The World History Shelf

Onwards to Omdurman
Keith Surridge
Helion and Company
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781915070517, $45.00, PB, 170pp

https://www.amazon.com/Onwards-Omdurman-Anglo-Egyptian-Reconquer-1896-1898/= dp/1915070511

Synopsis: On 2 September 1898, the Anglo-Egyptian army under General Kitche= ner crushed the Mahdist Sudanese army of the Khalifa Abdallahi at the battl=
e of Omdurman. Depictions of the battle, in books and films, have too often=
depicted it as the hapless slaughter of the Mahdists by a modern, well-equ= ipped professional army.

With the publication of "Onwards to Omdurman: The Anglo-Egyptian Campaign t=
o Reconquer the Sudan, 1896-1898", Keith Surridge seeks to show, however, t= hat the battle was not a foregone conclusion and that the result might have=
been closer if the Mahdists had conformed to their battle-plan. By examini=
ng the battle in fair detail, the book emphasizes that the Mahdists battle = plan was poorly executed, hence their defeat. Although it took another year=
before the Khalifa was defeated and killed, the battle at Omdurman ended a=
two-year campaign that had utilized the power of modern Victorian technolo= gy.

To fully understand how and why an Anglo-Egyptian army arrived to fight at = Omdurman, "Onwards to Omdurman" takes a fresh look at the Sudan campaign as=
a whole, because it provides an excellent example of how modern technology=
was used to overcome the vagaries of the desert and the river Nile. Thus, = railway lines were built to bring troops and supplies across the desert. Co= mmunications were enhanced by miles of telegraph wire. Control of the Nile = was ensured by British-built gunboats, armed with machine guns and artiller=
y.

While the Anglo-Egyptian army carried modern rifles, machine guns and artil= lery. Kitchener had witnessed Britain's failed Sudan campaign in 1884-85 to=
rescue General Gordon trapped in Khartoum by Mahdist forces, because of to=
o much haste and not enough forethought. Kitchener did not make the same mi= stakes. Moreover, he and his officers never underestimated the fighting pro= wess of their enemy.

Before Kitchener's campaign is examined, however, "Onwards to Omdurman" pro= vides context by discussing how and why Britain was involved in Egypt and w=
hy the decision was made to invade Mahdist Sudan. It then considers the pol= itical, social and military organization of the Khalifa's domain. Also exam= ined is the Egyptian army and provided are details on the British contingen=
t. The various stages of Kitchener's advance are then discussed.

"Onwards to Omdurman" is based on British accounts from unpublished materia=
l in archives and published contemporary works, for they are readily availa= ble. Where possible, this military history takes into account the Mahdist p= erspective by using the available published sources and the Intelligence re= ports prepared from information supplied by Sudanese agents and informers.

Critique: A minor masterpiece of illustrated historical research, "Onwards =
to Omdurman: The Anglo-Egyptian Campaign to Reconquer the Sudan, 1896-1898"=
is an invaluable contribution that will prove to be an enduringly apprecia= ted and valued contribution to personal, professional, community, and acade= mic library British and Egyptian military history collections in general, a=
nd the British/Egyptian Sudan campaign in particular.

Editorial Note: Keith Surridge (https://london.nd.edu/about/faculty/keith-s= urridge) gained his BA in history at Queen Mary College, London in 1989, an=
d his Ph.D at King's College, London in 1994. Since 1993, he has taught asp= ects of British history at various American university programs in London. = His books include Managing the South African War, 1899-1902. Politicians vs=
Generals (1998) and with Denis Judd, The Boer War (2002). He has also publ= ished many articles on aspects of the South African war 1899-1902 and on th=
e British army and imperialism during the late-nineteenth century.

Augustus at War: The Struggle for the Pax Augusta
Lindsay Powell
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781399023368, $28.95, PB, 496pp

https://www.amazon.com/Augustus-War-Struggle-Pax-Augusta/dp/1399023365

Synopsis: The Latin words Pax Augusta (or Pax Romana) evoke a period of uni= nterrupted peace across the vast Roman Empire. With the publication of "Aug= ustus at War: The Struggle for the Pax Augusta", author and historian Linds=
ay Powell exposes the truth for the lie that it is. Almost every year betwe=
en 31 BC and AD 14 the Roman Army was in action somewhere, either fighting = enemies beyond the frontier in punitive raids or for outright conquest; but=
it was also entangled in suppressing rebellions within the borders -- or i= tself on the verge of mutiny.

Remarkably over the same period Augustus succeeded in nearly doubling the s= ize of the Empire, outperforming either Pompey the Great or Julius Caesar f=
or conquests. How did Augustus, a second-rate field commander, and a man kn= own to become physically ill before and during battle, achieve such extraor= dinary success? Did he, in fact, have a grand strategy?

The decisions Augustus made determined the future of the empire -- and of t=
he Europe which followed. Powell reveals Augustus as a brilliant strategist=
and manager of war. As commander-in-chief he made changes to the political=
and military institutions to keep the empire together -- and to hold on to=
power.

His genius was to build a team of semi-autonomous legati (deputies) to ensu=
re internal security and to fight his wars for him. Often bound by ties of = blood and marriage, but above all loyalty, these men (more than 50 of whom = are profiled in this volume) fought for Augustus, who claimed for himself t=
he credit for their achievements.

Critique: Lucidly written by the author of the acclaimed biographies "Marcu=
s Agrippa" and "Germanicus", and drawing upon archaeology, art, coins, insc= riptions and documents of the period, Lindsay Powell with "Augustus at War:=
The Struggle for the Pax Augusta" presents a new and provocative assessmen=
t of the men and events shaping a crucial period in world history, which st= ill reverberates down to our own time. Informatively enhanced for the reade=
r with the inclusion of informative illustrations, military symbols, tables=
, a section of color plates, four appendices, sixty-one pages of Notes, a 3=
0 page Bibliography, and a twenty-six page Index, "Augustus at War: The Str= uggle for the Pax Augusta" is unreservedly recommended for personal, profes= sional, community and academic library Ancient Roman History collections. I=
t should be noted for personal reading lists that "Augustus at War: The Str= uggle for the Pax Augusta" is also available in a digital book format (Kind= le, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Lindsay Powell (https://lindsay-powell.com) is a historian = and writer who has a passion for the history of the Roman Empire. He is new=
s editor of Ancient History and Ancient Warfare magazines. His appearances = include BBC Radio, Dan Snow's HistoryHit, and the History Channel. He is al=
so the author of Eager For Glory; Germanicus, and Marcus Agrippa (all from = Pen and Sword Books). He is a graduate of the University of Aston in Birmin= gham, a veteran of The Ermine Street Guard re-enactment society, and divide=
s his time between Austin, Texas and Wokingham, England.

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