page_title: Battle of Rejaf
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Rejaf / Battle
caption_attribution_description: English: Krupp 75 mm BL type L/27 field gun&#91;1&#93;, one of eight manufacturered in 1897 for the Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps (Orange Free State Artillery Corp) and captured by British forces at the Battle of Bothaville (6 November 1900).&#91;2&#93;&#91;3&#93;&#91;4&#93; Since 1906 it has been part of the Western Australian Memorial in Kings Park, Perth to those who fell during the Boer War. ↑ "BL" = Breech loading ↑ Boer War, Kings Park, Perth&#32;(2014-08-14). Retrieved on 19 September 2015. ↑ Engraving on breech ↑ Engraving on barrel
context_page_description: The Battle of Rejaf, or the Battle of Bedden, was fought on 17 February 1897 between the Belgian-led forces of the Congo Free State and Mahdist rebels in South Sudan. The battle resulted in a Congolese victory and the permanent expulsion of the Mahdists from the Lado Enclave, as well as the establishment of a Belgian outpost along the Nile.
  King Leopold II, the Belgian king and ruler of the Congo Free State, acquired the Lado Enclave in South Sudan from Britain in 1894 as part of a territory exchange which gave the British a strip of land along the eastern Congo for Belgian access to the navigable Nile. However, the territory was overrun with Mahdist rebels who had established their stronghold at the town of Rejaf, which occupied a valuable position for trade along the Nile river. After a wave of new funding from the Belgian government in 1895, King Leopold ordered an expedition to be led into the Lado Enclave to expel the Mahdists and fortify Rejaf as a strategic military and trading outpost.
  The Belgian expedition, led by Commandant Louis-Napoléon Chaltin, reached the position after a month-long advance north-east towards the Mahdist stronghold.
context_section_description: Chaltin's column advanced north with the Nile river protecting his right flank and the Azande cavalry contingent on his left. At seven o'clock, Belgian scouts sighted the two-thousand strong Mahdist force assembled along a two-mile line that spanned a range of hills between the Nile and a parallel river. There was one clear path through the hills, which was especially well defended. Commandant Chaltin brought forward five companies for the attack, leaving his remaining three in reserve.
  The Mahdists immediately opened fire upon the Free State force, who remained in cover behind a rocky outcropping some ways from the Mahdist line. For half an hour the Mahdists continued to fire at Chaltin's companies to little effect, their shots passing harmlessly above the rocks. Meanwhile, Free State soldiers moved a Krupp gun into position which, under Sergeant Cajot, fired several shells into the Mahdists' ranks.
  After wasting their ammunition in this preliminary action, the Mahdist force began a flanking maneuver against the Belgians. The Mahdists' right flank, situated along the river parallel to the Nile, advanced rapidly trying to pin Chaltin with his back to the river. Chaltin, who by this time had advanced within two hundred meters of the Mahdists and begun a more effective barrage of his own, replied to the threat by ordering the sudden advance of his reserve companies. The move checked the advancing Mahdists, avoiding the unfavorable position and causing the rebels to falter. Sensing that victory was near, Chaltin ordered the Azande to charge the Mahdists to separate the advanced right wing from the rest of the line. The charge was successful, and the now considerably damaged Mahdist flanking force was completely cut off and surrounded by Free State soldiers. Chaltin's main companies then attacked, pressing the Mahdist defenses as they forced their way into the hills. Three of the companies attacked the well-defended path through the hills, while two others charged the hilltops. After a fierce contest for the heights, the demoralized and weakened Mahdist line broke and its remaining defenders fled to the north towards Rejaf, leaving ammunition and weapons. The action was finished by eight-thirty that morning.
  The Mahdists withdrew to the fortified town of Rejaf, while Chaltin's column marched in pursuit for seventeen miles until the occupied town was sighted at about one-thirty in the afternoon. A battery of artillery pieces fired on the Belgians as they came within range, but the effect was negligible. As the Belgians approached, a hidden force of Mahdists emerged from a ravine near the bank of the Nile and attacked Chaltin's flank. The commandant realized the threat in time and repulsed the attack without much loss. Chaltin's companies then turned to begin the attack on the town. For several hours Chaltin's companies pushed through the streets and houses of Rejaf, forcing the Mahdists back until by seven o'clock they had been nearly expelled entirely. Only the citadel remained occupied, but by dawn the next morning the remaining Mahdist forces retreated, leaving behind their weapons and munitions.
caption: Krupp 75mm field gun
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