Under heavy fire from Ansar warriors on the bank, the two steamers turned back downriver. Public opinion would be satisfied with "Chinese Gordon" going to the Sudan, but at the same time, Gordon was given such a limited mandate that the evacuation would proceed as planned. It was removed in 1943. His parents were first cousins, thus making Geoffrey a great-grandson of William IV twice over. Just for the love of it | The Independent | The Independent It arrived two days after the city had fallen and Gordon had been killed. George was born August 4, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois to George and Sophie Gordon. His students and attendees have included people from Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine, Canada, Ireland and all 50 states all of whom traveled to and stayed in Isabella. [39] Unlike Ward and Burgevine, Gordon realised that the network of canals and rivers that divided the Chinese countryside were not obstacles blocking an advance, but were rather "arteries" for allowing an advance as Gordon decided to move his men and supplies via the waterways. GORDON, George Thomas (Ex Fire Control Services) Peacefully at Ellerslie Gardens Resthome on Tuesday 26 April 2016. Second only to his faith, was the great joy George found in his family. Geoffrey FitzClarence, 3rd Earl of Munster - Wikipedia [211] The orders were not obeyed. [93], Reflecting these realities, Gordon had to undertake much of the administrative work himself, travelling ceaselessly and constantly all over the Sudan via camel in attempts to make the bureaucracy actually obey his orders, something that occurred when he was present, but stopped as soon as he left. May you know God's Strength ,Peace and Comfort as you face the days ahead. Gordon L. Arnold Obituary (1982 - 2023) | Batesville, Indiana "[175] Even Wolseley had cause to regret sending Gordon, as the general revealed himself to be a loose cannon whose press statements attacking the Liberal government were "obstructing rather than furthering his plans to take over the Sudan". George was a wise, strong, hardworking, and unfailingly kind man. "[19], Gordon took part in the expedition to Kinburn, and returned to Sevastopol at the war's end. Gordon accepted the offer, but shortly after arriving in India, he resigned. When considering a Mississippi governor's race, I often think of those people who never entered a political election, wishing they had for the state's sake. So shocked and saddened to hear of George's passing. He was present during the capture of Peking and at the destruction of the Summer Palace. [179], Gordon made all of his personal dispatches to London public (there was no Official Secrets Act at the time) in attempts to win public opinion over to his policy, writing on one dispatch: "Not secret as far as I am concerned". You used to tell me darn I can't hide when I used to come to your office with an issue. It is often suggested that that campaign by William Randolph Hearst's paper that led to the US invasion of Cuba in 1898 was the world's first episode of this kind, but the British press deserves these dubious laurels for its actions a full fourteen years earlier". Gordon loved his family, and enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, letting them comb his beautiful white hair and catching them in the "bear trap." He was first and foremost a passionate follower of Jesus Christ and lived his life in humble but firm faith, pressing on towards the upward call he felt from a young age. OBITUARY George M. Gordon June 19, 1947 - September 11, 2022 - September 11, 2022 [178], Gordon commenced the task of sending the women, the children, the sick, and the wounded to Egypt. Wade echoed Hart, writing that Gordon had changed since his last time in China, and was now "unbalanced", being utterly convinced that all of his ideas came from God, making him dangerously unreasonable since Gordon now believed that everything he did was the will of God. Dirk, a tall thin kindly gentleman was a Hebrew and followed the laws of both old and new testaments, observing Passover, the feast of Tabernacles and annual Holy Days on the family farm with other Hebrews. [32] Gordon had heard of the Taiping Rebellion long before he had set sail for China, and he was at first sympathetic towards the Taipings, led by the charismatic madman Hong Xiuquan, who proclaimed himself to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ, viewing them as somewhat eccentric Christians. View Tribute Book. [174], The Mahdi ended his letter with the remark: "I am the Expected Mahdi and I do not boast! Given that Gordon himself in his interview with Stead had stated: "The moment it is known that we have given up the game, every man will go over to the Mahdi", his decision to reveal that the Egyptians were pulling out remains inexplicable. [96], The Khedive asked for Gordon to succeed Baker as the governor of Equatoria province that comprised much of what is today South Sudan and northern Uganda. My sincerest condolences to the Gordon family for their loss. George Gordon Obituary - The Indianapolis Star George was a wise, strong, hardworking, and unfailingly kind man. [94] Because the Egyptian troops at Suakin were repeatedly defeated, a British force was sent to Suakin under General Sir Gerald Graham, which drove the rebels away