The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-09-09
BLOODY BATTLE IN EGYPT

Taking Of 0mdurman by
the British.
COMPLETE ROuT OF DERvISHES
Massed Tribes Unable to Withstand the
Withering Fire OF Modern Ordnance
Gallant Charge of the British.
Omdurman, Opposite Khartoum on
the Nile, Nubia, Sept. 6.-The sirdar,
General Herbert Kitchener, with the
khalifa's 8 black standard captured dur
capital of Mahdiam at 4 O'Clock this
afternoon, at the head of the Anglo
Egyptian column, after completely
routing the dervishes and dealing a
death blow to Mahdim. Roughly, our
losses were 900, while thousands of the
dervishes were killed and wounded.
Last night the Angto-Egyptian army
encamped at Agaiza, eight miles from
Omdurman. The dervishes were three
miles distant. At dawn today,
the cavalry patTolling toward Omdur-
man discovered the enemy advancing
to the attack in battle array, chanting
war songs. Their fir mt 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 resounded
through the ranks of the savage war
riors, who advanced unswervingly,
with all their old-timel ardor. Our
infantry formed up outside the camp.
At 1870 A. M. the enemy crowded
the ridges above the camp and ad-
vanced steadily in enveloping forma-
ton. AT TAO our artillery opened fire.
which was answered by the dervish
riflemen. Their attack developed on
our left, and in accordance with their
traditional tactics, they swept down
the hillside, with the design of rushing
our flank. But the whitening fire
maintained for Is minutes by all our
line frustrated the attempt. and the
dervishes, baked, swept toward our
center, upon which they concentrated
fierce attack.
A large force of horsemen, trying to
face continuous hail of bullets from
the Cameron Highlanders, the Lincoln
shire regiment and the Soudanese, was
literally swept away, leading to the
withdrawal of the entire body, whose
dead strewed the field.
0e Aka al,
hardly be over estimated. Those who
carried the flags struggled to within
100 yards of our fighting line.
When the dervishes withdrew behind
the ridge in front Of their camp, the
whole force marched in ecbelon Of bat
talions toward Omdnrman.
AS our troops surmounted the crest
adjoining the Nile. the Soudanese on
our right came into contact with the
Remick, who had reformed under cover
of rocky eminence, and had marched
Beneath the black standard OF the kha-
lifa in order to make supreme effort
to retrieve the fortunes of the day. 4
mass $1,000 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 10 minutes, and be-
fore the dervishss could drive their at
tack home. The flower of the khalifa's
army was caught in a depression and
within zone of whitening cross-fire
from three brigades, with the attendant
artillery. The devoted Mahdis strove
heroically to make headway. but every
rush was stopped, while their main
body was literally mown down by sus-
tanned cross-fire.
Defantly 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.
AT l1:15 the sirdar ordered an ad-
drove the scattered remnants Into the
desert to Omdurman.
Among the chief incidents Of the bat
tie was brilliant charge by the
Twenty-first Lancers, under Lieutenant
Colonel Martin. Galloping down on
detached body of the enemy they found
the dervish swordsmen massed behind,
and were forced to charge home against
appalling odds. The lanoers hacked
through the mass. rallied and kept the
dervish horde at bay. Lieutenant
Grenfelt, nephew of General Sir Francis
Grenfelt. was killed, four other officers
were wounded, 81 men were killed and
30 wounded,
The Egyptian cavalry were in close
fighting throughout with the Baggara
horsemen. For u short period the
enemy captured and held gun, but it
was brilliantly retaken.
The heroic bravery of the deryishes
evoked universal admiration. Time
after time their dispersed and broken
forces reformed and hurled themselves
upon the Anglo Egyptians, their emirs
conspicuously leading and spurning
death. Even when wounded and in
death agonies they raised themselves to
fire last shot.
Among the wounded is Colonel
Rhodes, the correspondent of the Lon
don Times, and a brother of Cecil
Rhodes.
Four Young Women Drowned.
Erie, Pa, Sept. By an acci-
dental jibing of the sail Of the pleasure
yacht Carmenca, on Presque Isla bay
this morning four young women were
swept off into the water and drowned
before assistance could be rendered
them. Their names are Mary, Della
aud Ella Paradine and Jessie Moore