The Robesonian., 1917-03-15

/
more than four thousand years to the
shadowy times Of King Nebuchad
nezzar of Babylon, quay built bv
the scriptural monarch still existing
submerged in the Tigris. Within it's
precincts there also stands the tombs
of the Jewish prophets Joshua. e.
ra and Ezekiel, and the we'll of Dan
iel.
Long after the Babylonian dynasty
mad ceased to be more than memory
Bagdad rose to splendor as the ar
tlst!c, literary, scientific and religious
capital of the world. The heart of
, the great Islamic empire Of the Cal-
i iphs for hundreds of wears. it was
known throughout the world as "The
Glorious City" and was the scene of
the fantastic exploits of Haroun-Al-E |
Rashid, the potentate whose magnif-
| icence is immortalized in the Arah-
ian Nights.
Once Had 100000 Population
In 100, B.. c., Bagdad was credited
with a population of 100000 and
was easily the first city of the world
in wealth and commerce. With the
fall of the Caliphs before the Turk
ish sultans the decline of Bagdad
commenced. It was successivelv the
prey OF Turks, Mongols, Tartars and
Persians but it was not until 1896
that the city became a definite part
Of the Turkish empire.
The British campaign against Bag
did was opened early in 1915 when an
Anglo-1ndian force under Major
General Charles We're Ferres Towns
end was landed at the head of the
Persian Gulf and moved rapidly up
:. !. the Tigris.. The primary object of
the expedition was to secure the val
: liable oil wells in the region at the
mouth of the Tigris, but the ultimate
and far greater object was shatter-
ing OF the great German dream of
dominion in the near east. The real
ization Of this dream was based on
the construction of the Berlin Con-
: stantinople-Bagdad railway and bv
4 the seizure of Bagdad the British
hoped to prevent the completion of
: this road, at least by German hands.
TOwnshend's Expedition Failed ..
General Townshend commanded a
. force of about 10000 men and at first
z he pushed forward with amazing
y speed. Early in June, 1915, he cap.
4 tured Kut-El-Amara, about 25O miles
! from the mouth of the Tigris anc
4 about 100 miles from Bagdad. Or
. the 22nd Of the following November
: he reached Ctesiphon, 20 miles from
his goal, where he was attacked b,
an overwhelming force of Ottoman
troops. His water supply gave ou
ard he was forced to retreat
Fighting continuous guard &C
ton. the British expedition, regain
ed Kut-El-Amara On December
Here General Townshend determine,
to make a stand with a portion O
his forces and entrenched with abou
10000 men, while the remainder o
this troops continued to fall bac
along the Tigris in order to joi
hands with the relief army that wa
hurriedly despatched from Franc
ard India, after the defeat at Ctesi
phon.
Thirty thousand Indian troops an
two Anglo-Indian divisions which ha
been fighting in France formed tn
relief corps that joined the remnant
of the Townshend expedition ar
made a desperate effort to reset
the beleaguered garrison at Kut-E
Amara. For three months Gener
Sir Percv Lake, the relief corornan
er. fought his way up the Tigri
arH was within eight milec Of h
% heseiged comrades when on April 1
d 1916. General Townsend, his fo'
supplies exhaustd, was compelled
g tional reinforcements had been Sc
& from Egypt, including the Thirteen
q colonial division which had tax
"a -ort in ill-fated Gallipoli campaig
Fut afto~ the disaster at Kut-F
b tmera ne British abandoned the {
"a fereive for several months.
81 Gonor"l Tovosherd's operatio
n nrai~st Pagdad had been seconded
Il The Russians, who had advanced fro
q Persia and the Morrisll region fro
n bad reached within 70 miles Of t
b Tigris when the Townshnnd surro
w der occurred Sherry afterward t
Russians abandoned their carnr"i
b and after sorae dnsuItory fight
a withdrew to tho Per~ia, nountail
British Advanced Steadily
The resumption of British opel
tions occurred in December, 19
when an advance on Kut-El-Ara
was made from Babylcnian rloi
while a second force again moved
the Tigris. General Frederick ST.
ley Maude was in command IF
new campaign and was unofficia
reported to have 10000 men ct
DISPOSAL
From the time of the opening
the campaign the British progr
was steady and uninterrupted {
in it's last phases of remarkable r
idity. On February 26 Ket-E]-Am;
was captured for the second time f;
two thousand Turks taken prisnrt
In two weeks the British had dri'
u forward ehout ninety miles and
March 8 their cavalry patrols W
within a few miles Of Ragdad.