"Beyond the Reach of Empire: Wolseley's Failed ..." Topic

…Campaign to Save Gordon and Khartoum.

"In the early 1880s the Mahdi unleashed a spectacularly successful jihadist uprising against Egyptian colonial rule in the Sudan. Early in1884 Cairo bowed to British pressure to withdraw. Beyond the Reach of Empire describes how Major General Charles Gordon was despatched to evacuate Khartoum and turn the Sudan over to self-rule. It goes on to explain how and why the mission backfired, and then homes in on Sir Garnet Wolseley s planning and execution of the long-delayed Gordon Relief Expedition which arrived, according to popular myth, only two days after the city had fallen and Gordon had been killed. Colonel Mike Snook s narrative is characterized by scrupulous attention to detail, an instinctive grasp of the period, and an intimate understanding of its setting. The author argues compellingly that the Khartoum campaign was mismanaged from the outset. The outcome is the exoneration of Colonel Sir Charles Wilson, the man cast in the role of scapegoat, and an indictment of Wolseley s generalship over the course of the last and most deeply flawed campaign of his career."

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Anyone has read this book?
If the answer is yes, comments please?

Amicalement
Armand

It's a very good book. I wish there had been more information on the actual siege at Khartoum but that was not the author's focus. It was very satisfying to read a thorough vindication of Col. Charles Wilson's efforts to reach Khartoum, as Lord Wolseley and his adherents unfairly cast a shadow upon Wilson's reputation.

"Beyond the Reach…" is different from Col. Snook's previous , "Go Strong Into the Desert." The latter is chock-a-block full of illustrations and photographs, including photos taken by the author at the sites of several famous battles. "Beyond the Reach…" is a more typically structured history book that is just text. There might be a a few pages of illustrations but I can't remember and the book is packed up as we prepare for a renovation.

If you're interested in the campaigns in the Sudan you'll probably enjoy this book a lot.

Many thanks my friend!.

Amicalement
Armand

You're more than welcome! Happy reading.

"Beyond" is a great, in-depth examination of how a Victorian colonial campaign developed, from conception to execution. At this level of detail, Col. Snook focuses on just the Desert Column for the majority of the book, and that is a very successful approach. If you want the nitty gritty of the action, this is a great source. And it includes all those wonderful, often revisionist insights that Snook is so well known for.