August, 1898, found Anglo-
Egyptian forces advancing up the
Nile River after a two-and-a-
half year campaign to retake the
Sudan for the British.  

Looking to avenge the death of 
Sir Charles Gordon at Khartoum 
in 1885, Sir H. H. Kitchener's 
Anglo-Egyptian Army of 25,000 
men and 44 guns landed near the 
Mahdist capital at Omdurman.  
Taking up marginal defensive 
possitions behind camel-thorn 
fences, Kitchener began shelling
Omdurman, successfully drawing 
out the 55,000 man army of the 
Khalifa Abdallahi [the Mahdi's 
successor] on the morning of 
September 2nd.

Armed with obsolete rifles, 
swords, and spears, the 
Khalifa's army - some in chain 
mail - advanced rapidly on the 
British camp, taking heavy 
losses from naval gunfire, 
rifles, artillery, and machine 
guns as they did.  The first 
Ansars to attack, two divisions
- roughly 14,000 men, broke and
fled without reaching the 
British lines. At least 2,000 
casualties were left behind; the
Anglo-Egyptian Army had less 
than 100.

Thinking the battle won at this 
point, Kitchener broke camp and 
began the march to occupy 
Omdurman.  Then, at the rear of 
the army, nearly a mile behind 
the leading brigades, General 
Hector MacDonald's 1st Egyptian 
Brigade was attacked by the 
remainder of the Ansar army - 
nearly 40,000 men - in a series 
of uncoordinated attacks.  

Quickly calling for Kitchener 
to turn and protect his flank, 
MacDonald first smashed the 
attack of the Khalifa's Army of 
the Black Flag from the west, 
then turned and broke the 
charge of the Army of the Green 
Flag from the north.  The 
battle had genuinely ended, and 
the Ansar army fled north, 
pursued briefly by Anglo-
Egyptian cavalry.

Total Anglo-Egyptian casualties 
for the day were 48 killed, 382 
wounded. The Ansars left nearly 
11,000 dead, and more than 
16,000 wounded.  The Khalifa 
fled Omdurman as Kitchener 
entered the city.