WatgamesSupports Wargalners •••••••••••••••••••••••

"Wargames Supports Wargamers" The heading given to a letter in the

Courier in which a reader thanked us for some of our activities supporting the' Hobby. Since that letter was published we

have received an increased number of calls and letters from Wargamers who felt the Hobby was getting very little help from Manufacturers. You also made a number of suggestions of ways you would like Wargames to help. Therefore we undertook to make a major effort to assist the Hobby along the lines suggested. H ere is an interim report of the

progress made based on your major suggestions . We will make further reports from time to time. WRG Ancient Rules The U.S. Rules Coordination

Committee for WRG Rules 3000 B.C. - 1485, is now in operation (see a recent Courier). U.S. Ancients Cha m pionship We are helping organize, and

together with the Courier and WRG, are sponsoring the U.S. Ancients Championship. The finals will be held in mid to late 1985 and some heats have already been completed. (Call Kruse Smith 904/ 752-8801 or Johnson Hood 214/ 387-0360)

U.S. Pike & Shot Championship We are sponsoring the U.S. Pike &

Shot Championship and assisting in its promotion . (Call Brian Scherzer 5041734-0937) U.S. Society of Ancients The newly formed U.S. Society of

Ancients is receiving our strong support. Founder members will decide the Aims, Constitution , Dues, Organization and Officers. Young Players To encourage young players we are

assisting and sponsoring the annual U,S.Junior Ancients Championship.

Representation In England To ensure U.S. activities are reported

in England we have arranged for Miniature Wargames Magazine to add a U.S. Editor. Encouraging Local Competition

We have sponsored or co­sponsored local events from Oregon to Texas and New York to California. Enchancing the Skills of Players In addition to our "Tactical Tips"

feature, as part of our service we offer free advice on armies, tactics, figures, etc. And if we don't know, we'll help you find the answer.

What's the PITCH??? The pitch is ". we want you to act in

yourenlightened self interest. May we therefore suggest a number of ways in which you can act in your best self interest. Get Involved Join the U.S. Society of Ancients

(Kruse Smith 904/752-8801) and/or the U.S. Pike & Shot Society (Brian Scherzer 504/734-0937). Take the opportunity to influence the Aims, Constitution , etc. Make Suggestions If there is something we can do to

improve our support of the hobby (including other periods?) let us know~ at least we 1'\

promise to \l 0 /

listen. ~

Buy Only the Best Products If you believe other figures are better

than ours - buy them! Consider This

If you are undecided as to which are the best figures/products, may we suggest you support the Hobby by trying the products which contribute to the Hobby. • Essex • Dixon • Tin Soldier(U.K. manufactured) • Standard Games (Siege, Cry

Havoc, Samurai Blades, etc.) Support the Stores which Support the Hobby When you are buying other

products (paints, books, dice, ACW Figures, micro-armour, role playing games,etc.) BUYTHEM ATTHE STORES WHICH SUPPORTTHE HOBBY. Stores that either carry the products that su pport the hobby or support the hobby directly. Encourage your friends to do the same. Here IS a listing of these stores. Visit them, thank them forsupporting the Hobby, tell them you appreciate what they are doing. Store Owners/Managers

If you would like to participate in our program of supporting the Hobby, write or call Johnson Hood (214) 241-3425. Policy Statement It is our intention to become the

number 1 supplier of Historical Wargames Miniatures to United States Gamers by supplying only the finest quality figures, offering an excellent mail order service and being a major contributor to the Hobby.

ltWARGAMES • ••••••••••••• WARGAMES SUPPORTS WARGAMERS

'WE WANT YOU TO GET INVOLVED' WARGAM ES, INC. • 141 0 PROMEN ADE BANK CENTER • RI CHARDSON , TE XAS 75080 • 214/24 1-3425

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Stores whiclJ SUPPOrt yOur HObby ••••••••••••••••••••••• AlASAMA

HomewOOd Toy & HObby 2830 S. 181h Sf. HomewOOd

ARIZONA Ad ..... ntur. HObbl •• 624 E. Fry 81vd

GEORGIA SWord Or The I'Iloan/x 4505 AShford DunWOOdy Ad. Arlanta

HAWAII ~Jonn.'re HObby 1415 GIl/Ingham Blvd.

