Further details have been published of the British retreat from
Ctesiphon, near Baghdad. On the night of November 30th General Townshend fought a rearguard action against a greatly perior Turkish force. Our casualties were about a hundred and fifty. Two river gunboats had to be abandoned, but not Before they had been rendered useless to the enemy. 'Ulti- mately the retreat ended at Kut-el-Amara, about a hundred miles by road from Baghdad. This position is strongly fortified. The Turks themselves had done much digging there, and the defences have since been improved by Sir John Nixon. The total British casualties in the recent fighting were about four thousand eight hundred. The casualties among officers were more than a hundred and thirty. These were very heavy losses, But that the retreat was conducted in excellent order was proved by General Townshend's success in bringing away his sixteen hundred prisoners. In the House of Lords on Tuesday Lord Crewe said that General Townshend had more than one division with him in his march on Baghdad. It had not been expected that the Turks would be able to put so many men in that theatre or suoh strong artillery. The whole plan had been carefully thought out on our side. It was no mere adventure undertaken by General Townshend on his own responsibility.
