Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

William Hicks, also known as Hicks Pasha, (18305 November 1883), was a British soldier who entered the

Bombay Army The Bombay Army was the army of the Bombay Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. It was established in 1668 and governed by the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferr ...

in 1849, and served through the

Indian mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form ...

, being

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

for good conduct at the action of

Sitka Ghaut Sitka (; ) is a unified city-borough in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was under Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The city is situated on the west side of Baranof Island and the south half of Chichagof Island in the Al ...

in 1859. In 1861 he became captain, and in the Abyssinian expedition of 1867–1868 was a brigade major, being again mentioned in dispatches and given a

brevet major In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

ity. He retired with the

honorary rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military lines, such as youth groups, chivalric orders, religious orders, a ...

of colonel in 1880. He then entered the service of the Egyptian government, who controlled

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. He led the Egyptian army that was defeated at the

Battle of Shaykan The Battle of Shaykan was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of Hicks Pasha and the forces of Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, in the woods of Shaykan near Kashgil near the town of El-Obeid during 3–5 November 1883. ...

, in which he was killed and decapitated.

Service to the Khedive

After the close of the

1882 Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt, also known as the Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It e ...

, he entered the

Khedive Khedive ( ; ; ) was an honorific title of Classical Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the Khedive of Egypt, viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Khedive" ''Encyclopaedi ...

's service and was made a

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

. In 1881,

was controlled by Egypt;

Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Fahal (; 12 August 1843 – 21 June 1885) was a Sudanese religious and political leader. In 1881, he claimed to be the Mahdi and led a war against Egyptian rule in Sudan, which culminated in a remarkable vi ...

proclaimed himself

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

and began conquering neighboring territory and thus threatening the precarious Egyptian control of the territory. Early in 1883 Hicks went to

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

as chief of the staff of the army there, then commanded by

Suliman Niazi Pasha Suleiman (; or dictionary.reference.comsuleiman/ref>) is the Arabic name of the Jewish and Quranic king and Islamic prophet Solomon. Suleiman the Magnificent (1494–1566) was the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Variants of the ...

. Camp was formed at

Omdurman Omdurman () is a major city in Sudan. It is the second most populous city in the country, located in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the capital city of Khartoum. The city acts ...

and a new force of some 8,000 fighting men collected—mostly recruited from the ''

fellahin A fellah ( ; feminine ; plural ''fellaheen'' or ''fellahin'', , ) is a local peasant, usually a farmer or agricultural laborer in the Middle East and North Africa. The word derives from the Arabic word for "ploughman" or "tiller". Due to a con ...

'' of Arabi's disbanded troops, sent in chains from Egypt. After a month of vigorous drilling Hicks led 5,000 of his men against an equal force of

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from ) in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage is found particularly in Persi ...

es in

Sennar Sennar ( ') is a city on the Blue Nile in Sudan and possibly the capital of the state of Sennar. For several centuries it was the capital of the Funj Kingdom of Sennar and until at least 2011, Sennar was the capital of Sennar State. Histo ...

, whom he defeated, and cleared the country between the towns of

and

of rebels.

1883 expedition

Relieved of the fear of an immediate attack by the

sts, the Egyptian officials at Khartoum intrigued against Hicks, who in July tendered his resignation. This resulted in the dismissal of Suliman Niazi and the appointment of Hicks as commander-in-chief of an expeditionary force to

Kordofan Kordofan ( ') is a former province of central Sudan. In 1994 it was divided into three new federal states: North Kordofan, South Kordofan and West Kordofan. In August 2005, West Kordofan State was abolished and its territory divided between N ...

with orders to crush the Mahdi, who in January 1883 had captured

El Obeid El-Obeid (, ''al-ʾAbyaḍ'', lit."the White"), also romanized as Al-Ubayyid, is the capital of the state of North Kordofan, in Sudan. History and overview El-Obeid was founded by the pashas of Ottoman Egypt in 1821. It was attacked by th ...

, 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 7,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry and 2,000 camp followers and included thirteen Europeans. On the 10th the force left the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

at Duem and struck inland across the almost waterless wastes of Kordofan for El Obeid. On 5 November the army, misled by possibly treacherous and thirst-stricken guides, was ambushed in dense forest at Kashgil, south of El Obeid. Only 300 of the force's men survived. (See the

Battle of El Obeid The Battle of Shaykan was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of Hicks Pasha and the forces of Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, in the woods of Shaykan near Kashgil near the town of El-Obeid during 3–5 November 1883. ...

). 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.

Cultural depictions

Hicks was played by

Edward Underdown Charles Edward Underdown (3 December 190815 December 1989) was an English theatre, cinema and television actor. Early Life Underdown was the son of Harry Charles Baillie Underdown and Rachel Elizabeth Orr. Born in London, he was educated at Et ...

in the 1966 film ''

''.

Notes

References

* *''Mahdiism and the Egyptian Sudan'', book iv., by

Francis Reginald Wingate General (United Kingdom), General Sir Francis Reginald Wingate, 1st Baronet (25 June 1861 – 29 January 1953) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator in Egypt and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Sudan. He served as List of governors of p ...

(London, 1891) *''With Hicks Pasha in the Soudan'', by

John Colborne Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, (16 February 1778 – 17 April 1863) was a British Army officer and colonial governor. After taking part as a junior officer in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Hollan ...

(London, 1884). *''The Road to Shaykan: Letters of General William Hicks Pasha written during the Sennar & Kordofan Campaigns, 1883.'' edited with an introduction and notes by M.W. Daly. University of Durham 1983 *''Khartoum, the Ultimate Imperial Adventure'' by Michael Asher (London, 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, William 1830 births 1883 deaths British East India Company Army officers British Indian Army officers British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British military personnel of the Abyssinian War Pashas British military personnel killed in the Mahdist War