Somehow the one hundredth and thirty-fourth anniversary of the death of General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon almost passed me by. If I hadn't happened to see mention of it online, I would not have realised that he died in Khartoum on 26th January 1885 … and was born on 28th January 1833, one hundred and eighty-six years ago.
Charles George Gordon was born in Woolwich, Kent (now London), in a house that fronted Woolwich Common. The house (No.29) was demolished in 1972 to make way for a large local authority-built housing development.
Gordon's family moved every time his father took up a new command. As a result, Gordon spent time in England, Ireland, Scotland, and the Ionian Islands (which were under British rule until they were handed over to Greece in 1864) as he grew up. He was educated in Taunton, Somerset, before he attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 23rd June 1852. Gordon then completed his training at Chatham, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 17th February 1854. His first posting was to Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales, where he helped construct fortifications for the naval base that was being developed there. It was whilst he was living in Milford Haven that he was introduced to evangelical Protestantism, which placed great emphasis on living one's life as simply as possible and doing as much as you could for your fellow man.
After the outbreak of the Crimean War, Gordon – who was stationed on Corfu – managed to persuade the War Office to send him to the Crimea, where he served in the trenches besieging Sevastopol and as a member of the expedition to Kinburn. When the war ended, his skill as a surveyor and cartographer resulted in him being attached to the international commission that was set up to determine the new borders between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire in Bessarabia and Armenia. Once these tasks had been completed, Gordon returned to Britain in late 1858, and took up an appointment as an instructor at Chatham. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain on 1st April 1859.
Gordon found his work as an instructor boring, and in 1860 he volunteered to serve in China, where the Second Opium War was being fought. Unfortunately, the fighting had ended by the time Gordon arrived at Hong Kong, but the Taiping Rebellion was in full swing. Gordon took unpaid leave from the British Army and at the behest of the British government he took command of a force of Chinese and European mercenary troops that eventually became known as the 'Ever Victorious Army'. During his time in command, the ‘Ever Victorious Army’ won thirty-three battles in succession, the last being at Chang-chou in May 1864. Gordon returned to the UK a hero – and with the nickname ‘Chinese’ Gordon – and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 9th December, having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on 16th February 1864.
Gordon’s next posting was to Gravesend, Kent, where he was to oversee the construction of new forts to protect the lower Thames and the river approaches to London. Whilst there he involved himself in considerable charitable work, being involved in a Ragged School for poor children and providing support for homeless boys. In the latter case he housed and fed boys whilst trying to find them proper homes and employment.
After what some of his friends regarded as being amongst ‘most peaceful and happy of his life’, Gordon’s next appointment meant a returned to the Balkans, where he served on an international commission that was tasked to maintain the navigation of the mouth of the River Danube. He found the work boring, and not long after he was promoted to the rank of Colonel on 16th February 1872, he became acquainted with the Prime Minister of Egypt, Raghib Pasha. Raghib Pasha knew of Gordon’s work in China and began negotiating with the British Government to allow Gordon to enter the service of the Ottoman Khedive of Egypt. The negotiations took time, but eventually Gordon succeeded Valentine Baker as the Egyptian Governor of Equatoria (i.e. South Sudan and northern Uganda).
After a short stay in Cairo, Gordon went first to Khartoum via Suakin and Berber before journeying on to Gondokoro. It was there that he began his struggle to suppress slavery, a situation that was not helped by the fact that the Governor-General of the Sudan – his superior – was heavily involved in the trade. By the time he left Equatoria in October 1876, the slave trade in the area had been almost completely eradicated.
Soon after his return to the UK, Gordon was approached with an offer of employment in the part of Africa being exploited by the chartered company set up by King Leopold II of the Belgians. However, he was then offered the chance to be Governor-General of the Sudan, and he returned there with the intention of completing his suppression of the slave trade. Despite making great efforts to achieve his aim, he eventually had to admit defeat, and resigned and returned to the UK.
During his journey back from Egypt, Gordon had a meeting with King Leopold, and was offered the post of Governor-General of the Congo Free State. Gordon turned the offer down, and then declined the opportunity to command the South African Cape Colony’s forces. He did – however – accept the position of Private Secretary to the new Governor-General of India, but resigned almost as soon as he arrive in India. He then went on to China contrary to the British government’s wishes, where he considered taking a Commission in the Chinese Army. As China was at that time involved in a dispute with Russia, it was felt that Gordon’s involvement in any potential hostilities could drag Britain into a war with Russia.
