george gordon obituary

Second only to his faith, was the great joy George found in his family. Grief Support. [40] In Sudan, Sudanese historians have traditionally focused on the Mahdi and his rebellion, with Gordon only being relevant as the enemy general during the Siege of Khartoum, and his abolitionist work largely ignored. [203], In 1982, a documentary on Gordon's life was written and presented by the actor and historian Robert Hardy, entitled "Gordon of Khartoum". Tablet indicates where General Gordon was killed, Jan. 25, 1885", "Khartoum: blackface Olivier scrapes the bottom of some macabre barrels", "The Political Martyr: General Gordon and the Fall of Kartum", The Journals of Major-Gen. C. G. Gordon, C.B., at Kartoum, Newspaper clippings about Charles George Gordon, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_George_Gordon&oldid=1142434977, Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, Gordon of Khartoum, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 10:23. [96] Gordon was not impressed with the forces of the Egyptian state. [83] Popular legend has it that Gordon and Gessi broke into the pasha's palace at night to rescue the girl, but the truth is less dramatic. [12], Gordon was first assigned to construct fortifications at Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales. [2] All of Gordon's brothers also became Army officers. In New York, Paris, and Berlin, pictures of Gordon appeared in shop windows with black lining as all over the West, the fallen general was seen as a Christ-like man who sacrificed himself resisting the advance of Islam. [192] Gordon's armoured steamers continued to sail in and out of Khartoum with little difficulty for the first six months of the siege, and it was not until September 1884 that the armoured steamers first had trouble reaching the city. [32] He arrived at Tianjin in September 1860. It was removed in 1943. The Sudan was judged to be not worth the huge financial costs it would have taken to conquer it, the same conclusion that the Liberals had reached. [68], Every year, Gordon gave away about 90% of his annual income of 3,000 (equivalent to 351,000 in 2021) to charity. [69], King Leopold II then asked Gordon again to take charge of the Congo Free State. I miss you my dear George; emailing you in the morning about orders was a norm thing but now getting answers from someone else using your email address feels really weired. [131] Gordon's very strong religious feelings led him to devote much time and money to charity both at home and abroad and he was well-known for sticking Christian tracts onto city walls and to throw them out of a train window. [192] Nutting wrote that Gordon "could have withdrawn at almost any moment between March and May" if only he had been willing. Those wishing to make a donation in memory of George are asked to consider Compassion Canada. Gordon William Hatley - LeClair Cremation Centre, Midland. He was predeceased by Beverly Fletcher, his first wife of 35 years, his parents, three brothers, four sisters and one granddaughter. We will remember him forever. Let them take an idea into their heads and nothing will take it out. [52], Instead, the Ever Victorious Army was given the task of taking the secondary cities of Yesing, Liyang, and Kitang. [12], Reference is made to an 1889 account of the General surrendering his sword to a senior Mahdist officer, then being struck and subsequently speared in the side as he rolled down the staircase. [98], After a short stay in Cairo, Gordon proceeded to Khartoum via Suakin and Berber. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890 and then erected in Brompton Barracks, Chatham, the home of the Royal School of Military Engineering, where it still stands. [191] Khartoum was surrounded by the Ansar in March 1884, but was not cut off from the outside world for a considerable time afterward. Whether religion or vanity, or the softening of the brain I don't know, but he seems to be alternatively arrogant and slavish, vain and humble, in his senses and out of them. [228], News of Gordon's death caused an outpouring of public grief across Britain. [13] He attended diverse congregations, including Roman Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist. The relief force, under the command of Gordon's old friend, Field Marshal Sir Garnet Wolseley, was not ready until November 1884. [87], The French-educated Isma'il Pasha greatly admired Europe as the model for excellence in everything, being an especially passionate Italophile and Francophile, saying at the beginning of his reign: "My country is no longer in Africa, it is now in Europe". [253], Strachey, a member of the Bloomsbury Group of intellectuals, depicted Gordon as a ludicrous figure, a bad-tempered, deranged egomaniac with a nasty habit of knocking out Arabs whenever he was unhappy, and who led himself into disaster. [184] The British government had decided to abandon the Sudan, but it was clear that Gordon had other plans, and the public increasingly called for a relief expedition. [229][230], Statues