For all his successes against internal challengers and regional enemies, however, the khalfah struggled against well-supplied European-backed armies. On arrival in Egypt, the 21st Lancers were mounted on local Syrian light horses. Churchill times the charge as taking two minutes. The 21st Lancers and their commanding officer were smarting under the taunts of the army at the regiments inexperience and lack of military honours and were looking for the opportunity to deliver a classic cavalry charge. The battle took place on 2 September 1898, at Kerreri, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of Omdurman in the Sudan. 21st Lancers in the Sudan: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. The Triumph of the Sun (2005) by Wilbur Smith concentrates mainly on the siege of Khartoum and the fate of the defeated, but carries the story through to Kitchener's campaign. Muammad Amad ibn Abd Allh was the son of a boatbuilder from Dongola, in northern Sudan, who claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad. One tribesman, carrying a flag, rushed on to within 150 yards of the line, before being shot down. In my first wires I insisted that our total casualties were about 500, and the enemy's over 10,000 slain. Gordons requests for reinforcements were denied by the government of Prime Minister William Gladstone, and on March 13, 1884, the Mahds forces laid siege to Khartoum. Two of the gunboats guarded the rear of the column, while the other three escorted the head. Charge of the 21st Lancers at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898: picture by Harry Payne, The previous battle of the War in Egypt and the Sudan is the Battle of Atbara, The next battle in the British Battles sequence is the Battle of Laings Nek,
2nd Brigade: commanded by Colonel Maxwell On September 23, 1896, the Mahdists were routed so completely at Dongola that the victory returned a sizable portion of northern Sudan to Egyptian control. Consequently, the Lancers fought a harder battle than they expected losing twenty-one men killed and fifty wounded. The 21st was a regiment of hussars for some years, being converted to lancers in the previous 18 months. View this object 'The most savage and bloody action ever fought in the Sudan by British troops.' . About four miles away to the half right, was what appeared to be a long zeriba, or thorn fence, with men behind it. Having dealt with the immediate threat, Kitchener then marched on Omdurman, and Abd Allh redeployed his still sizable forces. This page was last edited on 20 December 2022, at 12:48. Please select which sections you would like to print: Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Our road lay by the khor whereat the victorious army had watered in the afternoon of the 2nd, and thence across the sandy, rock-strewn plain to the southern slopes of Surgham . River Nile steamboat: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. Upon his return to b Island in March 1881, he told his followers that God had instructed him to purify Islam and to destroy all governments that defiled it. The troops of the Sirdars army at the Battle of Omdurman: [20], Although some among the press corps accompanying the army had film cameras, no footage was shot of the actual fighting. The Anglo-Egyptian army suffered about 500 casualties. Captain Kenna and Corporal Swarbrick then rescued de Montmorency. The supreme and greatest victory ever achieved by British arms in the Soudan has been won by the Sirdar's ever-victorious forces, after one of the most picturesque battles of the century. Each contingent was led by a flag of a distinctive colour; red, green or black. With 'C' Squadron, 21st Lancers, he served at the battle of Omdurman, 2 September 1898. The Sudan was returned to nominal Egyptian and Turkish rule. Around 10,000 Dervishes were killed, 15,000 wounded and 5000 were taken prisoner. Reports came in from the cavalry, describing the Dervish force that was advancing, with the apparent intention of launching an immediate attack on the Sirdars force behind its zeriba. The Brits lost 430 killed and wounded. The rebels were beaten back in a battle at Omdurman, on the northwest outskirts of Khartoum. As his cavalry withdrew north, squadrons, in turn, halted and gave dismounted fire at the pursuing Dervishes. The 21st wheeled to pass them on the left. Map showing the second Dervish attack at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898: map by John Fawkes. The Dervishes suffered losses of 9,700 dead, probably around 12,000 wounded and some 5,000 prisoners. You Save 6%. While the Anglo-Egyptian infantry were able to make use of their superior firepower from behind a zariba barricade without suffering significant casualties, the cavalry and camel corps deployed to the centre-north of the main force found themselves under threat from the Mahadist Green Standard force of about 15,000 warriors. Winston Churchill bought a Mauser pistol before leaving Britain for the Sudan. Winston Churchill: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. Mohammed Ahmed's original goal had been to lead a jihad across the world. Kitchener marched into Omdurman, grateful at having achieved his victory in the open field, thus avoiding potentially costly street fighting. 