THE  EGYPT & SUDAN CAMPAIGN 1882 to 1898

The battle was celebrated by the Scottish doggerel poet McGonnal:

"Ye sons of Mars, come join with me, And sing in praise of Sir Herbert Stewart's little army, That made ten thousand Arabs flee At the charge of the bayonet at Abou Klea and so on for 19 stanzas"

THE EGYPT and SUDAN CAMPAIGN 1882

"Colonel Coetlogon has stated that Khartoum may be easily captured;
we know that General Gordon is surrounded by hostile tribes and cut off
from communications with Cairo and London; and under these circumstances
the House has a right to ask her Majesty's Government whether they are
going to do anything to relieve him. Are they going to remain indifferent
to the fate of the one man on whom they have counted to extricate them
from their dilemmas, to leave him to shift for himself, and not make a
single effort on his behalf? March 16, 1884."

Winston S. Churchill

In March 1885 [says the Archbishop of Canterbury] 'I was brought into vital touch with the springs of that extraordinary life of adventure and leadership which had closed in dark tragedy two months before. For I was entrusted with the interesting task of examining the little Bible which had been for so many long and dusty years General Gordon's daily companion and guide, and which has now an honoured resting-place in the corridor of Windsor Castle. It would not be easy to describe that little book-worn and thumbed from cover to cover and scored and annotated with different coloured inks and pencils in pursuance of separate lines of thought. But one trait throughout its pages he that runs might read. It is the thought of the man's steady, unswerving confidence in the daily guidance of his God, finding that guidance after his own fashion in proverb and story, in psalm and prophecy, in gospel and vision. That little book, carefully mended with fine whip-cord by his own hand, had been his all-sufficient solace and unerring guide on Chinese marches, in Danubian fields, amidst the solitudes of the African desert, and in the camps of the slave-traders.'

Strong in the sense of that Divine Indwelling he knew no fear-even at the last. The Mahdi sent him an Eastern costume. "Put it on," he said, "as a sign that you renounce your faith, and no harm shall come to you!" Gordon flung the clothes to the ground and trampled upon them in the sight of everybody. "Then, alone, he went up to the roof of his high palace and turned the telescope, almost mechanically, to the north! He looked-but looked in vain-for the relieving columns that never arrived. "I am quite happy," he says, in his last letter to his sister, "I am quite happy, thank God; and, like Lawrence, I have tried to do my duty!" A few hours later his head was fixed on a tree beside the public highway, and every passer-by threw stones at it. But what did that matter to him? With heroic fortitude he had presented his breast to the spears of his enemies; and his journals show that the Abiding Guest was with him to the end.

Muhammad Ahmad, the Mahdi, followed the example of the Prophet and described his followers as ansar, or 'helpers'. The British called them dervishes, a term normally applied to members of the Sufi orders, and frequently characterized them as fanatics inasmuch as they appeared excessively or unreasonably zealous in pursuit of the jihad, or holy war. The Mahdi, the 'Expected Guide', had summoned all true believers to forsake everything and join him in rebellion, promising to carry the jihad throughout the Sudan and on to Cairo and Alexandria, and thence to Arabia and the Mediterranean. He aimed to expel the Turks, crush all those who supported them, and thereafter worship in the mosques of Mecca and Constantinople. If these aims posed a challenge that the British, already ensconced in Egypt since the suppression of Arabi Pasha's revolt (1882), could hardly ignore, so too did the uncompromising manner of the Mahdi's pronouncements, the appeal of his religious teachings, and the depth of commitment he inspired, not least the willingness of the ansar to die in prosecuting the jihad. This commitment found reflection on the field of battle, whether in the storming of towns, in destroying Egyptian armies or in fearlessly challenging well-armed and disciplined British expeditionary forces. 'Dervish fanaticism' seemed to be one explanation for the tenacity and ferocity of the Mahdist revolt, especially when it appeared to be a declining force in the 1890s and the regime of Khalifa 'Abdallahi, the Mahdi's successor, seemed increasingly vulnerable. Nevertheless, the significance of fanaticism has been disputed, and its perceived impact in battle should not detract from the way in which the Mahdists were able to refine their military tactics and adapt their military organization.

