The state herald., 1898-09-09
A BRITISH VICTORY
GREAT BATTLE ON THE NILE.
Twenty Five Thousand Anglo Egyptian
Troops Scatter u Hundred Thousand of
the KhAiifa's Forces After u Desperate
Fight,

!
General Kitchener, dated Saturday
evening:
"The remnant of the Khalifa's force
has surrendered. and l have now u
very large number of prisoners on my
hands.
Our cavalry and gunboats are still
pursuing the Khalifa and his chiefs,
who with only about 40 fighting men,
| are apparently making for KOrdofan.
"1'he left bank of the White Nile Is
| SO difficult of approach, owing to the
overflow and the thick bushes, that
| the gunbOats cannot effect Il landing
therefore can only rely upon the cav
airy to capture him.
81 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 mt present, Khartoum IL
the best position. Omdurmnn is very
extensive and the stencil there Is I'M
bearable.
II have therefore moved the troops
down to Khor Skambat. where we
now are in 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 Nnri.-The Sirdar. General Her
bert Kitchener. with the Khalfas
black standard, captured during the
battle, entered Omdurman. the capital
of Mahdiam. at 1 o'clock this after
noon. at the head of the Anglo-Egyp-
tian column. after completely routing
the Dervishes and dealing death
blow to Mahdom.
Roughly, our losses We're 200, while
thousands of the Dervishes were
killed and wounded.
Last night the Anglo Egyptian army
encamped at Again, eight miles from
Omdurman. The Dervishes We're three
miles distant. At dawn to-day our
cavalry. patrolinS 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 flut-
tered over their masses and the cop
perand brass drums resoundcd through
the ranks of the savage warriors who
advanced unswervincly with all their
Old-time artlor.
Our infantry formed up outside the
camp. On the left were the First bat
talon northumberland Fusileers. the
Second battalion Lancashire Fusleers
and the First battalion Grenadier
guards, with the Maxim battery. man
ned by the Royal Irish Fusileers. In
our center We're the First battalion
Warwickshire regiment, the First bat
NJ.
First battalion Lincolnshire regiment,
with Maxims worked by n detachment
of the Royal artillery. under Major
Williams. on our right were the Sou
dancse brigades, commanded by Gen.
eral Maxwell and General Macdonald.
The Egyptian brlgades held the re-
serves and both tanks We're supported
by the Maxim m-Norlcnfclt batteries.
At 100 II. IN. the enemy crowded the
ridges above the camp and advanced
steadily In enveloping formation. Al
1;i0 our artillery opened fire. which
was answered by the Dcrvish 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
tanned for fifteen minutes by all our
lines frustrated the attempt and the
Derv.shes. baked. swept toward our
center, upon which they concentrated
fierce attack. \ large force Of horse
men. trying TO face u continuous hail
of bullets from the Cameron High
lnnders, 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 Dervlshes can
hardly he oversinted. Those who ear
ried the flags struggled TO within
hundred yards of our fighting line.
When the Dervlshcs withdrew be-
hind the ridge In front of their camp
the whole force marched In echelon OF
battnlions toward Omdurman. As our
troops surmounted the crest adjoining
the Nile. the Soudancse ON our right
came into contact with the enemy,
who had reformed under cover OF n
rocky emlncncc and had masscd be-
meath the black standard of the khal.
ifn In order to make n supreme effort
to retrieve the fortunes of the day. A
mass. 1900 strong. bore down ON the
Soudnnese.
General Kitchener swung round the
center and LEFT of the Soudnncsc and
seized the rocky cmlncncc. and the
Egyptians. hitherto In reserve. Joined
the firing line In ten mlutcs aud bc.
fore the Dervlshcs could drive their
attack home.
The flower OF the Khallfn's army
was caught In depression and with.
In n zone Of whitening cross-ilrc from
three brigndcs, with the attendant mr..
tlllery. The devoted Mnhdists strovc
herolcnlly TO make hcndwny. but every
rush was stopped. while their main
body wns literally mown down by n
sustained deadly cruss.iirc.
beiinntiy the Dcrvlshcs planted their
standards and died beside them. Their
dense masses gradually melted to com.
pnnics and the companies To drlblris
beneath the lca,lcn hail. Finally they
broke and He'd. leaving the field white
with Jlbbnh.clnd corpscs. like n snow.
drift dotted spot.
Al Has the slrdnr ordered mn nd.
vance nnd our whole force. In line,
drove the scattered remnant OF the
foe into the desert. our cavalry cutting
or their retreat Ia omdurmnn.
The heroic bravery of the Dcrvlshcs
evoked universal admiration. Time
nficr time their dispersed and broken
forces reformed mud hurled themselves
upon the Anglo. Egyptians, their cmIrs
conSplcuously leading aud spurnlng
death.
Even when wounded and In dcn,h
ngnilra, they raised themselves 10 fire