|
Osman Digna ((アラビア語:عثمان دقنة))(c. 1840 – 1926) was a follower of Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, in Sudan, who became his best known military commander during the Mahdist War. As the Mahdi's ablest general, he played an important role in the fate of General Charles George Gordon and the loss of the Sudan to Egypt. In Britain Osman became a notorious figure, both demonised as a savage and respected as a warrior. Winston Churchill describes him as an "astute" and "prudent" man, calling him "the celebrated, and perhaps immortal, Osman Digna."〔Winston S. Churchill, ''The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan'', 1902, p.27.〕 ==Mahdist leader== He hailed from the Hadendoa tribe of the Beja people. His birthplace is unknown; Suakin was said to be the town where he was born. He was originally known as Osman Ali. He lived in Alexandria, Egypt, where he dealt in the selling of slaves. After the English forced him to quit his business, he took part in the revolt of Ahmed 'Urabi. After the failure of that movement at the Battle of Tel al-Kebir (September 13, 1882), he attached himself to the cause of the Mahdi. About this time he received the name "Digna" because of the fullness of his beard ("the bearded one," from ''dikn'', "the beard").〔George Washington Moon, ''Men And Women of the Time'', Kessinger reprint, 2005, p.682.〕 He maintained himself at the head of a powerful army around Suakin. His first battle was an attempt to capture a Turkish-held fort at Sinkat in 1883. His initial attack was repulsed, but the fort eventually fell after a siege.〔F.R. Wingate, "The True Story of Osman Dinga", ''The Graphic'', June 16, 1923.〕 At the First Battle of El Teb he inflicted a severe defeat on a much larger Egyptian force led by Baker Pasha near Tokar, on February 4, 1884. Immediately after this victory, however, a new British-Egyptian force was sent to retrieve the situation, and he was defeated by General Graham near Tokar at the Second Battle of El Teb. Both sides withdrew to restore their forces, but Graham soon launched a second attack designed to crush Digna completely. At the Battle of Tamai, the Mahdist forces exploited a gap in the British position, and succeeded in breaking an infantry square. They were almost able to cut off parts of the British force, but the British were able to rally and consolidate their position. The Mahdists were subjected to intense flanking fire and were finally defeated. Despite his defeat, as the only foreign commander who broke the British infantry square, Digna and his troops acquired a reputation amongst the British for immense fighting-prowess. The prowess of his troops is celebrated in Rudyard Kipling's poem "Fuzzy-Wuzzy". He is also named in the "The Battle of El-Teb", a poem by William McGonagall. The defeats did not, however, destroy the Mahdists. Digna remaining in control of his supporters. Graham later withdrew, and Digna restored his army. He presented the battle as a victory, saying that the British had fled "in fear". He wrote to the Mahdi claiming that he had inflicted 8000 casualties on the British, with only 2000 of his own troops killed.〔 Official British losses were 100 killed.〔Featherstone, D, ''Khartoum 1885: General Gordon's Last Stand'', Osprey, 1993, p. 52.〕 Nevertheless, the British campaign had achieved very little. Digna "retained both Sinkat and Tokar and the Suakim-Berber route was controlled by the Ansar ()".〔 The situation led to the increasing isolation of General Gordon who was under siege in Khartoum. Gordon was unable to withdraw to Egypt, and British troops were not quickly sent to relieve him. After the fall of Khartoum to the Mahdists, Osman is said to have been given Gordon's watch and sword to show to the Mahdists at Suakin as proof of the victory.〔Allen, Bernard M. "How Khartoum Fell." African Affairs 40.CLXI (1941): 327-334.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Osman Digna」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|