MASSACHUSETTs Comp/.at Strateg/.t 201 MassaChuselts Ave. fl~"le!~~i~~~~~~l.t Sierra Vista 80Slon

Thing. tor Think.,.. 4500 E. SPeeaway Tuscan

CALIFORNIA Arthura ToYI

HonOlUlu IDAHO

Ultimate HObbYI.t J 023 YelloWs lone Ave.

Family HObby MYSliCMa/l Chelsea

Game. PeoPle Play 1/05 MassaChusetts Ave. Cambridge

MOntClair

~'J':f~:;,~~~,"p:~~~hOP PhilliPSburg

OKlAHOMA Sill. HObby C.nter 4248 S. Preoria Tulsa

HObby WOrld

WASHINGTON Gam •• Store Yakima Mall Yakima

POCatello J 254 FUlion Mall Fresno Slack Watch 8825 Reseaa 81vd Nonhrldge

ILl/NOIS Gam •• Pfu. HObbl •• 20 W. BUsse Ave. MOunt PrOSpect

HObbl •• Ga m •• & Softwar. 18 LYman SI. Westboro

NEWMexlCO M&MCo. 211 W.3rd Rosewell

NEWYORK

Centuria" MUlterl. 3087 N. MaIO Sf. WalnU/St Gam.A·Lot 1226 M,SSIon SI. Santa Cruz Gaming Hou .. 1260 E. COlorado B/vd. Pasadena

HlatOrfca'MOdel. Old Town Mall Torrance

Lalt Grenadle, 119S. GOlden Mall Burbank

laltGrenadl., 8821 Reseaa 8lvd. NOrthrIdge

Military Emporium 700 N . JohnSon EICa/un

~1'i~~~~nSI~d~u.U., Los Angeles Tiburon MOdel. Mams/. TIburon

CONNECTICUT FlOCk StOCk & Sarrell US. Rf.6 Ha mpton

DElAWARE

f8·~·~~~';j~ht. Newark

FLORIDA C.ltl.Game 456 HarriSon Ave. Panama CIty

Compl •• t Strategllt 5406 51;""9 Rd. Davie

~100b~~~a~:~r:ce Pensacola Zeno', 10957 Atlantic Blvd.

JaCkSonville

M~·C~~~bY Out.r Umlfa 455 MOOdySI. Wallham Westmont

Pro .. k• Military MOdel. 28 W. 140 H'9hlake Rd. Winfield ROyal HObby

MICHIGAN COmic Kingdom 13600 GraliOI DelrOil

3920 E. Siale SI. ROCk/ord

INDIANA Th. Boardroom 2438 E. 62nd SI. IndIanaPolis Something To 00 Green Tree Mall Clarksville

/(ANSAS

~68~~rgS7~sl. Overland Park

~~J'~:c~~~'re. W'Ch'/a

KENTUCKY Gam •• Galor. FrankfOrt Ave. St.Matfhews

tihr;::::~a~~rC:::al/ LOUiSville MAINE

Gamek"Per IS BroadSr. Bangor HObby Shack 135 Mainsi.

