The River War
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4.2 • 56 Ratings
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Publisher Description
It is a book concerning the experiences of the author as a British Army officer, during the Mahdist War in Sudan. The book provides a history of the British involvement in the Sudan and the conflict between the British forces led by Lord Kitchener and Dervish forces led by Khalifa Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, heir to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad who had embarked on a campaign to conquer Egypt, to drive out the non-Muslim infidels.
Customer Reviews
Read it with a map alongside...
I found the accounts of the battles very detailed and engaging. The level of organization and resourcefulness of the British was amazing to see revealed. Disassembly and reassembly of large watercraft to haul them over cataracts, construction of a full railroad across the desert, and movement of personnel and supplies on these conveyances and in battle were remarkable.
At the same time, it also gave pause to thought regarding the assumptions of European colonialism, the conflicts and competition between both European and African nations and tribes, and the paths taken for resolving them. These are extremely different from today.
What initially drew me to read the books was that it had been written by Churchill, and it provided some insight into him as a person.
Do keep a map on hand. I read it on iPad with the screen split between google maps and an historical map of the period so that I could understand the distances covered and problems encountered.
Worthwhile read.
No stronger retrograde force exists in the world, and these days it keeps pushing onto our civilization like plague.
Extraordinary detail
I just got the book earlier n all the detail in the book is amazing. I am a high schooler trying to read books that describe with non-childish words or phrases. This is just the book I needed thanx