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Chain of Fire: Campaigning in Egypt and the Sudan, 1882-98
In the 1880s, control over northeastern Africa was a political minefield into which Prime Minister Gladstone did not want to step - until his emissary Charles Gordon was besieged in Khartoum, and the city became the focal point for war.
It was the height of European colonialism. Injustices were administered, bloody battles fought and civilians caught in the crossfire. Among the British officers were figures who would later adopt starring roles in the First World War, such as Egyptian Army sapper Captain Herbert Kitchener.
By turns shocking and dynamic, Chain of Fire examines the terrible desert wars using the testimonies of the men who fought there.
It was the height of European colonialism. Injustices were administered, bloody battles fought and civilians caught in the crossfire. Among the British officers were figures who would later adopt starring roles in the First World War, such as Egyptian Army sapper Captain Herbert Kitchener.
By turns shocking and dynamic, Chain of Fire examines the terrible desert wars using the testimonies of the men who fought there.
- GenresHistory
464 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2025
7 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Peter Hart
42 books192 followersPeter Hart is a British military historian.
He has been an oral historian at Sound Archive of Imperial War Museum in London since 1981.
He has written mainly on British participation in the First World War. His books include; The Somme, Jutland 1916, Bloody April on the air war in 1917, Passchendaele, Aces Falling (on the air war in 1918), 1918 A Very British Victory and Gallipoli.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He has been an oral historian at Sound Archive of Imperial War Museum in London since 1981.
He has written mainly on British participation in the First World War. His books include; The Somme, Jutland 1916, Bloody April on the air war in 1917, Passchendaele, Aces Falling (on the air war in 1918), 1918 A Very British Victory and Gallipoli.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 19, 2025
I have of course been intensely disappointed and believe that my plans were well laid and for a long time everything was bright: I could almost in imagination feel the grasp of my friend Gordon’s hand. It was only a question of a few days, a few hours. But I lost my best soldier when Stewart fell, and everything was indecision and nerveless afterwards. Days that were worth a nation’s ransom were squandered in doing nothing. Never was a commander as near making a great coup as I was.
Lieutenant General Garnet Wolseley, Headquarters
The depths of his self-delusion are staggering.
I am pulled in two directions by this book. I appreciate the novelty, but I am very ambivalent about the style.
The Chain of Events
While none of Britain's imperial adventures could be described as "undercovered", there is a tendency to treat various incidents and interventions as disparate events, often worked into the biographies of Britain's imperial heroes. I agree with Hart's approach here, of linking the original bombardment of Alexandria in 1882 to the series of events that lead to Omdurman in 1898. The subsequent interventions in Sudan (the main feature of the campaign) become clearer as mission creep.
This context humanises the individual battles covered in Chain of Fire, giving them purpose for strategic reasons or, on occasion, the glory seeking of adventurers. It's worth understanding the campaigns because it stands out as a transitional period in British leadership and tactics, in some ways even more starkly than the Boer War, thanks to the amphibious and riverine aspects necessitating the involvement of figures like Fisher and Beatty. Redvers Buller pops up, which helps explain why he was called up on as a commander later - it makes sense to have appointed him in light of the experience he had!
The words of others
Hart appears to have a certain style with his books – he collates the war diaries, letters or later recollections of figures then reproduces generous extracts of them throughout the book. His own contributions are relatively limited, mainly knitting other people’s words together to form a reasonably coherent narrative.
He has some skill with this, but the limitation of the sources is clear. There are not many Arab/African contributions, and the European ones are military in nature. While I credited Hart for providing context for the campaigns, it is limited to the experiences of the soldiery. There is insufficient coverage of Britain’s colonial project, both in a geo-political sense and how it affected locals on the ground. It’s not completely lacking (i.e. the importance of certain harbours, Gordon’s desire to retain power in Sudan) but I would not use this book as a source for that.
While the above is more a question of scope than an outright criticism, I do believe Hart leaves too little space for analysis of how both sides fought. Both sides clearly made mistakes at multiple levels – the Arabs/Sudanese pull off some creditable ambushes but also seem to have remained unwieldy when it became clear that direct confrontation on open ground would be disastrous.
There is a tendency to over-read the tea leaves when looking at conflicts, witness James Belich’s holding that the British missed how the New Zealand Wars presaged World War One trench warfare (as though no better examples existed). However, I just wanted a bit more about how experiences of those who would serve in World War One might have been shaped by the conflict – though Hart shows awareness on occasion:
Brackenbury may not have been the inspirational leader Hamilton wished for, but he was a competent officer who made a sound military judgement when placed on the spot by his superior. One might have hoped that Hamilton would learn the lesson of when it was important to retreat from a hopeless situation. Thirty years later Gallipoli would show that he did not.
…along with the analysis of the ambush of the 21st Lancers:
Overall, it could be said that great gallantry does not excuse a blunder. Courage is not always enough in warfare.
I would have liked to read more of Hart’s voice, but he did a good job with this one.
Lieutenant General Garnet Wolseley, Headquarters
The depths of his self-delusion are staggering.
