The Egyptian campaigns, 1882 to 1885Royle, Charles
History
The Egyptian campaigns, 1882 to 1885
Royle, Charles
Egypt -- History -- British occupation, 1882-1936; Sudan -- History
Reinforcements for the enemy being observed arriving by train, still
further to protect his exposed right, Graham sent a reserve company of
the York and Lancaster in that direction. Near the same point a Krupp
gun, taken from the enemy at Mahsameh and mounted on a railway truck,
was brought into action, and worked by a detachment of Marine Artillery.
This gun was admirably served and did great execution among the
attacking force.
Although fired upon by as many as four guns at a time, not a man of the
gun detachment was hit, and the gun continued to fire on to the last,
expending ninety-three rounds. The immunity enjoyed by the gun's crew
was doubtless due to the constant shifting of the gun backwards and
forwards on the line of rails. The gun itself was protected by a
breastwork of sandbags.
At 6.45 p.m. a general advance was ordered, with the object of closing
on the enemy's infantry about the time that Graham reckoned Drury-Lowe's
cavalry charge would be taking place.
The advance was made very steadily, the British infantry firing volleys
by companies, the reserves following in rear of the railway embankment.
The Marine Light Infantry had now come on to the ground on the right and
joined in the advance, which was continued for from two to three miles,
the enemy falling back and only once attempting to make a stand. This
was on the British left, but here the Egyptians broke at the first
volley of the Marines.
At 8.45 p.m. Graham heard of the cavalry charge from an officer of the
1st Life Guards, who had lost his way. Graham's force had now been
marching forward for an hour and a half in the moonlight, and his men
had had narrow escapes in mistaking detached bodies of the enemy for
British troops. Fearing some mistake might be made, and seeing no
further chance of co-operation with the cavalry, Graham ordered the
troops back to camp.
To describe the movements of the cavalry under General Drury-Lowe.
According to that officer's report, the aide-de-camp despatched by
Graham reported at 5.30 that the enemy was advancing in force, and the
brigade was at once turned out. It consisted of the Household Cavalry,
the Dragoon Guards, and four guns of the Royal Horse Artillery. As the
troops advanced, the sound of heavy firing was heard, and, _en route_, a
galloper from General Graham arrived, and stated that the General
desired to say that "he was only just able to hold his own, and that he
wished the cavalry to attack the left of the enemy's skirmishers."
The sun had now set, and a bright moon was shining. The light, however,
was not good, and the force had to be guided by the flash of the guns
and musketry.
General Drury-Lowe made a wide circuit, so as to turn the enemy's left,
and the brigade arrived close to this portion of their line without
being noticed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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