My major source for Gordon has been Gordon, the man behind the legend, by John Pollock. This treatment of Gordon has a very thorough bibliography and sets out to defend him as a Christian soldier. It tends to be uncritical of Gordon and ends up almost excusing his faults. In particular, it glosses over the question of Gordon' alleged homosexuality.
Mars without Venus, by Major General Frank M.Richardson is an examination of a number of supposedly homosexual British army generals, including Gordon. It was written by a retired British army doctor. It looks at a range of evidence alluded to in my article "Did General Gordon have aspergers syndrome?" I have accessed the web site of the National Autistic Society to suggest an alternative explanation of Gordon's behaviour.
Kathleen Heasman's book Evangelical's in Action is the seminal work on the social work of Evangelical Christians in the United Kingdom. This volume mentions Gordon a number of times and alludes to his links with other Evangelicals. It is excellent in giving an over view of the social work of Evangelicals, although it does tend to lack depth.
A.J.Broomhall's seven volume work Hudson Taylor and China's Open Century deals with a leading Evangelical worker in China and mentions Gordon a number of times.
Michael Gibson's book China, Opium Wars to Revolution includes an excellent treatment of Gordon's suppression of the Taiping rebellion. It also provides a clear over view of European activity in China in the nineteenth century and the events that led up to the Boxer rebellion in 1900.
I have also made reference to the local studies collection at the public library in Gravesend in Kent. Amongst the material I found particularly helpful were the booklets written by Victor Smith on the Lower Thames defences. He is an internationally recognised expert in on Victorian fortifications. His team is restoring the New Tavern Fort in Gravesend. It was this fort that Gordon was sent to renovate in 1865. I have placed some pictures of this and other Gordon related places on my website.
In addition to these, I have also made use of the collections at the National Army Museum in London and the Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham, Kent. These have extensive collections of Gordon related material including letters, journals and army documents.
Last modified 28 September 2000