The River War is an account by Winston S. Churchill, based on his experiences as a British Army officer, during the Mahdist War (1881–99) in the Sudan. He tells the story of the British imperial involvement in the Sudan, and the Mahdi War between the British forces, led by Lord Kitchener, and the Dervish forces, led by Khalifa Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, "The Mahdi", heir to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad who had embarked on a campaign to conquer Egypt, to drive out the Ottomans. In vivid style the book describes the background to the war, the relationship of the Upper Nile to Egypt, the murder of General Charles George Gordon in the siege at Khartoum, the political reaction in England, and Kitchener's elaborate preparations for the war. While in the Sudan, Churchill participated in the Battle of Omdurman. Churchill comments at length on the mechanization of war with use of the telegraph, railroad, and a new generation of weaponry. Artist Bio Author: Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965) was the pan name of Winston Churchill, who, in addition to his careers of soldier and politician, was a prolific writer.