Under threat of a dishonourable discharge from the British Army if he remained in China, Gordon returned to the UK. After making a trip to Ireland – where he was appalled by the conditions under which so many of the local people were living – he went to Mauritius in April 1881 to command the Royal Engineers who were stationed on the island. He stayed there until March 1882, having been promoted to the rank of Major General on the 23rd of that month.
He returned to the UK via South Africa, where he assisted in resolving the situation in Basutoland, where the King and one of his sons were in conflict of the question of the country becoming a British protectorate. He was again asked by King Leopold to become Governor-General of the Congo Free State, but instead he went to Palestine so that he could visit Jerusalem. On his return to the UK he finally gave in to the King’s demands, and agreed to replace Stanley as Governor-General.
Whilst Gordon had been out of the UK, the situation in the Sudan had changed. The rise of the Mahdi threatened Egyptian control of the Sudan, and after the massacre of the Egyptian force led by Hicks Pasha the Mahdists quickly took control of the whole of the Sudan except for the ports on the Red Sea and a narrow strip of land on either side of the Nile in northern Sudan. The latter included Khartoum, where most of the Egyptians and Europeans who had not managed to escape had sought refuge. Faced with this situation, the British government – at the behest of the Egyptian government – asked Gordon to go to Khartoum to expedite the evacuation of the city. He eventually agreed to do so … and the rest is history.
Charles George Gordon was born in Woolwich, Kent (now London), in a house that fronted Woolwich Common. The house (No.29) was demolished in 1972 to make way for a large local authority-built housing development.
His parents were Major General Henry William Gordon of the Royal Artillery (1786 – 1865) and Elizabeth Gordon (née Enderby) (1792 – 1873), the daughter of a wealthy local whale oil merchant. Gordon's father was the fourth generation of the Gordon family to become an officer in the British Army.© Kleon3 (2017) via WikiCommons
Gordon's family moved every time his father took up a new command. As a result, Gordon spent time in England, Ireland, Scotland, and the Ionian Islands (which were under British rule until they were handed over to Greece in 1864) as he grew up. He was educated in Taunton, Somerset, before he attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 23rd June 1852. Gordon then completed his training at Chatham, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 17th February 1854. His first posting was to Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales, where he helped construct fortifications for the naval base that was being developed there. It was whilst he was living in Milford Haven that he was introduced to evangelical Protestantism, which placed great emphasis on living one's life as simply as possible and doing as much as you could for your fellow man.
After the outbreak of the Crimean War, Gordon – who was stationed on Corfu – managed to persuade the War Office to send him to the Crimea, where he served in the trenches besieging Sevastopol and as a member of the expedition to Kinburn. When the war ended, his skill as a surveyor and cartographer resulted in him being attached to the international commission that was set up to determine the new borders between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire in Bessarabia and Armenia. Once these tasks had been completed, Gordon returned to Britain in late 1858, and took up an appointment as an instructor at Chatham. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain on 1st April 1859.
Gordon found his work as an instructor boring, and in 1860 he volunteered to serve in China, where the Second Opium War was being fought. Unfortunately, the fighting had ended by the time Gordon arrived at Hong Kong, but the Taiping Rebellion was in full swing. Gordon took unpaid leave from the British Army and at the behest of the British government he took command of a force of Chinese and European mercenary troops that eventually became known as the 'Ever Victorious Army'. During his time in command, the ‘Ever Victorious Army’ won thirty-three battles in succession, the last being at Chang-chou in May 1864. Gordon returned to the UK a hero – and with the nickname ‘Chinese’ Gordon – and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 9th December, having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on 16th February 1864.
Gordon’s next posting was to Gravesend, Kent, where he was to oversee the construction of new forts to protect the lower Thames and the river approaches to London. Whilst there he involved himself in considerable charitable work, being involved in a Ragged School for poor children and providing support for homeless boys. In the latter case he housed and fed boys whilst trying to find them proper homes and employment.
After what some of his friends regarded as being amongst ‘most peaceful and happy of his life’, Gordon’s next appointment meant a returned to the Balkans, where he served on an international commission that was tasked to maintain the navigation of the mouth of the River Danube. He found the work boring, and not long after he was promoted to the rank of Colonel on 16th February 1872, he became acquainted with the Prime Minister of Egypt, Raghib Pasha. Raghib Pasha knew of Gordon’s work in China and began negotiating with the British Government to allow Gordon to enter the service of the Ottoman Khedive of Egypt. The negotiations took time, but eventually Gordon succeeded Valentine Baker as the Egyptian Governor of Equatoria (i.e. South Sudan and northern Uganda).
