THE BATTLE OF ABUKLEA.

Kumara Times, Issue 2655, 11 March 1885, Page 2

THE BATTLE OF ABUKLEA.

♦ The special correspondent of the Morning Post telegraphs to London on the 23rd January : General Stewart on January 17th fought an obstinate battle, lasting from nine o’clock a.m. till 1 p.m. The struggle culminated in a desperate charge by Arabs numbering over 3000 on the British square, from which they were repulsed with heavy loss. General Stewart left Gakdul on the 18th and arrived near Abuklea wells on the afternoon of the 19th, and observing that the enemy was not far ahead he determined to halt four miles from the wells, and there threw up entrenchments, under cover of which the force bivouacked for the nfght. During the whole night the enemy maintained a fire from the hills, and in the morning General Stewart, seeing they did not attack, determined to advance against them. He therefore left camels and stores, with luggage and hospital commissariat, in the entrenchments, under guard of 150 men, and at once marched out with the remainder of his force. Advance was made in a square, with mounted infantry as skirmishers in front and on the right, the Hussars being in skirmishing order on the left. The enemy saluted us with a hot fire from the hills, by which several of our men were wonnded, among whom were the following officers : Major Gough, Mounted Infantry ; Major Dickson, Lord St. Vincent, and Lieut. Beach, Life Guards, and a surgeon. The march continued, and by bold skirmishing of rifles and mounted infantry, the enemy was admirably driven away ; the artillery at the same time keeping up a brilliant fire on the position across the valley where hostile plumes floated in a long line. Our advance square was formed in the following order : The left front consisted of two companies of mounted infantry, and the right of two companies of Guards. The left face was composed of two companies of mounted infantry and one company of heavy dragoons. The right face was composed of two companies of Guards and two companies of Sussex Begiment, and the rear face consisted of four companies of heavy cavalry and camel corps. The artillery was in the centre of the front face, and the Naval Brigade occupied the centre of the rear face • the whole force was on foot, the camels bein" left behind in an eu trenched position^

Those allotted for hospital purposes and to convey water and ammunition, were stationed inside the square. At 11 o’clock the square was moving on the right incline in order enfilade the enemy, who were distant a quarter of a mile, and had brought its left face towards the Arab force, when suddenly the Arabs leaped up in masses, and rushed fiercely at great speed against the square. The onset was such that skirmishers had scarcely time to reach the square before the enemy were following close upon their track. A call was made upon the Heavy Dragoons, who formed the-rear half of the left face, and the whole of the rear face of- formation, but so fierce and rapid was the rush at this moment that the heavy cavalry were borne back by masses of Arabs, and in a moment the square was forced. Gardiner’s gun was jammed, and for ten minutes a desperate struggle raged from the left rear to the centre. There it was Colonel Burnaby fell dead, a spear having severed his jugular vein. General Stewart’s horse was shot under him, and as the General fell to the ground at the same moment his orderly was killed beside him. Many of the camels were speared by the Arabs, and the whole place was filled with dense smoke and dust, while shots and sword strokes were replies to Arab spear thrusts. It was not long before every Arab in the square was killed, and the rest were beaten off. Three hearty cheers were given as the square was re-formed on fresh ground. The enemy then retreated suddenly, numbers of them rising from among the dead, and rushing past the square not without many being shot.

The number of the enemy, according to information give by every prisoner, was 14,000. They are said to have consisted of followers of the Mahdi from Khartoum, Kordofan, and Berber, the latter having especially sent a great chief. Among the killed are the Emir of Metemneh and Chief of the Hamir Arabs. One of these penetrated into the square on horseback. After the fight had terminated, the Hussars were sent forward to the wells of Abuklea, which were three miles in advance, and took possession of them after a few shots had been exchanged. The heat had been extreme, and the men, who were without water or food, bore it admirably. Their behaviour was splendid during the march, and is worthy of the highest praise, and also when in face of the enemy. The wells of Abuklea were reached by the troops at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, where water was plentiful and excellent for drinking. At eight o’clock that night General Stewart sent back a portion of the Guards with some of the heavy cavalry camel corps and mounted infantry to fetch everything from the entrenched post in the rear. They all arrived safely there at 8 a.m., and on their arrival the troops had the first food they had partaken of for twenty-four hours.

The British losses were heavy, and the following nine officers were killed;— Colonel Burnaby, Majors Atherton, Carmichael and Gougli (Royal Engineers), Captain Daerly and Lieut. Gart (20th Dragoon Guards), Lieut Wolfe (Scots Greys), and Lieuts. Piggott and De Lisle (Naval Brigade). Among the wounded were the Earl of Airlie, Yiscount St. Vincent, and Major Gough (Mounted Infantry), Major Dickson and Lieut. Costell (50th Lancers), Lieut. Beacliffe (Guards), Lieuts. Lile and Guthrie (Artillery), and Surgeon Magel. There were sixty men killed, including forty-six of the Heavy Cavalry and Camel Corps, and eighty-five wounded.

The number of the enemy killed is supposed to be 2000. They had 900 special negro riflemen, who proved themselves to be good shots, and as these men kept on the hills they suffered less than others. Prisoners in giving an .account of the number of their forces reckoned them as ten tribes, having an average of 800 men each in the field, which would make a total of 8000.