The Battle of Abu Kru (also known as the Battle of Gubat) was part of the British

Sudan campaign The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...

. It was fought on 19 January 1885, two days after the

Battle of Abu Klea The Battle of Abu Klea, or the Battle of Abu Tulayh took place between the dates of 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 approxim ...

, between the British and the Mahdists. The British force under General Sir

Herbert Stewart Major-General Sir Herbert Stewart (30 June 1843 – 16 February 1885) was a British soldier. Early life Stewart, the eldest son of the Rev. Edward Stewart, was born at Sparsholt, Hampshire. He was the grandson of Edward Richard Stewart and ...

numbered 1,200 while a large number of Mahdists, probably around 13–14,000 were in pursuit. The British were moving to rescue General

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

from

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

, and were cutting the Great Bend of the Nile, when they came under attack a short distance from rejoining the Nile. The British formed a

square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length adj ...

, and continued moving towards the Nile, repelling all attacks until they reached the river. The British losses were 121, including Stewart, who had been fatally wounded at the previous day's battle at Abu Klea. The Mahdist losses are unknown but thought to be considerably higher.

References

External links

* 1885 in Sudan Conflicts in 1885 Battles of the Mahdist War January 1885 events {{Battle-stub