The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the SudanChurchill, Winston
History
The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan
Churchill, Winston
Sudan -- History -- 1881-1899
and that the expedition in its progress was well received by the negroid
tribes, who had long resented the tyranny of the Arabs.
On the 22nd of September a considerable part of the army of Osman Digna,
which had not been present at the battle of Omdurman, was found encamped
on the Ghezira, a few miles north of Rufaa. The Sheikhs and Emirs, on
being summoned by General Hunter, surrendered, and a force of about
2,000 men laid down their arms. Musa Digna, a nephew of Osman and the
commander of his forces, was put in irons and held prisoner. The rest,
who were mostly from the Suakin district, were given a safe-conduct, and
told to return to their homes--an order they lost no time in obeying.
The next day the general arrived at Wad Medina, where the Dervish
garrison--1,000 strong--had already surrendered to the gunboat Sheikh.
These men, who were regular Dervishes, were transported in sailing-boats
to Omdurman; and augmented the number of prisoners of war already
collected. On the 29th of September General Hunter reached Rosaires, 400
miles south of Khartoum, and the extreme limit of steam navigation on
the Blue Nile. By the 3rd of October he had established garrisons of
the Xth Soudanese in Rosaires, at Karkoj, at Sennar (the old seat of the
Government of the province), and at Wad Medina. Having also arranged for
gunboat patrolling, he returned to Omdurman.
But there was one Dervish force which had no intention of surrendering
to the invaders, and whose dispersal was not accomplished until three
fierce and critical actions had been fought. Ahmed Fedil, a zealous and
devoted adherent of the Khalifa, had been sent, after the defeat on
the Atbara, to collect all the Dervishes who could be spared from the
Gedaref and Gallabat provinces, and bring them to join the growing army
at Omdurman. The Emir had faithfully discharged his duty, and he was
hurrying to his master's assistance with a strong and well disciplined
force of no fewer than 8,000 men when, while yet sixty miles from the
city, he received the news of 'the stricken field.' He immediately
halted, and sought to hide the disaster from his soldiers by announcing
that the Khalifa had been victorious and no longer needed their
assistance. He even explained the appearance of gunboats upon the river
by saying that these had run past the batteries at Omdurman and that the
others were destroyed. The truth was not, however, long concealed; for
a few days later two emissaries despatched by Slatin arrived at the
Dervish camp and announced the destruction of the Omdurman army, the
flight of the Khalifa, and the fall of the city. The messengers were
authorised to offer Ahmed terms; but that implacable Dervish flew into
a rage, and, having shot one, sent the other, covered with insults and
stripes, to tell the 'Turks' that he would fight to the bitter end. He
then struck his camp, and marched back along the east bank of the Blue
Nile, with the intention of crossing the river near its confluence
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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