Colonel William Hicks (Hicks Pasha), 1830–1883
Original illustration from the history of the war in the Soudan circa 1886. Info from wiki: Colonel William Hicks (also known as Hicks Pasha, 1830–1883), British soldier, entered the Bombay Army in 1849. After the close of the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War, he entered the Khedive's service and was made a Pasha. In 1881, Sudan was controlled by Egypt; Muhammad Ahmad proclaimed himself Mahdi and began conquering neighboring territory and thus threatening the precarious Egyptian control of the territory. Early in 1883 he went to Khartoum as chief of the staff of the army there. Camp was formed at Omdurman and a new force of some 8000 fighting men collected. Hicks led 5000 of his men against an equal force of dervishes in Sennar, whom he defeated. Appointed as commander-in-chief of an expeditionary force to Kordofan with orders to crush the Mahdi, who in January 1883 had captured El Obeid, the capital of that province. Hicks, aware of the worthlessness of his force for the purpose contemplated, stated his opinion that it would be best to "wait for Kordofan to settle itself" (telegram of 5 August). The Egyptian ministry, however, did not then believe in the power of the Mahdi, and the expedition started from Khartoum on 9 September. It was made up of 7000 infantry, 1000 cavalry and 2000 camp followers and included thirteen Europeans. On the 10th the force left the Nile at Duem and struck inland across the almost waterless wastes of Kordofan for El Obeid. On 5 November the army, misled by possibly treacherous guides and thirst-stricken, was ambushed in dense forest at Kashgil, 30 miles south of El Obeid. With the exception of some 300 men the whole force was killed. (See the Battle of El Obeid). According to the story of Hicks's cook, one of the survivors, the general was the last officer to fall, pierced by the spear of the Khalifa Mahommed Sherif. Hicks's head was cut off and taken to the Mahdi.
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Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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