Zulu Victory: The Epic of Isandlwana and the Cover-up - Softcover

Lock, Ron

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9781853676451: Zulu Victory: The Epic of Isandlwana and the Cover-up

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853676454 ISBN 13: 9781853676451

Publisher: Greenhill Books, 2006

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The battle of Isandlwana - a great Zulu victory - was one of the worst defeats ever to befall a British Army. At noon on January 22nd, 1879, a British camp, garrisoned by over 1700 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 for the blunder was Lieutenant General Lord Chelmsford, the defeated commander. Appearing to respond to the outcry, he ordered a court of inquiry. But there followed a carefully conducted cover-up in which Chelmsford found a scapegoat in the dead - most notably, in 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 realized that over 60% of Chelmsford's army was composed of black auxiliaries, and that the cavalry mostly comprised colonial settlers. Zulu Victory: The Epic of Isandlwana and the Cover-Up traces the history of the Zulu kingdom and its British neighbors, 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. Using source material ranging from the Royal Windsor Archives to the oral history passed down to the present Zulu inhabitants of Isandlwana, the authors shed new light upon this famous Zulu victory in all its bravery and horror, and the scandal that followed.

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About the Author:

Ron Lock, author of Blood on the Painted Mountain (1853672017), and Peter Quantrill spent over three years researching and traveling in the footsteps of both armies.

From Library Journal:

Lock and Quantrill, freelance writers and former military men, have written a densely detailed account of the 1879 Zulu defeat of the British at a major British camp in Natal, Africa. Relying primarily on British sources but also including surviving Zulu testimonies and firsthand research in the area, the authors painstakingly describe the background and details of the Battle of Isandlwhana and the subsequent attempt of British commander Lord Chelmsford and his cronies to shift the blame for the defeat. The authors bring the battlefield to life by following the conflict almost minute by minute. They also delve into the history of the Zulu kingdom and its relationship with its British neighbors at Natal. The authors conclude that British underestimation of Zulu strategic and fighting ability was the major cause of the defeat, as Zulu Chief Cetshwayo simply out-thought his colonial counterparts. This generally well-written book portrays a complex and interesting segment of British/African history, but nonexperts might suffocate in the detail. Recommended for academic and large public libraries with solid collections in African or British history. Anthony Edmonds, Ball State Univ., Muncie, IN
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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