It was said of George Dennison that he had seen more active service in southern Africa than any other living man. An eminent soldier cast from a colonial mould of bitter experience, rather than of a formal military education, he was also a frontiersman equal in standing to any legendary figure of the American West. His military career saw him rise from an uncouth trooper with the Bloemfontein Rangers to, fifty years later, a distinguished officer whose advice was sought by the likes of Lord Kitchener, Sir Garnet Wolseley and other British military names of fame. During this time Dennison encountered many foes, some he would have known as neighbours, or men who had lately been his comrades-in-arms. He fought against Afrikaners, Dutchmen, Voortrekkers and the Boers. His black foes were also diverse; the stealthy Xhosa of the eastern Cape; the battle-axe wielding Basutos from their lofty kingdom in the clouds; the Transvaal baPedi, the masters of fortification, and most impressive of all, the amaZulu warriors of King Cetshwayo. In Zulu Frontiersman, Dennison recounts his remarkable exploits in rich and lively prose. Originally published in 1904 in abridged form (under the title A Fight to the Finish) his memoirs have now been expertly reworked by Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill in order to reinstate some of the fascinating details missing from the earlier published account, including for example Dennison's involvement in and dramatic escape from the battle of Hlobane.

The Anglo-Zulu War was one of many colonial campaigns in which the British Army served as the instrument of British imperialism. The conflict, fought against a native adversary the British initially under-estimated, is remarkable for battles that included perhaps the most humiliating defeat in British military history-the Battle of Isandlwana, January 22, 1879-and one of its most heroic feats of martial arms-the defense of Rorke's Drift, January 22-23, 1879. While lasting only six months, it is one of the most examined, studied, and debated conflicts in Victorian military history. Anglo-Zulu War, 1879: A Selected Bibliography is a research guide and tool for identifying obscure publications and source materials in order to encourage continued original and thought-provoking contributions to this popular field of historical study. From the student or neophyte to the study of the Anglo-Zulu War, its battles, and its opponents to the more experienced historian or scholar, this selected bibliography is a must for anyone interested in the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War.

The Anglo Zulu War continues to attract phenomenal interest. What was meant to be a quick punitive expedition led by Lord Chelmsford turned into a watershed for British Colonial power. The ignominious defeat at Iswandhlwana was a terrible blow to British military pride but the heroic stand at Rourkes Drift, while a minor event by comparison, allowed the powers-that-be to salvage some honor.This authoritative book covers all the main players, be they military, political or civilian, with concise yet readable individual entries. In addition to the military commanders on both sides, we have the VC winners, those at Rourkes Drift and survivors of the massacre. Individuals such as The Crown Prince Imperial whose actions made an impact all have entries.

In Sons of the Empire, Robert MacDonald explores popular ideas and myths in Edwardian Britain, their use by Baden-Powell, and their influence on the Boy Scout movement. In particular, he analyses the model of masculinity provided by the imperial frontier, the view that life in younger, far-flung parts of the empire was stronger, less degenerate than in Britain. The stereotypical adventurer - the frontiersman - provided an alternative ethic to British society. The best known example of it at the time was Baden-Powell himself, a war scout, the Hero of Mafeking in the South African war, and one of the first cult heroes to be created by the modern media. When Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts in 1908, he used both the power of the frontier myth and his own legend as a hero to galvanize the movement. The glamour of war scouting was hard to resist, its adventures a seductive invitation to the first recruits. But Baden-Powell had a serious educational program in mind: Boy Scouts were to be trained in good citizenship. MacDonald documents his study with a wide range of contemporary sources, from newspapers to military memoirs. Exploring the genesis of an imperial institution through its own texts, he brings new insight into the Edwardian age.

Everyone knows about Rorke`s Drift and Isandlwana but what happened at the end of the Zulu War has never been told before ‒ and it’s every bit as exciting.

"The Anglo-Zulu War, the most famous of Britain's lte ninetweenth-century campaigns of colonial conquest, was not fought in isolation. Along with the two Anglo-Pedi wars, the Ninth Cape Frontier War and the Northern Border War, it was one in a brutal series of interconnected and overlapping wars which the British waged between 1877-1879 to crush and disarm the remaining independent black states of South Africa. [Fusing] the widely differing African and European perspectives on events, [the author] probes the fateful decisions taken by statesmen and military commandrs, analyses military operations and their destructive impact on combatants and civilians alike, and explores why so many Africans chose to fight as auxiliaries and levies alongside the Bruitish instead of against them. ..."--Jacket.