John Donald Hamill Stewart
Encyclopedia
Colonel
John Donald Hamill Stewart (1845–1884) was a British
soldier. He accompanied General Gordon
to Khartoum
in 1884 as his assistant. He died in September 1884 attempting to run the blockade from the besieged city at the hands of the Manasir
tribesmen and followers of Muhammad Ahmad Al-Mahdi
.
in the British 11th Hussars
in 1865. In 1882 Lieutenant Colonel Stewart was instructed to prepare a report on the Sudan where Muhammad Ahmad
Al-Mahdi was defying the Egypt
ian Government with success. After a journey to Khartoum and return to Egypt the "Report on the Soudan" (1883) was finished.
He returned with Gordon to Khartoum in February 1884 and was wounded during the siege. Stewart led an attempt to break the blockade aboard the Steamer Abbas in September 1884, along with the British consul Frank Powers of The Times
and other residents of Khartoum. The attempt failed when the Abbas ran aground somewhere between Abu Hamad
and Meroë
. All passengers and crew were killed.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
John Donald Hamill Stewart (1845–1884) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier. He accompanied General Gordon
Charles George Gordon
Major-General Charles George Gordon, CB , known as "Chinese" Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British army officer and administrator....
to Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
in 1884 as his assistant. He died in September 1884 attempting to run the blockade from the besieged city at the hands of the Manasir
Manasir
The Manasir people constitute one of many Sunni Arab riverine tribes of Northern Sudan. They are not to be confused with the Al Manaseer of the Gulf region in the Arabian Peninsula based mainly in the United Arab Emirates. They inhabit the region of the Fourth Cataract of the Nile and call their...
tribesmen and followers of Muhammad Ahmad Al-Mahdi
Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith...
.
Biographical detail
Stewart was appointed a cornetCornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
in the British 11th Hussars
11th Hussars
The 11th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.-History:The regiment was founded in 1715 as Colonel Philip Honeywood's Regiment of Dragoons and was known by the name of its Colonel until 1751 when it became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons...
in 1865. In 1882 Lieutenant Colonel Stewart was instructed to prepare a report on the Sudan where Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith...
Al-Mahdi was defying the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Government with success. After a journey to Khartoum and return to Egypt the "Report on the Soudan" (1883) was finished.
He returned with Gordon to Khartoum in February 1884 and was wounded during the siege. Stewart led an attempt to break the blockade aboard the Steamer Abbas in September 1884, along with the British consul Frank Powers of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and other residents of Khartoum. The attempt failed when the Abbas ran aground somewhere between Abu Hamad
Abu Hamad
Abu Hamad , also spelt 'Abu Hamed') is a town of Sudan on the right bank of the Nile, 345 mi by rail north of Khartoum. It stands at the centre of the great S-shaped bend of the Nile, and from it the railway to Wadi Halfa strikes straight across the Nubian desert, a little west of the old...
and Meroë
Meroë
Meroë Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: and Meruwi) is an ancient city on the east bank of the Nile about 6 km north-east of the Kabushiya station near Shendi, Sudan, approximately 200 km north-east of Khartoum. Near the site are a group of villages called Bagrawiyah...
. All passengers and crew were killed.