[Sparta]

If you want on or off the Western Civilization Military History ping list.

[Asclepius]

... "The valiant blacks prepared themselves with delight to meet the shock, notwithstanding the overwhelming numbers of the enemy"- Winston Churchill ...

Churchill, in his book The River War, also praises the defenders of Obdurman for their bravery and strategy in the field. Their only mistake, writes Churchill, is that they underestimated the range and power and accuracy of the more modern weapons the British carried with them.

[Argus]

Chinese Gordon bump.

[gridlock]

I'll get on that list!

[Sparta]

Traditional West vs the Religion of Peace ping!!!

[Fiddlstix]

Good Article

[MoGalahad]

Thanks, Sparta. It does my heart good to read about men who valued honor above gain. Please keep me on the list if I am already on it and if not please place me on it.

Be good and live free,
MoGalahad

[walkingdead]

Put me on that ping list if you don't mind. Thanks.

[Andy Ross]

My Early Life: W.S.Churchill 1930

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can heartily recommend it.

His description of his own part in this particular battle is very well written, and has stuck in my mind. He was involved in a cavalry charge, and was not at all bashful about describing his own confusion in this fight.

Just a short note of another part of this book that I recall. Shortly after this battle, he was on a ship home, or maybe to another posting. He wrote a section about how he had to donate portion of skin from his forearm to help an injured comrade. His description made it sound excruciating.

Andrew

[LS]

The amazing thing about this battle, RE "Carnage and Culture," is that the Muslims had relatively modern weapons---at least rifles and some cannons. But not one Madhist got within 30 yards of the British squares. Only when the 17th lancers charged out of the square, thinking that the battle was over, did they run into a gully where the dervishes laid a trap. (This was Curchill's unit).

Naturally, the best painting of this battle was the near massacre of the 17th Lancers---something about the Brits, they always save their best art for the defeats (Balaclava, Isandlwana).

[45Auto]

An interesting aside (to movie buffs) was that this little episode in British colonial history was more or less chronicled in the novel "The Four Feathers" by A.E.W. Mason. A number of movie versions based on this book were made, the best (in my opinion) being the 1939 version directed by Zoltan Korda. There has been a very recent re-make this year, which is not too bad, either. Serious students of history might not be impressed, however.

[Maedhros]

You gotta hate Kitchener. He was the butcher responsible for introducing the modern world to concentration camps, in the form of disease ridden slaughterhouses for Boer women and children. The British were definitely on the wrong side of that conflict: the Boers were completely justified in their self defense against the arrogant British imperialists.

BTW, how did the British get gunboats up the Nile? What about the cataracts?

[river rat]

Bump, for a hell of a story..
Semper Fi

[F-117A]

Please add me to the WCMH list!

[MattinNJ]

Another excellent post sparta. If you're not careful you may develop a cult following amongst us testosterone laden FReepers.

May I suggest the Siege of Malta (1568?)for a future post. There's a great book by Ernle Bradford about the battle but you may be able to find a shorter article about how the vastly outnumbere Knights of Saint John withstood a massive siege by the religion of piece.

Another suggestion would be the exploits of Decatur along the Barbary Coast.

[CapandBall]

Great! please add me to the Western Civilization Military History ping list.

[Consort]

Lord Kitchener

[Grizzly Bear]

Ad me to your ping list, Sparta. Great stuff here, thanks.

Grizz

[Eternal_Bear]

"They say it was a shocking site

After the field was won:

for many thousand bodies were

Lay rotting in the sun:

But things like that, you know must be

After a famous victory."

Robert Southey

[witnesstothefall]

If you want on or off the Western Civilization Military History ping list.

I want on. Thx.