Battle of Abu Klea
Part of The Mahdist War
Date 17 January 1885 Location Khartoum Result British Victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Mahdist Sudanese
Commanders
Herbert Stewart	Muhammad Ahmad
Strength
1,500	12,000
Casualties and losses
76 killed 82 wounded	1,100 killed or wounded

The Battle of Abu Klea (or Abu Tulayh) took place on 17 January 1885, between a British force marching cross-country to the relief of General Gordon at Khartoum and Mahdist Sudanese forces. Abu Klea (in Arabic: أبو طليح , pronounced: Abu Tuleiħ) is a halting-place for caravans in the Bayuda Desert of Sudan. It is on the road from Merawi to Metemma and 20 miles (32 km) North of the Nile at Metemma. On January 17, the first Mahdist attack was repulsed. On the 19th, when the British force was nearer Metemma, the Mahdists renewed the attack, again unsuccessfully. The Mahdist War was a struggle for Sudanese libaration that failed in the late 19-century. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Khartoums location in Sudan Coordinates: , Government  - Governor Abdul Halim al Mutafi Population (2005)  - Urban 2. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Muhammad Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah (1844 - June 22, 1885) was a Muslim religious leader, a faqir, in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. ... Sir Herbert Stewart (June 30, 1843 - February 16, 1885), British soldier, eldest son of the Rev. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Combatants British Empire:  United Kingdom British India Australia[1]  Egypt Italy[2] Belgium[3] Mahdist Sudan Commanders Charles George Gordon â€  Herbert Kitchener Muhammad Ahmad Abdullah  The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. ... The Battle of El Obied between Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Lietenant-General William Billy Hicks and forces of Mohammed Ahmed, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, on a plain near the town of Al Ubayyid (El Obied) on November 3rd-5th, 1883. ... The Battles of El Teb (February 4, 1884) and (February 29, 1884) took place during the British Sudan Campaign where a force of Sudanese under Osman Digna won a victory over an 3500 strong Egyptian force under the command of General Valentine Baker which was marching to relieve Tokar on... Combatants Great Britain Mahdist Sudan Commanders Sir Gerald Graham Osman Digna Strength 4,500 troops, 22 guns, 6 machine-guns 10,000 troops Casualties 120 killed 4,000 killed The Battle of Tamai(or Tamanieh) took place on March 13, 1884 between a British force under Sir Gerald Graham and... Combatants  United Kingdom  Egypt Mahdist Sudan Commanders Charles George Gordon† Muhammad Ahmad Strength 8,000 Egyptian troops 50,000 warriors Casualties Entire garrison killed Unknown The Battle of Khartoum or Siege of Khartoum lasted from March 12, 1884 to January 26, 1885. ... Combatants  United Kingdom  Egypt Mahdist Sudan Commanders Francis Grenfell Wad el Nujumi† Strength 6,000 Casualties Light 1,200 dead, 4,000 captured The battle of Toski(Tushkah) took place in Egypt between the Anglo-Egyptian forces and the Mahdist Sudanese. ... Combatants Mahdist Sudan  United Kingdom  Egypt Commanders Osman Azrak Hammuda Sir Herbert Kitchener Strength 3,000-4,000 men 9,000-9,500 men Casualties 44 emirs killed 4 emirs captured 800-1,500 soldiers killed 500 soldiers wounded 500-600 soldiers captured 20 soldiers killed 81-83 soldiers wounded... Combatants  United Kingdom  Egypt Mahdist Sudan Commanders Horatio Herbert Kitchener Mahmud Osman Digna Strength 14,000 troops 12,000 infantry 3,000 cavalry Casualties British: 26 killed 99 wounded Egyptian: 57 killed 386 wounded 3,000 killed and wounded 2,000 captured The Battle of Atbara was a part of... Combatants  United Kingdom  Egypt Mahdist Sudan Commanders Horatio Kitchener Abdullah al-Taashi Strength 8,200 British, 17,600 Sudanese and Egyptian soldiers 52,000 warriors Casualties 48 dead 434 wounded 9,700 killed 13,000 wounded 5,000 captured At the Battle of Omdurman (September 2, 1898) an army commanded... The Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on November 24, 1899 marked the final obliteration of Muhammad Ahmads short-lived Sudanese empire, when Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Lord Kitchener wiped out what was left of the Mahdist armies under the command of the Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, known as... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Chinese Gordon as Governor of Sudan Major-General Charles George Gordon, CB (28 January 1833 – 26 January 1885), known as Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British army officer and administrator. ... Nickname: Khartoums location in Sudan Coordinates: , Government  - Governor Abdul Halim al Mutafi Population (2005)  - Urban 2. ... Muhammad Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah (1844 - June 22, 1885) was a Muslim religious leader, a faqir, in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. ... The Republic of the Sudan, or Republic of Sudan (in recent years the definite article has increasingly been dropped in common usage) is the largest country in Africa, situated in the northeast part of the continent. ... Metemma is a village in western Ethiopia, on the border with Sudan. ... For other uses, see Nile (disambiguation). ...

