The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1916-05-04
LATEST WAR SUMMARY.

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London, April 29:-Major Gen
Charles Townshend. commander of
the British forces besieged at Kut-
E!-Amara. Mesopotamia, by Turkish
forces since last December, hsa sur
rendered. This information was
contained in British official state
ment issued this afternoon.
The following official announce
ment was made:
After resistance protracted for
143 days and conducted with a gal
lantry and fortitude that will be
forever memorable, Gen Townshend
has been compelled, by the final ex-
haustion of his supplies, to surrender.
Before doing so he destroyed his
guns and munitions.
The force under him consists of
2,970 British troops, of all ranks
and services, and some six thousand
Indian troops and their followers"
The eventual surrender of Gen
TowIshend had been expected since
the failure of the forces under Lieut.
Gen Gorringe and Gen Keary to
break through the Turkish position
at Sannayaat, just below Kut-el-
Amara, on the Tigris River, and the
unsuccessful attempt to send the
bloskaded army provisions by steam
ers. 1t had been touch and go with
the small British force for many
days.
The position of Kut-el-Amara,
which is on a peninsula extending
into the Tigris River, made it i'm
possible to send supplies by air, as
there was no landing place for aero
planes.
The forces which attempted to re-
lieve Gen Townshend met with al
most continual misfortunes. On
several occasions, just when it was
believed they were on the point Of
success, rising waters made further
progress impossible.
Gen Townshend was driven to sur
render to avoid starvation of his
force. A recent official Turkish COM
munication said that the position of
the British at Kut.el-Amara was
critical. and that they were expect
ing to receive small supplies of food
by aeroplane. An official statement
received yesterday from London
showed that a last effort to send
supplies to the garrison had failed.
1t was announced that a ship laden
with supplies had been sent up the
Tigris, but that it had been ground
ed about four miles east of the city.
Less than score of miles away,
on the banks of the Tigris, below the
city, is a relief army which for
months had been attending to
reach the besieged forces. A few
weeks ago several victories were an
nounced and hope ran high in Eng
land that the mission would succeed.
Of late, however, the Turks resis-
tance had increased, and. aided by
floods, they have been able to hold
the British in check.
The surrender of Gen Townshend
is one of the few instances in 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 Mesopotamian campaign has
been one of the most difficult the
British army has undertaken during
the war. The torrid climate and
lack of fresh water, together with
the difficulties of transport, made
great calls on the endurance Of the
troops. Moreover, the positions
held by the Turks below Kut-el-
Amara, entrenched and strongly
fortified, were very formidable. The
original expedition was composed in
part of Indian troops, but the relief
force, for the most part, was made
up of men from England and the
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