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Biography & Autobiography General

In the Shadow of Isandlwana

The Life and Times of General Lord Chelmsford and his Disaster in Zululand

by (author) John Laband & Ian Knight

Publisher
Casemate Ipm
Initial publish date
Oct 2023
Category
General, General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781784387709
    Publish Date
    Oct 2023
    List Price
    $72.95

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Description

"Lord Chelmsford is not a bad man. He is industrious and conscientious so far as his lights guide him. But nature has refused to him the qualities of a great captain. He has suffered much and is entitled to certain commiseration." - Thomas Gibson Bowles, Vanity Fair General Lord Chelmsford's military career took him around the world; he served in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny and the Abyssinian Expedition, before commanding the British invasion of the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa. In January 1879, disaster struck when Chelmsford divided his forces at Isandlwana in the face of the enemy and the Zulu overwhelmed his camp, killing more than 1,300 of its defenders. Such a defeat was almost unprecedented in a Victorian colonial campaign. Despite Chelmsford's later victories at Gingindlovu and Ulundi, he was humiliatingly relieved of his command. His responsibility for Isandlwana dogged him for the rest of his days, and he would forever be associated with this historic defeat. In this comprehensive new biography, Anglo-Zulu War specialist John Laband, explores the personal character and military career of Lord Chelmsford, providing a well-rounded, well-balanced and well-informed picture of this complex military figure.

About the authors

Contributor Notes

JOHN LABAND is Professor Emeritus and Chair of History at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, and is a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University, England. His books include The Rise and Full of the Zulu Nation (1997); The Atlas of the Later Zulu Wars (2002); The Transvaal Rebellion: The First Boer War (2005); Kingdom in Crisis: the Zulu Response to the British Invasion of 1879 (2007); the Historical Dictionary of the Zulu Wars (2009) and Zulu Warriors: The Battle for the South African Frontier (2014).

Ian Knight is an author and historian specializing in the Anglo-Zulu War. He has written numerous books on the subject including Brave Men's Blood, The Anatomy of the Zulu Army and Zulu Rising.