11th Sudanese in the trench at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. By 1884 the Mahdist army was closing on Khartoum, the seat of the Egyptian government in Sudan. But that conquering sweep lost momentum with his death. Commodore Keppel, Royal Navy, commanded the steamers on the River Nile. Further artillery arrived: an Egyptian battery, two Royal Artillery batteries and more Maxims, including a Maxim section from the Royal Irish Regiment. As the attack of Yakub from behind the Jebel Surgham melted away, Macdonald moved his other battalions, the X and then the XI, to positions in the new line, to the right of the IX, until his formation was in reverse, with another inverted L formed, this time facing north; the 2nd Egyptians remaining in reserve on the left. Other accounts state that the Lincolns arrived after Macdonalds infantry and guns had destroyed the Dervish attack. Detachment, Royal Engineers, Seaforth Highlanders on exercise in Britain: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War, Egyptian troops at the Battle of Omdurman: Charge of the 21st Lancers at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War: picture by Major John Edward Chapman Mathews. On 1st September, the cavalry moved out to conduct a reconnaissance. Everyone in the army was aware that battle was imminent, in view of the proximity of Omdurman, ten miles to the south. [4], In 1896 to protect British interests, in particular the Suez Canal, and to suppress the slave trade, the British government decided to reconquer Sudan. $8.49 $8.99 Save 6% Current price is $8.49, Original price is $8.99. The campaign medals awarded were the Queens Sudan Medal 1896-1898 and the Khedives Sudan Medal 1896-1908, with the clasp on the Khedives medal of Khartoum. . It was Kitcheners view that Macdonald was the hero of the battle. Kitchener was seeking revenge for the 1885 death of General Gordon. [17] This opinion was reflected in his own account of the battle when it was first published in 1899. In 1881, the Mahdist Revolt began in Sudan . Although this attack was just too late to co-incide with the main Dervish attack from behind the Jebel Surgham, the wisdom of putting a commander ofMacdonalds calibre in the rear was confirmed. . Khedive's Sudan Medal (1897), Egyptian campaign medal awarded to British and Egyptian forces which took part in the Sudan campaign between 1896 and 1898. Numbers of them were brought in to the town from the battlefield and received medical attendance from the Egyptian Army doctors. Either way it was a close action, the Dervish charge coming within 300 yards of Macdonalds line. Those cavalrymen who fell from their horses were cut to pieces, with slashes from the heavy razor-sharp Dervish swords, or speared. [21], The victory, and especially the cavalry charge of the 21st Lancers, was soon celebrated by songs on the popular stage, including "What Will They Say in England? Watching the advancing Dervish line at the beginning of the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. For his services during that battle he was restored to the army active list. Victory for the Sirdar at Omdurman meant the end of the Mahdist revolt against the Khedive, which had begun in 1884 and led to the expulsion of the Egyptians and Turks from the Sudan. AND, the Battle of Omdurman could/should be easily retitled "The Slaughter of Omburman" because once the Khalifa decided to meet the Anglo-Egyptian forces "head on"to defend his capital the result was a one-sided massacre with anywhere from 20 to 26 thousand devish's killed and wounded against less than 500 causualties for Kitchener's army. battle of Omdurman (n.). If you are too busy to read the site, why not download a podcast of an individual battle and listen on the move! Entrance was gained by the gate on the eastern side and the several holes blown in the walls by the riverboat and howitzer bombardment. The Dervish army came on at a fast walk; the left, led by the bright green flag of Ali-Wad-Hedu, heading for the Jebel Kerreri; the centre, marching into the wide plain and the right, swarming up the ridge around the eastern end of the Jebel Surgham, led by the red flag of Sherif and carrying hundreds of apparently blank white flags, each of which was in fact embroidered with texts from the Koran. Steamers firing in support of the Sirdars army at 6.30am on 2nd September 1897: picture by HCS Eppings-Wright. After a fierce clash, the Lancers drove them back (resulting in three Victoria Crosses being awarded to Lancers who helped rescue wounded comrades). They then settled down in the desert and prepared to sleep. In Omdurman, the Khalifa assembled his army for the coming decisive fight for his capital. Camel Corps on the Kerreri Hills at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. 