Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1898-09-10

Omdurman, Opposite Khartoum, on
the Nile, Nubia, Sept. 2, by Camel
Post to Nasri.--The sirdar, Gen. Sir |
Herbert Kitchener, with the kalifa's
black standard, captured during the
battle, entered Omdurman, the capt
tai of Mahdiam, at 4 o'clock this after
noon, at the head of the Anglo Egyp.
tian column, after completely routing
the dervishes and dealing death
blow to Mahdiam. Roughly, our
losses were 200, including two officers
while thousands of the dervishes were
killed or wounded.
Advanced to tho Attack Chanting War
Songs.
Last night the Anglo Egyptian army
camped at Agaiza, eight miles from
Omdurman. The dcrvishes were three
miles distant.
At dawn to-day our cavalry, pa
trolling toward Omdurman, discovered
the enemy advancing to the attack in
battle array, chanting war songs.
Their front consisted of infantry and
cavalry, stretched out for three or four
miles. Countless banners futtered
over their masses, and the copper and
brass drums resounded through tho
ranks of the savage warriors, who ad-
vanced unwaveringly, with all their
old-time ardor
Formation OF tho Anglo-Egyptlan Forces.
Our infantry formed up outside the
camp. On the left were the First battal.
ion Northumberland fnsleers, the
Second battalion Lancashire fusiliers
and the First battalion Grenadier
guards, with the Maxim battery,
manned by the Royal Irish fusilecrs
In our center were the First battalion
Warwickshire regiment, the First
battalion Cameron highlanders and the
First battalion Lincoln shire regiment,
with Maxims, worked by a dctach-
ment of the royal artillery, under Maj.
Williams. On our right were the Sou
dan brigade, commanded by Gen. Max
wei and Gen. Mcdonald. The Egyp-
tian brlgades held the reserves and
both TANKS were supported by the
Maxim Nordenfelt batteries.
The Enemy Advanced Steadily Under Ar
tillery Fire.
At 7:20 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 rltlemen
A Large Force of IIorsemen Literally
Swept Away.
Their attack developed on our left,
and in accordance with their tradi.
tional tactics, they swept down the
hillside with the design of Rushing our
flank But the whitening fire main
tained for Is minutes by all our line
frustrated the attempt, and the der.
wishes, balked, swept toward our cen.
ter, upon which they concentrated a
fierce attack A large force of horse.
men, trying TO face a continuous hail
of bullets from the Cameron highland
ers, the Lincolnshire regiment and the
Soudanesc. was literally swept away.
Threw Away Their Lives In Bold
| Charge.
The bravery of the dervishes can
hardly be overstated. Those who car
ried the flags struggled to within a
few hundred yards of our fighting
line, while the mounted emirs abso
lutely threw their lives away in bold
charges.
| luh far In ct w EuNmV
When the dervishes withdrew be
hind the ridge in front of their camE
the whole force marched in echelon o.
battalious toward Omdurman. AS oul
troops surmounted the crest adjoining
the Nile the Soudanese on our righ
came into contact with the enemy
who had formed under cover Of Il rock,
eminence, and had masscd beneath th'
black standard of the knalifa in ordel
70 make n supreme effort to retrieve
the fortunes of the day. A mass Is,
OoO strong bore down on the Sou
danese.
Main Body Literally Mown Down.
: Gen. Kitchener swung round tn
center and left of the Soudanese an
} seized the eminence, and the Egyp
tians, hitherto in reserve, joined tn
l firing line in ten minutes, and befor
the dervishes could drive their attac
home.
The flower of the khalifas army wa
caught in Il depression and within
zone of withering crosshre from thre
: brigades, with the attendant artiller,
j. The devoted Mahdists strove heroicall
to make headway, but every rush wa
: stopped, while their main body wa
: literally mown down by sustnine
deadly cross-ire.
> Loft the Field White with Jlbbah-Cla
Corpses.
Defantly the dervishes planted the
standards and died by them. The
:. dense masses finally melted to con
A panies and the companies to drible,
q beneath the leaden hail FINAL
they broke and fed, leaving the tiel
white with jibbah-clad corpses, like
snow drift dotted meadow.
At 1l:l5 the sirdar ordered an az
vance and our whole force in lin
drove the scattered remnant of Il
foe into the desert, our cavalry cuttin
off their retreat to Omdurman.
- Charged Home Against Appalling Odd
" Among the chief incidents of the ba
70 tie was brilliant charge by II
u Twentv-Hrst lancers, under Lieut.
" Col. Martin. Galloping down on II
detached body of the enemy, thu
found the dervish swordsmen mass
and were forced to charge home again
l. appalling odds. The lancers hack,
II through the mass, rallied and kept Il
le dervish horde at bay. Lieut.. Grenfe
IN was killed.
e. Egyptian Cavalry In Close Fighting.
The Egyptian cavalry were in clio
). fighting throughout with the Bagga'
horsemen. For short period t
, enemy captured and held the gun, b
= = it was brilliantly retaken.
= Heroic bravery Of tho Dervishes. :
!" !, The heroic bravery OF the dervish
' evoked universal admiration. Til
after time their dispersed end brok
forces reformed and hurled themsclv
IN upon the Anglo-Egyptians, their em
~ conspicusousiy leading aud spusni
u, death. Even when wounded aud