Alexander Gardner (soldier)

Alexander Gardner
Nickname(s)Gordana Khan
Born1785
Died1877[1]
Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
AllegianceSikh Empire
Service/branchSikh Khalsa Army/Artillery
Years of service1831–1849
RankColonel
UnitFauj-i-Khas

Colonel Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner, also known as Gordana Khan (Persian: گوردانہ خان; Punjabi: ਗੋਰਦਾਨਾ ਖ਼ਾਨ; 1785–1877), was a traveller, soldier, and mercenary active in Afghanistan and Punjab. He served in various military positions in the region, most notably for the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh.

Details of his life remain obscure, though several colourful accounts have been written. Although corroborating evidence is sparse, Scottish historian John Keay wrote biographies in 1977, 1979, and, most thoroughly, The Tartan Turban: In Search of Alexander Gardner, in 2017.[2]

  1. ^ Major Hugh Pearse, ed. (1898). Memoirs of Alexander Gardner. London: William Blackwood and Sons.
  2. ^ "Ripping yarns | the Spectator".