The River War: A Comprehensive History of the Reconquest of the Sudan

Kevin Dean: Get a map and settle in for an adventure.

United States on Oct 19, 2023

Heiko Vißer: Sehr interessanter Zeitzeugen-Bericht über den historischen Sudan Krieg

Germany on Apr 12, 2022

"rawizantout": Dieses Werk erweckt die Neugier auf mehr nachfolgende Ereignisse...

Germany on Dec 30, 2021

Hunter's (Consignment): One is tempted to draw comparisons with ISIS: A new state is created by Muslim fundamentalists only to be crushed by superior weaponry of the then superpower. But, in this detailed account of the campaign to reunite Sudan with Egypt, Churchill exposes some major differences. Despite “avenge Gordon” and “abolish the slave traders” public pressure, the government was reluctant to take action for a decade. When it did, Churchill explains how the financial burden of Britain restoring Egypt’s southern provinces fell largely on Egypt and the how the resultant conquest was remarkably an Anglo-Egyptian state without either British or Ottoman sovereignty. The military tactics are well described and individual officers named either for bravery or as a casualty. The best bit is towards the end when he describes the Fashoda clash between the UK and France! As one might expect, an elegant read from an accomplished wordsmith.

United Kingdom on May 17, 2021

Joseph Guido: Ever read something that made you feel wholly inadequate in your writing…if not your thinking? I am on my fourth reading of “The River War” and each time I read it, the sheer brilliance and eloquence of Winston Churchill dumbfounds, confounds, and hounds me. Churchill is a man genius and this book, a history written so very early in his life and career at the very end of the 19th Century, give great insight into the man much later in life and career who was to forge some of the greatest decisions and make history in the 20th Century.

“The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan” is magisterial in register, poetic in meter, and completely modern in manner. Magisterial because Churchill speaks from his personal experiences in the War as well as his interactions with other soldiers and leaders, not-to-forget the extensive research Churchill did to cut through the fog and friction of battle to clearly outline the progression of the military campaign and its history. Poetic because Churchill uses a beautiful English, precise syntax, but easy voice throughout—perfectly balanced with care for the ear and an absolute joy to read. Modern because Churchill...

United States on Apr 27, 2019

Mark Butler: Churchills account of the River War, its key players, and the events and circumstances leading up to it, is very well written. His description of the individuals, their achievements, strategies and geography of the area paints vivid pictures in the mind. His use of language is a treat to read, and his understanding of the power of words, the images they produce in ones minds eye, were all evident in these early years of Churchills life.
This book gives a good insight into the history of the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples, the importance of the Nile to the economies of both, and how the conflict unfolded.
I was particularly impressed with the dignified way Churchill describes the finest qualities of the leaders of both sides, particularly the defeated Mahdi and his supporters.

Australia on Aug 02, 2018

Vincent J. Curtis: In The River War, Winston S. Churchill demonstrates his early mastery of the English language, and his ability to write history that is interesting.

Canada on May 20, 2017

Thomas E. Baldwin: The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan was Winston Churchill's second book, long out of print but brought back by print on demand. He was a lieutenant in the 21st Lancers, a British cavalry unit with the Egyptian Army at the Battle of Omdurman in the Sudan on September 2, 1898. This is history made more exciting than adventure fiction by one of the best writers the English language has produced. With a historian's attention to detail, Churchill relates nearly a century of warfare and political maneuvering as Egypt dominated a land mass three times its size containing a thousand miles of the Nile River. Egyptian rule was based on slavery as they taxed their Arab subjects to collect slaves from the black population of the southern swamps. A series of self proclaimed khalifas, or Muslim leaders emerged to challenge Egypt, and in 1896 their rule threatened Egypt itself as jihadists surged north. Britain had sent a series of military leaders to bring order to the chaos, and finally mobilized an army to back up the Egyptians and they plunged south along the Nile and the Desert Railway.

Even the young Churchill was a consummate writer. Thoroughly researched, The...

United States on Mar 28, 2013