- Charles Gordon Hulton Getty Picture Archive. An engineering officer, Gordon was an evangelical Christian, born in Woolwich, London, whose sincere belief that he was the agent of God's purpose made him a fitting opponent for the similarly inspired Mahdi. Gordon's force of personality and willpower first showed itself in China when he courageously led the Manchu Ever Victorious Army against the ...www.pbs.org/empires/victoria/empire/gordon.html