The
Nile Expedition, sometimes called the
Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–85), was a
British mission to relieve
Major-General Charles George Gordon at
Khartoum,
Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan after Britain decided to abandon the country in the face of a rebellion led by self-proclaimed
Mahdi,
Mahommed Ahmed. A contingent of
Canadians was recruited to help the British navigate their small boats up the
Nile River. The Nile Expedition was the first overseas expedition by Canadians in a British imperial conflict, although the Nile Voyageurs were civilians employees and did not wear uniforms.