1st, 5th, 17th, and 18th Egyptian Battalions. It was assumed that the Dervishes would attack during the night and dispositions were made on that basis. Several batteries of artillery and Maxim machine guns accompanied the Sirdars army in the Sudan, both British and Egyptian. Several of these wounded men had terrible injuries, with faces and limbs sliced through by sword strokes. Present as a war correspondent for The Times was Colonel Frank Rhodes, brother of Cecil, who was shot and severely wounded in the right arm. The Battle of Omdurman has also lent its name to many streets in British and Commonwealth cities, for example Omdurman Road . Visit our dedicated Podcast page or visit Podbean below. MR. BRODRICK Her Majesty's Government are confident that all possible assistance was given to the wounded dervishes out of the resources at the Sirdar's command. However, there it was, where the 21st had seen it settle down for the night on the previous afternoon. Hunter ensured that Macdonalds brigade, the first target for any attack by Ali-Wad-Helu, was accompanied by three batteries of field artillery and eight Maxim guns. The troops were ordered to stand to and man their positions at 2pm. There, on August 24, a combined Anglo-Egyptian force of 26,000 men was assembled. On 26 January 1885, the Dervishes overcame Gordons troops and massacred the entire garrison. Last bearer of the Khalifas Black Flag at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. The 21st Lancers prepared to move, in compliance with this order, but before doing so two patrols were sent out; one directly towards Omdurman and the second, under Lieutenant Robert Grenfell of the 12th Lancers, to see what was happening on the far side of the Jebel Surgham. Camel Transport, Map of the Sudan: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War: map by John Fawkes. But it was dealt with, when Hunter took control and brought up some reserve companies. Once the Dervish attacks ceased, the Sirdars line advanced to the west, with fixed bayonets and drove the survivors out into the desert, away from the road to Omdurman. Kitchener commanded a force of . In complying with the direction that his brigade take the rear, Macdonald moved his men to the west, to enable Lewiss brigade to pass him. In the central plain, the division led by the white flags came down from the Jebel Surgham ridge and joined the main body advancing on the zeriba, making an attacking Dervish force of around 20,000 warriors. [4] Churchill thought Kitchener was too brutal in his killing of the wounded. After the Italians were crushed by an Ethiopian army at the Battle of Adwa (March 1, 1896), their position at Kassala became untenable, due to a growing Mahdist presence in the area. Size of the armies at the Battle of Omdurman: Detachment, Royal Engineers Except for small pockets of resistance, Anglo-Egyptian power had been all but extinguished in the Sudan. [19] The pictorial press covered the campaign extensively and employed several artists to record the events. After fifteen vexatious years spent in trying to get here, an Anglo-Egyptian army has recovered Khartoum and occupied Omdurman. British troops line up behind a zariba to defend . [15][16] Winston Churchill privately agreed with Bennett that Kitchener was too brutal in his killing of the wounded. Maxim guns positioned between Maxwells Egyptian and Sudanese brigade and a British battalion at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. In this process, the Dervishes acquired the rifles of the Egyptian soldiers, with a small number of artillery pieces and Maxims, so that in any Dervish force there was a percentage of men with firearms, although not particularly skilled in their use. The Khalifa ordered his beaten army to retreat into Omdurman, to hold the city against the Sirdars troops. The whole area was empty of people and animals. The governor-general of Sudan at the time, Mohammed Rauf Pasha, underestimated the strength of the growing Mahdist movement. Six junior officers from other regiments served attachments with the 21st Lancers in the Omdurman campaign. Advancing Dervish line at the beginning of the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. The final attack took place opposite Omdurman and enabled the gunboats to land the battery of howitzers. An Egyptian squadron, commanded by Captain Baring of the 10th Hussars, left the camp before dawn to watch the Dervish line. On March 20 Mahmud reached Hillat an Nikheila, and there he constructed a formidable zeriba, or fortified stockade. Following the capture of Omdurman, the Sirdar crossed the river to Khartoum and inspected the palace, where Gordon was said to have been killed in 1885. [5] The Khalifa escaped and survived until 1899, when he was killed in the Battle of Umm Diwaykarat. Artillery on the march in the Sudan: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War 31st August 1898: On 31 st August, the Sirdar's army encamped on the west bank of the River Nile, to the north of the Kerreri Hills. Map showing the Dervish attack at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898: map by John Fawkes. In this way Broadwood lured Ali-Wad-Helus force three miles away to the north, while the main Dervish attack went in, thereby performing a valuable service to the Sirdar. As the front of the column reached the crest of the ridge, the casualties from the 21sts charge rode past, giving details of the action. This army was supported by a detachment of Royal Engineers and a fleet of 10 gunboats and 5 transport steamers. The Mahdiyyah movement was not, as Egyptian and European writers of the time termed it, a revolt of dervishes against orthodox Sunni Islam. Circumstances enabled them to do exactly that and to produce the iconic act of military glamour for the late Victorian era, comparable to theLight Brigade charge at the Battle of Balaclavain 1854. 