 After marching to the walls of Khartoum, he placed his army into a crescent shape with the Nile to the rear, together with the gunboats in support.This enabled him to bring overwhelming firepower against any attack of the "Ansar" from any direction, though with the disadvantage of having his men spread out thinly, with hardly any forces in reserve.Such an arrangement could have proven disastrous if the "Ansar" had broken through the thin khaki line.