RARE & SCARCE //

Background to the Campaign

In occupying Egypt, Britain had also assumed responsibility for the Egyptian Sudan where an Islamic revolt had begun in 1881, led by Mohammed Ahmed, who styled himself the ‘Mahdi’ or ‘guide’. By the end of 1882, the Mahdists controlled much of the Sudan, and on 5 November 1883, at El Obeid, they annihilated an Egyptian force that had been sent to restore order. The Mahdi was supported by Osman Digna, leader of the Beja tribesmen of the Red Sea area. In January 1884, the Beja, whose extravagant hairstyles earned them the nickname of ‘Fuzzy-wuzzies’ from the British, wiped out an Egyptian force under Colonel Valentine Baker outside the Red Sea port of Suakim. To rectify the situation, a 4,000 strong British force under Major-General Gerald Graham was sent to Suakim. On 29 February, they defeated Osman Digna at El Teb, but two weeks later were almost defeated themselves at Tamai. The British fought in two brigade squares, one of which was temporarily broken by the Mahdist forces. The situation was only retrieved when the second square moved up in support. Whilst these two victories were a boost to public morale, they had little long-term effect. Osman Digna was able to recover from his losses and Graham’s force was withdrawn. Meanwhile, Major-General Charles Gordon had been sent to Khartoum. His orders were to oversee the evacuation of the Sudan, but instead he elected to stay and defend the Sudanese capital. Khartoum was invested by the Mahdi in May 1884 and Britain was forced to organise a relief expedition to rescue Gordon.

The Desert Column started from Korti on the 30th of December. Their strength did not exceed 1,100 officers and men, but they were the flower of the army. Dropping their communications, they set forth along the caravan route towards Metemma. The knowledge which we have since gained of the resources of the Mahdists enables the peril of their desperate venture to be fully appreciated. Although the Dervishes were neither so well armed nor trained as at a later date, they were nearly as numerous and equally devoid of fear. Their tactics were more in accordance with modern conditions: their fanaticism was at its height. The British force, on the other hand, was equipped with weapons scarcely comparable with those employed in the concluding campaigns. Instead of the powerful Lee-Metford rifle, with its smokeless powder, its magazine action, and its absence of recoil, they were armed with the Martini-Henry, which possessed nonthese advantages. In place of the deadly Maxim there was the Gardner gun--the very gun that jammed at Tamai, and that jammed again at Abu Klea. The artillery was also in every respect inferior to that now in general use. Besides all this, the principles of fire-discipline and of scientific musketry were new, little understood, and hardly admitted. Nevertheless, the Camel Corps went boldly forward, and engaged an enemy whose destruction ultimately required the strength of a better-armed and better-instructed army twelve times as strong.
 
On the 3rd of January they reached Gakdul Wells. A hundred miles of their march was accomplished. But they were now delayed by the necessity of escorting a second column of supplies to Gakdul, and after that until the arrival of reinforcements which raised their strength to 1,800 of all ranks. The interval was employed in building two small forts and establishing an advanced depot; nor was it until the 13th that the march was resumed. The number of camels was not sufficient for the necessities of the transport. The food of the camels was too poor for the work they had to perform. By the 16th, however, they had made fifty miles, and approached the wells of Abu Klea. Here their further advance was disputed by the enemy.
 
The news of the advance of the Desert Column had been duly reported to the Mahdi and his Arab generals. A small party of English, it was said, with camels and some cavalry, were coming swiftly to the rescue of the accursed city. Their numbers were few, scarce 2,000 men. How should they hope to prevail agains 'the expected Mahdi' and the conquering Ansa  who had destroyed Hicks? They were mad; yet they should die; not on  should escape. The delay in th advance offered ample opportunity. A great force of Arabs was concentrated. Slatin relates how several thousand men under important Emirs were detached from the army before Khartoum and marched northward eager for the slaughter of 'the enemies of God.' At Metemma the main strength of the Jaalin tribe was collected.
With the reinforcements from Omdurman the total force of the Arab actually at hand was not less than 10,000, and behind were many thousands
 more. They permitted the little column to advance until their retreat  if defeated, was impossible, and then, confident of victory, offered battle near the wells of Abu Klea.
 
The Camel Corps remained halted during the morning of the 16th, and built a small fort, in which they placed their reserve of stores, and made some arrangement for the reception of wounded. At one o'cloc  they moved leisurely forward, passed through the rocky defile which ledinto the valley of Abu Klea and bivouacked. Early the next morningthe force moved out in square formation and advanced upon the enemy. The most savage and bloody action ever fought in the Soudan by British troops followed. Notwithstanding the numbers and the valour of the Arabs, that they penetrated the square, and that they inflicted on the troops a loss of nine officers and sixty-five men killed and nine officer and eighty-five men wounded--10 percent of the entire force--they were
driven from the field with great slaughter, and the Desert Columncamped at the wells.
 