in several hard-fought actions. [89] As the attempts of his grandfatherMuhammad Ali the Greatto depose the ruling Ottoman family in favour of his own family had failed due to the opposition of Russia and Britain, the imperialistic Ismai'il had turned his attention southwards and was determined to build an Egyptian empire in Africa, planning on subjugating the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa. Gordon himself was honest and incorruptible, but he was almost alone in possessing these qualities, and the venal and corrupt Egyptian bureaucrats usually ignored his orders when they conflicted with the chance to make money. To slow down the Ansar assaults, Gordon built primitive landmines out of water cans stuffed with dynamite and to confuse the enemy about his numbers, he put up wooden dummies in uniform along the walls of Khartoum facing the Blue Nile. The English uniform produces an immediate sensation". [118], Gordon carried no weapons except for his rattan cane (though the bashi-bazouks were armed with rifles and swords), but Gordon showed utterly no fear while his interpreter and the bashi-bazouks were visibly nervous as the rebels numbered about 3,000. [222], Egypt had been in the French sphere of influence until 1882 when the British had established control over Egypt. Ever since the realisation of the sacrament, I have been turned upside down". In defiance of those instructions, after evacuating about 2,500 civilians he retained a smaller group of soldiers and non-military men. Ye are men, not women. Gordon then returned to Khartoum, and went again into Darfur to suppress the slave traders. [201] A note written by Gordon and dated 14 December was sent out by a messenger from Khartoum, who reached Wolseley's army on 30 December 1884. The British sinologist Demetrius Charles Boulger published a biography of Gordon in 1896 which depicted him as a staunch patriot and a Christian of immense virtue who displayed superhuman courage in the face of danger. [6], As a teenager and an army officer cadet, Gordon was known for his high spirits, a combative streak, and tendency to disregard authority and the rules if he felt them to be stupid or unjust, a personality trait that held back his graduation by two years when teachers decided to punish him for flouting the rules. [115], In 1876, Egypt went bankrupt. (for "Murderer of Gordon"). Ward was killed in the Battle of Cixi and his successor H. A. Burgevine, an American, was disliked by the Imperial Chinese authorities. Earth's joys grow very dim, its glories have faded". He was predeceased by Beverly Fletcher, his first wife of 35 years, his parents, three brothers, four sisters and one granddaughter. [248], Long after his death, and despite the popularity of Strachey's essay in Eminent Victorians, the appeal of the Gordon legend lived on. In all the cities of Egypt, it will be felt that what the Mahdi has done, they may do; and, as he has driven out the intruder, they may do the same. The B.C. Let them take an idea into their heads and nothing will take it out. [43] Under fire from the Taiping forces, Gordon's men chopped up the wooden stakes the Taipings had placed in the canal, thereby allowing Gordon to outflank the main Taiping defence line and to enter the main canal connecting Quinsan to Suzhou. [181], The advance of the rebels against Khartoum was combined with a revolt in the eastern Sudan. [95] The younger Russell was described by his own father as an alcoholic and spendthrift who "was beyond help" as it was always the "same story-idleness, self-indulgence, gambling, and constant promises" broken time after time, leading his father to get him a job in the Sudan, where his laziness infuriated Gordon to no end. George will be deeply missed by everyone, especially his grandchildren. Queen Victoria sent him a telegram of rebuke which found its way into the press. Nancy, Pallbearers will be some of Gordon's beloved nephews. Jackie was born April 7, 1944, to Rudy . [184] One Cabinet minister wrote: "The London newspapers and the Tories clamor for an expedition to Khartoum, the former from ignorance, the latter because it is the best model of embarrassing us Of course it is not an impossible undertaking, but it is melancholy to think of the waste of lives and the treasure which it must involve". [87] In the Ottoman Empire, power was exercised via a system of institutionalised corruption where officials looted their provinces via heavy taxes and by demanding kickbacks known as baksheesh; some of the money went to Constantinople with the rest being pocketed by the officials. [51], A furious Gordon wrote that executing POWs was "stupid", writing, "if faith had been kept, there would have been no more fighting as every town would have given in". View obituary. Fri,03/03/23-11:56AM, 38 Reads. [112] Gordon agreed to return to Cairo, and was asked to take the position of Governor-General of the entire Sudan, which he accepted. Asher concludes: "He did not save the country from invasion or disaster, but among the British heroes of all ages, there is perhaps no other who stands out so prominently as an individualist, a man ready to die for his principles. [172], After arriving in Khartoum, Gordon announced that on the grounds of honour, he would not evacuate Khartoum, but rather, would hold the city against the Mahdi.
