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Notes
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While on its way to relieve General Gordon at Khartoum, the cross-country detachment of the British Desert Column, under the command of Sir Herbert Stewart (1843–1885), was attacked by the Sudanese followers of Mohammed Ahmed, self-proclaimed ‘Mahdi’ (guide, or redeemer, of Islam). The British square broke and was closed only after desperate hand-to-hand fighting. Stewart’s men were victorious, suffering 168 casualties to the Mahdists’ 1,100. The battle was described by Winston Churchill as 'the most savage and bloody action ever fought in the Sudan by British troops'. Earlier, following a revolt against foreign control in the Sudan, led by the Mahdi, General Charles Gordon was ordered to report on a withdrawal of British and Egyptian forces from the country.
Title
Battle of Abu Klea, 17 January 1885
Date
1896
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 119 x W 185 cm
Accession number
NAM. 1960-11-181
Acquisition method
gift from 21st Special Air Service (Artists Rifles) TA, 1960
Work type
Painting
National Army Museum
Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London, Greater London SW3 4HT England
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