"[26], Afterwards, Gordon was sent to delineate the frontier between Ottoman Armenia and Russian Armenia, the highlight of which was tobogganing down Mount Ararat. [165], Stead's interview caused a media sensation and led to a popular clamour for Gordon to be sent to the Sudan. [39] Unlike Ward and Burgevine, Gordon realised that the network of canals and rivers that divided the Chinese countryside were not obstacles blocking an advance, but were rather "arteries" for allowing an advance as Gordon decided to move his men and supplies via the waterways. [184] The Cabinet itself was divided and confused about just what to do about the Sudan crisis, leading to a highly dysfunctional style of decision-making. May peace be with the entire Gordon Family during this sorrowful time. Gordon". 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. The true joy of George's life were his five beloved and oftentimes spoiled grandchildren: Maeve, Emmett, Isla, Felicity, and Nixon. [255] In 1953, the British novelist Charles Beatty published a Gordon biography, His Country was the World: A Study of Gordon of Khartoum, which focused on Gordon's religious faith, but for the first time noted what a tormented figure Gordon was: a man of deeply felt Christian convictions, full of guilt and self-loathing over his own sinfulness and inability to live up to his own impossibly high standards over what a Christian should be and desperately longing to do something to expiate his sinfulness. Ismai'il's Chief of General Staff was the American general Charles Pomeroy Stone, and a number of other veterans of the American Civil War were commanding Egyptian troops. [172] Gordon was well-received by a crowd of about 9,000 during his return to Khartoum where the crowd continually chanted, "Father!" Pallbearers will be some of Gordon's beloved nephews. This man's activity with the scientific knowledge which he possesses is doubtless able to achieve much, but unfortunately, no one backs him up and his orders are badly carried out or altered in such a way as to render them without effect. Peace be upon him. [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. How I look forward to their disbandment". [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. George G. Gordon, 80, of Indianapolis, passed away December 18, 2022. He loved Nancy, his cherished wife of 39 years, as Christ loved the church. [40] Gordon's insistence on paying his men meant that he was always pressing the Imperial government for money, something which often irritated the mandarins who did not understand why Gordon did not just let his men loot and plunder as a compensation for wages. Matters then remained quiet until March 1877, when Gordon proceeded to Massawa, hoping to make peace with the Abyssinians. Send Flowers. I am coming. This Gordon would later use as a reason for staying in Khartoum. [43], Gordon's breakthrough caught the rebel army off guard and caused thousands of the enemy to panic and flee. A memorial service, conducted by the Bishop of Newcastle, was held at St. Paul's Cathedral on 14 March. Would you like to offer George Gordon Rosss loved ones a condolence message? Florida man hit by own vehicle after striking parked tractor-trailer George Gordon Obituary (1952 - 2022) - Acton, NH - Concord Monitor He ran Gordon's Flea Market for over 50 years and was the owner of Gordon's Construction Company. Planting will take place in Spring or Summer of the same year. [56] The British journalist Mark Urban, wrote: "People saw a brave man who acted with humanity in an otherwise ghastly conflict, standing out from the other mercenaries, adventurers, and cut-throats in wanting almost nothing for himself". [69], King Leopold II then asked Gordon again to take charge of the Congo Free State. [219], Many biographies have been written of Gordon, most of them highly hagiographic, such as the one by William Butler. The American historian John Semple Galbraith described Gordon as suffering from "utter boredom" during his time in Mauritius. In a world moving inexorably towards conformity, it would be well to remember Gordon of Khartoum. He is survived by his wife and business partner of 30 years Jackie, whom he loved dearly; by his 5 children; granddaughters Jillianne of Garden City, MO, and Kohl and great granddaughters Ruth and Faith of Cheney, WA. I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers all the time. [218] Critics said Gladstone had neglected military affairs and had not acted promptly enough to save the besieged Gordon. [108] Gordon often personally intercepted slave convoys to arrest the slavers and break the chains of the slaves, but he found that the corrupt Egyptian