Osprey Elite 32 : British Forces in Zululand 1879

On 4 March, 1878 at King William's Town, British Kaffraria, Gen. Sir Arthur Cunnynghame handed over supreme command of the British forces in southern Africa to his successor, Lt. Gen. Sir Frederic Thesiger. It was hardly a plum job. It was a fact of Imperial life that commanders in the Colonies were expected to achieve the maximum result with a minimal expense of resources, and southern Africa was going through a troublesome period of its history. However none of these problems can have been uppermost in Thesiger's mind as 1878 wore on, since his political master, the High Commissioner, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, had another more pressing task for him to consider. Frere was convinced that one solution to the complex problems which beset the region was to overthrow the last powerful independent black kingdom bordering British possessions - the Zulu kingdom of King Cetshwayo KaMapande. A prospective war with the Zulus posed Thesiger a number of clear strategic questions. The aggressive intent was all Britain's: Cetshwayo had remained on the political defensive, and was keen to avoid a confrontation. Thesiger would therefore have to take the war across the border of Colonial Natal and wage it in Zululand - a vast and difficult country. Ian Knight has written widely on Zulu history and travelled extensively in Zululand, in this book he explores the organisation and uniforms of the British forces in Zululand, 1879. This book includes 12 full page colour plates by Richard Scollins.

Contents

• The Zulu War
• Infantry
• Infantry Uniforms
• Artillery
• Departmental Corps
• Naval Brigades
• Volunteers and Irregulars
• Natal's African Troops
• British Columns in Zululand 1879
• The Plates