Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #241527 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Synopsis
The Battle of Isandlwhana - a great Zulu victory - was one of the worst defeats ever to befall the British Army. At noon on 22 January 1879, a British camp, garrisoned by over 1,700 troops, was attacked and overwhelmed by 20,000 Zulu warriors. The defeat of the British, armed with the most modern weaponry of the day, caused disbelief and outrage throughout Queen Victoria's England. The obvious culprit was Lieutenant General Lord Chelmsford, the defeated commander. Appearing to respond to the outcry, he ordered a court of inquiry. But instead there followed a carefully conducted cover-up in which Chelmsford found a scapegoat among the dead - notably, in one Colonel Anthony Durnford. The popular conception of the Anglo-Zulu War is that of a conflict between British redcoats and Zulu warriors. It is seldom realised that over 60 per cent of Chelmsford's army was composed of black auxiliaries, and that the cavalry mostly comprised colonial settlers. Zulu Victory: traces the history of the Zulu kingdom and its British neighbour, the Colony of Natal.

It also details the composition of both armies, from individual Zulu regiments to the tribesmen of the Natal Native Horse who fought on the side of the British. In this acclaimed book, using material ranging from the Royal Windsor Archives to oral history passed down to the present Zulu inhabitants of Isandlwhana, the authors shed new light upon this notorious battle in all its bravery and horror, and the scandal that followed.

Customer Reviews

An excellent account of Britains worst Military Defeat
The Battle of Isandlwana was by far the worst defeat ever suffered by the British Army at the hands of a Native Force, How could it have happened? A British Army which had the most up to date weapons including Artillery completely destroyed by a native force using spears and shields. This Book attempts to answer this question and does a good job of it to.

As a member of a re-enactment group called the 'Die-Hard Company' who turn out as soldiers of the 24th Foot and went to South Africa in January 1999 - We hope to go again in January 2004 - I often get asked questions about what happened Isandlwana and if I can reccommend any books about the battle.

The Authors of this work have really worked hard to give a accurate and fair account of what happened at Isandlwana and how after the batttle the British Commanders tried to pass the blame for the defeat from themselves to others who were conveniently dead.

The other strong point of this book is the authors attempt to end the debate on the ammo supply faliure at Isandlwana. This subject has been a place of real augument for years with historians split right down the middle about it. Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill examine the debate and give a very good account of what probably happened although I doubt it will end the debate.

Overall this is a really good read and comes highly reccommended. As a last point I often get asked if the British learned the lesson of Isandlwana. The answer is NO! for less than a year later in Afganistan the British suffered another defeat which was almost an exact copy of Isandlwana - It's name? MAIWAND!

Alex Fermor
Private, Die-Hard Company

ZULU GENIUS
Zulu Victory is the very best account of the terrible defeat inflicted upon the British by the Zulus at Isandlwana in 1879. An added bonus is that this book is not written by Ian Knight. So expect intelligent and entertaining prose. This has to be the definitive version of that extraordinary Zulu Victory.

"METICULOUS"
One of the best books on the subject. A fresh, lively account based upon "meticulous research" - a quote from the book's Introduction by Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Fascinating for those new to the subject AND those of us who thought we were familiar with the story. (I first researched Isandlwana in 1968). Excellent.