THE SUDAN CAMPAIGN 1896-1908 even when wounded and helpless, scorned to live, and tried to kill those who came to help them. Tokar was recaptured.


Osman Digna marched on to Suakin, when the troops left Trinkitat and concentrated at Tamaii about 20 miles from Suakin, General Graham was despatched against this force with 700 mounted troops, 3,000 infantry, including a Naval Brigade, and 200 artillery with 12 guns. Another bloody battle was fought at Tamaii on March 13th, the Dervishes broke the square of the 2nd Brigade and for a time captured the naval machine guns; the square was reformed and the Dervishes driven out and killed, they lost 2,000 killed, whilst the British losses were 109 killed and 16 wounded. Most of the losses occurred when the square was broken. Buller's square was marching in echelon to Davis' square. When the latter charged thereby causing its rear face to lose its formation and masking the fire of Buller's square. After these two battles a British force could have marched 250 miles to Berber on the Nile in order to relieve Khartoum where Gordon was besieged, but Gladstone's Cabinet refused to sanction it. Berber fell on May 26th; as nothing was done Osman Digna rallied his Arabs and harried Suakin and its neighbourhood for another ten years. On January 26th, 1885, Khartoum fell and Gordon was killed. Another British force was sent to Suakin in order to crush Osman Digna, and to act as a counterpoise for the death of Gordon by making a railway from Suakin to Berber; four battalions of infantry, 3 squadrons of cavalry, 1 battery Royal Horse Artillery were sent to Suakin from Cairo, the Suakin garrison consisted of 2,600 troops, and a brigade of 3,000 men were sent from India. Making a force of 12,500 men with 7,000 camels. Osman Digna had a force of 10,000 men, he had 1,000 at Hashin 7 miles north of Suakin, 2,000 at Tokar, and 7,000 at Tamaii.


The troops at Suakin came under heavy fire all night, and frequent casualties occurred. Sentries were stalked nightly and stabbed to death, and several attacks were made at night. Suakin was now in a state of siege, there was little peace of night, by day the weather was sultry and enervating, flies swarmed everywhere, and the stench of dead camels appalling, there was much sickness, day by day trenches were dug, only to be filled in at night by the Dervishes. It was decided to occupy Hashin, which was carried out with a force of 7,000 men and 10 guns against a hostile force of 3,000 men. Sniping then ceased, and an advance against the main force of Osman Digna at Tamai was arranged. Sir John McNeil was despatched, and advanced 7 miles to Tofrek, where he halted. The Dervishes attacked, a short and desperate fight ensued, the Dervishes drove 700 camels, which were unloaded and grazing, belonging to our force, these had to be shot down to get at the Dervishes, who broke our line, they lost 1,500 killed out of 5,000, we lost 160 men killed and 200 camp followers, mostly camel men, and 170 wounded. This battle caused the Dervishes to fall back, and Tamai was occupied after some fighting, and the Dervishes retired to the hills, only sniping at night ; the laying of the Suakin Berber Railway was started, 181 miles, cost £850,000, it was then decided to give up the Suakin campaign, the expenditure of this campaign had cost 31 millions. One battalion of the Shropshire Regiment, 2,400 Indians and 2,500 Egyptians were left as garrison.


On September 23rd Osman Digna was defeated at Kufeit by the Abyssinians. Under Osman Digna attacks were begun again on Suakin, but were repulsed. Colonel Kitchener was appointed Governor of Suakin in August 1886. Continuous small fights took place. The garrison at Suakin had been reduced, the British and Indian troops were removed, and the garrison was reduced to 2,500 Egyptians. In January 1888 Colonel Kitchener heard that Osman Digna was at Handub with a small force. Kitchener obtained leave to attack him, but only with friendly Arabs; on January 16th Kitchener left Suakin and arrived at dawn with 450 men at Handub, the attack was successful, and the Dervishes surprised. Osman Digna's horse was captured, before he had time to mount, but he jumped on to a camel and made good his escape. The friendlies started looting and as light became better, the Dervishes seeing it was a small force, rallied and attacked. Kitchener collected his troops and beat them off, but was hit in the jaw by a bullet, the force retired, he managed to fight his way back to Suakin, fortunately some negro soldiers of the 10th Sudanese had dressed up as Arabs, and volunteered and joined in the force. Colonel Hickman coming out with his battalion from Suakin saved the situation.


