Lot 145
General Gordon - Egypt
Rare Books, Maps & Manuscripts
Auction: 4 September 2013 at 12:00 BST
Description
Autograph letter from General Charles Gordon to his mother, dated 8th August 1860, a month prior to Gordon's arrival in Tianjin, China - the letter is an account of Gordon's cruise through the Gulf of Suez, four manuscript pages on one leaf, 260 x 196mm, partially overwritten by Gordon
Footnote
Note: Charles Gordon received recognition for his efforts during the Crimean War and went on to volunteer in the 'Arrow War' (part of the 'Opium Wars') against the Chinese in September 1860. In 1862, Gordon and his corps of engineers were stationed in Shanghai, with the mission of helping to protect the major trading centre, which was under threat from the Taiping rebellion (a civil war against the Qing Dynasty). After commanding a 3500-strong army of local people to defend the city against the Taiping Uprising, Gordon became known in Britain as 'Chinese Gordon'. Between 1873 and 1880, General Gordon was governor of the province of Equatoria in Sudan. He returned to the area in 1884 as part of an attempt to evacuate Egyptian forces from Khartoum, under threat from Sudanese rebels. The rebels broke into the city in January 1885, killing Gordon.