The Journals of Major-Gen. C. G. Gordon, C.B., at Kartoum. by C. G. Gordon

Author:C. G. Gordon [Gordon, C. G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-06-15T16:00:00+00:00

A is one mile from river; camp D and E are three to four miles from the river. Of these numbers perhaps there are 3000 to 4000 fighting men, and 600 horsemen to 800 horsemen in the whole lot. There is nothing like being precise in these days, and it saves a deal of talking if one knows a man’s ideas beforehand. If the Expedition comes here before the place falls (which is doubtful), and if the instructions are to evacuate the place at once, and leave Kassala and Sennaar, &c., I will resign, and have nothing more to do with the Government of the place, or of the Soudan; and this I have a perfect right to do, and no one, not even the Soudan troops or people, could say one word. It will depend on circumstances how I shall act in re my commission in Her Majesty’s service (which I do not hold too fast to, seeing any future employment would not be accepted, even if in the very improbable case of its being offered); but I consider that every officer has a right to resign, and if he resigns he is no longer subject to military orders, and is free to go when and where he likes. It may be argued I was named Governor-General “in order to carry out the evacuation of the Soudan, and that I am bound to carry that out, which is quite correct, but I was named for evacuation of Soudan” (against which I have nothing to say), not to run away from Kartoum and leave the garrisons elsewhere to their fate.[245] If it is positively determined on not to look after the garrisons, and not to establish some sort of provisional Government in the Soudan, then the course to pursue is to name a Governor in my place on day of arrival, and carry out with that Governor that policy which, I have already said, is one of very great danger (putting all the other considerations aside). Personally, looking at the matter from a very selfish point of view (and seeing I have done my best to prevent this policy being followed, and am impatient to oppose it), I should be much relieved at this denouement, for I should be in Brussels on 20th January.

I have given 6,000 lbs. of biscuit out to the poor (I expect half will be stolen), and I shall sell to-morrow 90,000 lbs. to the townspeople. I am determined if the town does fall, the Mahdi shall find precious little to eat in it. Two soldiers got hold of the head of a shell-rocket fired by Arabs, and, having nothing better to do, they set to work to open it. It burst, and has nearly killed one, and wounded the other—the effects of curiosity!

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.