14th May.On the 14th the Egyptian troops were successful in an action near El Obeid, the result of which, however, was unimportant.
Towards the end of May Yusef Pasha, Governor of Kodok, was ordered to march with the force from Kaka against the Mahdi, who was in the hills at Gedir. After great delays, Yusef set out with a large disorganised force of several thousand men and swarms of camp-followers; but the rains had begun, and progress was slow.
7th June.On the 7th June, the Egyptian army came face to face with the rebels in a densely wooded country. A zeriba was commenced, and the troops were formed up in hollow square, but the rebels broke in upon them, defeated, and utterly destroyed the whole force.
This crushing defeat placed the Egyptian Government in a critical position, and gave great impetus to the insurrection.
The Mahdi now sent a portion of his army, under Wad el Makashif, across the White Nile by the ford of Abu Zeid, to threaten Sennar. He remained himself for some weeks at Gedir, though detachments of his following were raiding in Kordofan.
24th June.On the 24th June the rebels attacked Bara, but were repulsed with heavy loss.
17th June.On the 17th an attack was made on Um Shanga, in Darfur, but was likewise repulsed; but towards Shakka an Egyptian force of 1,000 men was almost annihilated on the 20th July.
Many minor engagements were fought upon the lines of communication between Kordofan and Dueim, which resulted in favour of the rebels.
August.At the beginning of August the Mahdi, with the bulk of his forces, was at Jebel Gedir; a second army was wasting Kordofan; a third stretched along the White Nile from Dueim to Geziret Aba on the north-east, and from Kaka to Marabia on the east bank.
19th August.The rebels were defeated at Bara, and El Obeid was revictualled.