Books Reviews

Isandlwana – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Dec 12, 2011, 15:35 GMT

The story of the mighty imperial British army\'s defeat at Iswandlwana in 1879 has been much written about, but never with the detail and insight revealed by Dr Adrian Greaves\' research. In reconstructing the dramatic and fateful events, the Author draws on recently discovered letters, diaries and papers of survivors and other contemporaries such as Henry Harford, Lt Henry Carling of the Royal Artillery, August Hammar and young British ...more

In 1879, a cataclysmic event took place.  The mighty British army was destroyed by King Cetshwayo's Zulu warriors.  It was a sobering event for an all-conquering army which, until then, had not faced any major resistance from native people. 

The slaughter of Lord Chelmsford's forces meant that the British army had to rethink its strategy.  Adrian Greaves has written an extremely detailed book, reconstructing the dramatic events of 1879.  He has used lots of recently discovered contemporary information such as letters, diaries and papers of survivors of the battle. 

Particularly interesting are the accounts of a young British nurse call Janet Wells which gives a very human viewpoint on the battle.  As a result of this research many new facts have emerged, such as the evidence for another 'fugitives trail'.  Well researched, and informative; this is a book for anyone interested in military or African history.