From 1837 to 1901, in Asia, China, Canada, Africa, and elsewhere, military expedition were constantly being undertaken to protect resident Britons or British interests, to extend a frontier, to repel an attack, avenge an insult, or suppress a mutiny or rebellion. Continuous warfare became an accepted way of life in the Victorian era, and in the process the size of the British Empire quadrupled.But engrossing as these small wars are--and they bristle with bizarre, tragic, and often humorous incident--it is the officers and men who fought them that dominate this book. With their courage, foolhardiness, and eccentricities, they are an unforgettable lot.

The 'small war' was a particularly Victorian concern. Its course was followed with avid interest by the general public. Every setback and victory, every act of courage and cowardice was recorded and illustrated in the popular press.Nowhere was this more true than in Africa, where small wars came in three distinct types: campaigns of conquest or annexation, such as the 1879 campaign against Cetshwayo's Zulu Impis; campaigns for the suppression of an insurrection, such as those in East and West Africa, where many campaigns began as simple expeditions and ended by bringing vast territories under British rule; and campaigns to avenge an insult, designed to impose control without annexing territory, the Abyssinian Expedition of 1868 being a typical example.Only the Boer Wars of 1881 and 1897-1902 did not fit into one of these three patterns. Fought against an enemy armed with comparable weapons, the campaign of 1881 was the only war lost by British troops during the Victorian period.Donald Featherstone, an acknowledged expert on colonial warfare, has written a vivid and accurate account of the small wars in Africa, drawing heavily on the letters and first-hand reports of those who were there. His Victoria's Enemies was described by the Journal of the Royal Artillery as 'wide ranging ... well researched and excellent value ...'This book is published as part of the work of The History of Wargaming Project to document key works of Donald Featherstone.

The rich and exotic sub-continent of India - the jewel in Britain's Imperial Crown - fascinated Victorian England. A handful of the nineteenth century's greatest adventurers made their names and fortunes there, while thousands at home avidly read the first-hand accounts reproduced in the pages of this book, describing the battles and gruelling campaigns which secured Britain's busy but relatively short tenure of the continent.From the conquest of Sind in 1843, when Sir Charles Napier defeated the Baluchi army and annexed the kingdom, to the Indian Mutiny of 1857-58 that outraged world opinion, Donald Featherstone has constructed a revealing account of the British Empire's most complex and fascinating period.The text is illustrated with 100 engravings, taken from magazines and news-papers of the time, and with its many contemporary quotations Victorian Colonial Warfare - India endows the reader with a real feel for the age.Donald Featherstone was an acknowledged expert on colonial warfare and wrote this book as a source book for wargaming.

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. The Victorian soldier in Africa re-examines the campaign experience of British soldiers in Africa during the period, 1874–1902 – the zenith of the Victorian imperial expansion – and does so from the perspective of the regimental soldier. The book utilises an unprecedented number of letters and diaries, written by regimental officers and other ranks, to allow soldiers to speak for themselves about their experience of colonial warfare. The sources demonstrate the adaptability of the British army in fighting in different climates, over demanding terrain and against a diverse array of enemies. They also uncover soldiers’ responses to army reforms of the era as well as the response to the introduction of new technologies of war. Moreover, the book provides commentary on soldiers’ views of commanding officers and politicians alongside assessment of war correspondents, colonial auxiliaries and African natives in their roles as bearers, allies and enemies. This book reveals new insights on imperial and racial attitudes within the army, on relations between soldiers and the media and the production of information and knowledge from frontline to homefront. It will make fascinating reading for students, academics and enthusiasts in imperial history, Victorian studies, military history and colonial warfare.