Walervllle Toy Soldier FrontSr. 8alh

MARYlAND Compleat Strat-ol.t 231 Park Ave. BaltImore Ship Shop 75 Maryland Ave. AnnapOliS

R/da,. HObbIe. 920 TrOWbridge Rd. East LanSing R/da,. HObby 3012 Corunna Rd. Flint

MINNESOTA Ult/e Tin Soldier 909 Wlake SI. Minneapolis

Realm of Imagination 546034 Ave. SOUlh MInneapOlIs

MISSOURI

[f~~I1~;~;r;r ShOpp'ng Cenler SI. LOuis Yankee OoQdle 6831 Longview Rd. Kansas Cily

MONTANA HObby lane 811 Central Ave. Great Falls HObbie Shoppe Soulhgale Mall M iSSOula

NESRAS/(A HObby Town 134 N. 13th Uncoln

NEW HAMPSHIRE

~y~?~i~';tM~~m NaShua

NEW JERSEY Adventur. HObby 596 EngliSh Town Rd. Old Bridge

A&J HObby Hou .. 20 AUburn Ave. Ulica

~°r'~~~~~~trategl.t New York City Compleat Strategist 320 W. 57'h SI. New YOrk C,/y Men AtArm. RR 2. 80x 700C Middle ISland TWilIght SOOk 14 I I Salina SI. Syracuse

Train. 'n HObbie. 91 N . Park Ave. ROCkville Center Waterloo HObbie. 240 Mineola 8lvd. M ineloa

NORTH CAROLINA

ro~~~:~~~ns Mall GreenSboro Hungat • • Crabtree Valley Mall Raleigh

OHIO areaatplate 3002 Cenler Rd. Poland

Oro"".y Dragon 34 MaplewoOd Ave. COlumbus Mind Gam •• 3001 N. ReynOlds TOledo Tin SoldIer 6159 Far Hills Ave. Dayton

