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Author: Ian Knight
After the Battle

This work is one of the most widley known military campaigns of the Victorian era. The story is presented through the "After the Battle" series "then and now" photographic theme and contains graphic eyewitness accounts from both sides which aim to convey what it was like to give battle in the 1870s. Additional chapters cover what remains to be seen today, both on the battlefields and in museums; the lonely and sometimes unmarked and forgotten graves of the participants; the British forts and their ruins; plus accounts of those film productions that have since been made of the 1879 war.

Author: Ian Knight

The Zulu kingdom, created by Shaka kaSenzangakhona, lasted just over six decades before meeting the imperial might of the British Empire. Within six months the kingdom lay in pieces. A full military campaign, known as the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 was required to ensure its demise. The British High Commissioner in South Africa, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, believed that the robust and economically self-reliant Zulu kingdom was a threat to this policy. In December 1878 he picked a quarrel with the Zulu king, Cetshwayo kaMpande, in the belief that the Zulu army - armed primarily with shields and spears - would soon collapse in the face of British Imperial might. The war began in January 1879. Three columns of British troops under the command of Lt. Gen. Lord Chelmsford invaded Zululand. Almost immediately, the war went badly wrong for the British. On 22 January, the Centre Column, under Lord Chelmsford's personal command, was defeated at Isandlwana mountain. In one of the worst disasters of the Colonial era, over 1300 British troops and their African allies were killed. In the aftermath of Isandlwana, the Zulu reserves mounted a raid on the British border post at Rorke's Drift, which was held by just 145 men. After ten hours of ferocious fighting, the Zulu were driven off. Eleven of the defenders of Rorke's Drift were awarded the Victoria Cross.These are the best-known episodes of the war, and Rorke's Drift inspired the classic film Zulu, which established Michael Caine as a star. However, the author delves deeply into the causes of the war, the conditions during it and the aftermath. Completely re-set, this is one of the most highly-regarded books on the period.

Author: Ian Knight
Illustrator: Angus McBride
Osprey (Elite)

Zulu military organisation was extremely sophisticated. Warriors were organised into regiments with some form of basic uniform and shields were state-manufactured and owned. Yet, in spite of this sophistication, much of the Zulu's military outlook was extremely primitive: firearms were ill understood, and between 1816 and 1906 the Zulus maintained their primary reliance on hand-to-hand fighting. In this book Ian Knight investigates Zulu weaponry in detail, and also their society, beliefs and rituals, particularly with regard to ceremonies conducted before and after battles. Tactics, costume and customs are carefully examined, as are various battles, such as the war between the Zulus and Boers (1838) and the Anglo-Zulu War (1879), which brought about the end of the Zulu kingdom, making this a thorough account of the Zulu warrior.

Author: Ian Knight

The Zulus were great warriors, and this book recalls 10 of the most notable ones, from King Shaka to Bambathia Zondi. Each account includes details of Zulu forces, weaponry, tactics and achievements.

Author Ian Knight is almost THE lone voice on the Zulu... few are the books he has not had at least a hand in. This book is unique, because, at last, we get something that looks beyond the Zulu kings (although there are chapters on Shaka and Cetshwayo) and examines some of the men who helped them build the Zulu kingdom.

This book is a great read because it imparts something of the personal lives of the great Zulu warriors, which has been totally ignored by most historians.

Author: Ian Knight and Ian Castle

The British Army suffered its most severe defeat in Imperial history at the hands of the Zulu impies at Isandhlwana. The author's description of the events on that day brings to life the tragedy for the reader whether at home or on the ground.

Another review said this: The book is small, and covers only the lead up to this epic battle and the battle itself. No real mention of the subsequent Rorke's Drift battle or who escaped from the one only to fight in the other. I suspect this was saved for another book. Lots of low-qual pictures but they do convey the story fairly well. Not a bad book but a bit pricey for what you get.


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