Background

The opposing forces consisted of the 1,500 British of the Desert Column under Sir Herbert Stewart, against a Sudanese force of approximately 12,000 fighters. While the main British force (the River Column), led by General Sir Garnet Wolseley travelled by river from Korti to Khartoum, Stewart's column was to cut across country by column directly for Khartoum, since time was running short according to what little information was available from the garrison. The force was composed of four regiments of camel-mounted troops (Guards, Heavy, Light and Mounted Infantry), formed from detachments of the various regiments in Egypt and the River Column, and a detachment of the 19th Hussars, mounted on horses. Four light field pieces and a small Naval Brigade manning a Gardner machine gun finished off the force. Sir Herbert Stewart (June 30, 1843 - February 16, 1885), British soldier, eldest son of the Rev. ... 1882 caricature from Punch Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley of Cairo, (June 4, 1833 - March 26, 1913) was a British field marshal. ... The British Naval Brigade and Royal Marines storm the stockade at Shimonoseki in September 1864. ... The Gardner gun was an early type of machine gun. ...

Battle

As the Desert Column approached the wells at Abu Klea, they were set upon by a Mahdist force. Stewart formed the troops into a square, with the cannon on the north face and the Naval Brigade, with their Gardner, at a corner. Several officers and men of HMS Alexandra were killed at the battle. As the British advanced to outflank the Mahdist force, a gap had opened up towards the rear left corner of the square. The Gardner gun was run out to the left flank of the infantry square to provide covering fire. The square closed behind them leaving them exposed. Two companies of the Heavy Camel Regiment were also wheeled out of the square to support the Gardner gun. After seventy rounds were fired, the gun jammed and as the crew tried to clear it they were cut down in a rush by the dervishes. Out of the forty men in the Naval contingent, Lieutenants Alfred Piggott and Rudolph de Lisle were killed along with Chief Boatswain's Mate Bill Rhodes and five other seamen and seven more were wounded. Lord Charles Beresford was 'scratched' on the left hand by a spear as he managed to duck under the gun. The weight of the rush pushed the sailors back into the face of the square. Several Dervishes were able to gain access to the square, but found the interior full of camels and were unable to proceed. The troops in the rear ranks faced about and opened fire into the press of men and camels behind them, and were able to drive the Dervishes out of the square and compelling them to retreat from the field. An infantry square is a battle tactic of infantry when faced with cavalry. ... HMS Alexandra was a broadside ironclad of the Victorian Royal Navy. ... An infantry square is a battle tactic of infantry when faced with cavalry. ... An infantry square is a battle tactic of infantry when faced with cavalry. ... Caricature from Punch, 1882 The Right Honourable Charles William de la Poer Beresford, 1st Baron Beresford GCB GCVO (February 10, 1846–September 6, 1919), known as Lord Charles Beresford until 1916, was a British Admiral and Member of Parliament. ...

The battle was remarkably short, lasting barely fifteen minutes from start to finish. Casualties for the British were nine officers and 65 other ranks killed and over a hundred wounded. The Mahdists lost 1,100 dead during the quarter hour of fighting, made all the worse by the fact that only around half of the Dervish force was actually engaged. Among the Dervish dead was Musa wad Helu, one of the Mahdist chiefs. British national hero Colonel F. G. Burnaby of the Royal Horse Guards was killed by a spear to the throat. Frank Rhodes (brother of Cecil) distinguished himself when he had several horses shot from under him in the course of the engagement, earning him a Distinguished Service Order. Gunner Albert Smith fought bravely to save his officer, Lieutenant Guthrie, and was awarded a VC. Another action happened two days later at Abu Kru (the Battle of El Gubat) and the advance rescue force leader Sir Herbert Stewart was mortally wounded leaving command to the inexperienced leader Sir Charles Wilson (the column's intelligence officer) who was slower in organising his forces. For other uses, see Colonel (disambiguation). ... Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (3rd March 1842 _ 17th January 1885), was an English traveller and soldier. ... Francis W. Rhodes, better known as Frank, is perhaps the best known member of the Rhodes family after his brother Cecil. ... Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes, PC, DCL, (July 5, 1853 – March 26, 1902[1]) was a British-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. ... DSO medal The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ... For other uses, see Victoria Cross (disambiguation). ...

Aftermath

The column was too late to save Khartoum; it was taken by the Mahdists just a few days later leading to the death of General Gordon. The Dervishes of the Mahdi ruled over Sudan for the next thirteen years as the British pulled out of the area. The official public blame for this failure was left with Prime Minister Gladstone for delaying several months to authorize a rescue. Gladstone lost public confidence and much authority and within two months he resigned. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... William Ewart Gladstone (29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British Liberal Party statesman and Prime Minister (1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886 and 1892–1894). ...

The battle was celebrated by the Scottish doggerel poet William McGonagall:^[clarify] Doggerel describes verse considered of little literary value. ... William Topaz McGonagall (1825–September 29, 1902) was a weaver, actor, and poet. ...

Ye sons of Mars, come join with me,
And sing in praise of Sir Herbert Stewart’s little army,
That made ten thousand Arabs flee
At the charge of the bayonet at Abou Klea

and so on for 19 stanzas

And also the battle and one of its notable participants is mentioned in the song "Colonel Burnaby", which has as its chorus:

Weep not my boys, for those who fell, They did not flinch nor fear. They stood their ground like Englishmen, and died at Abu Klea

See also

• The Four Feathers (2002 film)

The Four Feathers is a 2002 drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Djimon Hounsou and Kate Hudson. ...

References

• Craig, Simon, “Breaking the Square: Dervishes vs. Brits at the 1885 Battle of Abu Klea”, Military Heritage, volume 3, No. 3 (December 2001), 78-84. (Describes the failed British attempt to rescue major general Charles Gordon and friendly forces at Khartoum from the Dervishes led by the Mahdi.)
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Military Heritage is a glossy, bi-monthly history magazine published by Sovereign Media. ... Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

• The Battle Of Abu Klea Full text of the poem, from McGonagall Online.