Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1885 — FIGHTING IN THE DESERT. [ARTICLE]

FIGHTING IN THE DESERT.

Gen. Graham’s Troops March Up Hasheen’s Hills and Then March Down Again. Masterly Retreat of the British After “Winning” a Stubborn Fight by a Scratch. The British forces at Suakin started out on a reconnoissance March 20. On reaching the hills near Hasheen, the Arabs rushed from ambush and got within ten yards of the British lino before the latter commenced regular firing. Lieut. O'Connor and four men were killed, and Capt. Birch was speared through the shoulder. The cavalry took some prisoners, and the British retired. Gen. Graham telegraphs as follows: “We moved out of camp at 6:15 this morning, leaving the Shropshire Regiment to guard it On reaching the first hill, at ■8:30 o'clock, we found that the enemy had retired and occupied another hill a mile and a quarter distant. After a short halt the Berkshire regiment and marines were ordered to clear the hill, the Indian contingent and Guards acting as support. This was done very effectually, the enemy being ■driven off th? ridge, and, streaming south toward Tam li, were charged by squadrons of Indian lancers iu the bush. The cavalry then retired toward the Guards. Many of the enemy passed the Guards at the foot of the hill and made for a hill west of Hasheen. These were shelled by the Royal Horse Artillery, while other parties moving round our right were engaged in the bush by fifty lancers. “Meanwhile a Zareba, with four intrenched posts on a hill commanding it, is being formed. The advanced troops have all returned to this position and will return to our camp, leaving the East Surrey regiment, with two Krupp guns and four Gardners and water tanks and signal appliances at the intrenched position. “Our killed are two officers and two men ■of the British,and five Sepoys. The wounded are two officers and twenty-six men of the British, and one officer and ten men of the Indian contingent The infantry behaved with great steadiness. The number of the enemy is estimated at 4,000. Their loss is not known, but is heavy. “The engagement lasted five hours. The Arabs carried off all of their dead and wounded. ” A correspondent gives the following account of the battle: The Arabs displayed desperate bravery. The marines drove the Arabs from the hills and forced them to retire to the plain. Then the Indian troops charged upon the Arab position, but were outflanked, and an unsuspected body of Arabs succeeded in getting behind their line. The Indians found themselves between two fires and fled. During this retreat they were closely pressed by the Arabs, who hamstrung the horses and speared the riders. The Bengalese fell back in confusion upon the Engl sh infantry and the Guards, who had been formed in a hollow square, and the square leisurely retired, while the Arabs were yelling that they had regained their lost position. At this juncture artillery came to the rescue, and a brisk fire of small shot from the machine guns and shells from the Krupp field mortars drove the Arabs from their position. The marines maintained steady firing throughout the engagement, but the honors of the day are probably due to the Irish Lancers, who changed the tide of battle by a desperate charge and retrieved the fortunes of Gen. Graham’s command when they seemed almost hopeless. The British troops have returned to their former camp near Suakin.