In the spring of 1882 a movement, in which the military were the
principal actors and Arabi Pasha the guiding spirit, took place in
Egypt; and although Tewfik, the Khedive, was not absolutely deposed, his
authority was set at naught. He had, from the commencement of his
reign, acted under English advice, and as there was a strong
anti-foreign element in the movement, considerable apprehensions were
excited lest the safety of the Suez Canal would be threatened, should
the revolution be carried to a successful end. The support given by the
English to the Khedive excited against us a strong feeling of hostility
on the part of Arabi's party, and the position grew so threatening that
an English and French fleet was sent to Alexandria to give a moral
support to the Khedive, and to protect the European inhabitants. The
situation was further aggravated by a serious riot in Alexandria on 11th
June, arising primarily from a quarrel between the natives and the lower
class of Greeks and Levantines. The riots spread, and a considerable
number of Europeans were killed and wounded.
Preparations were at once made for war, but before the troops could
arrive upon the scene a crisis occurred. Arabi's troops commenced
throwing up fresh batteries, in positions menacing the English fleet.
Admiral Seymour requested that the work should be discontinued; but as
it still went on, he sent in an ultimatum. This was not attended to,
and at the expiration of the time given, the British fleet opened fire
upon the Egyptian forts and batteries. The events of the action belong
rather to _Our Sailors_, than to the military branch of the service.
The firing continued all day, and by the afternoon the Egyptian
batteries were all silenced.
The next day the enemy exhibited a flag of truce, and negotiations were
kept up until evening. That night the Egyptian troops evacuated the
town; but before leaving, they, with the fanatical portion of the
populace, set fire to the greater portion of the European quarter, which
was almost entirely destroyed. Little loss of life, however, took
place, as the greater part of the European inhabitants had gone on board
ship previous to the commencement of the bombardment.
The next day 600 marines and seamen landed, and took possession of the
town. The troops now began to arrive from Malta and Gibraltar, and a
position was taken up outside the town at Ramleh, facing the army of
Arabi. Several small skirmishes took place at the outposts, a body of
twenty mounted infantry, under Lieutenant Pigott of the 60th Rifles,
particularly distinguishing themselves. The troops arrived fast,
General Sir Archibald Alison took the command, and reconnaissances of
the enemy's position were made by the troops and by an armour-clad train
manned by sailors.
On the 6th of August a reconnaissance in force was made. Six companies
of the 60th Rifles, four companies of the 38th, and four of the 64th
marched out from the lines at Ramleh, accompanied by seven companies of
the marines with the iron-clad train. The 38th and 46th moved forward
with one gun, on the left bank of the Mahmoudieh Canal; the 60th, also
with a gun, moving on the right bank, while the marines advanced on the
railway embankment. The enemy were seen in large numbers in front of
the Rifles, and these advanced in skirmishing order. The enemy lined a
ditch which ran across the country with a dense jungle on its rear, and
opened a heavy fire from the cover upon the Rifles. A hot fire was kept
up on both sides, the English gradually pressing forward towards their
invisible foe. When the Rifles reached within 100 yards of the ditch,
the Egyptians began to steal away through the jungle, and the 60th
charged down upon the ditch with a cheer, when the enemy at once took to
their heels. The marines were equally successful along the line of the
railway embankment. The enemy made a bold stand at the point where the
canal and railway approach each other, and, strong reinforcements coming
to their assistance, the British fell back in good order, the Egyptians
declining to pursue.
At the commencement of the fight, the mounted infantry under Captain
Barr and Lieutenants Pigott and Vyse were in advance of the 38th. The
officers with six men went forward to reconnoitre, and suddenly found
themselves in front of a large body of the enemy; the infantry
dismounted and returned the fire opened upon them, expecting support
from the rear. Orders, however, came for them to retire. In the
meantime two of the little band were struck dead, and two were wounded.
Lieutenant Vyse, a great favourite with his men, was struck high in the
leg, and, the arteries being severed, bled to death. His comrades would
not desert his body, but carried it off under a tremendous fire, the two
wounded men, who were still able to use their rifles, covering the
retreat with their fire.
Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived at Alexandria on the 15th of August, and on
the 19th, the whole of the troops from England having arrived, the fleet
with a large number of transports sailed from Alexandria, leaving a
division under the command of General Sir Evelyn Wood to defend the
town. Arriving at Port Said, the fleet sailed up the Suez Canal to
Ismailia, which they occupied without resistance, and the troops at once
began to land.
On the 24th an advance was made on Ismailia, and at a distance of seven
miles the enemy was encountered. The force was not sufficient to attack
the enemy, but an artillery fire was kept up hotly all day. In the
evening British reinforcements came up, and the Egyptians in the morning
retired without fighting. They made a stand, however, farther back; but
the cavalry under General Drury Lowe pushed forward on their flank, and
after a short resistance the Egyptians fled, a great number of them
making their escape in the railway trains. Seven Krupp guns, an immense
quantity of rifles and ammunition, and seventy-five railway waggons,
loaded with provisions, fell into our hands. The troops now advanced as
far as Kassassin, where the advanced troops were under the command of
General Graham.
On the 29th of August the enemy were seen in considerable force near
this post, and the cavalry at Mahsameh, four miles in the rear, rode out
to assist the force there. The enemy, however, made no attack, and in
the afternoon the cavalry returned. Scarcely had they reached camp when
a heavy and continuous roar was heard; the Egyptians, with a force of
13,000 men, had advanced with the intention of crushing the small bodies
of British troops in their isolated posts. The garrison of Kassassin
consisted only of a battalion of Marine Artillery, the 46th and 84th
Regiments. The enemy came on in overwhelming numbers, and with great
resolution. The British infantry turned out to defend the positions,
manning the slight earthwork which had been thrown up round the camp.
The Egyptians advanced in a storm of bullets, their artillery playing
heavily on the camp. The Egyptians suffered heavily, but advanced with
considerable courage, and the position of the British was becoming
serious.
At this moment, however, the British cavalry, consisting of the Horse
and Life Guards and the 7th Dragoon Guards, with the Horse Artillery,--
who had remounted and advanced when the recommencement of the cannonade
told that the attack had begun in earnest,--came into action. Instead
of advancing direct upon Kassassin, General Lowe took his men by a long
detour by the right, and so came round in the darkness upon the enemy's
rear. It was not until they arrived within a mile that the enemy saw
the black mass advancing in the moonlight over the sandy plain. A
battery of nine guns at once opened upon them, and the Horse Artillery
replied immediately to the enemy's fire. Bullets as well as shell were
now falling fast around the cavalry, and General Lowe gave the order to
charge the guns. Led by Colonel Sir Baker Russell, the cavalry rode
straight at the enemy's battery. Fortunately, in their haste the
Egyptian gunners fired high, and with a few casualties the cavalry
reached the guns. The Egyptian gunners were cut down, and then the
horsemen dashed into the infantry behind, who were already turning to
fly.
The opening of the British guns in their rear at once checked the
advance of the assailants of the garrison of Kassassin. The cavalry
charge completed the confusion of the enemy, and in a short time the
plain was covered with bodies of the flying Egyptians making their way
back to Tel-el-Kebir, from which they had started in the morning,
confident in their power to annihilate the little British force at
Kassassin. Large numbers were killed, and the rout would have been even
more complete had not the horses of the cavalry been too much exhausted
with their long day's work under a broiling sun, to permit the pursuit
being vigorously continued.
The British advance had been terribly hindered from the difficulties of
transport, but at last all was in readiness, and the division which had
come from India having been brought round from Suez to Ismailia, all was
prepared for the advance against the strong Egyptian position at
Tel-el-kebir.
On 9th September the enemy again advanced in great numbers, many of them
having been brought up by train from Tel-el-Kebir. The videttes of the
Bengal Lancers, who were now at the front, brought in the news of their
approach, and the infantry and guns moved out to check them. The enemy
had, however, already reached positions whence their fire commanded the
camp, and opened fire with thirty guns upon the camp and moving column.
The English artillery returned the enemy's fire, but the numbers were so
great that for a time the position of the force appeared critical.
General Lowe with his cavalry rode out from camp, and repeated his
manoeuvre of the previous engagement. The enemy's flank movement was
checked, and their cavalry fell back, and for half an hour the two
bodies of cavalry manoeuvred to outflank each other, halting
occasionally while the light artillery on both sides opened fire. In
the meantime the Egyptian infantry had advanced on either side of the
canal and railway, and down the slopes of the sand-hills, until within
800 yards, when they opened a continuous rifle fire. The 60th Rifles
and the marines advanced to meet the enemy coming by the canal and
railway line, when the 84th pressed forward against those on the high
ground. For a time a tremendous fire was kept up on both sides; then
the fire of the Egyptian guns began to slacken under the superior aim of
the British artillery.