Kitchener had to go to Cairo where he narrowly escaped death. Suakin was again attacked by the Dervishes, but Colonel Kitchener, on his return, built a strong stone wall with forts at intervals, but Osman Digna again besieged Suakin, and it was decided to drive him off. On November 2nd two British battalions, 2,000 Egyptians and 2,000 black troops were concentrated at Suakin from Cairo. The Dervishes were attacked, they lost 300 killed out of 1,500 in this battle, known as Gemeiza; in October Osman Digna left for Omdurman, he had become the Emir of Emirs when Wad El Nejumi was killed at the Battle of Toski, August 3rd, 1889. There was not much fighting until January 1891, when it was decided to take Tokar. The importance of Tokar, was that it was on the Delta of the river Baraka, where the finest grain in the Sudan was grown, after the flood had subsided. Dura or millet was the chief crop, and where, as elsewhere, it grew from 4 to 5 feet high, on this fertile land it grew to 12 feet high, and a man on a camel could not see over it. The Eastern Sudan Arabs grew their crops on this land, and depended on it for their grain. Handub was first occupied, and then Tamai; on February 8th, Colonel Holled Smith left Suakin by steamer, and three days later occupied Trinkitat. Osman Digna, who was preparing to recapture Handub, heard of this advance, and went by forced marches to save Tokar, 70 miles away, and the 500 Dervishes holding it. Major Wingate sent out a small reconnaissance party, who captured a Dervish, who after 4 hours examination admitted that Osman Digna had arrived with 7,000 men, which was confirmed by a reconnaissance of half a squadron of cavalry and friendly arabs, who also reported the advance of the enemy less than a mile away. The troops were hastily formed up into square, the Dervishes attacked, but were repulsed with the loss of 700 men, including 17 chieftains. This victory was very gratifying, as it was an Anglo-Egyptian force; they lost 1 British officer and 9 men killed, and 48 wounded. Tokar was entered by the victorious force. The Dervishes dispersed.


Osman Digna retired to Adarama, and Tokar was thereafter held and the Berber-Suakin road opened for trade. There was not much fighting after this, as the Arabs were afraid to lose their corn growing land. The Dongola expedition started in March 1896. The Battle of Firket on June 7th, and the action of Hafir in September, cleared Dongola of the Dervishes; in August 1897, the battle of Abu Hamed drove the Dervishes still further south, and Berber surrendered in September. The Railway from Wadi Haifa reached Abu Hamed in October 1897, and gun boats reconnoitred as far as Shendi in March 1898. In April 1896 when the Dongola expedition was started, it was considered advisable to force an engagement on the disaffected Arabs on the Suakin side, and some Egyptian Army troops were sent out. The 10th Sudanese and a battery from Tokar were sent to meet the Egyptian troops from Suakin at Khor-Wintri, the Egyptian cavalry returned too fast to Suakin, but the 10th Sudanese fought with the Dervishes, who lost 100 men. This was the last fight on the Red Sea side. It was considered necessary to garrison Suakin during the Nile campaign, and during 1896 they garrisoned Suakin with an Indian Brigade, their losses from sickness were great, and they returned to India after a year with no fighting to their record. The Khalifa decided to send a force, under Mahmud his nephew, who marched north with 12,000 men, and was joined by Osman Digna, they left the Nile as they did not like the fire from the gun boats, and entrenched themselves at Nekheila, 18 miles up the Atbara. General Kitchener attacked the Dervish Zereeba at dawn on April 8th, 1898, after a night march with two Sudanese or negro brigades and one British brigade, with an Egyptian Brigade in reserve and the Egyptian Cavalry; the Zereeba was taken with a loss of 500 killed and wounded, the Dervishes lost 3,000 killed, and 2,000 taken prisoners, including Mahmud; Osman Digna escaped, he rallied 1,000 men of Mahmud's force, and retired to Omdurman. His own Eastern Arabs retreating eastwards to their own hills. About 3,000 reached Gedarif where they joined the force of Ahmed Fedil.


On September 1st General Kitchener reached the Karerri hills 5 miles north of Omdurman. At dawn on September 2nd, the Dervishes, with 50,000 men attacked 18,000 British and Egyptians, the Dervishes lost about 10,000 killed. I was detailed six months afterwards to bury the dead, I had 400 Dervish prisoners and an escort of 100 Egyptians from my battalion, and buried 6,996 Dervishes in six days, over a front of 5 miles, the ground was rocky, which made grave digging difficult.


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