On the morning of the 18th they rested, placed their wounded in thesmall fort they had built, and buried their dead. In the afternoon they continued their advance, marched all through the night, and, having covered twenty-three miles, halted exhausted, almost within sight of the river, at daylight on the 19th. Meanwhile the enemy had again collected in great strength, and an effective rifle fire was opened on the column. Sir Herbert Stewart received the wound of which a few weeks later he died. The command devolved upon Sir Charles Wilson. The position was desperate. Water was running short. The Nile was only four miles away; but the column were impeded by their wounded and stores, and between the river and the thirsty men lay the Dervish army, infuriated by their losses and fully aware of the sore straits to which their astonishing enemy was now reduced.
 
It now became necessary to divide the small force. Some must remain to guard the baggage and the wounded; the others must fight their way to the water. At three o'clock in the afternoon of the 19th, 900 men left the hastily made zeriba and marched towards the river. Without their camel or those of the transport they appeared insignificant, a mere speck on the broad plain of Metemma. The Dervishes hastened to clinch the matter.
 

The square advances slowly and painfully over the stony ground, with frequent jerky halts to preserve order and to pick up the wounded. Little puffs of white smoke dot the distant sandhills. Here and there a gaudy flag waves defiantly. In front the green tops of the palm-trees by the Nile tantalise but stimulate the soldiers. On the left the great mud labyrinth of Metemma stretches indefinitely. Suddenly the firing stops. The low scrub in front is alive with the swarming figures of the enemy. All the flags dance forward together. Ragged white figures spring up in hundreds. Emirs on horses appear as if by magic. Everywhere
are men running swiftly forward, waving their spears and calling upon the Prophet of God to speed their enterprise. The square halts. The weary men
begin to fire with thoughtful care, The Dervishes drop thickly. On then, children of the desert! you are so many, they are so few. They are worn
with fatigue and their throats are parched. You have drunk deeply of the Nile. One rush will trample the accursed under the feet of the faithful. The charge continues. A bugle sounds in the waiting square. The firing stops. What is this? They lose heart. Their ammunition is exhausted. On, then, and make an end. Again the smoke ripples along the line of bayonets and fire is re-opened, this time at closer range and with far greater effect. The stubborn grandeur of the British soldie  is displayed by desperate circumstances. The men shoot to hit. The attack crumples. The Emirs--horse and man--collapse. The others turn and walk--for they will not run--sullenly back towards the town. The square starts forward. The road to the river is open. With dusk the water is reached,
and never have victors gained a more longed-for prize. The Nile is won. Gordon remains.

Winston S. Churchill

Winston Churchill later stated that the battle of Abu Klea was "the most savage and bloody action ever fought in the Sudan by British Troops".

The Battle of Abu Klea was an engagement between British forces and Dervishes in the Sudan on January 17th 1885 at Abu Klea At the moment the Mahdists broke into the corner of the square against the Heavy Camel Regiment. 17th January 1885.

The classic British Square prepares to receive the enemy.

A native mounted on a camel. General Sir Garnet Wolseley travelled by river from Korti to Khartoum, Stewart's column was to cut across country by column directly for Khartoum, since time was running short according to what little information was available from the garrison. The force was composed of four regiments of camel-mounted troops (Guard, Heavy, Light & Mounted Infantry), formed from detachments of the various regiments in Egypt and the River Column, and a detachment of the 19th Hussars, mounted on horses. Four light field pieces and a small Naval Brigade manning a Gardner machine gun finished off the force. As the column approached the wells at Abu Klea, they were set upon by a Mahdist force. The troops were formed in square, with the cannon on the north face and the Naval Brigade, with their Gardner, at a corner. Several officers and men of HMS Alexandra were killed at the battle. The Gardner gun, was run out to the left flank of the infantry square to provide covering fire. The square closed behind them leaving them exposed. After seventy rounds were fired, the gun jammed and as the crew tried to clear it they were cut down in a rush by the dervishes. Out of the forty men in the Naval contingent, Lieutenants Alfred Piggott and Rudolph de Lisle were killed along with Chief Boatswain's Mate Rhodes and five other seamen and seven more were wounded.  Lord Charles Beresford was 'scratched' on the left hand by a spear as he managed to duck under the gun. The weight of the rush pushed the sailors back into the face of the square. Several Dervishes were able to gain access to the square, but found the interior full of camels and were unable to proceed. The troops in the rear ranks faced about and opened fire into the press of men and camels behind them, and were able to drive the Dervishes out of the square and compelling them to retreat from the field.

click on picture to enlarge

4. Baltic Medal named to: CAPTAIN AND Bt. MAJOR. C.B.P.N.H. NUGENT. ROYAL ENGINEERS. Baltic Medal Officially Impressed. Egypt 1882 medal named to: Br. GEN. C.B.P.N.H. NUGENT. C.B. KHEDIVE'S STAR. Condition: GVF and VF.

