Rorke's Drift (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Account
Review: Adrian Greaves new account of the legendary battle at Rorke's Drift between a few thousand brave Zulu warriors and a small force of equally brave British soldiers is bound to be the definitive book on the subject for some time to come. Over 450 pages in length with a number of black and white photographs and 10 maps the author presents the full picture of this epic stand and places it in the context of the British campaign into Zulu Land.

The book is set in two parts, the first half (202 pages) offers the reader a narrative of the events leading up to the British invasion, the battle at Isandlwana, the final battle at Rorke's Drift, and then the events leading to the end of the campaign. The second half of the book (over 240 pages) is taken up with numerous chapters and appendices dealing with a host of material in relation to the people involved and the battle itself.

Subjects covered include the medical treatment of the wounded, personalities involved, an examination of the Roll of Rorke's Drift, medal citations, history of the 24th Regiment, archaeological investigations at the battlefield, and a visitor's guide to Rorke's Drift. Seven appendices that provide a host of other information follow these chapters. This part of the book is a researchers gold mine and offers the amateur historian a wealth of information on the battle.

Overall it's a very interesting book to read and very well presented. The narrative was easy to follow and I enjoyed the accounts of the fighting at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift. However, although I was amazed at the amount of information offered and I appreciate the research that has gone into this book, I wanted more of the narrative to be concentrated on the actual battle at Rorke's Drift. In all only about 30 pages is dedicated to the actual fighting at Rorke's Rift with another 30 pages covering the aftermath of the battle.

I am sure much more could have been written about the fighting at Rorke's Drift but what was offered was still quite good and I was fascinated by the information supplied on some of the main characters involved at Rorke's Drift. I am pretty sure that most people who loved the movie 'Zulu' or who have a passion for this period of history will enjoy this book as much as I did. I intend to watch the video again soon just to compare the book to the movie. Well done to the author, maybe he could write a similar account on the Battle of Isandlwana?