1884–1899 Troubles in the Western Soudan—Expedition to relieve Khartoum—19th ordered up the Nile—Korti—The Desert Column—Action at Abu Klea—Action at Abu Krou—Quartermaster Lima killed—The horses—Metemmeh—Fall of Khartoum—Return of the Column—The River Column—Action at Kirbekan—Return of the Column—Summer Quarters—Regiment returns to Cairo—Squadron sent to Suakin—Serious losses—Returns to Cairo—Designation granted of “Princess of Wales’ Own”—Death of Colonel Barrow—19th returns to England—Badge of “Mysore” granted—19th embarks for India—Bangalore—Secunderabad.
In the meantime, matters in the Western Soudan had steadily been getting worse. In March, the Mahdi’s forces had reached Khartoum; by the end of May Berber had fallen, cutting off communication between Khartoum and Cairo, and the wave of rebellion rolled steadily northward. Still the Government in England did nothing. They had resolutely ignored the whole Soudan question, and allowed matters to drift. Gordon’s urgent advice to occupy Berber with British troops, in order to keep open the route to Suakin, had been disregarded, and his demand for Zobehr Pasha to be sent to Khartoum, as the only[247] chance of saving the situation, was emphatically refused. It was not till August, that the British Cabinet recognised that some effort might be required to relieve Khartoum, and even to defend Lower Egypt from the Mahdi. By the middle of August preparations were made for dispatching a small body of troops to Wady Halfa, and a squadron of the 19th Hussars was held in readiness. Then followed more delay. It was not till the middle of September that preparations for an advance beyond Wady Halfa began to be made in earnest.
On the 25th October, three squadrons of the regiment, under Lieut. Colonel Barrow, left Cairo, and reached Wady Halfa, by rail and steamer, on 12th November, with a total strength of 21 officers, and 353 Non-Commissioned officers and men. Two instances of the eager spirit to get to the front, that animated the whole regiment, must not go unrecorded. At the moment of leaving the barracks in Cairo, a man met with an accident that necessitated his being left behind. In a minute one of the men detailed to remain at Cairo stepped forward in his place, in marching order, with kit complete. He had got himself ready on the chance of some such opportunity occurring, and it is pleasant to know that he got it. At Assiout, next morning, a stowaway was discovered, a bandboy, who accounted for himself by saying “He was the only man in the band without a medal, and he could not stand it.”
Experience had shown that English horses could not stand hard work under a tropical sun, with scarcity of water and desert fare. It was therefore decided, before leaving Cairo, to mount the regiment entirely on the small Syrian Arab horses used by the Egyptian cavalry. Three hundred and fifty of these little horses had been sent up in advance, and were taken over by the regiment on arrival at Wady Halfa. The regiment was at this time[248] in superb condition. The men had an average of seven years’ service, and most of them had been through the preceding campaigns of Tel-el-Kebir and Suakin. From Wady Halfa the regiment marched, by squadrons, to Korti, where it arrived on the 20th December.
Here was assembled the expeditionary force, under General Lord Wolseley; perhaps the most singular force ever put into the field by Great Britain, to fight in one of the most remarkable campaigns; starting from a base a thousand miles from the sea. In addition to the 19th Hussars, who were the only horsemen with the force, and nine battalions of infantry, there were four Camel Corps, composed respectively of picked men from different Heavy and Light Cavalry regiments, the Foot Guards, and Infantry of the Line; a Naval Brigade of Bluejackets and Marines; a Battery of Royal Artillery, and two Camel Batteries. The boats by which the Nile had been ascended had been built in England, and were managed by Canadian voyageurs, some of whom were of Indian blood, and by Kroomen from the west coast of Africa, while the camels were managed by Arab drivers brought for the purpose from Aden.