The order was given to advance, and the three regiments, supported by
two others in reserve, went at the enemy, who at once broke and fled,
abandoning three of their guns. The English pursued them until within
four miles of Tel-el-Kebir. The cavalry, on their side, had not only
driven in the cavalry of the enemy, but 5000 of their infantry, who were
advancing from Salahieh to outflank our position. So completely
demoralised were the enemy by their defeat, that there can be little
doubt the force engaged would have been sufficient to have carried
Tel-el-Kebir at a rush. Sir Garnet Wolseley, however, ordered a halt,
as he had no wish to attack their position until able to deliver a
crushing blow with his whole force, which was now close at hand.
On the 12th the whole expeditionary force was assembled at Kassassin,
and in the evening the camp was struck, and the army, 14,000 strong,
moved out, and, piling their arms, lay down on the sand until one
o'clock; then they again fell into rank and advanced. Scarcely a word
was spoken, and the dark columns moved off almost noiselessly, their
footfalls being deadened by the sand. On the right was Graham's
Brigade, which had already done such good service by twice repelling the
assaults of the enemy; next to them came the brigade of Guards, which
was, when the action began, to act as their support; next to these moved
42 guns of the Royal Artillery, and on the line of railway the Naval
Brigade advanced with the 40-pounder on a truck; beside them came the
Highland Brigade,--the Cameronians, 74th, Gordon Highlanders, and Black
Watch,--the 46th and 60th forming their support. It was upon these that
the brunt of the action fell. So silent was the advance in the
darkness, that the enemy did not perceive the advancing column until
they were within 300 yards. The Highlanders were advancing to attack
the face of the works nearest to the line of march, and consequently
arrived at their destination some time before Graham's Brigade, which
had to make a sweep round. Suddenly a terrific fire broke from the
Egyptian intrenchment upon the Highlanders. Not a shot was fired in
reply, but with a wild cheer the Highland regiments dashed at the
enemy's line.
Against so fierce and rapid an onslaught the Egyptians could make but
little stand, and the Highlanders dashed over the line of earthworks.
Scarcely, however, had they won that position when the Egyptians opened
a tremendous fire from an intrenchment farther back. The Highlanders
for a minute or two replied, and then again advanced at a charge. The
Egyptians fought stoutly, and for a time a hand-to-hand struggle went
on; then some of the Highlanders penetrated by an opening between the
Egyptian intrenchments, and opened fire upon their flank. This was too
much for them, and they almost immediately broke and fled.
In the meantime fighting had begun on the other flank. Warned by the
roar of conflict with the Highlanders, the Egyptians were here prepared,
and for a time kept up a steady fire upon our troops. The 18th Royal
Irish were sent to turn the enemy's left, and dashed at the trenches,
carrying them at the bayonet's point. Next to the 18th came the 87th
and 84th, with the Guards close behind. For a short time the enemy
clung to the line of intrenchments, but their fire was very ineffective.
By this time the Highland division was already in their camp, and soon
losing heart they too fled, and the whole Egyptian army were in full
rout. With hardly a moment's delay, the cavalry were pushed on in
pursuit, and, riding forward with scarcely a halt, reached Cairo in
twenty-four hours. Although there was a strong garrison here, it at
once surrendered, and Arabi Pasha gave himself up to the English. The
instant the news reached the Egyptian army facing Alexandria, it
dispersed in all directions, and the war in Egypt came to an abrupt
termination.
On every occasion throughout this war, when the British came in contact
with the enemy they behaved with great valour; but the nature of the
conflict, and the poor fighting power of the Egyptian troops, afforded
comparatively few opportunities for the display of deeds of individual
heroism.
England, however, has every reason to be proud of the conduct of her
soldiers and sailors during the Egyptian Campaign, which was
accomplished with a dash and rapidity, and with a smallness of loss, in
comparison with the number of the enemy's troops and the strength of
their artillery, altogether unprecedented in the annals of modern
warfare.