The Return of Gordon to Sudan

In January 1884, after a grueling week of travel, Major-General Charles Gordon arrived in Cairo, where he met with Khedive Tewfik and Sir Evelyn Baring. His mission: to evacuate Egyptian forces from Sudan amid the growing threat of the Mahdist uprising. Unable to reach Khartoum via the Red Sea due to Mahdist control over Suakin, Gordon traveled up the Nile by steamer, determined not to surrender Sudan to the Mahdi without resistance.

Upon arrival, Gordon attempted diplomacy, offering the Mahdi a governorship in Kordofan and sending gifts—a red ceremonial robe and a fez—as a gesture of goodwill. The Mahdi, however, rejected these overtures, instead sending Gordon a jibba (a patched Sufi robe) and demanding his conversion to Islam. This exchange revealed the Mahdi’s unyielding resolve, marking him as a formidable adversary unlike the corrupt officials and slavers Gordon had dealt with years earlier.

The Defense of Khartoum

On February 18, 1884, Gordon entered Khartoum to cheering crowds. Immediately, he set about reforming the city’s administration: abolishing oppressive laws, increasing food supplies, releasing unjustly imprisoned individuals, and burning debt records and torture instruments. Yet his declaration that his primary goal was to withdraw all Egyptian personnel and troops dismayed local merchants, who had hoped for British military intervention. Many defected to the Mahdi, weakening Gordon’s position.

Recognizing that a Mahdist victory would devastate Sudan and threaten Egypt, Gordon proposed installing Zubayr Pasha—a former slaver under house arrest in Cairo—as governor to stabilize the region. The British government, horrified by the suggestion, rejected it outright. Meanwhile, Mahdist forces encircled Khartoum, cutting telegraph lines and isolating Gordon.

The Siege Intensifies

By September, Khartoum’s situation grew dire. A failed military sortie cost Gordon nearly 1,000 troops, and dwindling supplies forced desperate measures—eating dogs, donkeys, and even boiled leather. Despite this, Gordon refused to abandon the city, sending his deputy, Colonel Stewart, to seek help. Stewart’s mission ended in disaster when his steamer wrecked, and his party was massacred.

Back in Britain, public pressure mounted on Prime Minister Gladstone to act. Reluctantly, he authorized a relief expedition under General Garnet Wolseley. However, logistical delays—debates over routes, slow-moving whaleboats, and unruly Canadian voyageurs—meant the rescue force would arrive too late.

The Fall of Khartoum

On January 26, 1885, Mahdist forces stormed Khartoum. Gordon, awaiting reinforcements that would never come, was killed on the steps of the governor’s palace. Two days later, Wolseley’s advance guard reached the city—only to find it fallen.

Legacy of the Siege

Gordon’s death became a symbol of British imperial martyrdom, galvanizing public opinion and shaping future colonial policy in Africa. The Mahdi’s victory, though short-lived (his state collapsed after his death in 1885), demonstrated the power of religiously inspired resistance against European powers.

The siege remains a poignant chapter in colonial history—a clash of ideologies, leadership, and the brutal realities of empire. Gordon’s defiance and the British government’s hesitation underscore the complexities of intervention, leaving a legacy that resonates in modern discussions of military strategy and moral responsibility.