The original intention had been to follow the course of the river the whole way to Khartoum, but now a fresh disposition became necessary. A letter from Gordon, dated 4th November, was received, showing that provisions in Khartoum were running short, and time would not allow of the slow but less hazardous advance along the river. The new plan was to send a compact flying column across the desert to Metemmeh, under Brigadier General Sir Herbert Stewart, for the purpose of opening communication with Khartoum. A second column, under Major General W. Earle, was to ascend the river, clearing away all parties of the enemy, and, eventually, to recapture Berber. The rest of the force was to remain at Korti,[249] where Lord Wolseley’s Head Quarters were fixed. The 19th Hussars were destined to furnish a contingent to both columns.
The Desert Column
 
The task before the Desert Column was no easy one. Between Korti and Metemmeh 176 miles of barren desert have to be traversed. At two places only is water in any considerable quantity procurable; at Jakdul 98 miles from Korti, and at Abu Klea, about 53 miles from Jakdul. The first operation was to establish a post at Jakdul, where as yet the enemy had not appeared.
On the 30th December, a force of 1107 men of all ranks, with 2200 camels, started from Korti, under Sir Herbert Stewart. With them went 2 officers and 32 men of the 19th. Being the only horsemen with the force, the whole of the scouting duties devolved upon the men of the 19th. The rest of the force were mounted on camels. One gallon of water for each man, and two for each horse, were carried on camels. In the early morning of the 2nd January, the Jakdul wells were reached, in 63 hours after leaving Korti. Only a few stragglers of the enemy were sighted. On the same evening the force set out on its return to Korti, leaving a garrison of 420 men at Jakdul.
On the 8th January, Sir Herbert Stewart again started with the main column, consisting of 1607 men, 2228 camels, and 306 camel drivers. The 19th Hussars, on this occasion, mustered 135 officers and men, with 155 horses, under Lieut. Colonel Barrow. On the 14th, the column left Jakdul: about 1800 combatants of all ranks, with 1118 camels. Early on the 16th, the 19th were pushed on ahead of the column, and came in touch with the enemy in front of the Abu Klea wells. A patrol,[250] under Major French, pursued a small body of men right into the gorge leading to the wells, and captured one of them, on the spot where next day’s action was fought. A number of horsemen appearing and threatening to cut him off, French was obliged to relinquish his prisoner, and retire to the entrance of the gorge. Here Barrow dismounted his men in order to keep the road open for Stewart’s force. Though threatened on both flanks by the enemy’s horsemen, the position was easily held by carbine fire, and the power of the enemy to dispute the advance of the column at this point was checkmated. On the arrival of the column a zeriba was formed for the night, three and a half miles from the water. As the camp was being formed, the enemy appeared in considerable numbers, and opened a distant fire, wounding one man and several horses of the 19th. As darkness closed in the enemy became bolder, and, during the whole night, the force was exposed to a constant fire which did little harm beyond disturbing the much needed rest of the men. At daybreak, the fire increased in intensity; several officers and men were struck down, and the 19th had several horses killed and disabled while standing at their pickets. At 9 A.M. the force was formed in square, preparatory to an advance towards the water which was of such vital importance. While the square was forming, the 19th were ordered to move out and hold in check a body of some 500 of the enemy, horsemen and footmen combined, who threatened to get round to the rear of the square. An hour after the hussars had left, the square advanced. The small force moved slowly, frequent halts being necessary to permit of the camels, loaded with ammunition and water, closing up. The ground was uneven, with ravines and hollows that prevented the full strength of the enemy being seen. Suddenly a great body of[251] Arabs, 5000 strong, rose from a fold in the ground, and rushed at the square. So rapid and overwhelming was their attack, aided by the inequalities of the ground, and the fact that the fire from the square was at first impeded by its own retiring skirmishers that, in spite of the heavy fire poured upon them, the Arabs succeeded in penetrating the square, as at Tamai, stabbing and slashing in every direction. At the same moment, a squadron of horsemen charged the square, but were repulsed. For five minutes the hand-to-hand conflict raged, till the last Arab who penetrated the formation was killed. The remainder, who had been heavily punished by rifle and artillery fire drew off, though for a time it seemed doubtful if they would not renew the attack. The 19th, who had helped the square with dismounted fire, followed and cut off many stragglers, but the number of the enemy was too great to admit of a charge on the main body. The horses also were hardly able to move out of a walk, having been thirty hours without water. In this brief conflict the small British force lost 74 killed, and 94 wounded, some of whom died of their injuries. As at El Teb and Tamai, the fatal skill with which the Arabs used their weapons is shown by the relative numbers of killed and wounded. Of the Arabs, whose strength was estimated at about 9000 men, 1100 dead were counted in close proximity to the square.
