Isandlwana (Cassell's Fields of Battle) [Hardcover]

Adrian Greaves (Author), Richard Holmes (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2002 | Series: Cassell's Fields of Battle

On 22nd January 1879, shortly after the British invasion of Zululand, Viscount Chelmsford established a camp at Islandlwana for his centre column, consisting of 1800 Europeans and 1000 natives. But while Chelmsford and about half of the Europeans were away trying to intercept a Zulu force, the camp was hit early in the morning by a surprise Zulu attack. All but 55 Europeans and 300 natives were killed. Returning the next day, Chelmsford discovered the ruined camp, strewn with bodies, and immediately fell back through Rorke's Drift to defensive positions. This book is a brand new look at the opening battle of the war, and one of the biggest disasters for the British in South Africa.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Having spent many years as a police superintendent, Dr Adrian Greaves now devotes all his time to the study of the Anglo-Zulu Wars. He is the founder/editor of the Journal of the Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society, and gives regular battlefield tours of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift. He has published numerous articles on the period; this is his first full-length book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cassell; 1st Edition edition (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304357006
• ISBN-13: 978-0304357000
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,148,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent background to the battle, February 19, 2003

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Isandlwana (Cassell's Fields of Battle) (Hardcover)

Overall, this proves to be a very readable book on the Campaign of Isandlwana. The background information involving the troops, Zulus and politics proves to be very informative and well written. Even the aftermath of the battle proves to be quite good as the authors' researched revealed many aspects of interest. However, I wasn't too impressed with the way the author wrote the battle. The maps - while very colorful, wasn't every effective. Description of the battle failed to convey the situation very clearly. I would recommend Zulu Victory by Ron Lock for the best written account of the battle and this book for the best written background material to the battle. If you read both books, you should have an excellent understanding of the entire Isandlwana campaign.

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid account with new thinking, May 8, 2002

By 

Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Isandlwana (Cassell's Fields of Battle) (Hardcover)

Isandlwana was one of the most famous battles in the British colonial wars, sort of a Zulu War equivalent of the American Battle of the Little Big Horn, with the supposedly inferior "natives" overwhelming the "civilized" military force. Arian Greaves' book is a solid, albeit not overly detailed, account of the battle and its background, well illustrated and containing several very informative maps. I especially appreciated Greaves' explorations of recent discoveries about the actual orders issued to the doomed column of British soldiers, lifting much of the cloud which lay over the reputations of the senior field commanders who had been killed. For persons not yet familiar with the Zulu War of 1879, this book will make a good introduction, yet still offers something new to those who have read the standard works in the past.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a battle with boredom, February 13, 2003

By 

John T. Fields (wisconsin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Isandlwana (Cassell's Fields of Battle) (Hardcover)

I just finished reading Isandlwana by Adrian Greaves and regrettably foumd it most disappointing. I had anxiously awiated its arrival.The story of the 24th at Isandlwana is one of the most exciting and heroic in all of military history.How an author can make the whole thing land with a thud is amazing. Very little space in the book is devoted to the actual battle. At least to some extent I want to be transported to the battlefield and feel the action myself. This never happened. The only place I was transported to was dreamland.