| Notes for General Charles Gordon Of Khartoum |
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British soldier. Entered army (1852); distinguished himself at
Sevastopol (1855-56); took part in capture of Peking and
destruction of Summer Palace (1860); commander of "Ever
Victorious Army,"a Chinese force, suppressed Taiping rebellion
(1863-64). Employed by Ism¢¹*l Pasha, khedive of Egypt, in
opening up equatorial provinces of Africa (1874-76); resigned
because thwarted in suppression of slave trade; returned as
governor general of Sudan, equatorial provinces, and Red Sea
littoral (1877-80); established communications, developed
natural resources, and suppressed slave trade. On overwhelming
disaster to Hicks Pasha' s army at hands of the Mahd*, sent to
rescue Egyptian garrisons in Sudan preparatory to its
abandonment (1884); reappointed governor general; by intention
or not, failed to evacuate Khartoum before it came under siege
by forces of the Mahd*(Feb. 1884); killed in fall of Khartoum
(Jan. 1885), becoming in popular view a hero and martyr.
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