On the retreat of the enemy, Barrow pushed on and occupied the wells, from which the enemy had to be driven by carbine fire. It was late at night before the infantry obtained the much needed water.
The greater part of the 18th was spent in building a small fort at Abu Klea, and establishing a post there, for the protection of the wounded and defence of the wells. While this was in progress, the 19th returned to the battle[252] field and buried the British dead. Late in the afternoon the small column moved out, to traverse the 25 miles of desert that must be crossed before the Nile could be reached. The 19th Hussars led the way. As night closed in, progress became very slow. Men and camels were exhausted, and, in the darkness, great confusion ensued. Night marching over an unknown route is a doubtful expedient. In the early morning of the 19th, the line of the Nile, with villages, was sighted about six miles distant. But between them and the column was a gravel ridge on which the enemy appeared, and soon, dense masses of them were visible, swarming out to meet the column. In view of the distress for want of water, it had been Sir Herbert Stewart’s wish to reach the Nile without fighting; but this was now impossible. The camels were collected together, and a zeriba of brushwood, saddles, boxes &c. formed. By 8 o’clock the enemy’s fire became heavy. Among the earliest to be struck was the commander of the column, Sir Herbert Stewart, who received a wound that afterwards proved mortal. Speaking to Colonel Barrow just before he received the fatal wound, he said, “Take care of the 19th Hussars, they have done well.” The command devolved on Colonel Sir Charles Wilson. It was necessary to drive the enemy away, but nothing could be done till the zeriba was complete, and, owing to the exhaustion of the men, the work proceeded slowly. In the interval there were many casualties, and here the 19th Hussars lost Quarter Master A. G. Lima, who was killed by a shot through the head.
At last all was ready. The 19th Hussars came in, and picketted their horses, which were so exhausted as to be scarcely able to carry the men. Colonel Barrow and his men were detailed to assist in holding the zeriba, while the rest of the force marched out to engage the enemy. By 2 o’clock the square had formed up outside the zeriba, and[253] moved off. With it went a few dismounted men of the 19th, under Lieutenant Craven.
As the square moved towards the Nile, the enemy’s fire increased, and many men fell. The progress made was very slow. The bush and sandhills on three sides swarmed with Arabs. As the square neared the ridge, the men dropped fast under the heavy rifle fire to which they were exposed. Suddenly the enemy’s fire ceased, and a great swarm of Arabs poured down on the square. There were no skirmishers to mask the fire, as at Abu Klea, and the Arabs were met by a steady fire that swept away the foremost ranks wholesale. Not an Arab lived to reach the square, and a ringing British cheer went up as the enemy were seen to be flying in all directions. The way to the Nile was no longer closed. Half an hour after dark the river was reached, near the village of Abu Krou. It was not till the afternoon of the 20th that the 19th Hussar horses were able to drink. Half of them had been 72 hours without water; none of them less than 56 hours, yet only 3 succumbed. If English horses had been employed, probably not one would have survived.
“The cavalry horses were quite done up. The way in which Barrow managed to bring the 19th Hussars across the desert is one of the best things in the expedition; but the horses had only had a short drink at Abu Klea, and then they had barely enough to wash their mouths out until they got to the Nile on the 20th. The scouting of the Hussars during the march was admirably done; they were ubiquitous. But want of food and water no horses can fight against, and they were but a sorry spectacle as they moved out of the zeriba to go down to the river. They reached the Nile almost useless as cavalry, and could only be employed for scouting purposes, at short distances from the camp.”[72]
During the whole march from Korti the entire scouting duty had been taken by the 19th Hussars, so that, each[254] day, they covered far more ground than the rest of the force. The men also were thoroughly exhausted with the tremendous efforts they had been called on to make, but their health continued to be good. There was wonderful freedom from sickness of any kind. The casualties in the whole force on the 19th January, amounted to 1 officer and 22 non-commissioned officers and men killed; 8 officers and 90 non-commissioned officers and men wounded. Many non-combatants also were killed or wounded.
