Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1898-09-08
ROUTED THE DERVSHES.
AOgIO-EgyptIan Troops Utterly An
initiate Them,
THEIR ATTACK BRAvELY MET
Fanatics Compelled to Give Way to Dis
olpllno-wore literally Mown Down
Regiments Melt to Companies, tho Lat
ter to squads--Dle Under Standards

0,DURMAN, ON THE Nile, Nubia,
Sept Tho sirdar General Sir Her
bert Kitchener, with tho lshalifns
black standard, captured during the
battle, entered 0mdurman, the capital
OF Mahdiam, nj o'clock this after
noon, at the head OF the Anglo. Egyp-
tim column after completely routing
the dcrvishes and dealing death
blow to Mahdiam.
Roughly our losses were 600, while
thousands Of the dervishes were killed
and wounded.
Last night the Anglo.Egyptan army
cncamped at Again, eight miles from
0mdurman. The dervishcs were three
miles distont. 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
infantry and cavalry, stretched out for
three or four miles. Countless ban.
ners Auttered over their masses and
the copper and brass drums rcsound-
cd through the scrricd ranks OF
the savage warriors, who ad-
vanced unwaveringly with all their
oldtimo nrdor Our infantry formed
up outside the camp. On tho left were
the first battalion Northumberland
fusllocrs, tho second battalion Ian
cashire fusilcers and the frat battalion
grenadior guards, with the Maxim
battery, manned by the royal Irish
Susilcers, In our center were tho first
battalion Warwicltshirc regiment, the
first battalion Cameron llghlnndcrs
and the first battalion Lincolnshire
regiment with MNxims worked by
detachment OF tho royal artillery,
under Major Williams, On our right
was the Soudanese brigade, command
ed by General Maxwell and General
Macdonald. The Egyptian brigadcs,
commanded by General Maxwell, were
supported by the Observation-Disclosures
batteries.
At 7i20 n, IN. the enemy crowded tho
ridges above the camp and advanced
steadily In enveloping formation. AT
TAO our artillery opened fire, which
was answered by the dcrvlsh riacmen.
Their attack developed on our left
and in accordance with their tradl-
tional tactics, they swept down the
hillside with the design Of rushing our
flank. But tho whitening fire main
tanned for fifteen minutes by all our
line frustrated the attempt, and the
dervlshes balkod, swept toward our
center, upon which they concentrated
fierce attack, A large force Of horse
men, trying to face u continuous hail
Of bullets from the Cameron High
landers, the Lincolnshire regiment
and the Soudanesc, was literally swept
away leading to tho withdrawal OF
the entire body, whose dead strewod
the field.
Tho bravery Of the dervishes can
hardly be ovcrcstimated, Those who
carried the flags struggled to within
a few hundred yards OF our fighting
line, while-tho mounted cmirs abso.
lutely threw their lives away in bold
charges
When tho dcrvishes withdrew be.
hind the ridge in front OF their camp
the whole force marched In echelon Of
battalions toward 0mdurman. As our
troops surmounted the crest adjoining
tho Nile, the Soudanese on our right
came in contact with the enemy, who
had reformed under cover OF rocky
eminence and had massed beneath the
black standard Of the khalifa in order
to make q supreme effort to retrieve
the fortunes of the day, A mass,
$4,000 strong bore down upon the
Soudanese.
General Kitchener swung round the
center and left Of the Soudancsc and
soi2ed the rocky eminence, and tho
Egyptians, hitherto in reserve, Joined
the firing line in ten minutes and be.
fore the dervishcs could drive their ut.
tack homo.
The flower of the khalifa's army
was caught in depression and within
a zone Of whitening crossAre from
three brigades from the attendant mr.
tillery. 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 crosshre.
Defantly the dervlshes planted their
standards and died beside them. Their
dense masses gradually melted to CON-
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 meadow
At li:1b tho sirdar ordered an adj
vance and our whole force in line
drove the scattered remnant OF the
foe into the desert, our cavalry cut
ting Off their retreat to Omdurman.
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