Taken from the Royal Engineers Journal February 1, 1900: Sir Charles Nugent In Sir Charles Nugent of Corps lost an Officer of very high attainments, full of zeal and energy, and of considerable mental capacity. He was born on the 25th of September, 1825, and was educated at Winchester College, whence he passed into the R.M. Academy, passing out at the head of his batch in December, 1845, joining at Chatham in the early days of 1845, in the autumn of which year he went to Nova Scotia for two years, and thence to Bermuda for nearly four years, where he was continuously engaged, under the late Sir William Gordon, in the designing and construction of the western defences of the islands, and where he was distinguished by his proficiency in all games and sports, as well as by his performance of his professional duties. In 1852 he was selected with three of four other subalterns to superintend the construction of forts and defensible barracks in Alderney under Captain (afterwards Sir William), Jervois, the object of which forts was to protect the harbour of refuge, which was then being formed in that island. At the commencement of the Crimean War, in 1854, Nugent was one of the earliest R.E. Officers selected for employment, embarking in H.M.S. Duke of Wellington on 9th March in charge of a detachments R.E. for service in the Baltic, where he acted as Senior Engineer Officer to the Commander, Admiral Sir Charles Napier. He remained with the Fleet the whole of that year during which he was the military reconnaissances of Sweaborg, Cronstadt, Bomarsund and was sent on a special mission to Stockholm; he was present at the capture of Aland Islands and Bomarsund. After Bomarsund, he was sent home by the English Naval Commander-in-Chief with detailed despatches. In 1855 he was again selected by the Admiralty for service with the Fleet in the Baltic, where he was attached to the Naval Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir R. Dundas, and was present at the bombardment of Sweaborg. For these services he was mentioned in despatches got his brevet majority, and received the medal and clasps. He then returned to ordinary Corps duties, being stationed at Sheerness for a year and after a few months employment in the I.G.F.'s office he was selected for the post of Adjutant to the Corps at Chatham, which post he held till June, 1859, when he was appointed C.R.E. at Weymouth. Here he remained till August, 1865, when he went as C.R.E. to Newfoundland, and thence to Bermuda in the same capacity, returning to England in 1870. He was then specially employed as President of the Torpedo Committee, at the time when submarine mining was first adopted as a competent means of defence, till July, 1871, when he was appointed Assistant Director of Works (Fortifications), in which branch he remained till the close of 1880. His services were acknowledged by a c.B. in the Birthday Honours List of 1873; he was given the Deputy Director of Works in 1875, and was given the substantive rank of colonel in 1878. He then served as a member of the Ordnance Committee till August 1882, when he was sent out as C.R.E. (Brigadier-General) on the Egyptian Campaign. He was left in command of the troops at Kassassin during the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir; was twice mentioned in despatches during this campaign, received the Medal Bronze Star 2nd Class Medjidie and was made a K.C.B. At the close of the Egyptian Campaign Sir Charles, who had declined, on public ground, to have his place on the Committee kept for him, although the offer was made,  was employed on special duties and on the Ordnance Committee till April, 1884, in the autumn of which  year he was caught by the relentless  regulations on retirement and was thus forced to close his military career of nearly 40 years duration on the 25th September of that year with the rank of colonel, having declined the proffered honorary rank of Major-General.  He was, however, still full of energy and his mental powers were as keen and active as ever. Many will remember the valuable and instructive lectures he gave at  the United Service Institution, specially those on "The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Different Lines of Communication with our Eastern Possessions in the Event of a Great Maritime War". "Militarism" was another of his favourite subjects, and "Imperial Federation" yet another. In short, to his end his mind was every actively at work for the good of his profession. He was a firm friend of GENERAL CHARLES GORDON, and admired of his work; and though at the time holding an appointment at the War Office, with  excellent prospects of advancement, he sympathized to such an extent with General Gordon and his projects for the development of the freedom and prosperity of the Soudan that he had very nearly arranged to throw up his work at the War Office and accompany General Gordon in his mission to Equatoria. Nugent was one of the earliest supporters of the "Gordon Boys" movement and was chairman of the Cheltenham Branch of that society at the time of his death. K.C.B. was given to Colonel Nugent by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle on 24th  November 1882 for Egypt Service. Brig-General given by Queen Victoria 21st November 1882 at Windsor Castle.

