British Infantryman vs Mahdist Warrior

Sudan 1884–98

British Infantryman vs Mahdist Warrior cover

Description

A new study of the battles fought between Queen Victoria's infantry and the formidable Madhist Army in the Sudan, from the Gordon Relief Expedition of 1884–85 to the battles of Atbara and Omdurman in 1898.

In the early 1880s, Britain intervened in independent Egypt and seized control of the Suez Canal. British forces were soon deployed to Egypt's southern colony, the Sudan, where they confronted a determined and capable foe amid some of the world's most inhospitable terrain. In 1881 an Islamic fundamentalist revolt had broken out in the Sudan, led by a religious teacher named Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who proclaimed himself al-Mahdi, "The Guided One." In 1884, Mahdist forces besieged the Sudanese capital of Khartoum; Colonel Charles Gordon was sent to the city with orders to evacuate British personnel, but refused to leave. Although the British despatched a relief column to rescue Gordon, the Mahdists stormed Khartoum in January 1885 and he was killed. British troops abandoned much of the Sudan, but renewed their efforts to reconquer it in the late 1890s, in a bloody campaign that would decide the region's fate for generations. Written by leading expert Ian Knight, this fully illustrated study examines the evolving forces, weapons and tactics employed by both sides in the Sudan, notably at the battles of Abu Klea (January 16–18, 1885), Tofrek (March 22, 1885), and Atbara (April 8, 1898).

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Opposing Sides
Abu Klea, 17 January 1885
Tofrek, 22 March 1885
Atbara, 8 April 1898
Analysis
Aftermath
Orders of Battle
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published Aug 17 2021
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 80
ISBN 9781472845610
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Dimensions 10 x 7 inches
Series Combat
Short code CBT 58
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Ian Knight

Ian Knight is widely acknowledged as a leading aut…

Illustrator

Raffaele Ruggeri

Raffaele Ruggeri was born in Bologna where he stil…

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