One of the principal supply concerns Wolseley faced was fresh water for the large numbers of men and animals in his army. As there was no natural source of fresh water along the Suez Canal, another smaller one, called the Sweetwater Canal had been dug between the Nile north of Cairo and Ismailia with a branch from the town of Shaluf to Suez.

There was a lock installed at Shaluf, which could shut off the flow to this branch. Since all the forces coming from India had to land at Suez (Ismailia lacked the capacity for both them and the forces coming from England.) It was necessary for the British to capture Shaluf as soon as possible. At the time of the landings, only only a small force of Egyptians, who had closed the lock, held it but more were on the way. On 21 August, the British assembled a scratch force of Seaforth Highlanders supported by Naval landing companies from the gunboats HMS ‘Seagull’ and ‘Mosguito’ as well as off shore covering fire from the gunboats themselves. The lock itself was soon in British hands but then it was necessary to clear the Egyptian infantry from the opposite bank of the Sweetwater canal.

Terrain: Clear except for the canal some 30 yards across which runs down the center of the playing area. There are elevated banks on either side as high as a man’s waist, which provide some cover. The Egyptians deploy on the North side and the British on the South. There is a rowboat on the bank on the North side.

Forces: Exact numbers are unknown. 200 Egyptians vs. 120 British commanded by Capt. J. V. Lendrum and Lt. H.G. Lang.

Special points: The Egyptians clearly have the advantage of numbers and terrain but their accuracy seems to have been poor as was their leadership.

Two highlanders drowned trying to swim the canal before Lt. Lang accomplished it and brought the rowboat back. The author suggests that the British be required to announce attempts to cross the canal before it is determined if the Egyptians directly opposite have been suppressed. Even so, there should be a 50/50 chance of swimmers drowning.

As all communication was by signal flag, fire coordination with the gunboats was poor.

Allow the British one artillery strike per turn starting with turn three but require them to record, on index cards for example, where the shells are supposed to land two turns before they arrive. There is also the possibility of scatter…

The British should win if all Egyptians are eliminated leave the field or surrender. The Egyptians win if they hold the North side at the end of play. The Egyptians retreat if they lose 140 men (70%), the British if they lose 60 (50%) or both officers and 36 men (30%).

Aftermath: The British cleared the North bank, capturing 65 prisoners and large amounts of supplies. Both Lendrum and Lang were mentioned in dispatches. Somehow, Lang did not get a medal for his exploit.

More The Egyptian War

Introduction
Preliminary Considerations
Keeping the Water Flowing
The Messenger Blunders
The Marines Have Their Day