General Gordon’s career with the British Government began first as private secretary to the Viceroy to India, Lord Ripon, a position lasting for two days. He moved to Beijing and then back to England in order to help the South African Government fight the Basutos .This was followed by a stint in Mauritius as an officer in the Royal Engineers. In 1882 he was in the strange position of being a Major General with no employment so he applied for a year’s leave of absence in order to study the bible in Palestine. On leave in England he was approached by the Government and asked to go to the Sudan, not as a military commander but as a source of information sending in reports regarding the political and military situation.

"Her Majesty’s Government wants you to understand this Government is determined to evacuate The Sudan, for they will not guarantee future government. You will go and do it."

Gordon replied "yes" to which Wolesley replied "go in."

Inside he faced Lord Granville, the minister Hartington, and two other ministers. One of them curtly asked:

"Did Wolesley tell you our ideas?"

"Yes" replied Gordon. "You will not guarantee future government of Sudan and you want me to evacuate it."

So began the most momentous part of this mans history.

On the 13th of March the tribes to the north of Khartoum arose blocking Gordon’s supply line to the Nile. For ten months a silence descended upon the Sudan. In England it was known that Gordon was in Khartoum and that it had not yet fallen. An entry in Gordon's diary shortly before his death speaks volumes regarding his state of mind. "At least we don't have to worry about THAT any more" he wrote in reference to his knowledge of the imminent fall of the city his own probable death.

General Gordon was a devout Christian given to bleak periods of depression. He would lock himself in a room with a bible and a bottle of Scotch whiskey, leaving instructions that he was not to be distrurbed. After many hours he would emerge a changed man, completely free of depression.

A less devout person would no doubt have left the city when so ordered by the British government. Gordon instead followed his inner convictions, putting his religious convictions above his instructions from London.

In addition to being an avid Christian he was know to read the works of the soldier emperor Marcus Aurelius and in fact there is a foot note to this effect in one of the most recent translations stating that as he could no longer love his fellow man or the lord was content to have his life curtailed.

Emin Pasha
Eduard Schnitzer was a German national who worked on behalf of the British government On his conversion to Islam he took the name Emin. In 1875, he entered the service of the Egyptian government as a military doctor under General Gordon. In 1878, he was named governor of the Egyptian Equatorial Province as Gordon's successor to this province and given the title 'Bey', (Turkish for chieftain). During the Mahdi's revolt he had been in communication with his friend William Junker the industrialist and so kept in touch with his base at Zanzibar. When informed of a relief expedition led by Henry Morton Stanley was on its way he had replied by telegram: "if any one thinks that I am about to abandon the place where I have as doctor, researcher, and leader put in so much work they have greatly erred".

The relief expedition lost two thirds of its complement traveling up the Congo River in order to rescue him,the famous American explorer Stanley finally met Emin in 1888. They spent a year in argument and indecision. During this time he was imprisoned at the settlement of Dufile by troops who had mutinied. Finally persuaded to leave they both made for the west coast arriving at Bagamoyo in 1890. Emin then fell from a balcony during a celebration forcing Stanley to leave Africa without him.

Drawn again to Africa and the place of his adopted religion, this time in German service to be killed by slave traders at Kinene. A man of strong religious conviction he, like Gordon, was loathe to abandon his charges.

------------

About the author: Read Mike Haran's essays on history at http://www.geocities.com/manzikertca/

Email: manzikertca@yahoo.com

Comment on this article here!

------------

All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal).

	Web useless-knowledge.com