Fall of Khartoum, and death of Gordon.On arriving there at noon on the 28th, Khartoum was found to have fallen two and a quarter days previously, the town having been taken by assault, and Gordon having been killed, just before dawn on the 26th. The two steamers were both wrecked in the Sixth Cataract on the way back, and Sir C. Wilson and his party were only extricated by Lord C. Beresford (on a third steamer) after a hard fight with a shore battery[169] near the tail of the cataract.
The desert column, now under Sir R. Buller, short in transport and in numbers, retired to Abu Klea (Tleh), at which point they beat off the pursuing enemy (16th February), and eventually reached Korti during March.
The river column had meanwhile ascended the 4th Cataract with extreme difficulty, and met the enemy near Kirbekan. Battle of Kirbekan, 10th March.Here a decisive action was fought (10th March), in which the Mahdists were thoroughly beaten, but General Earle was killed. The command devolved on Brigadier-General H. Brackenbury, and the column reached Huella (or Khulla), within 30 miles of Abu Hamed, on the 23rd February, having destroyed the village of Stewart’s murderers on the way.
| By kind permission of] | [Werner, Dublin. |
FIELD MARSHAL VISCOUNT WOLSELEY.
Here orders were received to turn back, and the column retired, reaching Merowe on the 5th March.
When the news of the fall of Khartoum reached England, it was first determined to operate on the Sudan from the Suakin side, and a British expedition was sent there, together with a force of navvies, to construct a railway to Berber (v. [p. 257]). Preparations were also begun for another Nile campaign in the autumn, and the troops of the late expedition were encamped for the summer along the river.
Retirement of expedition, June, 1885.After some months the Government decided to proceed no further with the Sudan operations, and the whole force was withdrawn, leaving the country unoccupied south of Kosha. A temporary native Government was established at Dongola, but it proved of no value, and fell to pieces on the advance of the enemy.
The Mahdists pushed gradually forward, and by the end of November came into touch with our frontier field force, now composed of 1,700 British and 1,500 Egyptian troops. A harassing month of skirmishes ensued, which was put an end to by the Battle of Ginnis, 30th December, 1885.decisive victory of our troops, under Sir F. Stephenson, at Ginnis, on the 30th December. Abdel Mejid was wounded, and the enemy’s losses amounted to 800 out of 6,000.