Untve,.,ty Miniature. 24 13 N.HighSI. COlumbus

~~~~~=~-I- i $1 for complete ~ ~nd d sample -a-ur new exciting listing an all f 25

mm -fi d'1 1T>O or e B ~or line 0 f '-'6~v 41 342 " 1. onies are 0 hip 214/2 - tiOD. Napo.e aftsmans more MOrIDa superior .c:e variety.

withaWl: sareso ..... '''~'' •• ES These ~ed they are Wl-u<ut-\Ln , finely

de Q; ro·t. The . Richardson . TX 75080 0I.l..L.L de Bank Cenle ' . ea.s1er. to ~f figures will "'",om''' UnUES IlIIVlTED

:rnaJ?'so/able by late DEAJ.B1'. IlIIQ be aVa..1..l

1984.

1

Shepherd Mall Ok/ahoma City

OREGON Military Corner 2729 E. 8rOadway POrtland

PENNSYLVANIA Comp/ .. t Strareg'.t 2011 WalnUI SI. Phi/adelpllia

Dan Reea.,.. 1722 Isaacs WalaWa/a M·"'Yn'. W621 Mallon SPokane SWord & Shield 309 SW 122nd SI. Seall/e

f5°.rW~:~6::'~f:',¥;~~t Valley Forge ShOPPing Cenler King of PrUSSia

Gam •• Unlimited

TtJ'J; fJ!/i~"s~. BelleVue

WISCONSIN Galaxy

4120 BrOwnsville Rd. PittSburg HObbYHo,.. Cenlury III Mall W.Miftlin

MIke'. HObby & Crall WestwoOd Plaza JOhnS/Own Orde"'Une 349 PattiSon Sf. York

RHODE ISlAND Gam.k"Per 55 WeYbosset SI. Providence

SOUTH CAROLINA Green Dragon CharlestOwn SI. CharlestOwn

TENNESSEE Yankee Paddler 10820 KingSlon Pike KnOXVille

TEXAs Armadillo Soldier Shop NorthfolYn Mall Dallas DIbble. HObby 1029 Donaldson Ave. Sao Antonio

Rita. SOOk EXChange Sunrise SIC EI Paso

301 DiviSion Sf. N . Stevens POint NaPoleon" 3948 N. Ma'Yland Ave. ShorewoOd

Pea •• u• Gam • • 22~W. Gorham SI. Madison

VIRGINIA

f:5"1!'~i:~~ ~r::~'IJ~arte,. NOrfOlk

fa'3"1!'~~~~~~7teg/.t Falls ChUrCh

Campaign HeadQuart.,.. 47 E. Oueensway Mall Hampton Ult/e SOldier 100 S. PatriCk 51.

Alexandria

~f6~'NH~~~e SI. Arlington

Warga me,.. HObby Store 200 Leesbure P,ke Slerling

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~EUDAL RANGE EASTERN EUROPE

" FP I Teutonic Knight w/lance (FHI-3) FP 2 Teutonic k w/ sword (FHI-3) FP 3 Dismounted Teutonic Knight w/ sword FP 4 Infantryman of the Ordensstaat FP 5 Prussian tribesman w/ axe & bow FP 6 Pruss ian tribal spearman FP 7 Lithuanian cavalryman (FH3) FP 8 12th cent. Polish Knight (FHI-3) FP 9 13th cent. Polish Knight (FH 1-3) FPIO Polish peasant w/ axe & bow FP II Polish peasant w / berdesche axe FPI2 12th cent. Polish heavy infantry w/ spear FPI3 13th cent. Polish heavy infantry w/ spear FPI4 Hungarian light cavalry FPI5 Hungarian heavy cavalry (FHI-3) FPI6 Bulgarian light cavalry (FH3) FPI7 12th cent. Russian cavalry (FH 1-3) FPI8 13th cent. Russian cavalry (FHI-3) FPI9 Russian militia spearman FP20 Russian militia axeman FP21 Russian peasant w/ bow FP22 Russian peasant w / spear FP23 Kazak firing bow (FH4) FP24 Kazak w/lance (FH4) FP25 Dismounted 13th cent. Polish Knight

CRUSADES FP26 Mtd Knight 1160 Kite shield, lanc~ FP27 Mtd Knight 1125 flat-top shield, lance FP28 Mtd Knight 1220 triangular shield, 2-handed sword FP29 Mtd Knight 1250 helm, lance FP30 Mtd Knight 1250 Kettle hat , coat of plates, sword FP31 Mtd Knight 1250 coiffe, buckler, warnammer FP32 Mtd Knight 1280 Kettle hat FP33 Mtd Knight 1220 crested helm, lance FP34 Armoured spearman FP35 Mounted hospitaller FP36 Mounted Templar

USA

.. :..~~' , ,., . ~ ~', " , .. .. r<=. • • , •• ~ ~ f";;::;;" "'., ... r " ••

~ ~"'=r , ···· r r ----.... "" ..... • .... '=>J" C8J. t:2J-.... ... ... I:2J- CB:J-. ..... .... '"'' '' .......... . ~ /~~A-~

~"OL

THE BATTLE OF ARSOUF 1191 AD

CRUSADES (cont.) FP37 Dismounted Knight, sword , shield FP38 Dismounted Knight, 2-handed sword FP39 Unarmoured spearman FP40 Crusader axe man FP41 Crusader archer FP42 Crusader crossbowman FP43 Pilgrim w/ bow FP44 Turcopole cavalryman FP45 Syrian/ Maronite archer FP46 Cilician/ Armenian mtd Knight FP47 Cilician/ Armenian infantry spearman

MUSLIMS FP48 Fatamid spearman FP49 Fatamid heavy cavalry FP50 Sudanese archer FP51 Sudanese spearman