Royal Marine Artillery

General Wolseley always considered himself an innovator and sought in his campaigns to produce some starting tactical innovation with which to carry on his battles. In the Sudan campaign of !884-85 he tried two - a river column of whale boats (similar to the Red River Campaign of Canada where he won his fame), and a flying desert column of camel mounted troops.

Of course the idea of a camel corps did not originate with Wolseley, but the Sudan was the first time a camel corps figured into the major plans of the British army. Its object was to cross the Bayuda Desert from Korti to Metemma in order to place a small but effective force close to Khartoum to either reinforce it or relieve it entirely while the bulk of the British army rowed its weary way up the Rile. The Desert Column was to be a self-sufficient force of cavalry, artillery and infantry. Though not all infantry involved belonged to the Camel Corps, the four regiments that comprised the newly raised unit were to be the backbone of the force.

The first contingent of the Camel Corps was raised in Dongala and was composed of the Royal Sussex Regiment and a wing of the Mounted Infantry. It was known as Major Marriott's Camel Corps. Volunteer were seconded from regiments serving in Egypt as well as some home regiments, and the first batch of these volunteers began to arrive at Alexandria on October 7, 1884. On October 26, 1884 the Camel Corps was officially divided into four regiments. They were:

Guards Camel Regiment: 23 officers, 403 men; 1st, 2nd 3rd Grenadier Guards, 1st and 2nd Coldstream Guards, 1st and 2nd Scots Guard, 10o Royal Marine Light Infantry (RMLI).

Heavy Camel Regiment: 24 officers, 430 men; 1st and 2nd Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards, 2nd, 4th, 5th Dragoon Guards, 1st, 2nd (Scots Greys) Dragoons, 5th and 16th Lancers.

Light Camel Regiment: 21 officers, 387 men; 3rd 4th, 7th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 20th, 21st Hussars.

Mounted Infantry Camel Regiment: 26 officers, 480 men; 1st South Staffordshire (38th), 1st Royal West Kents (50th), 1st Black Watch Highlanders (42nd), 1st Gordon Highlanders (75th), 2nd Essex (56th), 1st Sussex (35th), 2nd Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (46th), 3rd King's Royal Rifle Corps, Rifle Brigade, Somerset Light Infantry, Connaught Rangers, Royal Scots Fusiliers.

All of the above numbers are approximate as many men were used on convoy and garrison duty, and rarely did the entire Column move together. Rather they were sent in two or three waves from one point to another. Fifty men of the Essex Regiment relieved the Mounted Infantry Camel Regiment at El Howeiya Wells so that the Mounted Infantry could join the rest of the Column, and 150 of the Royal Sussex were stationed at Gakdul, leaving only 100 to travel with the rest of the Column. (Ibid., pp. S, 14). The total strength of the Desert Column was 98 officers, 1,509 NCO's and men, 296 natives and interpreters. 8 Egyptians, 2,778 camels. 155 horses, and two mules (Ibid., p. 6).

All of the Desert Column, except the 19th Hussars, were mounted on camels. This included the Royal Sussex, the Naval Brigade, the Royal Artillery, and the Royal Engineers in addition to those designated as Camel Corps.

The Naval Brigade had one five-barreled Gardner gun with four camels to carry it; one for the barrels, one for the wheels and elevating gear, one for the trail, and one for the ammunition. The Camel Battery of the Royal Artillery had three 7 pdr. screw guns. Each gun, plus two boxes of ammunition, were carried on six camels with one native driver allotted to every two camels.

The staff of the Desert Column consisted of Sir Herbert Stewart as Commander-in-chief, with Colonel Burnaby as second in command. Wilson took over command after Stewart was mortally wounded at Abu Kru. The Guards Camel Regiment was commanded by Lt. Colonel E. Boscawen; Heavy Camel Regiment by Lt. Colonel R.A. Talbot; the Mtd. Inf. Camel Regiment by G. H. Gough; the Royal Sussex by Major Sunderland; 19th Hussars by Lt. Colonel P. Barren; Naval Brigade by Capt, Lord Charles Beresford; Royal Artillery by Capt. G. Norton, and the Royal Engineers by Major Darward.

After leaving Gakdul before Abu Klea the Column marched out with 300 men of the Heavies, 367 of the Guards, 360 of the Mounted Infantry, 100 Royal Sussex, 3 troops (90 men) of 19th Hussars, 30 men and 3 guns from Royal Artillery. 30 men and one Gardner Gun of the Naval Brigade, and 25 Royal Engineers.

