Summary of Adrian Greaves's Rorke's Drift

Summary of Adrian Greaves's Rorke's Drift PDF Author: Everest Media,
Publisher: Everest Media LLC
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 69

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Book Description
Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 During the reign of Queen Victoria, there were more than enough recruits to make conscription unnecessary and taking the queen’s shilling was a legally binding contract between the recruit and the army. #2 The British officers who led their men to Zululand were generally taller and fitter than their men. They had purchased their commissions before the Cardwell reforms that abolished the purchase system. They were expected to display a high level of fitness, loyalty, team spirit, and physical bravery. #3 The British invasion of Zululand was planned in mid 1878. The army needed wagons, oxen, and horses, but the civilian Governor of Natal, Sir Henry Bulwer, refused to allow the army to commandeer them. The officer in charge of supplies, Commissary General Strickland, had a peacetime establishment of twenty junior officers and thirty men under his command. #4 The logistics of the invasion were extremely complex. The average soldier was probably not aware of all the administrative arrangements necessary for him to fight the Zulus, but he was more concerned with the availability of his daily rations and bottled beer.

Summary of Adrian Greaves's Rorke's Drift

Summary of Adrian Greaves's Rorke's Drift PDF Author: Everest Media,
Publisher: Everest Media LLC
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 69

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Book Description
Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 During the reign of Queen Victoria, there were more than enough recruits to make conscription unnecessary and taking the queen’s shilling was a legally binding contract between the recruit and the army. #2 The British officers who led their men to Zululand were generally taller and fitter than their men. They had purchased their commissions before the Cardwell reforms that abolished the purchase system. They were expected to display a high level of fitness, loyalty, team spirit, and physical bravery. #3 The British invasion of Zululand was planned in mid 1878. The army needed wagons, oxen, and horses, but the civilian Governor of Natal, Sir Henry Bulwer, refused to allow the army to commandeer them. The officer in charge of supplies, Commissary General Strickland, had a peacetime establishment of twenty junior officers and thirty men under his command. #4 The logistics of the invasion were extremely complex. The average soldier was probably not aware of all the administrative arrangements necessary for him to fight the Zulus, but he was more concerned with the availability of his daily rations and bottled beer.

Rorke's Drift

Rorke's Drift PDF Author: Adrian Greaves
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 1780224974
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 529

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Book Description
The story of the bravest battle ever fought. On 22nd January 1879 a force of 20,000 Zulus overwhelmed and destroyed the British invading force at Isandlwana, killing and ritually disemboweling over 1200 troops. That afternoon, the same Zulu force turned their attention on a small outpost at Rorke's Drift. The battle that ensued, one of the British Army's great epics, has since entered into legend. Throughout the night 85 men held off six full-scale Zulu attacks at the cost of only 27 casualties, forcing the Zulu army to withdraw. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded for bravery shown on that night, the largest number for any one engagement in history. But as Adrian Greaves's new research shows there are several things about the myth of Rorke's Drift that don't add up. While it was the scene of undoubted bravery, it was also the scene of some astonishing cases of cowardice, and there is increasing evidence to suggest that the legend of Rorke's Drift was created to divert attention from the appalling British mistakes which caused the earlier defeat at Isandlwana.

Isandlwana

Isandlwana PDF Author: Adrian Greaves
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1844686027
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
The historian and founder of the Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society presents his groundbreaking account of the Battle of Isandlwana. The story of the British Army’s defeat at Iswandlwana in 1879 has been much written about, but never with the detail and insight revealed by the research of Dr. Adrian Greaves. In reconstructing the dramatic and fateful events, Greaves draws on newly discovered letters, diaries and papers of survivors and other contemporaries. These include the contemporary writings of central figures such as Henry Harford, Lt Henry Carling of the Royal Artillery, August Hammar and young British nurse Janet Wells. These historical documents, coupled with Greaves’s own detailed knowledge of Zululand, enable him to paint the most accurate picture yet of this cataclysmic battle that so shamed the British establishment. We learn for the first time of the complex Zulu decoy, the attempt to blame Colonel Durnford for the defeat. Greaves uncovers evidence of another “Fugitives’ Trail” escape route taken by battle survivors, as well as the identity of previously unknown escorts for Lieutenants Coghill and Melville, both awarded Victoria Crosses for trying to save the Colors.

Summary of Adrian Greaves's Forgotten Battles of the Zulu War

Summary of Adrian Greaves's Forgotten Battles of the Zulu War PDF Author: Everest Media,
Publisher: Everest Media LLC
ISBN: 1669350851
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 38

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Book Description
Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The battle of Rorke’s Drift, which took place on the 11th December 1878, was a defeat for the British Empire. It showed the world that the British Army was not invincible, and led to the terrible two Boer Wars of 1880 and 1899. #2 Lord Chelmsford, the British general, was tasked with invading Zululand and defeating the Zulu army. He devised a three-pronged invasion that would advance on the Zulu capital at Ulundi. Each prong or column was strong enough to engage and defeat the Zulu army if it ever stood to fight. #3 The Chelmsford Column was a coastal column that was sent to occupy the Zulu mission station at Eshowe before the Zulus destroyed the buildings. From Eshowe, the column was to advance on the Zulu capital, Ulundi. #4 The Chelmsford Column was ordered to form a portion of No. 1 Column, but to act separately, reporting to Colonel Pearson. They were to remain on the middle Tugela frontier until an advance was ordered and Colonel Pearson had reached Eshowe.