MUSLIMS (cont.) FP52 Syrian heavy cavalry, lamellar armour FP53 Syrian heavy cavalry, scale armour FP54 Turkish light cavalry, javelin & bow FP55 Turkish light cavalry, sword & bow FP56 Saracen crossbowman FP57 Mamluk heavy cavalry FP58 Mamluk extra heavy cavalry FP59 Mamluk guard infantry axe man FP60 Bedouin light cavalry tribesman FP61 Dismounted Mamluk EHC (FP58)

FH I Horse in mail barding FH2 Horse in quilt armour FH3 Horse w/ covered saddle FH4 Kazak horse w/ quivers. etc" FP5 Muslim horse FP6 Muslim armoured horse

NAME ________________________ _

ADDRESS ____________________ _

CITY ____ ,STAT_E ____ ZIP __ __

Send for your free catalog. Please include $2.00 for shipping and handling.

Mikes Models; P.O. Box 1141; Denville, N.J. 07834

MIKES MCJELSUSA Box 1141 Denville, NJ 07834

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FEATURE ARTICLES

e,\ 1II"lt~ . J . I ~I)~

'] ~·~uti~tt NORTH AMERICA'S FOREMOST MINIATURE GAMING MAGAZINE

ORGANIZATION AND UNIFORMS OF THE MAHDIST ARMY DOUG JO HNSON and how it was ... ... ....... . .. .... .. . ............... . ...... . ...... . ..... . ........... . ... . ..... . ... . .. . .. . .... . ... . .. ... 5

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE FALSE PROPHET OF THE SAN JUANS LYNN BODIN brings us PART II of the ca mpaign . .. ... .. . .... .. ... . .. . .. .. ... .. .. . .. .. ... ... ... . . ...... . . .... . ...... • ... ..... . .. . . . .. .. ... .. 11

WElLINGTON IN THE MOUNTAINS PADDY GR IFFITH discusses the difficulty of mountain fighting and how to ga me it. ....•... .. •... . .••.....• . ......•..... ... ... .... . . . . .... ... .. . . 19

DESIGNING THE UNPREDICTABLE PERFORMANCE NED ZUPARKO describes a " hidden abi lity" system ..... .. ..... . ........ . . . ..... .... ..... . .. . . . .. .. . .. .. ... . .. ......•.. . . . ..... . ...... . ..... 25

ANCIENT ARMIES - THE MANY CHOICES KRUSE SMITH reviews the pluses & minuses of various WRG Ancient lists armi es ......................... . . ... . ......... .. ...... .. . .... . .... .... 35

ENCOUNTER NEAR FORT STANWIX WESLEY ROGERS w ith an AMR peri od ski rmish game .... . . .... .. . .. ... . ... .. . . . . .. . .. . . . . .. . . .. ..... .. .. .. . .. .. .... .. .. ..... . ....... . .... ... 47

DEPARTMENTS

THE MARTIAL ART OF PAINTING with Mike Gilbert ..... ... ....... . ... .. ... .... . ... ... ..... ...... ... . . . . ... .. .. . . . .. ....... .. ..... .... . . . 17

THE REVIEWING STAND with Jay Had ley . .. . .. . .. . " .... . . . ...... .... ...•.... .. .. ... ... .. .. ... .. . .. ....... . .. ... . .... . .. . . ... . ... . . , .. .. 29

ALEXANDER'S TENT Questions and Answers about Ancient topics with Kruse Smith ......... . ... . . ......... ......... . . .. . .. . .... . •. .. ... . . ......... . .. ...... .. ... . . . .. ... .. .. . . . ... ...... . .......... 33

THE COURIER DISPATCH News of the hobby wit h Rob MacLean ...... . .. .... . ... ............. . ... ... .. ... . . . . .. . . .. . . . ... . . .. . .. . . .. . . . .... 41

DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD Letters to (or at) the Editor .. . . .. . . .. . . . ......... ... .. . • . . .. . ... . .............. . .. . ..... ... . ... . •... . ........ 55

VOLLEY FIRE What do you li ke (or hate) about the issue ... . • .......... . . ... . ... . .. .. . . .. ... ... ......... .. . ...•. .. . ... ..... . . . ........ .. .... 56

COVER Th e Battle of Tamai - A painting by Giles. Courtesy of The National Army Museum, London.

5 29 47

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m:be

~~u·~i~tt MANAGING EDITOR: Richard l. Brya nt

BUSINESS MANAGER: Leo Cronin ART DIRECTOR: Joseph Miceli

ADVERTISING MANAGER: Bruce Milligan THEME EDITOR: THE SUDAN

Lynn Bodin

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS William Abrams; Ken Bunger; Phil Barker; Robert Beattie; Rodman Burr; Steve Carpenter; Pat Condray; Tom Desmond; Jay Hadley; Steve Haller; Ian Knight; Paul Koch ; Doug Johnson; Robert Mosca; Nick Nascati; Cliff Sayre; George Schneider; Kruse Smith; Walter Simon; Ned Zuparko.

