Major General Charles George GORDON
(1833-1885)

Charles George Gordon was born in Woolwich on 28 January 1833, a younger son of an officer in the Royal Artillery. After education in Taunton, he entered the Royal Military Academy and in 1852 was commissioned into the Royal Engineers. A short spell in Chatham was followed by two years in Pembroke, where he prepared plans for new forts at the entrance to Milford Haven.

In 1854 he was ordered to the Crimea, arriving in Balaclava at the end of December where - "hunger, misery and disease were accomplishing a deadlier work even than that of the enemy among our troops". Participation in the siege of Sebastopol, and in the assault on the Redan, showed him to have not only great energy and thoroughness but also great anticipation and knowledge of the enemy's movements.

At the end of that war, he took part in various boundary commissions and at the end of 1858 returned to England to become an instructor of Field Works in Chatham, a role for which his experience in the Crimea made him well qualified.

In July 1860, Gordon joined the British force in China for the march on Pekin, witnessing the burning of the Summer Palace. Returning to Tientsin, by now a Captain, he spent two years as Chief Royal Engineer (CRE) of the garrison, making a number of excursions into neighbouring districts, learning much about the countryside and its people.

For many years, parts of China had been troubled by organised bands, known as the Tai-ping rebels, and when they began to threaten Shanghai the principal merchants set up a defence force of Chinese, initially under the command of an American, F.T.Ward. After some success this force became known as 'The Ever Victorious Army', but in 1862 Ward was killed and Gordon was put forward as his successor.

Government permission was needed for a British officer to enter the service of the Chinese Emperor but in view of Gordon's reputation, the necessary authority was given and in March 1863, still only 30, he took over command of this Chinese force of 3,000 men.

Order was introduced into an ill-disciplined force. Many were dismissed, but the rest were won over by his frank manner and total sincerity. His meticulous planning led to success in engagements with the rebels and his bravery in action soon established a force which would follow wherever he led.

This success was not without its dangers and on more than one occasion Gordon's life was at risk, due to his open manner and the treacheries of those around him. The Chinese Emperor conferred on him a medal of distinction and also a substantial financial gift which he declined to accept. Furthermore, he was given the rank of Ti-Ju, the highest in the Chinese army and was granted the Yellow Jacket and Peacocks Feather (now on display in the Royal Engineer Museum).

With the Tai-ping rebellion virtually crushed, Gordon returned to England in 1865 as a Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the C.B. (Companion of Bath). By this time, his reputation had spread throughout Europe and although he had his critics, he was soon known as 'Chinese Gordon'. However, despite his successes in China and his formidable reputation, he was given a relatively mundane appointment on his return home, improving the defences of the River Thames and living in Gravesend.

The next few years showed another side of Gordon's complex personality. Despite having led turbulent and undisciplined groups of soldiers, not hesitating to sacrifice lives if he thought it his duty, he had always had sympathy for suffering and a strong desire for its alleviation.

With a particular interest in the disadvantaged, his house in Gravesend became a school, a hospital and an almshouse in turn, more like the home of a missionary than that of an officer in the Royal Engineers. He rescued young people from the gutter, cleaned and clothed them and established reading classes. For many of the boys he found work on board ships sailing in and out of the Thames. So full did his classes become that his house would no longer hold them and they had to be given up.

After six years in Gravesend he was appointed, in 1871, to the European Commission of the River Danube to improve access to the river and thus allow larger vessels to load and unload at Galatz, in Rumania. Contacts made during this assignment led to his appointment, in 1874, as Governor of the Equatorial Provinces of Egypt. His brief was to establish a line of posts throughout that enormous region in order to win the confidence of the local tribes, to promote peace and to check the deplorable slave traffic.

Despite much intrigue and many difficulties, Gordon started to improve the situation but did not make too many friends in so doing. After three years, and much wrestling with his conscience, he decided to resign and return to England. During this time he had mapped much of the White Nile, dealt the slave trade a deadly blow and restored confidence and peace among the tribes of the Nile valley. He had opened up water communications, formed Government districts and established secure posts with safe communication between them.

The Tai-ping rebellion established Gordon as a military commander. The Equatorial Provinces testified to his skills as a philanthropic and practical administrator.

One reason for his resignation was that he had found it impossible to stop the slave trade completely, due to its continued encouragement in Khartoum. However, he had not been back in England for long when he received an urgent request from the Khedive appealing to him to return to Sudan and complete his work.

