d after a brief fight occupied Fao, a few miles up the
river. On the 9th a night attack was made upon it by a force
from Basra, which was easily beaten off. Shortly afterwards
the main body of the expeditionary force began to arrive,
and by the 16th it had entirely disembarked at Saniyeh, a
place above Fao.

The weather was wretched. Rain converted the alluvial flats
into a wilderness of mud. The men were drenched and caked
with the riverine clay, the very rifles were often choked.

Meanwhile the advance guard carried out a reconnoissance up
the river and located the enemy in position at Sahilo, about
nine miles distant. They numbered about 5,000 men, with
twelve guns, under General Subr Bey, the Vali (Governor) of
Basra. The reconnoissance carried an advanced position with
a loss of sixty killed and wounded, and withdrew unmolested
to report.

On the 17th General Barrett paraded for the attack the bulk
of his force. After a trying march through a veritable
quagmire, the troops sometimes up to their waists in slush,
the division at about 9 A.M. came within range of the
Turkish position, and the leading brigade, the Belgaum,
(Major Gen. Fry,) deployed for attack.

The ground was absolutely open, and the Turks had a perfect
field of fire. On our side the men had the greatest
difficulty in getting forward through the clayey mud-beds
and the worn-out horses could not bring up the field
artillery. Nevertheless, the Belgaum brigade steadily
advanced, and the attack being presently supported by other
troops and assisted by the first of the two gunboats on the
river, at last closed upon the Turkish intrenchments and
carried them, capturing two guns and one hundred prisoners,
besides inflicting a very heavy loss in killed and wounded.

The retreat of the enemy was assisted by a mirage which
disconcerted our gunners. Subr Bey retreated on Basra, but
he had no hope of being able to hold the big spreading place
with his small force, and evacuated it. He retreated to
Kurna, where the Tigris joins the Euphrates. There he
intrenched himself. His main body was in Kurna, a large
village encircled by palm groves, in the marshy angle formed
by the two rivers, with a strong detachment in the
straggling village of Mazera, on the left ba