I am pulled in two directions by this book. I appreciate the novelty, but I am very ambivalent about the style.
The Chain of Events
While none of Britain's imperial adventures could be described as "undercovered", there is a tendency to treat various incidents and interventions as disparate events, often worked into the biographies of Britain's imperial heroes. I agree with Hart's approach here, of linking the original bombardment of Alexandria in 1882 to the series of events that lead to Omdurman in 1898. The subsequent interventions in Sudan (the main feature of the campaign) become clearer as mission creep.
This context humanises the individual battles covered in Chain of Fire, giving them purpose for strategic reasons or, on occasion, the glory seeking of adventurers. It's worth understanding the campaigns because it stands out as a transitional period in British leadership and tactics, in some ways even more starkly than the Boer War, thanks to the amphibious and riverine aspects necessitating the involvement of figures like Fisher and Beatty. Redvers Buller pops up, which helps explain why he was called up on as a commander later - it makes sense to have appointed him in light of the experience he had!
The words of others
Hart appears to have a certain style with his books – he collates the war diaries, letters or later recollections of figures then reproduces generous extracts of them throughout the book. His own contributions are relatively limited, mainly knitting other people’s words together to form a reasonably coherent narrative.
He has some skill with this, but the limitation of the sources is clear. There are not many Arab/African contributions, and the European ones are military in nature. While I credited Hart for providing context for the campaigns, it is limited to the experiences of the soldiery. There is insufficient coverage of Britain’s colonial project, both in a geo-political sense and how it affected locals on the ground. It’s not completely lacking (i.e. the importance of certain harbours, Gordon’s desire to retain power in Sudan) but I would not use this book as a source for that.
While the above is more a question of scope than an outright criticism, I do believe Hart leaves too little space for analysis of how both sides fought. Both sides clearly made mistakes at multiple levels – the Arabs/Sudanese pull off some creditable ambushes but also seem to have remained unwieldy when it became clear that direct confrontation on open ground would be disastrous.
There is a tendency to over-read the tea leaves when looking at conflicts, witness James Belich’s holding that the British missed how the New Zealand Wars presaged World War One trench warfare (as though no better examples existed). However, I just wanted a bit more about how experiences of those who would serve in World War One might have been shaped by the conflict – though Hart shows awareness on occasion:
Brackenbury may not have been the inspirational leader Hamilton wished for, but he was a competent officer who made a sound military judgement when placed on the spot by his superior. One might have hoped that Hamilton would learn the lesson of when it was important to retreat from a hopeless situation. Thirty years later Gallipoli would show that he did not.
…along with the analysis of the ambush of the 21st Lancers:
Overall, it could be said that great gallantry does not excuse a blunder. Courage is not always enough in warfare.
I would have liked to read more of Hart’s voice, but he did a good job with this one.
May 30, 2025
Peter Hart, author of numerous books covering World War One and World War Two, has offered in his new book; "Chain of Fire: Campaigning in Egypt and the Sudan, 1882-98", another great account of the British soldier at war.
In this account of the campaign in Egypt and the Sudan we follow the events that led to the famous siege of Khartoum where General Charles Gordon fell at the hands of the Dervishes under the command of the Mahdi. This then led to the subsequent British led campaign to avenge Gordon's death and to destroy the followers of the Mahdi.
The author utilised numerous first-hand accounts from the soldiers and officers involved and made the point of quoting from many junior officers who later played prominent leadership roles in the Great War. It was interesting reading the accounts of these young and up-and-coming leaders knowing of their involvement in the later conflict.
This was a very engaging book and quite an easy and interesting read, mainly due to the selection of first-hand accounts quoted by the author. Here is a selection of various quotes covering different aspects of the campaign:
Part of a letter sent by Lieutenant General Garnet Wolseley after the Battle of Tel El Kebir:
"Before this reaches you the news of our fight will have reached you with its disquieting butcher's bill, over which Mr. John Bull rather gloats, and thinks, when the list is a long one, that he has had something for his money. And yet how much pleasanter is death from clean bullet wounds than from loathsome diseases. To be killed in the open air with the conviction you are dying for your country, how different from rotting to death in a hospital, or dying like a consumptive girl in an artificially heated room."
An account from what it was like being attacked by the Dervishes:
"Next moment they charged like a whirlwind. We opened fire and they fell in scores and in hundreds, but through the dense smoke which soon gathered around us we could see their wild forms ever springing forward over the heap of dead and dying and in less than it takes to tell they were on us!" - Captain Willougby Verner, Headquarters, Desert Column.
The issue of shoddy supplies and equipment seems to occur in every conflict:
"Nearly half the British rifles jammed owing to the use of leaf cartridges. The Remington rifles used by the Mahdi's soldiers had solid drawn cartridges, which did not jam. During the action of Abu Klea, the officers were almost entirely employed in clearing jammed rifles passed back to them by the men. The British bayonets and cutlasses bent and twisted, the result of a combination of knavery and laziness on the part of those who were trusted to supply the soldiers with weapons upon which his life depends. The bayonets were blunt, because no one had thought of sharpening them." - Captain Charles Beresford, Naval Brigade.
