Kitchener uses the Nile as a protected supply flank

Canadian voyageurs were recruited for their experience moving people and stores through difficult rivers. Kitchener's later gunboats combined a protected stern paddle with guns, machine-gun positions, and carrying capacity, effectively serving as mobile firebases. He kept the army marching on land while supplies and gunboats followed the river, preserving a secure flank. The slower land advance also presented the opposing army with the attractive target Kitchener wanted it to attack.