Battle of Abu Klea
Abu Klea wells, Bayuda Desert, Sudan
What happened
A British Desert Column under Herbert Stewart fought forces of the Mahdist State of Muhammad Ahmad, the Mahdi. The British General Charles Gordon was besieged in Khartoum, and a relief force set out across the Bayuda Desert to reach him. At the wells of Abu Klea, a large Mahdist force attacked the British column, which had formed a square. A gap opened at one corner, but the British closed it and drove the attackers off in about fifteen minutes.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It showed that a British square could hold against a determined charge. But the column needed days to recover before it could move on toward Khartoum.
What came next
Khartoum fell to the Mahdi on 26 January 1885, two days before the relief force arrived, and Gordon fell. The British withdrew from Sudan, and the Mahdist state ruled it for 13 years.
Did you know?
The British artillery unit that fought there still carries the honour title 'Abu Klea'.
Timeline
- 13 March 1884The siege of Khartoum begins.
- 17 January 1885The British win at Abu Klea.
- 26 January 1885Khartoum falls to the Mahdi.
- June 1885The Mahdi dies.
- 2 September 1898The Mahdists are defeated at Omdurman.