Battle of Abu Klea

Overview

The Battle of Abu Klea, also known as the Battle of Abu Tulayh, took place between 16 and 18 January 1885, at Abu Klea, Sudan, between the British Desert Column and Mahdist forces encamped near Abu Klea. The Desert Column, a force of approximately 1,400 soldiers, started from Korti, Sudan on 30 December 1884; the Desert Column's mission, in a joint effort titled the "Gordon Relief Expedition", was to march across the Bayuda Desert to the aid of General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan, who was besieged there by Mahdist forces.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Abu Klea was a critical engagement in the Gordon Relief Expedition, the British effort to reach General Charles George Gordon, who was besieged at Khartoum by Mahdist forces. The Desert Column, numbering approximately 1,400 soldiers, had departed Korti in late December 1884 and was crossing the Bayuda Desert when it encountered a Mahdist force roughly ten times its size near Abu Klea. Mahdist casualties reached approximately 1,100, indicating the force was repulsed, but the engagement consumed time and resources during a relief march where speed was essential. The battle stands as a measure of how costly the Bayuda route proved for the British column tasked with breaking the siege of Khartoum.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)