The 20th was occupied in placing the village of Gubat in a state of defence, and, at dawn of the 21st, Barrow and his Hussars rode out to reconnoitre Metemmeh, preparatory to an attack in force. So exhausted were the horses that all the Hussars could do was to ride up in a body to some high ground on the north of the village, while the rest of the force opened fire from the east side. While the attack was proceeding, four small steamers sent down by Gordon from Khartoum on the 14th December, appeared in sight, and landed some native troops. They brought intelligence of Arab reinforcements being on the march from Khartoum. It was important to husband ammunition, and incur no further losses of men, so the attack was withdrawn. But the Arab reinforcements never reached Metemmeh. The news of the disastrous defeats their comrades had sustained at Abu Klea and Abu Krou, caused them to retrace their steps.
Reconnoissances having shown that no large force of the enemy was in the vicinity, Sir Charles Wilson started on the 24th for Khartoum, with two of the steamers, taking with him two hundred men. On the 28th, after great difficulties, Khartoum was reached, and found to be in the hands of the Arabs. The town had been captured by the Mahdi, two days before, and Gordon was dead. On the 4th February, Sir Charles Wilson and his party rejoined the[255] camp at Gubat, after adventures that read more like a page of romance than of modern history. In the interval, both his steamers had been wrecked, and the whole party had been continuously under fire for eight days and a half. In the meantime, the force at Gubat received some reinforcements and supplies from Korti. The 19th were engaged in daily skirmishes with the outlying pickets of the enemy who showed a wholesome respect for them: “Even the fierce Baggara horsemen appeared unwilling to cross swords with our Hussars,” wrote one who was present with the force. On the 11th, Major General Sir Redvers Buller arrived to take command of the force, with orders to retire on Abu Klea.
On the 14th February, Gubat was evacuated, and Abu Klea reached on the 15th, followed by the enemy who annoyed the force with long range rifle fire. At Abu Klea, on the 17th, a smart skirmish took place which cost the force 3 killed and 27 wounded. Among the killed was Sergeant Horwood of the 19th Hussars, who was acting as Sergeant Major with the Mounted Infantry. It had been intended to occupy Abu Klea permanently, in view of a second advance on Khartoum in the autumn; but want of food, scarcity of water, and the complete breakdown of transport necessitated Buller’s withdrawal to Korti. On the 16th, the 19th Hussars marched out for Jakdul, leaving at Abu Klea with Sir R. Buller a small detachment under Major French. The march was a painful one, about half the men being on foot. While on the march they heard of Sir Herbert Stewart’s death near Jakdul. Wishing to be present at the funeral of the commander they had served under in two campaigns, they made a long forced march into Jakdul, but arrived too late. They had the melancholy satisfaction of erecting a walled enclosure, with headstone, round his grave. On the 3rd March they left Jakdul, and reached Korti on the 8th. On[256] the 23rd February the last of the desert column left Abu Klea, and returned to Korti, 16th March. In a dispatch from Jakdul, dated 26th February, Sir R. Buller wrote of the 19th Hussars:—
“I wish expressly to remark on the very excellent work done by the small detachment of the 19th Hussars, both during our occupation of Abu Klea and during our retirement. Each man has done the work of ten, and it is not too much to say that the force owes much to Major French and his 13 troopers.”
Meanwhile, the men of the 19th, left at Korti, had not been idle. In February they were engaged in establishing two watering posts in the desert, distant respectively twelve and thirty miles from Korti, for the use of the retiring force. The water was conveyed in tin lined biscuit boxes, and every animal in camp was pressed into the service.
The River Column
 
The primary object of General Earle’s column was to clear the river line of all hostile parties as far as Abu Hamed, punishing, en route, the Monassir tribe of Arabs who had treacherously murdered Colonel Stewart and a small party sent down by Gordon from Khar............