The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-09-10

W NdSIE-4H SlTUdT, Uen. Dir
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, al the head of the Anglo gyp-
tan column, after completely routing
h derviShes and dealing a death
blow to Mahdiam. Roughly, our
losses were 200, including two officers
while thousands Of the dervishes were
killed or wounded.
Advanced to the Attack Chanting War
Songs.
Last night the Anglo-Egyptian army
camped at Agaiza, eight miles from
Omdurman. The dervishes were three
miles distant.
At dawn to-day our cavalry, pa
trolling toward Omdurman, discovered
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 the
ranks OF the savage warriors, who ad-
Vanced unwaveringly, with all their
old-time ardor.
Formation OF the AngIo-EgyptIan Forces.
Our Infantry formed up outside the
camp. On the left were the First battal.
ION northumberland fusileers, the
Second battalion Lancashire fusiliers
and the First battalion Grenadier
guards, with the Maxim battery,
manned by the Royal Irish fusileers.
In our center were the First battalion
W~arwickshire regiment, the First
battalion Cameron highlanders and the
First battalion Lincoln shire regiment,
with MaXims, worked by q detach.
Jnent of the royal artillery, under Maj.
Williams On u right were the Sou
dan brigade, commanded by Gen. Max.
well and Gen. Mcdonald. The Egyp.
tian brIgades held the reserves and
both TANKS were supported by the
MaXim-Nordenfelt batteries.
The Enemy Advanced Steadily Under Ar
tIIIery Fire.
At 7:20 a. N. 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 rif1emen.
A Large Force of Horsemen Literally
Swept Away.
Their attack developed on our left
and in accordance with their tradi
etonal tactics, they swept down the
hillside with the design of rushing our
flank. But the whitening fire main.
cained for Is minutes by all our line
frustrated the attempt, and the der.
wishes, baked, swept toward our cen.
ter, upon which they concentrated q
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
S~oudanese, was literally swept away.
Threw Away Their Lives in a Bold
Charge.
The bravery of the dervishes can
hardly be overstated. Those who car
Eied the flags struggled to within a
few hundred yards of our fighting
line, while the mounted emirs abso-
tutely threw their lives way in bold
charges.
Right Came in Contact with the Enemy
AS CAAC WI oll "lIiIutC" DS
hind the ridge in front of their Gang
the whole force marched in echelon OF
b~attalions toward Omdurman. As our
troops surnounted the crest adjoining
the Nile the S~oudanese on our RICH;
came into contact with the enemy.
who had formed under cover of a rocky
eminence, and had nassed beneath the
black standard of the khalifa in order
80 make a supreme effort to retrieve
the fortunes of the day. A mass 49,.
coo strong bore down on the Sou.
danese.
Main Body Literally Mown Down.
Gen. Kitchener swung round the
center and left of the Soudanese and
seized the eminence, and the Egyp-
tians, hitherto in reserve, joined the
firing line in ten minutes, and before
the dervishes could drive their attack
home.
The flower of the khalifa's army wa.
caught in a depression and within g
zone of whitening cross-fire from three
brigades, with the attendant artillery.
The devoted Mahdists strove heroically
to make Roadway, but every rush was
stopped, while their main body was
literally mown down by a sustained
deadly cross-fire.
Left the Field White with JIbbah- Clad
Corpses.
D~efiantly the dervishes planted their
standards and died by them. Their
dense masses finally 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 meadow.
At 11:15 the sirdar ordered an adj
and our whole force in line
drove the scattered remnant of the
foe into the desert, III cavalry cutting
off their retreat t. Omdurman.
Charged Home Against Appalling Odd
Among the chief incidents of the bat.
tie was a brilliant charge by the
lancers, under Lieut.
Col. Martin. G~alloping down on the
detached body of the enemy, they
the dervish swordsmen masscd
aud were forced to charge home against
appalling odds. The lancers hacked
through the mass, rallied and kept the
49, ~-E1l 1