St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-02-19
Gordon.

The most wonderful soldier of for
tune of this age, Maj.-Gen. Charles
George Gordon, is dead. When Khar-
tOum WAS treacherously surrendered to
the Mahdi, Gordon was stabbed as he
was leaving the government house. 1t
was a grave mistake for the Arabs, rs
they will find, for now the English
will undoubtedly conquer the Soudan
and exact heavy recompense for this
murder, = Notwithstanding that they
and Gordon himself had no sort of right
in the country.
GordOn's extraordinary career and
character have fer many years interest
ed great part of the world. He in
herited the qualities of Il fightin G
Scotch ancestry. His great grand
father, David Gordon, was a Highland
soldier under Sir John Cope at Pres
ton Pans in l745, and soldering has
been the profession of every genera
ton since. Charles Gordon was born
in 1880, and was educated at Wool
wich, where he did not distinguish
himself, though it is remembered that
once during his cadetship, being re-
buked for incompetency, he took off
his ''epaulets" $50 the biOgrapher calls
them) and flung them at the feet of the
officer who rebuked him. He first saw
service in the Crimea, as also WOlse-
ley did, fought well, worked well, was
given the Legion of Honor by the
French, and after the war was over he
was assistant commissioner in adjust
ing the new boundaries of Russia.
Turkey and Roumania he spent half
of 1857 in Armenia eliminating the
Asian boundaries, and was sent there
again in 1883 to verify those hOunda
ries. His next notable employment
was in 1860, in the British expedition
against Pekin, and he took part in the
destruction of the Summer palace,
which in a private letter he charac-
terized as ga scene of utter destruction
which passes my description CATER
pillaging.it it," he wrote, eve burned
the whole place, destroying in van
dal-like manner much valuable prop
erty, which could net be replaced for
four millions. You can
scarcely imagine the beauty and mag
nificence of the palaces we burned. 1t
made ones heart sore to burn them
we could not plumber them
carefully. 1t was wretch
eddy demoraiizing work for an Amy.
Everybody was wild for plunder." His
stay in China was prolonged, until, af-
ter considerable work as commander
of British troops against the Tapping
rebels. he entered the service of the
emperor of China in March, 1863. as
of the "Ever Victorious
and suppressed that tremen-
dous rebellion. la this he gained the
of tChinese Gordon by
HI L. l.
The Tapping rebellioR was one of
the most remarkable popular outbreaks
ever known. On his return to
England Lient-Col. Gordon received
the appointment of commanding engi-
neer at Gravesend, and remained there
in charge of the construction of the
defenses until 1871. 1t is said
that this period was the happiest of
his life. He hated nOtoriety, aud could !
not abide praise.
In 1871 he was appointed British I
on the European com
mission of the Danube, and in 1873 he 7
took service with the khedive. sue
ceeding Sir Samuel BakeD as governor
Of the tribes in upper Egypt. Ismail
offered him $50, 900 year, but ne re-
used to accept more than SO 900. The
xhedive announces that the object Of
5ordon's engagement was the suppress
ZION of the slave trade, then rampant
Inder Zebehr Pasha, who had been the
1hedive's ally in acquiring dominion
over that region, Gordon saw through
he khediye's professions, which, he
aid, were "a sham to catch the atten- 4
ion of the English people," bnt he
vent nevertheless, for, said he, 81 val
lie my life as naught, aud should only :
cave much WEAKNESS for perfect
,eace." This sentence Indicates an (
ssential trait of Gordep's character