The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-05-09
BRITISH failure
AT KUT COMPLETE
Surrender Of TOWnSh0nd CauS-
cd Little Surprise, However.
LOST OVER 10000 MEN.

Relief Expedition only Twenty Miles
Away, Unable to Break THROUGH
Turkish Positions and Supply Be-
siesed Army With Food or Ammu-
nition-Ciin,ate Against Invaders.
Another phase OF the i'll fated Brit.
fsh campaign in MesopOtamia closed
with the surrender of General Towns
bend and the garrison at Kut-el.
Amara, about 100 miles below Bagdad.
Some 10000 men In all laid down their
arms to the Turks.
The surrender of General Towns
hend is one of the few instances of
the war In which an entire fighting
unit of important numbers has laid
down Its arms. 1t is one of the largest
bodies of troops of the entente allies
which have surrendered and larger
than any other captured French or
British force.
The eventual surrender of General
Townshend had been expected since
the failure of the forces under Lieu
Keary to break through the Turkish
position at Sannayyat, just below Kut
el-Amara, on the Tigris river, and the
unsuccessful attempt to send the
blockaded army provisions by steam
ers. 1t had been touch and go with the
small British force for many days.
Up to the last General Townshend
| kan nj Itn H.
relieved. King George sent a message
of encouragement to him month ago,
and in later message the general said
he expected to be relieved shortly. He
declared he would hold out TO the limit
of endurance, but the recent reverses
suffered by the army which was at
tempting to rescue him apparently
made the situation hopeless one. One
of General Townshend's messages
few weeks ago said all was well and
that most wanted were needles for
monographs.
Difficult Undertaking.
The Mesopotamlan campaign has
been one of the most difficult the Brit
tsh army has undertaken during the
war. The torrid climate and lack OF
fresh water, together with the difficult
ties of transport, made great calls on
the endurance of the troops. More
over, the positions held by the Turks
below Kut-el-Amara, intrencbed and
strongly fortified, were very formida-
BILE. The original expedition was com
posed in part of indian troops, but the
relief force for the most part was made
up Of men from England and the colo
nies. The forces which attempted to
relieve General Townshend met with
almost continual misfortunes. On sew
eral occasions Just when it was be-
lieved they were on the point of sue
cess rising waters made further prog
ress impossible. After penetrating
Turkish positions they were compelled
to retire or remain stationary owing to
the impossibility of attacking the posi-
tion at Sannayyat, which was sur
rounded by water. The British troops
did actually attack the prepared posi-
! ton there after wadlng through mud
and water waist deep, but only to find
when they did meet with some success
that failure at some other point made
their sacrifice futile.
The British public never lost faith In
General Townshend, and even now
that he has been forced to capitulate
after destroying everything at Kut-el-
: Amara that might be valuable to the
Turks. they look back upon his cam.
paign az a brilliant one.
The British Mesopotamian campaign,
waged along the Tigris from the Per
sian gulf northward almost to the gates
Of Bagdad, had as its chief aim the
capture of that ancient city. To divert
Turkish forces from Gallipoh was an
other object. When almost at the point
OF achieving its main object late last
year the effort broke down at Ctesi
;. phon, eighteen miles from Bagdad
d when the Turks, alarmed for the safe
{ ty of the town of fabled memory
rushed up re-enforcements, inflicted q
: defeat upon the British and compelled
= their retreat ll0 miles down the Tigris
!, to kut-el-Amara, where the Turks soon
had them securely bottled up.
: General Townshend held out for IA;
) days, his supplies steadily growing
J. lower as he waited the relief army.