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The Metal Toy Soldiers of

Wm. Hocker, Proprietor

From the Mississippi To the Nile 1861

Randy Bond - 14May10 7:43AM

Americans were drawn to the Middle East in the 19th Century. Many of them visited the the Holy Land. Some like these residents of New Orleans standing along the banks of the Nile were drawn to Egypt to view not only the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx but to wonder at the region's natural rival to their own Mississippi River. After the Civil War both former Yanks and Rebs were recruited by Ismail Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt, to modernize the Egyptian Army. Ironically, the Egyptian artillery batteries that fired on British ships from Alexandria in 1882 had been setup by these American advisors during the 1870s.

Figures from Set #325

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1. Alexander Jordan - 14May10 10:21AM

Randy, facinating facts you have shared here about Americans (North & South) who visited/advised Egypt/Middle East during the middle of the 19th Century.
I recommend to anyone who enjoys reading/learing American History/American Civil War History any books by Stephen W. Sears (esp. his "Landscape Turned Red" book) and Don Troiani. All available at very inexpensive used/new prices on Amazon.com
-Alexander Jordan

2. Randy Bond - 15May10 6:28AM

Alexander

There is excellent information on the Rebs and Yanks as post ACW military advisors in Egypt in this book which is available in paperback now.

One of General Gordon's aides in the Sudan was a former American Civil War officer.

Randy

3. Randy Bond - 15May10 6:30AM

Here is William Wing Loring (shown gone native) one of the Confederate officers recruited by William T. Sherman to serve in Egypt

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