Forgotten Battles of the Zulu War

Forgotten Battles of the Zulu War PDF Author: Adrian Greaves
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1844689395
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
Adrian Greaves uses his exceptional knowledge of the Anglo-Zulu War to look beyond the two best known battles of Isandlwana and the iconic action at Rorkes Drift to other fiercely fought battles.He covers little recorded engagements and battles such as Nyezane which was fought on the same day as the slaughter of Imperial troops at Isandlwana but has been eclipsed by it. Like the battles at Hlobane and Gingindhlovu.The death of the Prince Imperial, which caused shock waves round Europe and had huge repercussions for those involved, is examined in detail. The defeat of the Zulu Army at Ulundi was the culmination of the war and the author reveals new and shocking details about this battle.There is a hint of ominous events to come in the slaughter of Colonel Austruthers Redcoat column by Boers as they marched from Ulundi to Pretoria. This was the opening salvo of the First Boer War.This hugely informative book will fascinate fans of this period of our Imperial history.

Crossing the Buffalo

Crossing the Buffalo PDF Author: Adrian Greaves
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1409125726
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
A new and complete history of Zululand, and its destruction at the hands of the British in 1879. This book is not only a complete history of the Zulus but also an account of the way the British won absolute rule in South Africa. In the early decades of the nineteenth century, Shaka Zulu established a nation in south-east Africa which was to become the most politically sophisticated and militarily powerful black nation in the entire area. Although the Zulus never had any quarrel with their British neighbours, the rulers of the Cape Colony could not conceive of them as anything but a threat. In 1879, under dubious pretences, the British finally crossed the Buffalo River, and embarked on a bloody war that was to rock the very foundations of the British Empire. The story is studded with tales of incredible heroism, drama and atrocity on both sides: the Battle of Isandlwana, where the Zulus inflicted on the British the worst defeat a modern army has ever suffered at the hands of men without guns; Rorke's Drift, where a handful of British troops beat off thousands of Zulu warriors and won a record 11 VCs; and Ulundi, where the Zulus were finally crushed in a battle that was to herald some of the most shameful episodes in British Colonial history. Comprehensive, vast in scope, and filled with original and up-to-date research, this is a book that is set to replace all standard works on the subject.

Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana

Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana PDF Author: CHRIS. PEERS
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781784385347
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 was one of the most dramatic episodes in military history. In the morning, 20,000 Zulus overwhelmed the British invading force in one of the greatest disasters ever to befall a British army.Later the same day, a Zulu force of around 3,000 warriors turned their attention to a small outpost at Rorke's Drift defended by around 150 British and Imperial troops. The British victory that ensued - against remarkable odds - would go down as one of the most heroic actions of all time.In this thrilling blow-by-blow account, Chris Peers draws on first-hand testimonies from both sides to piece together the course of the battles as they unfolded. Along the way, he exposes many of the Victorian myths to reveal great acts of bravery as well as cases of cowardice and incompetence. A brief analysis of the aftermath of the battle and notes on the later careers of the key participants completes this gripping exposé of this legendary encounter.

Zulu Victory

Zulu Victory PDF Author: Ron Lock
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1473876834
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
“A densely detailed account of the 1879 Zulu defeat of the British . . . portrays a complex and interesting segment of British/African history.”—Library Journal The battle of Isandlwana—a great Zulu victory—was one of the worst defeats ever to befall a British Army. At noon on 22 January 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. Using source material ranging from the Royal Windsor Archives to the oral history passed down to the present Zulu inhabitants of Isandlwana, this gripping history exposes the full extent of the blunders of this famous battle and the scandal that followed. It also gives full credit to the masterful tactics of the 20,000 strong Zulu force and to Ntshingwayo kaMahole, for the way in which he comprehensively out-generalled Chelmsford. This is an illuminating account of one of the most embarrassing episodes in British military history and of a spectacular Zulu victory. The authors superbly weave the excitement of the battle, the British mistakes, the brilliant Zulu tactics and the shameful cover up into an exhilarating and tragic tale. “A must for anyone interested in the Zulu War. Highly recommended.”—British Army Review

A Handful of Heroes, Rorke's Drift

A Handful of Heroes, Rorke's Drift PDF Author: Katie Stossel
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473864119
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
A compelling account of the courageous standoff between 150 British troops and more than 3,000 Zulu warriors during the Anglo-Zulu War. Thanks to newly discovered letters and documents, A Handful of Heroes, Rorke’s Drift updates the history of the Defense of Rorke’s Drift, which will forever be one of the most celebrated British feats of arms. Remarkably after such prolonged historical scrutiny, the author’s research proves that there is yet more to discover about this famous incident of the Zulu War in 1879, and her superbly researched book reveals a number of myths that have distorted what happened during the gallant defense of the small Mission Station. This fascinating and highly readable account goes on to examine in detail the famous Chard Report, which has long been relied on by historians and authors. Doubts emerge as to its accuracy, and evidence is provided which suggests the report’s author was coerced by a senior officer in order to protect the latter’s reputation. Likewise the letters of August Hammar, a young Swedish visitor to the Mission, put Reverend Otto Witt’s false account into perspective. These and other revelations make A Handful of Heroes, Rorke’s Drift a fresh and important addition to the bibliography of this legendary Zulu War engagement. “Though the book reviewed here should not be your first dip into the history of the Zulu War, it is an essential one. It provides readers with a wider understanding of the events and their aftermath . . . The author does the job here with style and grace.” —War History Online

Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana

Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana PDF Author: Ian F. W. Beckett
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198794126
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
The story of Isandlwana, the battle that shocked the British empire at its zenith, and Rorke's Drift, which immediately followed it and went some way to restoring wounded British pride: how they were fought, how they have been remembered, and what they mean for us today.