He agreed to do this, but only on the condition that he was appointed Governor General of the entire Sudan, free to act without being fettered by others. This condition was agreed to and in February 1877 he was back in Cairo. His task this time was to integrate the Sudan, Darfur and the Equatorial Provinces into one vast province.

However, he strongly resented the status and extravagant standard of living which he was expected to maintain but lost no time in re-opening his attacks on the slave traders throughout his enlarged command. This was something which he had been unable to do in his previous appointment in a smaller area.

For three years he lived in a constant turmoil of civil, political and military intrigue, carrying out his brief to the best of his ability under almost impossible conditions. His frankness and his total disregard for his personal safety made both friends and enemies for him but in the end he could tolerate no more and resigned again, returning to England in January 1880.

An offer to command the Colonial forces of the Cape Government in South Africa was declined but he accepted an appointment as private secretary to Lord Ripon, recently appointed as Governor General of India. However, on arriving in Bombay (now Mumbai) he realised immediately that he had made a major mistake in accepting a position which carried no direct responsibility and he resigned again.

While still in Bombay (now Mumbai), Gordon received an invitation to return to Pekin (now Beijing) where war with Russia was threatening. He requested six months leave and when this was initially declined he requested "retirement or resignation". Leave was then granted on the condition that he undertook no military activities in China. His stay in there was short. He persuaded the government to accept the Russian terms, thus avoiding war, and returned to England in October 1880.

A brief spell as CRE Mauritius followed but he left this command on being promoted to Major General in March 1882. The Cape Government was still anxious for his services and he accepted an administrative appointment in Basutoland. Once again, however, he quickly realised his mistake as he soon became embroiled in internal politics. A quick resignation followed and he was back in England by November of the same year.

His previous service in Africa had led to contacts with the King of the Belgians who requested his participation in the development of the Congo. This offer was initially accepted, but confusion arose with his request to the War Office for the necessary permission and the offer lapsed.

In January 1884 he returned, yet again, to the Sudan but this time his mission was very different. His objectives were the evacuation of the Egyptian garrisons and the return to the Sultans of their ancestral powers, which had been withdrawn during the Egyptian occupation. This was expected to involve the withdrawal of 29,000 people, a formidable task for one person.

During the three-week journey from Cairo to Khartoum, Gordon and his party were well received wherever they went. However, the British Government had not foreseen any problems in making these significant changes but the situation was not as simple as they had imagined. There was no power available to replace the Khedive and the Mahdi was increasing in strength and threatening all the posts where the Egyptian troops were still stationed.

Gordon immediately set about sending down river batches of sick and wounded, women and children. In this way, 2,500 were rescued. But on 12 March, the Mahdis' forces closed in and Khartoum was under siege. Gordon could have escaped at any time, but true to his character, he elected to stay.

Defences were built and his seven river steamers were fitted with bullet-proof plating to enable them to run the gauntlet of enemy fire. Gordon never relaxed in the vigour of his defence and constantly hoped for early relief. As month after month passed no steps were taken. Lord Wolseley urged strongly for a relief force, but nothing was done.

By December, Gordon realised that all hope of relief had gone and wrote to friends what were, in fact, farewell letters. He was supported throughout the siege, as in previous operations, by his immensely strong Christian beliefs and appeared not to be concerned at the almost inevitable fate which he faced.

The siege lasted for 317 days but on 26 January 1885 the garrison, too exhausted to make proper resistance, fell to a sudden assault and General Gordon, with most of his force, was killed. How and exactly where he met his death has never been positively established and his body was never found. Suffice it to say that the Mahdi had given strict instructions that he was not to be killed and his assassin was, therefore, never identified.

So he died, at the early age of 52, a truly remarkable and highly unorthodox man. Soldier, administrator and negotiator, with a total disregard for his personal well-being or safety and an inexhaustible supply of kindness and compassion where these were appropriate, he deserved better of his countrymen in the last year of his life.

A statue of Gordon, seated on a camel, stands outside the Headquarters of the Royal School of Military Engineering in Chatham and was unveiled by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, in May 1890. A replica was cast in 1902 and, although initially placed in London, was moved to Khartoum later that year where it remained until 1958 when it was returned to this country and placed at the Gordon Boys School in Woking. A window in Rochester is dedicated to him.