The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1885-02-14
Chinese Gordon.

general OF tne province Oh O0ueAan, "HO IL
supposed to have been put to death or te
have fallen fighting when Ell Mahdi cap
tured Khartoum has been one of the mos
remarkable men of his time. The story
Of his life if ever fully written will be 8
volume of thrilling Interest. The follow
ing are the central points of his biography
He was born at Woolwich, England, Jan.
uary %, 1888. His father and long line
of ancestors before him were military
officers and two of his brothers were OF
the same profession. He entered the Royal
Military Academy when he was in his fif-
teenth year and less than five years later
was gazetted a second Lieutenant. In 1855
he first brea thed the atmosphere of war.
On the first day of that yearse landed at
Balaclava and took active part in the Cri-
mean war then in progress. He was
chiefly employed on engineeringduty and,
IN even that unpropitious department for
the display Of gallantry or ability, won a
recommendation for promotion and was
decorated with the Cross of the Legion of
Honor. He won his first lieuenancy and
after the conclusion Of the treaty which
closed that war was detailed to assist the
commission that traced the new Moldavian
boundary under the treaty award. In
1859 he was made captain and in the
year following took part in the English
operations against China which placed
European forces within the walls of Pekin.
At the conclusion of this campaign sur
veying work detained him in China.
Meanwhile he was promoted to the rank
of major. The Tapping insurrechon was
then in full sway in the Chinese provinces
around Shanghai and the English govern
ment was asked to detail one Of its officers
to take charge of the Chinese forces for its
suppression. Major Gordon was recon-
mended and entered upon the work in
1s63-when just thirty years Of age. His
"Ever Victorious Army" consisted of from
5000 to 5,O00-it varied at various times
with which to defeat horde of rebels.
His officers we're mostly European OF
American; 50 were those of the insurgent
army. A writer has thus summarized
Gordon's work: "During tue sixteen
months the Ever Victorious Army was
campaigning under his guidance, it had
taken four cities and dozen more strong
places, fought innumerable battles, put
hors du combat numbers Of the enemy,
moderately estimated at fifteen times its
own, and finding the rebellion vigorous
and aggressive, had left it at Its last gasp,
confined to the ruined capital of the usurp-
er." Gordon won the highest rank in the
Chinese army and from the world the
nickname of eChinese' Gordon which he
has ever since retained. From 1865 to
1871 he was employed at Gravesend in
improving the defenses Of the Thames
While there he devoted his superexuber-
ant activity and natural benevolence to
many charitable works and became great
ly beloved by the lower classes. In the
last named year he was sent to the Danube
to superintend work for the improvement
of its navagability. Three years later the
Khedive Of Egypt wanted governor fol
his Equatorial province which comprised
the whole basin of the Nile from Condo
koro to its source. His duties we're moi
only to govern the turbulent tribes who
laughed at control but to suppress the
slave-trade which just then scandalized
sensitive European nations. He admins
tered affairs eighteen months. During
that time he mapped the White Nile from
Khartoum to its source; he gave to the
slave trade of that region deadly blow
he restored peace and confidence among
the Nile tribes so that they freely tradee
their products; he opened water commu
nication along the whole distance that th'
Nile ran through his province; he estab
lisl,ed peaceful relations with Mtesa, thu
most warlike of the black kings who's
tribes border the Nile valley; he estab
lished government posts with safe com
munication between them; he created ,
revenue without oppression; he proved
himself an administrator as we'll as mil
itary officer. After brief holiday il
1877 he was again commissioned by tn
Khedive, governor-general of the soudan-
4 vast region extending from the Sahara t.
the Red Sea and from Egypt proper to o
south of the EQUATOR country swarminl
with hostile tribes, and bristling with al
most insurmountable natural barriers
During three years he rushed back ant
forth over that vast region, now fighting
now administering affairs, bringing orde
out of chaos, until, disgusted with som
limitation of his power imposed by tn
Khedive, he resigned the thanklass pos
and returned to England, physically brck
en- down. In 1881 he was appointed pri
vate secretary to the vice-regent of Indi
but resigned without service; in the sam
wear he medlated between China and Rus