At Abu Klea the square was broken momentarily and the Column suffered heavy losses. Colonel Burnaby himself was killed, so Charles Wilson became second in command. At Abu Kru, four miles from the Nile, Stewart was mortally wounded and though he did not die until some time later, Wilson assumed entire command.

At the Nile the column met four of Gordon's steamers which contained over 100 of his irregular Black Sudanese riflemen (who also sported a small brass mountain gun). Taking two of these steamers, along with portions of the Naval Brigade, the Sudanese, and 20 of the Royal Sussex, Wilson and Beresford tried to steam up to Khartoum before it fell. They were two days late.

Redvers Buller was sent with the Royal Irish Regiment and the West Kents to take command of the Desert Column. He left Korti on January 29, 1885, and though ordered to attack and take Metemma, he decided his force was too small and began withdrawing them. An earlier attack on the Madhist town by Wilson had failed. In the meantime Buller had left the West Kents to guard the wells on the route back and six companies of the Royal Irish joined the Desert Column at Gubat. The Light Camel Corps arrived at Abu Klea on the 20th of February and Sir Evelyn Wood and three companies of the West Kents arrived at Gakdul on the 17th. The Desert Column withdrew from the Sudan on foot, even the 19th Hussars, who had only a few horses left.   

Contrary to the portrayal in the movie "Khartoum", the Camel Corps never used their camels for cover! Nor, as some war gamers might be tempted to do, did they ever fight mounted as cavalry. From the beginning they were conceived of as a mounted infantry force, and fought as mounted infantry.

In a memorandum dated 27th October, 1884 and signed by Redvers Buller, the following guidelines were issued:

"The soldiers of the Camel Regiments will fight only on foot. They are mounted on camels only to enable them to make long marches. The camel is a good traveller; but he is a slow mover.

He cannot be managed as easily as a horse, and he cannot be mounted, or dismounted From, with great rapidity. The men of the Camel Corps must therefore trust dolely to themselves and their weapons when once they have dismounted, This cannot be too strongly impressed upon the men. If we have to fight in the Sudan, we must expect to meet an enemy far outnumbering us, and who may at first charge recklessly home, apparently regardless of the intense fire we bring to bear upon him.

...The attack formation far infantry of our Drill Book is not intended to be employed against an enemy like the Arabs of the Sudan, It is designed to enable infantry to advance with the least possible lost over ground swept by a heavy fire from guns and rifles of an enemy as well armed and disciplined as ourselves, against whom an advance in close order would be impossible.

In acting against Arabs who are Indifferently armed and bad shots, the open formation of the grill Book is not necessary." (Colville, II, p.240).

The Black Watch in Egypt and the Sudan..   When under attack the Camel Corps dismounted and lashed its camels' knees together, thus eliminating the need to keep "horse-holders" back per regular mounted infantry. The camels were placed In "a compact formation under guard" (see below) and the main force would march away to battle so as to keep the camels From being brought under fire. At Abu Klea, however, the Column Has caught unaware and had to hastily construct a zariba of boxes and saddles keeping the camels inside of the square itself. The Royal Engineers were brought along to help construct earthworks like the stone forts surrounding the wells at Gakdule, as well as to work the pumps used to bring the water out of the wells. Occasionally they built smaller squares for the camels or wounded away from the main square, and often times the Naval Brigade's Gardner gun was placed in these smaller squares. At Abu Klea the Column made the mistake of sending out skirmishers to cover the square, The Mahdist's advanced so fast, and the square had to hold fire until the skirmishers got into the square, that only a few volleys were fired before the Mahdists engaged the British in hand-to-hand fighting. The cavalry was reserved for scouting. The guns were usually put in the corners of the square, or placed in smaller fortified zaribas outside of the main square.

The Mahdist Rising

Bagpipes in War
Greg D. Allen

"War or peace, war or peace, it’s all the same to me,
In war I might be killed, in peace I might be hanged"

6.

click on picture to enlarge

2511. PTE. DANIEL CAMPBELL. 1/42 FOOT.

Clasps: TEL-EL-KEBIR, SUAKIN 1881, EL-TEB-TAMAAI, THE NILE 1884-85 & KIRBEKAN.

PTE. D. CAMPBELL WAS A PIPER IN THE BLACK WATCH.

