British Infantryman vs Mahdist Warrior: Sudan 1884–98

Osprey Combat #58

by Ian Knight, Raffaele Ruggeri (Illustrator)

A new study of the battles fought between Queen Victoria's infantry and the formidable Madhist Army in the Sudan, from the Gordon Relief Expedition of 1884–85 to the battles of Atbara and Omdurman in 1898.

In the early 1880s, Britain intervened in independent Egypt and seized control of the Suez Canal. British forces were soon deployed to Egypt's southern colony, the Sudan, where they confronted a determined and capable foe amid some of the world's most inhospitable terrain. In 1881 an Islamic fundamentalist revolt had broken out in the Sudan, led by a religious teacher named Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who proclaimed himself al-Mahdi, "The Guided One." In 1884, Mahdist forces besieged the Sudanese capital of Khartoum; Colonel Charles Gordon was sent to the city with orders to evacuate British personnel, but refused to leave. Although the British despatched a relief column to rescue Gordon, the Mahdists stormed Khartoum in January 1885 and he was killed. British troops abandoned much of the Sudan, but renewed their efforts to reconquer it in the late 1890s, in a bloody campaign that would decide the region's fate for generations. Written by leading expert Ian Knight, this fully illustrated study examines the evolving forces, weapons and tactics employed by both sides in the Sudan, notably at the battles of Abu Klea (January 16–18, 1885), Tofrek (March 22, 1885), and Atbara (April 8, 1898).

Genres: History, Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

Published August 17, 2021

About the author

Ian Knight, BA, FRGS is a historian, author, battlefield guide and artifacts specialist internationally regarded as a leading authority on the nineteenth-century history of the Zulu kingdom, and in particular the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. He has a degree in Afro-Caribbean Studies from the University of Kent and has been researching and writing for more than thirty years. He has published over forty books and monographs, the majority of them on Zulu history and the rest on other nineteenth-century British colonial campaigns. He has appeared on-screen in a number of television documentaries. He is an Honorary Research Associate of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg.

Reviews

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something of a change of pace for Mr. Knight who has focused heavily on the British conflicts that occurred in southern Africa in the 19th century - in particular the Zulu Wars. This time he has traveled to the Sudan in northeastern Africa and the fifteen-year conflict with the Mahdist State. Though he has left his comfort zone his writing is still up to par. Just as his Osprey title Boer Guerrilla vs British Mounted Soldier: South Africa 1880–1902 compliments Thomas Pakenham's seminal work "The Boer War" (1979) this addition to Osprey's "Combat" series goes nice with Michael Asher's work: Khartoum: The Ultimate Imperial Adventure.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for Osprey to add this one to their Combat series and it lived up to my expectations. Ian Knight is in typical form here shedding new light on Victorian conflicts and a good writing style. I was fascinated to learn that the Madhists were experimenting with regular troops and were using sophisticated military organization that forced the British to withdraw in 1884. They were a far cry from the unwashed heathen horde portrayed in movies like Khartoum and the Four Feathers. Although the British won thr battle of Abu Klea it was damn close and could easily have become another Islandawana. Nothing but praise from me on this one

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read quite a bit on the Sudan campaigns but was surprised at the amount of new detail included in this rather slender volume.