Voting Station

Charles 'Chinese' Gordon

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (January 28, 1833-January 26, 1885)
    Born in London, United Kingdom
    Military engineer during the Crimean War (1855-56)
    Served with British forces in China during the Second Opium War (1860)
    Commanded the 'Ever Victorious Army' during the Taiping Rebellion in China (1863-64)
    Governor-General of the Sudan (1880-85)
    Killed at the Seige of Khartoum during the Mahdist Revolt in the Sudan

Why he might be annoying:

    His military commission was held back for six months because he had struck another student at the Royal Military Academy with his clothes brush.
    He believed in the lost continent of Lemuria and suggested that the Garden of Eden was located in the Seychelles.
    He claimed to have determined the resting spot of Noah's Ark.
    He had accepted an offer from King Leopold II of Belgium to take charge of the Congo Free State, but accepted a request from the British government to oversee the withdraw of Anglo-Egyptian troops from the Sudan.
    He made the tactical mistake of informing tribal chiefs about the plans for the evacuation, prompting many to join the Mahdist forces.
    He did not follow his orders to evacuate Khartoum, leading to the deaths of himself and his entire garrison.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He gave 90% of his military pay to charity.
    He suppressed the slave trade in the Sudan.
    He settled a revolt in Darfur by boldly riding into the enemy camp to negotiate solo except for an interpreter (1877).
    According to his journals, he failed to evacuate Khartoum because he felt he lacked enough boats to move the troops via the Nile.
    He died just two days before the arrival of a British relief force.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying