The Battle of Ulundi, 4 July 1879: and the Death of the Zulu King Cetshwayo($29.64Value)

Description

A detailed account of the Ulundi campaign and Cetshwayo’s capture, release, and the ensuing Zulu civil war, highlighting terrain insights and the king’s tragic fate. In 1879 Britain was at the height of its power when her forces in South Africa unexpectedly invaded neighbouring Zululand. The Zulu king, Cetshwayo, fought back and swiftly defeated the invading troops, firstly at Isandlwana (the defence of Rorke’s Drift notwithstanding) then Ntombe and Hlobane. It was only at Khambula that the British scored their first significant victory, restoring their confidence sufficiently for a renewed invasion that brought the opposing armies to Ulundi for the decisive clash of the war. The Zulus were defeated after a savage battle yet the British press and public, used to victories, showed less interest in the fight itself than in the subsequent fate of Cetshwayo, who was subsequently captured. His kingdom was divided into thirteen quarrelling chiefdoms and his cattle seized, destroying Zululand’s economy. In 1882 Cetshwayo was taken to England to meet Queen Victoria, who demanded his return to Zululand but only to a single chiefdom. Adrian Greaves offers a detailed account of the Ulundi campaign and of the battle itself, laced with insights from his knowledge of the terrain. He then continues his fascinating narrative with the events of Cetshwayo’s capture and release, and the subsequent Zulu civil war in which he was again defeated in battle. The tragic conclusion sees the fugitive former king fleeing to British protection but dying shortly after from poison. He was buried at a point most difficult for his followers to reach – today a Zulu shrine. Dr Adrian Greaves FRGS, a former soldier and senior police officer, has devoted the last 20 years of his life to studying the Anglo-Zulu War. He is the founder of the Anglo Zulu War Historical Society, the author of numerous works including the bestselling Rorke’s Drift ( ) to which this book is a worthy companion. His books, The Curling Letters of the Zulu War, Redcoats and Zulus, Sister Janet, Who’s Who in the Anglo-Zulu War (2 volumes with Ian Knight) and David Rattray’s Guidebook to the Anglo-Zulu War Battlefield (Editor) have all been published by Pen and Sword Books Ltd.