STAFF CARTOONISTS: Jon Rettich Jose Niera

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Pat Condray Tom Desmond

THE COURIER DISPATCH: Robert MacLean

STAFF ILLUSTRATORS Alan Archambault, AI Karasa

John Thull , Joe Matthews, Larry Schuman

THE COURIER PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. Richard l. Bryant, President

DIRECTORS Richard Bryant, Leo Cronin , Gloria Miceli

THE COUR IER is published approximately bi-monthly at Brockton , MA 02403 USA.

SUBSCRIPTIONS USA - $14.00; CANADA & S. AMERICA, surface rate -$17.00. UN ITED KINGDOM & EUROPE write to : Athena Books, 20 St. Mary's Rd. , Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN1 2NP England. AUSTRALIA & N. ZEALAND write to: Th e Tin Soldier, 424 George St., Sydney NSW 2000, Australia.

BACK ISSUES Recent back issues are ava ilable for $3.50, USA; $4.00 Canada & Foreign su rface; $5.00 Fo reign airmail. See last page of issue for listing. Monies in US funds drawn on US banks or international Posta l Money Order. Subscripti ons start w ith NEXT published issue after receipt of payment.

No responsibility is assumed for sta tements of fact o r opinion made by the authors. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited manuscr ipts, but all sub­missions are welcome, no query necessary. All sub­miss ions should contain a self-addressed STAMPED envelope large enough to retu rn the submiss ion .

This magazine and other publi ca tions of Th e Courier Publishing Company are sold with the understa nding that eve ry reasonable attempt is made to deliver them safely through the mails. The Courier Publishing Company is not responsible for items lost in the mails. Replacements will be provided at their usual cost.

ALL DOMESTIC DEALER INQUIRIES, ADVERTISING COPY AND INQUIRIES, DOMESTIC SUBSCRIP­TIONS AND ARTICLES to THE COURIER, Box 1878, Brockton, MA 02403.

Entire Contents Copyright © 1984 by The Courier Publishing Company, Inc.

SEPT I OCT 1984 VOl. V, NO . S

THE VANGUARD

EDITOR'S NOTES

UNSUNG HEROES

Every field of endeavor has its unsung heroes and wargaming is no exception. At the recent HISTORICON 84, HMGS (Historical Miniature Wargaming Society) issued its first annual UNSUNG HERO AWARD to Leo Cronin, one of the three partners that bring you THE COURIER from time to time. Many of you may ask "who? " and that is the point. Leo has been quietly involved in this hobby since the early 60's when he first wrote several articles for Jack Scruby's TABL E TOP TALK. He has been instrumental in the operation of the Old Colony Wargamers, and one ofthe founding fathers and general conscience of HMGS. More importantly, from my point of view, without Leo THE COURIER could not exist. Leo is the businessman of the operation and one who generates many of the ideas for features that appear in these pages, the specials that are offered and the activities that we support at various conventions. He is my sounding board who has shot down many (in retrospect) bad ideas that I had espoused that would not have done THE COURIER any good at all.

Leo is the quiet type who puts into this hobby much more than he takes out, much more than can ever be recognized except that the hobby is better because of his interest.

Somewhere in your wargame group is such an unsung hero, the guy who sets up most of the scenarios, or lets you beat up his house for the weekly game, or who has put in all the effort on the house rules or simply keeps everyone from each other's throat by the right word at the right time. Don't let him get away! Give him some recognition now before he loses interest and you just lose.

HMGS TO SPONSOR HISTORICAL MINIATURE GAMING AT ORIGINS '85

