The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan

Before he was the Prime Minister of England, and before he was even in Parliament, Winston Churchill was a soldier, stationed first in India and then in Sudan. His early years in the British army form the background for this historical work, which is actually his second published book. Written in 1899, it is an account of Britain's re-conquest of the Sudan, providing a description of the British conflict led by Lord Kitchener against Islamic Jihadists set to conquer Egypt and drive out infidels. Many battles and important figures are described, from the murder of General Charles George Gordon, to the siege at Khartoum, to the Battle of Omdurman. Throughout the work there is also a generous amount of commentary concerning Mohammedanism, British attitude to the war, the modern machinery of war, such as the telegraph, and its relative effectiveness. Churchill was ready to criticize if he found fault, and some of this censure was removed when his political career began. This edition is an unabridged version of Churchill's work, first written as a soldier, war correspondent, and young man with a bright and momentous future before him.