Public Record Office: W016/1732-4

On 12th December, Colonel Duncan Macpherson, C.B., whose term of command had expired, handed over the charge of the regiment to Lieut.-Col. W. Green. Colonel Macpherson, on leaving the regiment, stated in Regimental Orders:-

"that he could not leave the regiment without expressing his deep sorrow at relinquishing his position as commanding officer of a regiment any officer would be as proud as he is of having command. His greatest wish as a subaltern was that one day he might succeed to the command of the regiment with which he has been connected for years ; and he is proud to say that his wish has been accomplished, having had the honour to command the regiment in two campaigns, the last of which has added another page to the glorious history of the Black Watch. To Lieut.-Col. Green, Lieut.-Col. Bayly, and the officers of the regiment generally, he begs to tender his best thanks for the cordial support he has received from them in maintaining discipline and the high character the regiment has always borne. To Lieut. Lee his special thanks are due for his unwearied zeal displayed in performing the arduous duties of adjutant. He also begs to tender his best thanks to Captain Forbes, quartermaster, whose excellent services deserve his highest commendation.

"To the late Sergt.-Major M’Neil, who fell at Tel-el-Kebir nobly doing his duty, his thanks would have been conveyed had he survived ; to the present Sergt.-major and non-commissioned officers he, in bidding them farewell, thanks them one and all for their uniform good behaviour and gallantry.

"To the rank and file he begs to say that he hopes they will continue to have the same exprit de corps which has earned the approbation of H. R. H. the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, and of the various generals under whom they have served and carried the colours of the Black Watch to victory."

The Egyptian medals for the campaign of 1882 were presented to the men by the Lieut.Colonel Commanding on 26th February; Lieut.-General Sir Archibald Alison, who had been requested to present them, being unable to undertake the duty. The following is an extract taken from his reply to Lieut.-Colonel Green:-

"There is no regiment in the army to which I would present medals with such sincere pleasure as the Black Watch. In two campaigns they have been in my brigade, and I have been with them in three actions. I am sorry to say, however, that my doctor gives me no hope of being able to name any time when I could do so."

The 42nd Foot formed the front face of the square at the battle of El Teb against Osman Digna, taking part also in the affairs of Tamai and Tamanieh, and after a brief period in garrison at Cairo, formed part of the Nile expeditionary force for the relief of General Gordon, adding to the list in the campaign roll the name "Nile 1884-5".  In this expedition the regiment ascended the great river 1,300 miles in sixty three days, doing the return journey in twenty eight days.

In occupying Egypt, Britain had also assumed responsibility for the Egyptian Sudan where an Islamic revolt had begun in 1881, led by Mohammed Ahmed, who styled himself the ‘Mahdi’ or ‘guide’. By the end of 1882, the Mahdists controlled much of the Sudan, and on 5 November 1883, at El Obeid, they annihilated an Egyptian force that had been sent to restore order. The Mahdi was supported by Osman Digna, leader of the Beja tribesmen of the Red Sea area. In January 1884, the Beja, whose extravagant hairstyles earned them the nickname of ‘Fuzzy-wuzzies’ from the British, wiped out an Egyptian force under Colonel Valentine Baker outside the Red Sea port of Suakin. To rectify the situation, a 4,000 strong British force under Major-General Gerald Graham was sent to Suakin. On 29 February, they defeated Osman Digna at El Teb, but two weeks later were almost defeated themselves at Tamaai. The British fought in two brigade squares, one of which was temporarily broken by the Mahdist forces. The situation was only retrieved when the second square moved up in support. Whilst these two victories were a boost to public morale, they had little long-term effect. Osman Digna was able to recover from his losses and Graham’s force was withdrawn. Meanwhile, Major-General Charles Gordon had been sent to Khartoum. His orders were to oversee the evacuation of the Sudan, but instead he elected to stay and defend the Sudanese capital. Khartoum was invested by the Mahdi in May 1884 and Britain was forced to organize a relief expedition to rescue Gordon of Khartoum.

The fall of Khartoum

"The position of General Gordon, besieged at Khartoum, unfortunately remains exceedingly precarious. Yesterday we published the unwelcome report that he is now totally isolated. All communications have been cut. A month ago the British government was fully warned that it would become necessary to employ something more than moral force at Khartoum. The necessity is now becoming urgent, but the government has not yet ordered the commander of British and Egyptian forces in southern Egypt to march to Khartoum.'

