advanced
steadily in enveloping formation. At
7:40 our artillery opened fire. which
was answered by the Dervish rifemen.
Their attack developed on our left, and
in accordance 18th their traditional
tactics they swept down the hillside
with the design IF ~'1shing our flank.
But the withering fire maintained for
| fiftee min-tes bv all our line frus-
trated the Gtter'~t. and the Dervishes,
| baked, swept toward our center. upon
| IT. A.
| tack. A large force of horsemen, try
ing to face continuous hail of bullets
from the Cameron Highlanders, 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 Dervishes can
hardly be overstated Those who car
ried the flags struggled to within a
hundred yards of our fighting line.
When the Dervishes withdrew behind
the ridge in front of their camp the
whole force marched in echelon of bat
talions toward Omdurman. AS our
troops surmounted the crest adjoining
the Nile the Soudanese on our right
came into contact with the enemy, who
had reformed under cover of a rocky
| o1Qln6nCe anu 0cQ IIldSS6Q DeHedIn the
black standard of the Khalifa in order
to make a supreme effort to retrieve
the fortunes of the day. A mass, 49,
900 strong, bore down on the Soudan-
ese.
General Kitchener swung around the
center and left of the Soudanese and
seized the rocky eminence, and the
Egyptians, hitherto in reserve, joined
the firing line in ten minutes, and be-
fore the Dervishes could drive their
attack home the flower of the Khalifa's
army was caught in a depression and
within zone of withering cross-ire
from three brigades, with the attendant
artillery The devoted Mahdists strove
heroically to make headway, but every
rush was stopped, while their main
body was literally mown down by
| sustained deadly cross-fire.
Defiantly the Dervishes 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 snow
drift-dotted spot.
j At 11:15 o'clock the Sirdar ordered
an advance and our whole force, In