bureaucrats usually sold the freed Africans back into slavery, and the expense of caring for thousands of freed slaves who were a long away from home burdensome. My thoughts are with his family and his Sterling family who I know will miss him very much. [17] Gordon spent much time in "the Quarries", as the British called their section of the trenches, facing Sevastopol. [59] Gordon disapproved of the forts he was building at the mouth of Thames to guard against a possible French invasion, regarding them as expensive and useless. [93], During the 1870s, European initiatives against the Arab slave trade caused an economic crisis in northern Sudan, precipitating increasing unrest. Charles George Gordon - Wikipedia [193], To keep up morale, Gordon had a military band perform concerts in the central plaza every Friday and Sunday evenings for free, and cast his own decorations for his men. 95 THE REV. [116] Faught wrote that Gordon's plans were "farsighted and humane", but Baring had no interest in Gordon's plans to suspend the interest payments. He was predeceased by : his parents, Charles Ross and Sara Tabener Ross; his siblings, William Ross, Charles Ross and Betsy Ross Meyer; and his siblings-in-law, Delleney Ruff and Melinda Ruff. George Gordon Obituary (2021) - Grand Rapids, MI - Legacy.com [18] The casualties on the Allied side were quite high that day. There was a secret "ultra" faction in the War Office led by Wolseley that felt that the Liberal government was too inclined to withdraw from various places all over the globe at the first sign of trouble, and who were determined to sabotage the withdrawal from the Sudan. [211] The orders were not obeyed. [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". Gordon had gone to the Sudan with high hopes that via his iron will and Christian faith he would defeat the Ottoman-Egyptian system of rule, that he would act as a reformer who would change the system from within to make what was unjust, just, and that he would make things better for the ordinary people of the Sudan. He was born Sept. 12, 1938, in Findlay, to Earl E. and Mary N. (Corron) Folk. JAMIE WYBLE OBITUARY. [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. In his 62nd year, George Gordon passed unexpectedly into the presence of his Lord and Saviour. and, like Lawrence, I have tried to do my duty. I shall hold on here as long as I can, and if I can suppress the rebellion, I shall do so. During his time in Sudan, Gordon was much involved in attempting to suppress the slave trade while struggling against a corrupt and inefficient Egyptian bureaucracy that had no interest in suppressing the trade. Amanda. He was Ozark County's first National Merit Scholar winner. [113], As governor, Gordon faced a variety of challenges. Before I heard of our defeat I heard of this, and I thought, 'THAT will not pass unavenged'. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the greatest of English poets. He is superior in manner and bearing to any of the foreigners whom I have come into contact with, and does not show outwardly that conceit which makes most of them repugnant in my sightWhat an elixir for a heavy heart-to see this splendid Englishman fight! Wade echoed Hart, writing that Gordon had changed since his last time in China, and was now "unbalanced", being utterly convinced that all of his ideas came from God, making him dangerously unreasonable since Gordon now believed that everything he did was the will of God. If you are having trouble, click Save Image As and rename the file to meet the character requirement and try again. Earth's joys grow very dim, its glories have faded". By September 1882, the Egyptian position in the Sudan had grown perilous. [218], Baringwho deeply disliked Gordonwrote that because of the "national hysteria" caused by Gordon's death, saying anything critical about him at present would be equal to questioning Christianity. Wayland - Lorraine A. Dill, 94 years of age, passed away Saturday afternoon February 25, 2023 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. [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". [52] Gordon then returned to Kunshan and disbanded his army in June 1864. [216], In the hours following Gordon's death, an estimated 10,000 civilians and members of the garrison were killed in Khartoum. [60] When the Duke of Cambridge, the Army's commander, visited one of the forts under construction and praised Gordon for his work, he received the reply: "I had nothing to do with it, sir; it was built regardless of my opinion, and, in fact, I entirely disapprove of its arrangement and position". in memory of Gordon Richard George, please visit our floral store.