Commentary in The Times, London, March 20, 1884

In I882 there arose in the Soudan, a province of Upper Egypt, one Mohammed Ahmed, who called himself the Mahdi or Messiah, and invited all true believers to join in a holy war against the Christians. Thousands of wild tribesmen flocked to his banner, and in the following year he annihilated an army of eleven thousand English and Egyptians that had attempted to subdue the revolt. Rather than send more soldiers to die in the deserts of the Upper Nile, England decided to abandon the province. But first the thousands of Europeans who had taken refuge in Khartoum and other towns of the Soudan must be rescued from their perilous position. In this crisis the Government turned to the one man who could effect the withdrawal if it was still possible, and in January, 1884, appointed General Gordon to superintend the evacuation of the Soudan.

"He (Gen. Gordon) carried no weapon himself, but always went into action armed with a small cane, with which he would stand calmly under the hottest fire, pointing to the spots he wished to be attacked, and encouraging his soldiers by voice and gesture."

Major-General Charles George Gordon (1833-1885)
Engraved by G. Cook from a photograph by Adams and Scanlan, Southampton

The son of an artillery officer, Gordon was commissioned in the Royal Engineers in 1852. He distinguished himself in the Crimean War (1853-56) and in 1860 volunteered for the 'Arrow' war against the Chinese. In May 1862 Gordon's corps of engineers was assigned to strengthen the European trading centre of Shanghai, which was threatened by the insurgents of the Taiping Rebellion. A year later he became commander of the 3,500-man peasant force raised to defend the city. During the next 18 months Gordon's troops played an important role in suppressing the Taiping uprising.

He returned to England in January 1865, where an enthusiastic public had already dubbed him 'Chinese Gordon'. In 1873 he was appointed governor of the province of Equatoria in the Sudan. Between April 1874 and December 1876 he mapped the upper Nile and established a line of stations along the river as far south as present Uganda. He was then promoted to governor-general, where he asserted his authority, crushing rebellions and suppressing the slave trade. However, ill health forced him to resign and return to England in 1880 before traveling once more to places including India, China and South Africa.

In February 1884 Gordon returned to the Sudan to evacuate Egyptian forces from Khartoum, threatened by Sudanese rebels led by Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi. Khartoum came under siege the next month and on 26th January 1885 the rebels broke into the city, killing Gordon (against al-Mahdi's instructions) and the other defenders. The British relief force arrived two days later.

The British public reacted to his death by acclaiming 'Gordon of Khartoum' a martyred warrior-saint and by blaming the government, particularly Gladstone, for failing to relieve the siege. However, historians have since suggested that Gordon defied orders and refused to evacuate Khartoum even though that remained possible until late in the siege.

Photograph of an officer in the Mahdist army of the Khalifa Abdullahi, captured by the British at the Battle of Toshka in Lower Nubia, 1889. He wears the unique patched costume of the Mahdi's followers. Known as the jibba, it was meant to symbolize one's devotion to God and the Mahdi as the Messiah of God.

Wolseley’s relief column set off from Cairo in October 1884. Realizing that his infantry, traveling in boats up the Nile, might not reach Khartoum in time to save Gordon, he detached a desert column under to travel overland by a faster, but more dangerous route. On 17 Jan 1885, this column, commanded by Brigadier-General Sir Herbert Stuart, was attacked by the Mahdists at Abu Klea. Winston Churchill later described the resulting battle as, ‘the most savage and bloody action ever fought in the Sudan  by British troops’. Despite suffering heavy losses to British rifle fire, the Mahdists succeeded in penetrating the British square, which was closed only after desperate hand to hand fighting. The British suffered 168 casualties, the Mahdists about 1100. The column finally reached Khartoum on 28 January, 2 days after Gordon had been killed and the town had fallen.

Six months after the capture of Khartoum, the Mahdi died of typhus. The task of establishing and maintaining a government fell to his deputies--three caliphs chosen by the Mahdi in emulation of the Prophet Muhammad. Rivalry among the three, each supported by people of his native region, continued until 1891, when Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, with the help primarily of the Baqqara Arabs, overcame the opposition of the others and emerged as unchallenged leader of the Mahdiyah. Abdallahi--called the Khalifa (successor)--purged the Mahdiyah of members of the Mahdi's family and many of his early religious disciples.

Last Watch, Khartoum

"So here 's to you, fuzzy wuzzy, at

your home in the Sudan,

your a pore benighted heathen

but a first class fighting man.

And here's to you fuzzy-wuzzy with

your ayrick head of hair

you big back bounding beggar

for you broke the British square!"

A Poem by Rudyard Kiplin

This poem was written and inspired after the Tamai battle in the campaign in the Sudan where the Dervish forces broke the British square.

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