HMGS and ATLANTICON (the sponsors of ORIGINS for1985) have come to an agreement on the participation of HMGS. HMGS will be responsible for all Historical Miniature Gaming events including the painting competition. Based on their past performances we can expect the best ORIGINS ever for Historical Miniatures Gaming.

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ORGANIZATIONS AND UNIFORMS OF THE MAHDIST ARMIES, 1883-1898

BY DOUG JOHNSON ILLUSTRATIONS BY GREG ROSE

The Mahdist army was essentially a collection of regional armies. With the capture first of EI Obeid in 1883, and then of Khartoum in 1885, a central administration was estab­lished and the various regional armies were officered, organized, reinforced and coordinated by the central government. I n the early years (1883-5) Mahdist com­manders in various parts of the country had to count mainly on the warriors they could raise locally. After Hicks' defeat at Shaykan in 1883 the Mahdi was able to send reinforcements to other areas, but it was not until after the fall of Khartoum that the regional armies could be fully co-ordinated. Until then the bulk of the Mahdist army was to be found where the Mahdi was, whether that was in Kordofan or surrounding Khartoum. But even at the height of the Madhiyya at the end of the 1880s, when the Mahdists could field an army of 80,000 men, the distances involved and difficulty of communications meant that the territorial nature of most of the Mahdist armies was never fully overcome. Thus the armies could not be regarded as uniform, frequently arming themselves and recruiting locally as best the could.

This article will give a brief account of the organization of the various Mahdist armies that fought the Egyptian and British armies between 1883-98. Numbers and percentages are only approximate (where they are not outright guesses!)

THE EARLY BATTlES, 1883-5 There are almost no reliable contemporary figures for the size of various Mahdist forces in the early battles. It is only in the Eastern Sudan, under Osman Digna, that the Mahdists seemed to have kept any record of the number of troops involved. Some of the figures given here are estimates arrived at well after the event.

SHA YKAN, 1883 The Mahdi 's entire army in Kordofan after the fall of EI Obeid probably numbered 40-50,000 men. The Ansar had captured nearly 14,000 rifles (mainly Remington single-shot breach- loaders), and five ca nnons (small brass mountain guns). There were only 5-7000 trained riflemen in the entire army (a lmost all Sudanese who were formerly in the Egyptian army), and none of the cannons were used by the Ansar until the siege of Khartoum. There were also only about 3-4000 horsemen in the army; the rest were sword and spearmen.

Hicks' force was harrassed by a flying column of 3000 men, mostly horsemen. Another 1000 horsemen remained with the Mahdi 's main army. These were used to help transport 5000 riflemen to the forest of Shaykan when Hicks' force was finally trapped. The riflemen ringed Hicks' square with continuous sniper fire. The final assault was launched by about 30,000 footmen armed with sword and spear.

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FICURE I: Early Mahdist Warriors, 1883-85

A. Sudanese warrior, Abu Klea.

B. Sleeveless and short-sleeved jibbas, Abu Klea : co llar decoration red , lozenge patch on chest red or green, waist decorations red o r black, hem sometimes trimmed in red.

C. 8eja warrior, 1884: cotton robe, co lors : white, gray, tan, terra-cotta .

D. Early jibba, Eastern Sudan, 1885: lozenges and sq uares red and dark blue, borders (neck, sleeves, hem) red. Embroidered taggia (sk ull cap) ; design in red and dark blue.

E. Rizaygat baggara horseman, 1883.

ABU KLEA, 1885

G.1I:.. it,

The British force at Abu Klea was less than 1500 men, and at Abu Kru less than 1000 men. We have no reliable figures for

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