March 13, 1884 · Eastern Sudan (near Suakin) Theater
March 13, 1884
At Tamai the Beja warriors of Osman Digna charged with such ferocity that they briefly broke one of the British infantry squares — a rare feat that stunned the British — before rifle fire and reserves restored the line and drove them off with heavy loss. It was this fight that inspired Kipling's tribute to the 'Fuzzy-Wuzzy' who 'broke a British square.'
Commanders