To finish off the book here is a final quote, a first-hand account of what it was like to be in a British square when under attack by Dervishes:
"We had hardly been in the zeriba a moment, when they came jumping over the hedge at the other side and tried to rush across brandishing their spears, while others swept round outside, or fired into it from the bushes. The noise and smoke were tremendous, and the men fought back-to-back, huddled together at the two lower corners of the square, firing both into the enclosure and out of it. All round the grey-green mimosa bushes swarm with swiftly moving black figures, who seem to court destruction, so recklessly do they rush on the hail of bullets that now pours from the zeriba, striking desperately with their spears and swords even after they are mortally wounded, and hardly ever missing their blow. Around the zeriba a wreath of white smoke hangs over the heads of all, broken here and there by the yellow flashes of the rifles and the gleam of the bayonets shining through it. The men, with hard, stern faces are clustered together in knots firing desperately fast; and the mounted officers, revolver in hand, are trying to control their terrified horses and steady their men's firing. Through the whirling wreaths of smoke some dark figures, brandishing swords and spears, come running across the square, only to totter and fall before they reach the centre under the furious shower of bullets that are whizzing in all directions. At my feet a dead soldier, who has been shot beside me, pale and motionless, a splash of blood across his young brow, the intense stillness and tranquility of his face contrasting strangely with the fierce action and turmoil all round." - Major Emilius De Cosson, Suakin Field Force.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written history, and I am sure this book will soon be found on the shelves of numerous personal libraries.
In this account of the campaign in Egypt and the Sudan we follow the events that led to the famous siege of Khartoum where General Charles Gordon fell at the hands of the Dervishes under the command of the Mahdi. This then led to the subsequent British led campaign to avenge Gordon's death and to destroy the followers of the Mahdi.
The author utilised numerous first-hand accounts from the soldiers and officers involved and made the point of quoting from many junior officers who later played prominent leadership roles in the Great War. It was interesting reading the accounts of these young and up-and-coming leaders knowing of their involvement in the later conflict.
This was a very engaging book and quite an easy and interesting read, mainly due to the selection of first-hand accounts quoted by the author. Here is a selection of various quotes covering different aspects of the campaign:
Part of a letter sent by Lieutenant General Garnet Wolseley after the Battle of Tel El Kebir:
"Before this reaches you the news of our fight will have reached you with its disquieting butcher's bill, over which Mr. John Bull rather gloats, and thinks, when the list is a long one, that he has had something for his money. And yet how much pleasanter is death from clean bullet wounds than from loathsome diseases. To be killed in the open air with the conviction you are dying for your country, how different from rotting to death in a hospital, or dying like a consumptive girl in an artificially heated room."
An account from what it was like being attacked by the Dervishes:
"Next moment they charged like a whirlwind. We opened fire and they fell in scores and in hundreds, but through the dense smoke which soon gathered around us we could see their wild forms ever springing forward over the heap of dead and dying and in less than it takes to tell they were on us!" - Captain Willougby Verner, Headquarters, Desert Column.
The issue of shoddy supplies and equipment seems to occur in every conflict:
"Nearly half the British rifles jammed owing to the use of leaf cartridges. The Remington rifles used by the Mahdi's soldiers had solid drawn cartridges, which did not jam. During the action of Abu Klea, the officers were almost entirely employed in clearing jammed rifles passed back to them by the men. The British bayonets and cutlasses bent and twisted, the result of a combination of knavery and laziness on the part of those who were trusted to supply the soldiers with weapons upon which his life depends. The bayonets were blunt, because no one had thought of sharpening them." - Captain Charles Beresford, Naval Brigade.
To finish off the book here is a final quote, a first-hand account of what it was like to be in a British square when under attack by Dervishes:
"We had hardly been in the zeriba a moment, when they came jumping over the hedge at the other side and tried to rush across brandishing their spears, while others swept round outside, or fired into it from the bushes. The noise and smoke were tremendous, and the men fought back-to-back, huddled together at the two lower corners of the square, firing both into the enclosure and out of it. All round the grey-green mimosa bushes swarm with swiftly moving black figures, who seem to court destruction, so recklessly do they rush on the hail of bullets that now pours from the zeriba, striking desperately with their spears and swords even after they are mortally wounded, and hardly ever missing their blow. Around the zeriba a wreath of white smoke hangs over the heads of all, broken here and there by the yellow flashes of the rifles and the gleam of the bayonets shining through it. The men, with hard, stern faces are clustered together in knots firing desperately fast; and the mounted officers, revolver in hand, are trying to control their terrified horses and steady their men's firing. Through the whirling wreaths of smoke some dark figures, brandishing swords and spears, come running across the square, only to totter and fall before they reach the centre under the furious shower of bullets that are whizzing in all directions. At my feet a dead soldier, who has been shot beside me, pale and motionless, a splash of blood across his young brow, the intense stillness and tranquility of his face contrasting strangely with the fierce action and turmoil all round." - Major Emilius De Cosson, Suakin Field Force.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written history, and I am sure this book will soon be found on the shelves of numerous personal libraries.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews