The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-02-14
The Fall Of Gen. Gordon.
IN. o. Ifeayune.l


Waves Of intensest excitement
rolled over all England Yesterday
in the wake of the startling news
telegraphed from Lord Wolseley's
headquarters on the Nile coucern-
ing Gen. Gordon. The mans fame
when he organized out of demoral.
lied materials the "Ever- VictOri-
ous' army in China, that in less
than eighteen months from the day
he started had recaptured Nan
king, lost twelve years before, was
as nothing compared with what it
is at present. He is a Major Gen
eral in the British army, a Manda.
rim Of the highest order in the SER
vice of China, a Pasha equivalent
in military sense to General and
in civil sense to Governor, as
now used in the service of the
Khedive, and Governor General
of the Soudan and all these dig.
mites were earned years ago. The
interest which hangs on his foot.
steps lately is due to the fact that
the British Government sent him
without an army into the heart of
the Viceroyalty to withdraw the
Egyptian garrisons, relying on his
name and fame to accomplish qui-
etly what no other General would
have dared attempt without heavy
force.
The result has shown that Cor.
don's power, qualifications aud in.
tuence were not over-estimated,
but the character of the rebellion
was under-estimated. The men in
rebellion were semi.nomads, Arabs
never afraid TO die, and fanatical
to an extreme. The men over
whom Gordon's influence extend.
ed were the natives of the Vice
royalty, the Soudanose, neither
armed or drilled, and the Egyp-
tian troops, loyal but cowardly.
He had consequently to coniine
his military operations chiefly to
the defense of his garrisons, and
could not venture safely on much
field work. AS an illustration Of
his difficulties, it may DO recol.
lected that a foraging party of two
hundred of his Egyptians, armed
with rifles, was one day last year
driven from the field by five Arabs
armed only with spears, whose
military achievement consisted in
killing the Egyptian commander, q
black man too brave to run, and
his vail. To ask a general of the
most brilliant order to effect much
with such material would be idle
If Gordon had possessed money
and ammunition ,he could have
eventually organized an effective
army out of Soudanese material
sent his Egyptians down the river
and subdued the insurrection bu'
he had nothing, not even time
The Mahdi, with sound judgment
kept him as closely confined I,
his defenses as he could, and final
ly took Khartoum, no doubt b,
storm, three days before the ar
rival of Col. Wilson with the ad
vance of Lord Wolseley's expedi
tion.
Injustice should not be doue t,
: this man in the hour of his first de
feat. 1t should be remembers,
that the Viceroyalty was wrecke,
after he left the chief command il
January, 1880, and before he re
sumed it in February, 1884. Ill
had subdGed the formidable insur
rection in Darfour. He ha,
brought the war with Abssynia T.
an end. sHe had abolished tn
slave trade as thoroughly as b
could in the face of the silent an,
underhanded opposition which h
: had to face from those whose dut
it was to support him-the author
tiles at Cairo and their officials
He had greatly extended the lin
its of the Viceroyalty, so tha
when he retired from the Govern
or-Generalship the Soudan con
tanned more than q million squar
. miles of territory and moro tha
ten million inhabitants, and ther
was not speck of rebellion. II
= has commanded in the Mauritiu;
, He has commanded the Royal En-
: gineers at Gravesend. lie ha
. helped lay down the new frontier
} of Turkey, Roumania and Russif
! lie has served as British Commits
) sioner in Armenia. lie served /
the Anglo-French war agains
China in 1860. lie explored th
: almost unknown province Q
: Shensi, in the northwest of Chin;
0 He did gallant service in the CIR
' mean war. We have not space T.
/ L. L.