The Meeker herald., 1898-09-10

Tie KA.iifA's Forces Aftss . beess.ss
Fight.
London, Sept. 4.-The war once has
received the following dispatch from
General Kitchener, dated saturday
evening:
The remnant of the Khalifa's force
has surrendered, and have now a
very large number OF prisoners on my
hands. f
Our cavalry and gunboats are still
pursuing the khaIifa 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 eject 4 landing.
l therefore can only rely upon the cav
airy to capture him.
II visited KhartOum to-day. The
town is complete ruin, but the lower
portions show some Of the principal
houses still standing. The people are
naturally delighted to see us. So far
as l can see at present, Khartoum is
the best position. Omdurnan Is very
extensive and the stencil there IL un-
bearable.
II have therefore moved the troops
down to Khor Skambat, where we
now are in a good camp on the river.
All the British wounded will descend
the river with this dispatch. There are
no cases that cause grave anxiety
omdurman. Opposite Khartoum. on
the Nile, Nubia. Sept. 3.-By camel
post to Nari.-The Slrdar, 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. mt the head Of the Anglo -Egyp-
tian column. after completely routing
the Dervishes and dealing a death
blow TO Mahdiom.
Roughly, our losses were 200, while
thousands of the Deryishes were
killed and wounded.
Last night the Anglo Egyptian army
encamped at Agazia, eight miles from
Omdurman. The Dervishes were three
miles distant. At dawn to-day our
cavalry, patrOling toward Omdurman,
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 fiut-
tered over their masses and the cop
perand brass drums resounded through
the ranks Of the savage warriors who
advanced unswervingly with all their
old-time ardor.
Our infantry formed up outside the
camp. On the 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 were the First battalion
Warwickshire regiment, the First bat
talon Cameron Highlanders and the
First battalion Lincolnshire regiment,
with Maxlms worked by detachment
of the Royal artillery, under Major
Williams. On our right were the Sou
dnnese brigndes, commanded by Gen.
eral Maxwell and General Macdonald.
The Egyptian brigades held the re-
serves and both fanks were supported
by the Maxim Nordenfelt batteries.
I At 7:2O a. IN. the enemy crowded the
ridges above the camp and advanced
steadily In enveloping formation. At
7:4O our artillery opened fire, which
was answered by the Dervish rifle
men. Their attack developed on our
left. and In accordance with their ira
ditiOnal tactics, they swept down the
hillside with the design of rushing our
flank. But the whitening fire main
tained 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 continuous hail
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 Dervishes can
hardly be Overstated. Those who car
ried the flags struggled to within
hundred yards of our fighting line.
When the DervishSs withdrew be-
hind the ridge in front of their camp
the whole force marched in echelOn Of
battalions 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
rocky eminence and had mnssed be-
meath the black standard OF the Khal-
ifa In order to make a supreme effort
to retrieve the fortunes of the day. A
mass, 1900 strong. bore down on the
Soudanese.
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 n zone of whitening cross-fire from
three brigades, with the attendant ar
tillery. The devoted Mahdists stroye
heroically to make headway, but every
rush was stopped, while their main
body was literally mown down by a
sustained deadly cross-fire
Defiantly the Dervishes planted their
standards and died beside them. Their
dense masses gradually melted to COM