EGYPTIAN FRONTIER AND SUAKIN, 1886-96
From 1886 until 1896 the defense of the Egyptian frontier and Suakin devolved entirely to the Egyptian Army. Though the Egyptian Army was officered by British soldiers and there was a British garrison in Egypt itself, the British Army was scarcely involved in the skirmishes and battles of this period. The Egyptian troops were armed with the Martini-Henry rifle, crank-operated Nordenfeldt and Gardner guns, and Krupp field guns. The battles were on the whole smaller than the 1884-5 war, there was a greater reliance on mobility (with cavalry and camel corps being used extensively together), and tactics were more flexible, employing rapid movement and assault rather than the provocatively defensive squares. In most battles the infantry fought in four-company battalions.
Gamaiza (Eastern Sudan), 20 December 1888
(Kitchener)
1st Brigade: 9th, 10th, 12th Sudanese battalions.
2nd Brigade: 4th Egyptian, 11th Sudanese battalions.
Argin/Toski, 28 June - 3 August 1889 (Egyptian Frontier)
Flying Column (Col. Wodehouse), Argin, 2 July:
9th Sudanese battalion (4 companies) 520 men
10th Sudanese battalion (4 companies) 520 men
13th Sudanese battalion (4 companies) 550 men
Camel Corps (2 companies) 120 men
Egyptian cavalry (2 squadrons) 200 men
2nd Field battery, Egyptian artillery 6 6cm Krupps
3rd Garrison battery, Egyptian artillery 2 8cm Krupps
Toski, 3 August:
1st Brigade (Wodehouse):
3rd, 5th, 7th Egyptian battalions,
2 squadrons cavalry,
1st & 2nd batteries Field artillery (6 guns),
1 battery Garrison artillery,
3 companies Camel Corps.
2nd Brigade (Kitchener):
1st, 2nd Egyptian battalions,
1 squadron cavalry,
1 division each of Horse artillery, Field artillery and Garrison
artillery.
1 squadron of the 20th Hussars was also present, as were four
stern-wheel gunboats.
Tokar (Eastern Sudan), 19 February 1891
1st Egyptian battalion (a few companies),
4th Egyptians,
11th, 12th Sudanese,
2 squadrons cavalry,
2 Krupp field guns, 2 mountain guns, 1 Maxim gun.
THE RECONQUEST, 1896-8
The Reconquest began in 1896 with the Dongola campaign and was carried out almost exclusively by the Egyptian Army until 1898 when British troops were brought in for the battles at Atbara and Omdurman. As the Reconquest progressed the Egyptian Army received some modern equipment such as Maxim guns to replace the multi-barrelled machine-guns, and the MaximNordenfeldt quick-firing 12 pounders instead of the Krupp guns and old mountain guns.
Dongola Expeditionary Force
(Firka: 7 June, Haffir: 19 September, Dongola 23 September 1896)
River Column at Firka (Hunter), 7000 men:
1st Brigade (Lewis):
3rd, 4th Egyptians,
9th, 10th Sudanese.
2nd Brigade (MacDonald):
11th, 12th, 13th Sudanese.
3rd Brigade (Maxwell):
2nd, 7th, 8th Egyptians. (after Firka)
4th Brigade (David):
1st, 5th, 15th Egyptians.
2nd & 3rd Egyptian Field batteries. 5 gunboats, 3 armed steamers.
A half battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment and 1 Maxim
battery (2 maxims) of the Connaught Rangers were also present.
Desert Column at Firka (Burn-Murdoch) 2100 men:
6 companies Camel Corps (670 all ranks)
8 squadrons cavalry (800 all ranks)
12th Sudanese mounted on camels (717 all ranks)
1 battery Horse artillery (6 6cm Krupp guns)
2 Maxim guns
Atbara, 8 April 1989 (14,000 men)
British Division
1st battalion, 6th (Royal Warwickshire), 6 companies 685 all ranks
1st battalion, 10th (Lincolnshire) 960 all ranks
1st battalion, 72nd (Seaforth Highlanders) 844 all ranks
1st battalion, 79th (Cameron Highlanders) 881 all ranks
Egyptian Division
1st Brigade (Maxwell):
8th Egyptians, 12th, 13th, 14th Sudanese (2941 all ranks).
2nd Brigade (MacDonald):
2nd Egyptians, 9th, 10th, 11th Sudanese (2823 all ranks).
3rd Brigade (Lewis):
3rd, 4th, 7th Egyptians (2109 all ranks).
Cavalry (Broadwood): 8 squadrons, 2 Maxims (994 all ranks).
Camel Corps (Tudway): 6 companies (195 all ranks).
Artillery (Long): 16th company, E division, R.A. (six 5" howitzers), 1st Egyptian Horse battery (six 6cm Krupps), 2nd, 3rd,4th Egyptian Field batteries (1 mule battery of six 6cm Krupps, 2 batteries of Maxim- Nordenfeldts). British Maxim battery (4 guns). Rocket detachment (2 sections).
Omdurman, 1-2 September 1898
(8200 British, 17,600 Egyptian troops, 44 guns, 20 Maxims on land, 36 guns, 24 Maxims on the river)
British Division (Gatacre):
1st Brigade (Wauchope):
1st R. Warwickshire Regiment,
1st Lincolnshire Regiment,
1st Seaforth Highlanders,
1st Cameron Highlanders,
6 Maxims manned by the 16th company Eastern Division R.A.,
1 detachment Royal Engineers.
2nd Brigade (Lyttelton):
1st Grenadier Guards,
1st (5th) Northumberland Fusiliers,
2nd (20th) Lancashire Fusiliers,
2nd Rifle Brigade,
4 Maxims manned by the Royal Irish Fusiliers,
1 detachment Royal Engineers.
Egyptian Division (Hunter):
1st Brigade (MacDonald):
2nd Egyptians, 9th, 10th, 11th Sudanese.
2nd Brigade (Maxwell):
8th Egyptians, 12th, 13th, 14th Sudanese.
3rd Brigade (Lewis):
3rd, 4th, 7th, 15th Egyptians.
4th Brigade (Collinson):
1st, 5th (1/2),17th, 18th
Egyptians.
Mounted Forces
4 squadrons 21st Lancers (Martin)
8 companies Camel Corps (Tudway)
9 squadrons Egyptian cavalry (Broadwood)
Artillery (Long):
32nd Field battery, R.A. (eight guns, including two 40 pounders)
37th Field battery, R.A. (six 5" howitzers)
1st Egyptian Horse battery (six 6cm Krupps, 2 galloping Maxims)
2nd-5th Egyptian Field batteries (six Maxim-Nordenfeldts and 2
Maxims)
3 1898 class armoured screw gunboats (2 Nordenfeldt guns, 1
quick-firing 12 pounder, 1 howitzer, 4 Maxims each).
3 1896 armoured sternwheel gunboats (1 quick-firing 12 pounder, 2
6 pounders, 4 Maxims each).
4 old class armoured sternwheel gunboats (1 12 pounder, 2
Maxim-Nordenfeldts each).
British and Egyptian Forces Sudan 1884-1898
Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. VI No. 1
Back to Courier List of Issues
Back to Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1985 by The Courier Publishing Company.
This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com