Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Maxwell yayi aiki tare da Black Watch a cikin Anglo-Masar War
na 1882, shiga cikin hare-haren masarautar Masar a Tel-El-Kabir kuma ya tashi zuwa matsayin kyaftin. An fara ambatonsa a cikin sakonni a matsayin mataimakin babban jami'in soja da kwamandan sansani a lokacin da ake tafiyar Nilu na 1884-1885. Ya taka rawar gani tare da sojojin kan iyakar Masar a Sudan, kuma ya sami lambar yabo ta musamman a cikin gwagwarmaya a Ginnis kuma ya kasance a wurin a yakin Gemaizah a 1888 inda aka sanya shi laftanan laftanan. A lokacin da aka sake kwace Sudan ya jagoranci Brigade na 2 na Masar, kuma ya kasance a yakin 1898 na Atbara da Omdurman, inda ya kasance daga cikin na farko da ya shiga fadar Khalifa. A shekara ta 1897 aka nada shi Gwamnan Nubia kuma a shekara ta 1898 aka nada shi Gwamnan Omdurman.