Sudan. The soldiers and officers were quickly assembled. The campaign, in its formation, armament, organization, and the morale of its men, was not in keeping with the objectives to be achieved. The delay in equipment in Khartoum and the lack of cooperation from senior officers with the command were among the most important factors in the campaign's defeat.

The official correspondence and telegrams exchanged between General Hicks and the authorities in Cairo, both Egyptian and British, shed light on the improvisation, lack of preparedness, and lack of cohesion that prevailed in this campaign.

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by Commander Hicks on April 14, 1883, to Lord Dufferin, which clarifies the situation (1): "I am in a quandary regarding the supply of soldiers and the payment of their salaries. As for the first matter, some troops have provisions for two weeks. For others, twenty days. Provisions have not yet arrived from Major General Alaa El Din Pasha. The steamer that I had dispatched to bring the salaries and campaign expenses has not yet arrived in Khartoum. I hope that one of my staff officers will succeed in bringing the money and food... otherwise, the result will be a delay in the campaign's departure.

The land we will traverse contains nothing useful. The soldiers have resolved, and it has been impressed upon them, that if they are not paid their salaries, they will not travel. I will do everything in my power to reach 'Jebel Ain'. I do not have sufficient provisions. The soldiers have not received their salaries for months. The number of transport boats is small, most of them are in poor condition, and there is not enough fuel to operate them."

In another telegram sent by Hicks to Sir Malet on June 3 from Khartoum, he complains to him (2) about the small number of men in the campaign despite its significant objectives, the meager supply quantities at his disposal, the long distances to be covered, the difficulty of guarding the lines of communication, and the poor situation in Khartoum due to the spread of the revolution there.