Osman Digna marching on Suakin during the Sudan war
Original illustration from the history of the war in the Soudan circa 1886. Info from wiki: Osman Digna (Arabic: عثمان دقنة)(c. 1840 – 1926) was a follower of Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, in Sudan, who became his best known military commander during the Mahdist War. As the Mahdi's ablest general, he played an important role in the fate of General Charles George Gordon and the loss of the Sudan to Egypt. In Britain Osman became a notorious figure, both demonised as a savage and respected as a warrior. Winston Churchill describes him as an "astute" and "prudent" man, calling him "the celebrated, and perhaps immortal, Osman Digna. The British Army was involved at Suakin in 1883-85 and Lord Kitchener was there in this period leading the Egyptian Army contingent. Suakin was his headquarters and his force survived a lengthy siege there.
Size: 3249px × 2045px
Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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