were erected in Trafalgar Square, London, in Chatham, Gravesend, Melbourne (Australia), and Khartoum. [93], Gordon remained in the Equatoria province until October 1876. An expedition was sent up the White Nile, under Sir Samuel Baker, which reached Khartoum in February 1870 and Gondokoro in June 1871. Exhausted, he resigned and returned to Europe in 1880. He was Ozark County's first National Merit Scholar winner. [43] Gordon always preferred to outflank the Taiping lines rather than to take them on frontally, an approach that caused much tension with his counterparts in the Chinese Imperial Army who did not share Gordon's horror at the huge numbers of casualties caused by frontal assaults. file size: 2 MB. Major-General Charles George Gordon CB (28 January 1833 26 January 1885), also known as Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British Army officer and administrator. [201] However, Faught wrote that there was a fundamental difference between Gordon and the Mahdi in that Gordon never tried to convert the Muslims of the Sudan to Christianity whereas the Mahdi was an "Islamic extremist" who believed he would establish a worldwide caliphate, looking forward to the day when he would "see the world bow before him". [170], Gladstone felt that this was a deft political move. [51] In China, the penalty for rebellion was death. Among his best-known works are the lengthy narratives Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage; many of his shorter lyrics in . [4] For the same services, he was appointed a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the Government of France on 16 July 1856. [199] The American historian Cynthia Behrman wrote that the articles all commented upon "Gordon's religious faith, his skill with native peoples, his fearlessness in the face of danger (a recurrent motif is Gordon's habit of leading his troops into battle armed with no more than a rattan cane), his honor, his resourcefulness, his graciousness to subordinates, his impatience with cant and hypocrisy, his hatred of glory and honors, his dislike of lionization and social rewards, and on and on. My heart breaks for George's family because we went through the same not too long ago with my own George.. [51], On 1 January 1864, Gordon was informed that a messenger from the Tongzhi Emperor was coming to see him and that he should put on his finest uniform. (for "Murderer of Gordon"). Gordon visited the Seychelles in the summer of 1881 and decided the islands were the location of the Garden of Eden. [164], Stead published his interview on 9 January 1884, on the front page of the Pall Mall Gazette alongside an editorial of his titled, "Chinese Gordon for the Sudan". Loved husband of Betty for 66 years. [37] After its surrender, Gordon personally guaranteed that any Taiping rebel who laid down his arms would be humanely treated. The system remained the same creaking slow, utterly corrupt, and oppressive apparatus trampling down ordinary people that it had always been. He was born January 1, 1942 in Indianapolis to the late Lester Gordon and Helen Waldron Gordon. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at the Jurrens Funeral Home in George, IA with Pastor Jeremy Winter, officiating. I am coming. Rick and Karen Stainthorpe. Gordon granted Powers privileged access and in return, Powers started to write a series of popular articles for The Times depicting Gordon as the solitary hero taking on a vast horde of fanatical Muslims. Some of the voyageurs who arrived in Egypt turned out to be lawyers led by an alderman from Toronto who wanted to see "the fun" of war and were useless as boatmen. 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. He attended schools in Ferndale and Eureka, CA. He received no reply as the king had gone southwards to fight with the Shoa. Under the Chinese system of familial responsibility, all family members of a rebel were equally guilty even if they had nothing to do with the rebellious individual's acts. Cremation has taken place. In 1869, Isma'il spent 2 million Egyptian pounds (the equivalent to $300 million U.S. dollars in today's money) just on the party to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal, in what was described as the party of the century. In 1874, he built the station at Dufile on the Albert Nile to reassemble steamers carried there past rapids for the exploration of Lake Albert. The Khedive Isma'il was deposed in 1879 in favour of his son, Tewfik, by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul-Hamid II following heavy diplomatic pressure from the British, French, and Italian governments after Isma'il had quarreled with Baring. [40], Gordon was honest and incorruptible, and unlike many Chinese officers, did not steal the money that was meant to pay his men, but rather insisted on paying the Ever Victorious Army on time and in full. I wish his family peace and beautiful memories. Following the destruction of Hicks's army, the Liberal Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, decided that the Sudan was not worth the trouble it would take to keep, and that the region should be abandoned to the Mahdi. [174] Gordon sent a telegram to Khartoum reading: "Don't be panic-stricken. [192], Gordon had a low opinion of his enemy, writing that the Ansar besieging him were "some 500 determined men and some 2,000 rag-tag Arabs". Gordon agreed with Lord Elgin that after the Chinese authorities had murdered a group of British and French officers travelling under a white flag to parley that a reprisal was in order, but called the burning of the Summer Palace "vandal-like" and informed his sister in a letter that "it made one's heart sore" to burn it. [167], In 1880, the Liberals had won the general election on a platform of overseas retrenchment, and Gladstone had put his principles into practice by withdrawing from the Transvaal and Afghanistan in 1881. [102] Faught argued that since no one else who knew Gordon in Equatoria described him in these terms, and given that Gordon's accusation that Chaill-Long was a spy for Aiyub Pasha seems to be justified, that Chaill-Long was engaging in character assassination as an act of revenge. He was a manager of mine for a small while and I will always remember how kind and easy going he was.. and his memorable laugh, Always there 2023 Christensen Salmon Generations Funeral Home. He was born in Fortuna, CA 75 years ago to Winton and Evelyn Chase Gordon. These aims eluded him.[93][114]. With Egypt under British rule, the British also inherited the problems of Egypt's colony, the Sudan, which the Egyptians were losing control of to the Mahdi. By September 1882, the Egyptian position in the Sudan had grown perilous. [218] Critics said Gladstone had neglected military affairs and had not acted promptly enough to save the besieged Gordon. [155] He accepted and returned to London to make preparations, but soon after his arrival, the British requested that he proceed immediately to the Sudan, where the situation had deteriorated badly after his departure another revolt had arisen, led by the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed. In Khartoum, Gordon attended a dinner with the Governor-General, Ismail Aiyub Pasha, entertained with barely dressed belly dancers whom one of Gordon's officers drunkenly attempted to have sex with, leading to a disgusted Gordon walking out, saying he was shocked that Aiyub allowed these things to happen in his palace. In both cases, naval power was the key factor, as gunboats in the Red Sea and on the Nile provided a degree of firepower with which the Ansar could not cope. The relief was successfully accomplished and Gordon quickly won the respect of his troops. View obituary. [3] He was educated at Fullands School in Taunton, Taunton School, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. The "Ever-Victorious Army" resumed its high tempo advance, leading to the Battle of Changzhou, and culminating in the capture of Changzhou Fu, the principal military base of the Taipings in the region. George Gordon of Isabella, Mo died in his wife's arms at his farm August 30 and was buried that same day in the family cemetery on the farm. Login or Sign-up to show all important data, death records and obituaries absolutely for free! Gordon wrote in his diary: "The HOUR GLASS BROKEN" and predicted that the war would soon be won. [208] On the evening of 24 January 1885, the Mahdi met with his generals, whose leading spokesman was his uncle Muhammad Abd al-Karim, who told him that, with the Nile low and Wolseley close, it was time to either storm Khartoum or retreat. [120], Gordon returned south and proceeded to Harrar, south of Abyssinia, and, finding the administration in poor standing, dismissed the governor. A memorial service will be held in Isabella during the feast of Tabernacles in October for both Dirk and George. In 1904, it was moved to Khartoum, where it stood at the intersection of Gordon Avenue and Victoria Avenue, 200 metres south of the new palace that had been built in 1899. Born in the Manse of Urquhart, Morayshire, on 23rd July, 1801, the son of the late Eev. If you are having trouble, click Save Image As and rename the file to meet the character requirement and try again. [189] Gordon had a low opinion of the Egyptian, Turkish, and Arab Sudanese troops under his commandwhom he constantly described as a mutinous, badly disciplined, and ill-trained rabble good only for looting but had a much higher opinion of his Black Sudanese soldiers, most of them former slaves who would rather die fighting as free men than live as slaves again; it was well known that the Mahdi's forces were going to enslave the Blacks of Khartoum once they took the city. Send Flowers. After he arrived in Britain, Gordon announced to the press that he "did not want to board the tram of the world" and asked to be left alone. [135] The British diplomat Thomas Francis Wade reported, "The Chinese government still holds Gordon Pasha in high regard", and were anxious to have him back to fight against Russia if war should break out. [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. Gordon's charitable work for the boys of Gravesend led to assertions later in the 20th century that he was a homosexual. So shocked and saddened to hear of George's passing. He will be lovingly remembered by Sybil, his wife of the past 32 years; his children Dale (Afton) of Las Vegas, Holly of Edmonton, Donald (Vivian) of Red Deer, Kenneth (Beverly) of Red Deer and Lorraine (Dick) Brantner of Wrentham, as well as numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. [238], The Corps of Royal Engineers, Gordon's own Corps, commissioned a statue of Gordon on a camel. [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. Share Your Memories and Sympathies and Join the Bereaved! [14], When the Crimean War began, Gordon was assigned to his boyhood home of Corfu, but after several letters to the War Office, he was sent to the Crimea instead. [62] Together with Mrs. Sarah Mackley, his housekeeper, he adapted two rooms at Fort House to serve as classrooms and basic needs resource rooms for boys living on the streets. When your purchase is complete, a post will be made on the tribute wall of the deceased signifying the planting of a memorial tree. "[129] Gordon was an ardent Christian cosmologist, who also believed that the Garden of Eden was on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles. [102], Gordon had succeeded in establishing a line of way stations from the Sobat confluence on the White Nile to the frontier of Uganda, where he proposed to open a route from Mombasa. Gordon assured the people of Khartoum in a speech delivered in his rough-hewn Arabic that the Mahdi was coming with his Army of Islam marching under their black banners, but to have no fear as here he would be stopped. Very sorry to hear of his passing. You will receive email notifications when changes are made to the online memorial, including when family and friends post to the Guestbook. Wayland - Lorraine A. Dill, 94 years of age, passed away Saturday afternoon February 25, 2023 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Send Flowers: When Is the Ordering Deadline? [172], Owing to the fact that his Turkish and Egyptian (and many Sudanese) troops were Muslim, Gordon refrained in public from describing his battle with the Mahdi as a religious war, but Gordon's diary showed he viewed himself as a Christian champion fighting against the Mahdi just as much for God as for his nation. In the words of the American historian Immanuel C. Y. Hsu, Gordon was a "man of action" unsuitable for a bureaucratic job. Such a kind and calm person. Many of Gordon's papers were saved and collected by his two sisters, Helen Clark Gordon, who married Gordon's medical colleague in China, Dr. Moffit, and Mary Augusta, and possibly his niece Augusta, who married Gerald Henry Blunt. [27] Gordon continued surveying, marking off the boundary into Asia Minor. [138], Gordon informed the Foreign Office that he was willing to renounce his British citizenship and take Chinese citizenship as he would not abandon Li and his other Chinese friends should a Sino-Russian war begin. Dirk was an avid photographer and winner of awards, and a law school instructor working right up to the time of his death. George Gordon 1925 - 2021 BORN 1925 DIED 2021 ABOUT Cornell University FUNERAL HOME Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Service 4291 Cascade Road SE Grand Rapids, MI GEORGE GORDON OBITUARY George H.. I would feel so bad but he was always so patient and easy going. Nephew to John and Delcie Moriarty, Jim Moriarty (late Brenda), Lorraine Hatley (late Bill). In 1877, he wrote in a letter: "This life is only one of a series of lives which our incarnated part has lived. [10] The sappers were an elite corps who performed reconnaissance work, led storming parties, demolished obstacles in assaults, and undertook rear-guard actions in retreats and other hazardous tasks. Gordon C. Shaffer age 98 of George, IA died Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Society in George, IA. Ward was killed in the Battle of Cixi and his successor H. A. Burgevine, an American, was disliked by the Imperial Chinese authorities. George was a wise, strong, hardworking, and unfailingly kind man. During his time in Anatolia, Gordon embraced the new technology of the camera to take what the Canadian historian C. Brad Faught called a series of "evocative photographs" of the people and landscape of Armenia. [193] During this period, Gordon was lionised by the British press, which portrayed him as a latter-day Christian crusader and a saint, a man of pure good, heroically battling the Mahdi, who was depicted as a man of pure evil. May God wrap His mighty arms around each of you at this time! A. [27] Throughout his life, Gordon was always a keen amateur photographer and was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society to honour him for his Armenian photographs. 95 THE REV. To send flowers [123], Gordon then tried another peace mission to Abyssinia. He will also be lovingly remembered by his stepchildren, Sue (Delon) Shurtz of Raymond, Roy (Shannon) West of Hamilton, Ont., Paul (Mary) West of Lacombe, and Beth (Milo) Holthe of Glenwood. [194] Though the telegraph lines to Cairo were cut, Gordon used the remaining telegraph lines to build his own telegraph network within Khartoum linking the men holding the walls of Khartoum to the Governor-General's palace, thus keeping him well-informed of what was happening. [45] The next day, Quinsan fell to the 4th Regiment, which led a proud Gordon to write: "The rebels did not know its importance until they lost it". [65] Another "scuttler" later recalled: "He made me feel, first of all, the meaning of the phrase, the Goodness of God. 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. [227], After the Battle of Omdurman, Kitchener opened a letter from the Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, and for the first time learned the real purpose of the expedition had been to keep the French out of the Sudan and that "avenging Gordon" was merely a pretext. After meeting his old friend, Gordon assured Li that if Russia should attack he would resign his commission in the British Army to take up a commission in the Chinese Army, an action that if taken, risked prosecution under the Foreign Enlistments Act. [29], Gordon was intensely bored with garrison duty in Chatham and often wrote to the War Office, begging them to send him anywhere in the world where British arms were seeing action. Box 297 It was a highly dangerous job that frequently put him under enemy fire, and led to him being wounded for the first time when a Russian sniper put a bullet into him. Beloved husband of the late Sylvia, father of Stan (Rena Singer), adored brother of the late Hilda, Ruth, Lily, Bertha and Celia. [249], As a young man, Winston Churchill shared in the national consensus that Gordon was one of Britain's greatest heroes. Mac Gordon: Governors that might have been. [112] Gordon agreed to return to Cairo, and was asked to take the position of Governor-General of the entire Sudan, which he accepted. [151] After the Battle of El Obeid, Egyptian morale, never high to begin with, simply collapsed, and the black flag of the Mahdi soon flew over many towns in the Sudan. The wound was only slight and Gordon was soon back in action, fighting his last battle at Chang-chou in May 1864. Published on December 13, 2020 Plant a Living Memorial [181], The advance of the rebels against Khartoum was combined with a revolt in the eastern Sudan. Jamie graduated from Baker High School in 1985, where he was a talented and . Gordon Newsam. [37] Given Burgevine's alcoholism, open corruption, and tendency to engage in acts of mindless violence when drunk, the Chinese wanted "a man of good temper, of clean hands, and a steady economist" as his replacement. [206], A particular aspect of Gordon's personality that stood out was his death wish, as everyone who knew him was convinced that he wanted to die. Gordon's willingness to renounce his British citizenship in order to fight with China in the event of war did much to raise his prestige in China. in memory of Gordon Richard George, please visit our floral store. In the article, Stallard pointed to the egalitarianistic attitudes displayed by Gordon towards the Chinese, and argued that if Chinese historians paid closer attention to the activities of Gordon in China, it would improve Anglo-Chinese relations. Gordon". I shall hold on here as long as I can, and if I can suppress the rebellion, I shall do so. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. [146], Gordon compared his plans for rural reform in Ireland to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1833, and ended his letter with the claim that if this was done, the unity of the United Kingdom would be preserved as the Irish would appreciate this great act of justice and the Irish independence movement would cease to exist as "they would have nothing more to seek from agitation". Goodness become to me, through Gordon, the most desirable of ideasWe were under the spell of Gordon's personality. I have a splendid camel-none like it; it flies along and quite astonishes the Arabs". Besides working to end slavery, Gordon carried out a series of reforms such as abolishing torture and public floggings where those opposed to the Egyptian state were flogged with a whip known as the kourbash made of buffalo hide. Anything you need, Im here. 1 Still Hopes Dr, West Columbia, SC 29171. I'm sharing in your sadness as we remember our beloved George. The Mahdi and his followers had been fighting a jihad since 1881 and looked forward to taking on the famous General Gordon as a chance to win glory for Allah. With Egypt bankrupt, the money to carry out the reforms Gordon wanted was not there. [43] At times, Gordon feared that assaults by the Taiping would take the Hyson, but all the attacks were repulsed. [4], In 1843, Gordon was devastated when his favourite sibling, his sister Emily, died of tuberculosis, writing years later, "humanly speaking it changed my life, it was never the same since".

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