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[Page 41]
enough to land, so they awaited R'efts. They went down the Canal as far as the Lakes at Ismailia & landed, they marched as far as Carsisia & bivouacked – Sir Garnet Wolsely here decided that to be successful, an attack would have to be by surprise & at night, they arrived at the enemy outposts at about 3 am [sketch of general area with reference numbers in original] (1) luckily the sentrys were asleep & the English passed within a few hundred yards of them marked [arrow] un knowingly & instead of attacking as expected that is to outflank at end of trench X 80 miles along, Wolsely delivered a sharp sudden attack at 2-3-4 & demoralized them – breaking them up in great confusion – Mahommed Ali & his Generals hearing the firing etc immediately bolted from headquarters (5) they took train to Cairo along line Railway (6). By means of a forced march by Indian Lancers they reached & demanded the surrender of 10,000 men at Zag a Zig, another lot of 250 British went on demanded the surrender of 2,500 troops at Abyssia – General Watson with a small party went around about way to the Citadel & demanded the Keys of the fort – The Egyptian Officer wanted a medal for doing them this great service. They had Cairo surrendered 36 hrs after the Battle