Book description
Mohawks on the Nile explores the absorbing history of sixty
Aboriginal men who left their occupations in the Ottawa River timber
industry to participate in a military expedition on the Nile River in
1884-1885. Chosen becuase of their outstanding skills as boatmen and
river pilots, they formed part of the Canadian Voyageur Contingent,
which transported British troops on a fleet of whaleboats through the
Nile's treacherous cataracts in the hard campaigning of the Sudan War.
Their objective was to reach Khartoum, capital of the Egyptian
province of Sudan. Their mission was to save its governor general,
Major-General Charles Gordon, besieged by Muslim forces inspired by
the call to liberate Sudan from foreign control by Muhammad Ahmad,
better known to his followers as the "the Mahdi."
In addition to Carl Benn's historical exploration of this remarkable
subject, this book includes the memoirs of two Mohawk veterans of the
campaign, Louis Jackson and James Deer, who recorded the details of
their adventures upon returning to Canada in 1885. It also presents
readers with additional period documents, maps, historical images, and
other materials to enhance appreciation of this unusual story,
including an annotated roll of the Mohawks who won praise for the
exceptional quality of their work in this legendary campaign in the
chronicle of Britain's expansion into Africa.
"Carl Benn has focused on the approximately 60 Mohawks in the
contingent, confirming their value to the British expedition to save
General Gordon and enriching our understanding of Canada's First Nations
in the late 19th century."
Dr. Carl Benn is the chair of the
Department of History at Ryerson University. Before taking up that
post in 2008, he worked in the museum field for thirty-four years,
primarily in senior curatorial roles, and taught undergraduate history
and graduate museum studies at hte University of Toronto. He has
restored historical buildings, curated numerous exhibits, produced
public history internet resources, and published extensively. His
books include Historic Fort York, The Iroquois in the War of
1812, and The War of 1812.
