A Confederate Soldier in Egypt
by General William Wing Loring
Revolutionary HistoryNon-fictionBuy on Amazon
A Confederate Soldier in Egypt by General William Wing Loring
Following the American Civil War and the collapse of the Confederacy, General William Wing Loring was among those who sought a new chapter abroad. He entered the service of the Egyptian Khedive and, in that capacity, was dispatched on a military mission to Abyssinia — a journey that would bring him into direct contact with figures central to the history of the Horn of Africa. Among them was Raesi Woldemichael Solomon, the Duke of Mereb Mellash, whom Loring encountered during the Raesi's rebellion against Yohannes IV — referred to throughout the memoir by his pre-coronation name, Kassa.
This firsthand account is a rare intersection of American and Eritrean-Ethiopian history. Loring's years in Egypt — where he eventually earned the title of Pasha for his service — gave him an insider's vantage point that few outsiders could claim. His memoir is equal parts military chronicle and social observation: vivid, opinionated, and at times startlingly candid. For readers interested in the colonial-era politics of the region and the figures who shaped them, Loring's testimony offers an unexpected window into a pivotal period.
A Confederate Soldier in Egypt by General William Wing Loring