Iditarod pioneer., 1916-06-03
SURRENDER OF TOWNSHEND
 AT CITY OF KUT-EL-AMARA

tamia has closed with the surrender of General Townshend and the garrison at Kut eI Amara, on the 1lgris river, about 130 miles below Bagdad. Some 5000 men in all laid down their arms to the Turks, after having destroyed all their guns and munitions.
 The British Mesopotamian campaign, waged along the Tigrs from the Persian gulf northward almost to the gates of B2g dad had as it's chief aim the capture of that ancient city To divert Turkish forces from GgllipoI was another object. When almost at the point of achieving it's main object last year, the effort broke down at Cte9- phon, eighteen miles from Bugdad, when the Turks, alarmed fer the safety of the city of fabled memory, rushed up endorsements, ntlicting a defeat upon the British, and compelling their retreat no miles down the Tigris to kut-el -Amara where the Turk, soon had them securely bottled up.
 General Townshend held out for B days, his supplies steadily growing lower as he awaited the relief army, which, first under | General Aylner and then under General Gormnse battled its way up the Tlgrls to- ward him This army encountered strong positions of the Turks below kut, on both sides of the river, and although several of these were carried, 1t has not been able to work much closer to the beleagured garri- son than a score of miles, because of the stubborn Turkish resistance and flood con ditions on the Tigris.
 The following official announcement was made
 After a resistance protracted for l43
  | days, and conducted with a gaLantry anu fortitude that will be forever memorable, 1 General Townsherd has been compc led by the final exhaustion of his supplies to sur render Before doing so he destroyed his 1 guns and munitions. The force under him consists of 2970 British troops of all ranks and services and some coco Indian troops and their followers'
 The eventual surrender of General Towns ! bend had been expected since the failure of the forces under Lieutenant General Cor ringe and General heary to break through | the Turkish position at Sannayyat, just be- | low Kut-el- -Am&ra cn the Tigris river. and the unsuccessful attempt to send the block adcd army provisions by steamers.
 Il had been touch and go with the small British fierce for many days.
 The position of ku5-eI Amara, which is on a peninsula almost surrounded by the Tgris river made t impossible to send sup i llieS by sir, as there was no landing place | for acrorlanes
 While supply ship the loss of which was repotted in an official British dispatch seV- cral days ago, got beyond the Turkish man defensive lines at Esslnn, it was a forl0rn i hope, as the Turkish troops investing the city could easily sink her from shore even | shouLI she escape the artificial barriers in l the river
 As for the forces which attempted 10 re- | lieve General Townshend, they met with al most continual mislortunes. On several 0c- | casicns just when it was believed they were 1 on the point Cf success rising waters made 1 further progress iunos.lbla. After pene- | trating Turkish positions they were com | pplled to retire CT remain stationary, owing l to the impossib.lty If attackiEg the posi- i tiUn at Hannayyat, which was surrounaeI | by water.
 1 British troop, did actually attack the pre- 1 pared position thereafter Wadlng through mud and water waist deep, but only to ilnJ when they did meet with some success that [ a failure al scn!o other point made ther i sacrifice futile.
 The British public never lest faith in | General T0wnshend, and even now that he | has been forced to caMtullte after destroy | ing everything at kut tel -Amara that might ! be valuable to the Turks, they look upon 1 his campaign as brilliant one. | General Townshend probably vas driven | to surrender to avoid starvation of his l forces. A recent official Turkish commprl- i cation said that the position of the British i at kut-elAmara was critical, and that they were expecting to receive small supplies ot | food by aeroplane. An ofticill statement 1 received yesterday from London showed that ship laden with supplies had been sent up the Tigris but that it had grounded about four miles east of the city. Less than a score of miles away, on the banks of the Tigris, below the city, Is a relief army which for months had been at tempting to reach the besieged forces of General Townshend. Of late the Turks re sistance has increased, and, aided by floods, they have been able to hold the British in check
 The surrender of General Townshend Is | one of the few instances of the war Tn which an entire fighting unit of important mum 1 bers has laid down its arms. It 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.
 On December ? General Townshend's army was beaten in battle at Ctesiphon, eighteen miles below Bagdad, and retreated to kut t-el-Amara Besieged by a large army Of Turks the British defended them selves so successfully that the Turks at length decided to starve them out.
 After 1t became evident that the army at Kut-el -Amara would be unable to fight is way out, relief expedition was dispatched. As it drew near Kut Amara it was op- posed by formidable bodies of Turks end its advance was stopped.
 Throughout the Mesopotalni&n campaign the fighting has been heavy and the losses severe. On April Ii it was admitted that