[.ca] Zulu Victory: The Epic of Isandlwana and the Cover-Up (ISBN 1853676454)

Slightly Flawed:
When the British marched to disaster against the Zulu at Isandlwana this volume claims they were 'outgunned and outfought and outmanuevered' but the reality is slightly different. This book intends to expose the 'cover-up' of the British disasters in the Zulu war and the author tries to prove that their was indeed some massive cover up. Of course the cover up couldn't have been very thorough since everyone with any knowledge of British colonial history knows the the defeat by the Zulus. This book claims the british were crushed despite their superior weaponry but this is a misnomer. The British were defeated due to their lesser then brilliant officers who strong the better trained and better armed british contingent out in a long line, allowing the british regulars to be butchered by the vastly more numerous Zulus. The author claims that it was a failure of British arms. But Isandlwana is no more a failure of British arms then the defeat the British suffered in Afghanistan or at Yorktown. Rather, the reality is that the gigantic Zulu army went on to lay siege to Rorkes Drift where a handful of similar British soldiers held off thousands of Zulu for more then a day. Isandlwana was a freak accident and this book labors too hard to show that the British covered up a defeat.

Usual old Brit bashing:
As usual, books like this are only interested in a spot of Brit bashing. They ignore the fact that the whole Zulu war was initiated against the expressed wishes of the British government as shown in cabinet minutes and from cables sent to Bartle Frere by Hicks Beach. It was Bartle Frere's war acting on his own. At Isandlwhana British troops were a minority in the force also composed of colonials and Natal Bantus who volunteered to help bring down the Zulus. Yes, fellow Africans wanted the Zulus defeated. As for being outgeneralled and out thought, the same Zulu impies under the same commanders weren't able to repeat the trick at Kambula or the Ineyazane river, where Chelmsfords approach was vindicated. As for a Zulu victory, Cetshwayo didn't seem to think it was, on hearing the Zulu casualty figures ("An assegai has been thrust into the belly of the nation. There are not enough tears to mourn for the dead"). But we can't ruin a good story with too many facts, can we. File it under fiction. It'd be right at home there.

Superb book!:
Battle of Isandlwana was one of the greatest victories that native Africans ever achieved against an European power. This book proves to be one of the best books on this battle. The book covers all your usual stuff like political conditons, military conditions leading up to the war and so forth. But key element of the book was how its dealt with the battle itself. As far as I know, it got one of the clearest blow by blow account of the battle if that could be possible. Many myths about what happened at Isandlwana seem to be more clearer now and respect for Zulu military organization grows as you read on. Its amazing how long it took the British to finally realized that they were coming uder a full scale attack. The book also discussed the covered up by Lord Chemsford after the battle. The covered up was basically to protect Chemsford's military carelessness and the fact that he have been out-generaled by the Zulus. In this, he chose Colonel Durnford since the good colonel was already dead. Interesting how blaming a dead people for mistakes have always been a popular habits of all defeated commanders. The book appears to be well research and the authors' distaste for Chemsford become pretty clear as you read the book. It also got very details maps which help understand the battle. The nice photographs helped - including the infamous British ammo box which showed what a pain it can be to opened one up. Well, with or without ammo, British were doomed in this battle anyway. Probably the best book written on Isandlwana right now.

Out Thought & Out Fought - History as Sharp as an Asegai:
Zulu Victory is a valuable synthesis of research on the battle of Isandlwana, where a British Army under Lord Chelmsford was outmaneuvered and defeated in detail by King Cetshwayo's Zulu Army. The strength of this book lies in its clarity. Every important personality and event in the campaign is thoroughly weighed and explained, without ever losing sight of the overall context. The result is a fluid, balanced account of a very confused set of circumstances. This book is equally valuable as an all-in-one historiography of the battle. Serious history readers will appreciate this facet from the Forward, written by Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, right through the appendices. The quality of the writing keeps the history from becoming dry. The narrative remains vivid, even after multiple readings. As with Morris' "The Washing of the Spears," the storytelling is flat out exciting. Try not to be put off by the subtitle: "The Epic of Isandlwana and the Cover-Up." The twin themes of the book are clear. 1) The Zulus did not simply stumble on and overwhelm a British encampment. They made use of their advantages, which included better mobility and communications as well as a superior understanding of the local terrain, to outmaneuver and defeat an overconfident enemy. 2) Chelmsford and his supporters attempted to shift responsibility for the defeat to a colonial cavalry leader, Colonel Anthony Durnford, (Royal Engineers) who was killed in the fray. (You may know him as Burt Lancaster in the movie "Zulu Dawn.") Perhaps the 2nd point is more marketable, to scholars, but what most amateur historians will find instructive is the campaign narrative. While much has been made in the past of how courageous individual Zulu warriors were, and of their famed "head and horns" battlefield tactics, this is a depiction of how the Zulu lured Chelmsford into splitting his force. It explains the thinking from 'both sides of the hill' without attributing an artificial superiority to European tactics, or shortchanging the sophistication of the native leadership. The book makes it clear that although Chelmsford was both arrogant and defeated, he was not necessarily the fool played by Peter O'Toole. He operated with tremendous logistical challenges that severely constrained his freedom of action. Moreover, while Chelmsford was overconfident, the British still might have withstood the Zulu Impis had they recognized the danger sooner and employed different tactics...as later battles were to prove. All the usual debates are covered, including a detailed appendix (C) devoted to the infamous British Ammunition boxes and their (potential) impact on the battle. The book has 11 very clear maps and 75 illustrations, many of which are in color and really capture the battlefield from the perspective of contemporary eyes. If you have an interest in 19th century imperialism, military history, or even what happens when indigenous peoples and colonials collide, read this book. It's excellent history and a ripping good yarn to boot.

Battle of Isandlwana:
I have been very interested in African history ever since I took a course on West African colonial history in college, and in the Zulu wars specifically when I read "Washing of the Spears" many years ago. These intrepid warriors faced the British imperialists in defense of their homeland, and occasionally prevailed in battle. This book details the Zulu victory over the British at Isandlwana, a very black day for the Empire of Queen Victoria. The reader receives all of the reasons why the Zulus prevailed, among other reasons the astute planning of their leaders, and the almost casual dismissal of the ability of the natives on the part of the English leaders. Once the tragedy took place, there was a concerted effort by the authorities to transfer blame from the actual commander, Lord Chelmsford, to one of the "colonial" officers. The authors categorically refute the baseless allegations, and show us exactly how Chelmsford was derelict in his duty to his troops, while not taking anything away from the brilliance of the Zulu planning. This is an interesting book, and well worth reading for those whose interest, as mine, centers on the cololnal conquest of the indigenous peoples of Africa.