THE SOUDAN ARMY ANNIHILATED.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVI, Issue 994, 28 November 1883, Page 6

THE SOUDAN ARMY ANNIHILATED.

10,000 KILLED.

Albxandria, November 22ad. Intelligence has been received here that the Egyptian army in the Soudan, under General Hicks Pasha, has been totally annihilated by the rebel followers of El Mahdi, the False Prophet. No details are yet to hand.

Some particulars have been received from the Soudan regarding the destruction of the Egyptian army, which is now fully confirmed. The accounts to hand state that a battle, lasting three days, was fought between the rebels and the" whole force under the command of General Hicks. The fighting was most desperate on both sides, but the Egyptian troops were outnumbered and completely annihilated by the rebels, who gave no quarter. Only one man escaped from the slaughter.

Latest.

The intelligence of the defeat and annihilation of the Egyptian army in the Soudan is now fully confirmed. Accounts received thia evening show that General Hicks had concentrated his entire force consisting of 10,000 men and 10 British officers, when an attack was made by the enemy under El Mahdi, ihe False Prophet, whose followers are said to have numbered 300,000. On the approach of the rebels, Hicks Pasha formed his troops into a hollow square, and in this position withstood the attack for three days, during which time the fighting was continuous and most desperate on both sides. At the end of the third day the square was broken, and a general rout of the Egyptians ensued. The enemy fell on the defeated army, and the slaughter was terrible, the whole force of 10,000 men, including General Hicks and the British officers, being killed. The Intelligence caused intense excitement in Cairo, and it :s expected that the evacuation of that cty by the British forces now stationed there will be postponed.

(Special to Prm Association)

London, November 23rd.

The news of the complete annihilation of the troops under General Hicks Pasha is now confirmed. The number of Egyptian troops is estimated at 10,000, while those under the Falte Prophet Mahdi are stated to be 300,060. Mahdi sent forward to the enemy dervishes declaring that they would vanquish them by divine aid. The small force of Egyptians fought hard for tlree days, when their square was broken, and the whole of them with the exceptioa of a German artist and O'Donovan, a correspondent were annihilated. Eleven English officers were among thoso killed. The British authorities suggest that the Soudan should be abandoned as far as the White Nile Or White River.

November 23rd.

A captain of the Egyptian forces in the disguise of a dervish has arrived at Khartoum, and reports that on the battle field he saw one hundred and fifty wounded survivors of Hicks Pasha's army, including an artist named Power. The Egyptian Government is quite paralysed at the rest of the conflict, and is consulting with Sir Evelyn Wood, who is in command of the British troops in Egypt, as to the best means of quelling the rebellion.

Through the treachery of a guide, the Egyptian army was induced to enter a rocky, wooded, and waterless defile, where, falling into an ambuscade, Hiks Pascha was unable to use his guns. He maintained his position for three days, but on the fourth, his forces, exhausted by thirst, were entirely destroyed, with the exception of 50 taken prisoners. The Governor of Soudan was killed. All the arms, guns, munitions, and camels were captured. The rebels lost heavily during the engagement. The town of Kordafan has been lost, and the entire Soudan district is ablaze. The various garrisons in the Soudan, numbering about 40,000 men, are retiring on Khartoum, where the populace are said to be disloyal.