1 Battery, Horse Artillery British and Khedive of Egypts flags flying from General Gordons palace in Khartoum after the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. Battle of Omdurman - Aftermath The Battle of Omdurman cost the Mahdists a stunning 9,700 killed, 13,000 wounded, and 5,000 captured. battle of omdurman order of battle 2021 While taking part in the expedition, met and befriended Winston Churchill, then a junior officer in the 21st Lancers. An Egyptian engineer was brought from prison in Omdurman and required to prepare a mine, comprising a large boiler, made watertight and filled with gunpowder. The Sirdars gunboats moved up the River Nile in conformity with the advance of the cavalry. Although cholera wracked the Anglo-Egyptian army, Kitchener steadily expanded his sphere of control. Khartoum fell, and Gordon was killed along with the citys 7,000 remaining defenders. Combatants at the Battle of Omdurman: British and Egyptians against the Sudanese Dervish Empire of the Khalifa. Beatty was appointed to command the new steamer El Teb, which capsized and sank in the Fourth Cataract. Soudan battles the enemy's wounded have been killed,' and noted that the three days of looting in Omdurman had been carried out by British as well as 'native' troops.4 Bennett's accusations 3 The jihadiyya were professional soldiers, usually of Nuba or southern Sudanese origin, established as an infantry by the former Turco-Egyptian regime. Photograph of the aftermath of the Battle of Omdurman, with the corpses of Mahdist soldiers visible on the battlefield.This photograph is mounted in an album which documents the final stages of the Mahdist War, or Sudan Campaign, in 1898. In November 1899 a column of some 3,700 men was dispatched to Kordofan under the command of Sir Reginald Wingate to engage Abd Allh and what remained of his army. The battle took place at Kerreri, 11km north of Omdurman in the Sudan. The battle was, as war correspondent for The Morning Post Winston Churchill noted, "A mere matter of machinery." British losses were 48 killed and 434 wounded. In 1883 Muhammad Ahmad ibn as-Sayyid Abd Allah who called himself the Mahdi appeared in Sudan followed by thousands of Islamic warriors known as Dervishes or Ansar. The commander of the IX, on his own initiative, formed his battalion into line, facing to the north and opened fire on the advancing Dervish force. He lists the Khalifas forces still on the field and undefeated, even, in some cases, unengaged; the Khalifas own Black Flag force behind Jebel Surgham, Ali-Wad-Helu and his Red Flag behind the Kerreri Hills and Osman reforming his men after the First Attack: in all some 35,000 Dervishes, still ready to do battle. While the riverboats were in action, in the face of the Dervish advance, the Sirdars cavalry began to fall back towards the main army. At the Battle of Omdurman (2 September 1898), an army commanded by the British General Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad. On September 1, British gunboats shelled the Mahdist forts on both sides of the Nile and breached the wall of Omdurman, and Kitchener established a zeriba at Egeiga, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Omdurman on the west bank. While this river operation was being conducted, a force of Arab irregulars loyal to Turkish rule and commanded by a British officer, Major Stuart Wortley, moved up the east bank of the River Nile, storming the forts and villages held by the Dervishes. It was an expanding bullet, and the units that used it considered them to be highly effective.[13]. Charge of the 21st Lancers at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War: picture by William Barnes Wollen. Charge of the 21st Lancers at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War: picture by George Delville Rowlandson. Kitchener enters Omdurman, passing the damaged Mahdis Tomb, after the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. Pertempuran Omdurman. To overawe potential resistance in the Nile valley, he compelled Baqqrah warriors from the west to move to Omdurman. Sir Henry Rawlinson, in World War 1, General Lord Rawlinson and an army commander, of the Coldstream Guards, acted as an additional staff officer to the Sirdar at Omdurman, having come to Egypt for the health of his wife and being asked to act by Lord Cromer, to reduce the administrative burden on the Sirdar. Anecdotes and traditions from the Battle of Omdurman: Private James Byrne of the 21st Lancers, awarded the Victoria Cross for rescuing Lieutenant Molyneaux. The Nile