After a short stay in Cairo, Gordon went first to Khartoum via Suakin and Berber before journeying on to Gondokoro. It was there that he began his struggle to suppress slavery, a situation that was not helped by the fact that the Governor-General of the Sudan – his superior – was heavily involved in the trade. By the time he left Equatoria in October 1876, the slave trade in the area had been almost completely eradicated.
Soon after his return to the UK, Gordon was approached with an offer of employment in the part of Africa being exploited by the chartered company set up by King Leopold II of the Belgians. However, he was then offered the chance to be Governor-General of the Sudan, and he returned there with the intention of completing his suppression of the slave trade. Despite making great efforts to achieve his aim, he eventually had to admit defeat, and resigned and returned to the UK.
During his journey back from Egypt, Gordon had a meeting with King Leopold, and was offered the post of Governor-General of the Congo Free State. Gordon turned the offer down, and then declined the opportunity to command the South African Cape Colony’s forces. He did – however – accept the position of Private Secretary to the new Governor-General of India, but resigned almost as soon as he arrive in India. He then went on to China contrary to the British government’s wishes, where he considered taking a Commission in the Chinese Army. As China was at that time involved in a dispute with Russia, it was felt that Gordon’s involvement in any potential hostilities could drag Britain into a war with Russia.
Under threat of a dishonourable discharge from the British Army if he remained in China, Gordon returned to the UK. After making a trip to Ireland – where he was appalled by the conditions under which so many of the local people were living – he went to Mauritius in April 1881 to command the Royal Engineers who were stationed on the island. He stayed there until March 1882, having been promoted to the rank of Major General on the 23rd of that month.
He returned to the UK via South Africa, where he assisted in resolving the situation in Basutoland, where the King and one of his sons were in conflict of the question of the country becoming a British protectorate. He was again asked by King Leopold to become Governor-General of the Congo Free State, but instead he went to Palestine so that he could visit Jerusalem. On his return to the UK he finally gave in to the King’s demands, and agreed to replace Stanley as Governor-General.
Whilst Gordon had been out of the UK, the situation in the Sudan had changed. The rise of the Mahdi threatened Egyptian control of the Sudan, and after the massacre of the Egyptian force led by Hicks Pasha the Mahdists quickly took control of the whole of the Sudan except for the ports on the Red Sea and a narrow strip of land on either side of the Nile in northern Sudan. The latter included Khartoum, where most of the Egyptians and Europeans who had not managed to escape had sought refuge. Faced with this situation, the British government – at the behest of the Egyptian government – asked Gordon to go to Khartoum to expedite the evacuation of the city. He eventually agreed to do so … and the rest is history.
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I do like the statue of Gordon on a camel at Brompton barracks.
ReplyDeleteNigel Drury,
DeleteI am not sure, but I think that it is identical to the one that used to be in the centre of Khartoum until the Sudan gained its independence.
All the best,
Bob
There's a statue of Kitchener (on a horse) near Fort Amherst that was retrieved from Sudan.
DeleteNigel Drury,
DeleteI must look out for Kitchener's statue the next time I visit Chatham.
I've now discovered that the statue of Gordon that used to be in Khartoum is now at the Gordon School, Woking.
All the best,
Bob
Interesting chap, sadly there doesn't seem to be a good modern biography of him .(?)
ReplyDeleteThe Good Soldier Svjek,
DeleteFrom the biographies that I have read, he seems to have been a somwhat tortured soul, who may well have been delusional towards the end.
One problem with recent biographies is the seeming obsession with Gordon's sexuality, which may or may not have been a factor in his behaviour. In my opinion he was probably asexual, and that his devout, evangelical Christian beliefs probably had a great influence.
All the best,
Bob
Thanks for the write up. Gordon is one that, while I've known the more or less standard history have never dug into more deeply than no his background. Make meant to learn more, but your summary will tide me over just fine.
ReplyDeleteMike Taber,
DeleteI am very glad that you have found this blog entry useful.
One thing that did strike me as I was writing up this short biography was how much time he spent outside the UK travelling and/or fighting.
All the best,
Bob
I went to Gordon School in Gravesend back in the late 70's, early 80's, quite obviously named after the man.
ReplyDeleteThere's a great statute of Gordon in the Gordon Gardens at the Gravesend Promenade.
Ray Rousell,
DeleteI have visited the Gordon Gardens in Gravesend, but I cannot find a photograph of the statue amongst the ones that I took. I really ought to go there again so that I can add it to my collection.
There are several schools that are named after him, including the ones in Gravesend and Woking. There is also a Gordon School in Eltham, but they seem keen to deny any link with the man, claiming that they take their name from the road the school is on ... which is named after him!
All the best,
Bob