steamer, Nasr, was commanded by Lieutenant Hood, Royal Navy. 12th, 13th, and 14th Sudanese Battalions (XII, XIII and XIV) Following the establishment of the Mahdist Islamic State in Sudan, and the subsequent threat to the regional status quo and to British-occupied Egypt, the British government decided to send an expeditionary force with the task of . [29], The battle was later made an incident in a few 21st century novels. In one instance, the Sirdars staff conveniently lost a letter from the Prince of Wales pressing the interest of a particular officer. Winston Churchill was present at the battle and he rode with the 21st Lancers. Martin decided to attack this force. Some lay very composedly with their slippers placed under their heads for a last pillow; some knelt, cut short in the middle of a last prayer. Queen's Sudan Medal, British campaign medal awarded to British and Egyptian forces which took part in the Sudan campaign between 1896 and 1898. Commanders at the Battle of Omdurman:The Egyptian Sirdar, Major General Herbert Kitchener, commanded the British and Egyptian troops. Kitchener captured Dongola on 21 September 1896, and Abu Hamed on 7 August 1897. Substantial casualties were inflicted on the Dervishes, several Emirs being killed and the Dervish formations attacking Macdonalds brigade and the Jebel Surgham began to break up. The commander of the Anglo-Egyptian mounted troops Lieutenant Colonel R.G. Find the perfect omdurman battle stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. The march continued over the next few days, while the cavalry caught up the infantry, having stayed an extra day in the Wad Hamed camp. Lieut. The 1898 campaign season in the Sudan began with the dispatch of a British brigade from Cairo to the fighting front and a concentration of Anglo-Egyptian forces south of Ab amad. Although many Egyptians and Sudanese bristled at the Condominium Agreement of January 1899, by which the Sudan became, in essence, a British protectorate, Abd Allh proved unable to turn this resentment into a broader resistance movement. River Nile gunboat in action: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. Kitchener's force wheeled left in echelon to advance up Surkab ridge and then southwards. [9][d] On a larger scale, the British advance allowed the Khalifa to re-organize his forces. Controversy over the killing of the wounded after the battle began soon afterwards. The cavalry on the Jebel Surgham and its surrounding ridges could see the full Dervish line, but it was not yet in sight of the infantry in the zeriba. Immediately in front of the advancing horsemen lay a wide rolling sandy plain, bounded on three sides by a line of rocky hills and ridges, and on the fourth side by the River Nile. Kitchener was ennobled as a baron, Kitchener of Khartoum, for his victory. However, at 1.45pm, the Dervish army suddenly stopped. In several incidents, lone horsemen fought their way through the Dervishes, with officers and soldiers returning to assist comrades in difficulties. It was titled With Kitchener in the Soudan (1903) and included a description of the battle in chapter 14. Yakub and the guard of the Black Flag were mown down. This article was most recently revised and updated by, The rise of Mahdism and the Siege of Khartoum, The reign of the Khalfah and the British campaign in the Sudan, The Battle of Atbara and the fall of Omdurman, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Omdurman, British Broadcasting Corporation - Battle of Omdurman, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Nilotic Sudan from the 17th to the 19th century, a territorial dispute with France over an abandoned Egyptian fort at Fashoda. The officers and troopers of the 21st galloped down into the khor, spearing the Dervishes, who cut at the horses and riders, attempting to bring them down. (Mahdist fighters), but there were 2000 infantry hidden behind them in a dry watercourse. Gordons campaign triggered a crisis in the Sudans economy, and the Sudanese soon came to believe that the crusade, led by European Christians, violated the principles and traditions of Islam. 37th Howitzer Battery, Royal Artillery British cavalry Maxim machine gun: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. He knew that in all the recent defeats they had stood on the defensive. Abd Allh ordered Emir Abd al-Ramn al-Nujm and some 6,000 men into Egypt, but the Mahdist force was destroyed at Tshk in August 1889 by an Egyptian army commanded by Sir Francis Grenfell. The re-enforcement of the group in the khor took place after Grenfell made his observation and before the main body of the 21st Lancers under Martin came up to make its attack; so that, in the interval between Grenfells observation and the charge, the number of Dervishes in the khor rose from around 700 to around 2,700. 1st Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment Saddam was able to seize the city in May 1986, for the third time. One of these officers was Winston Churchill, a lieutenant in the 4th Hussars. The Mahds immediate enemy was the Egyptian government, which in his view had lapsed into unbelief.