Blood River 1838

The Zulu–Boer War and the Great Trek

Ian Knight, Adam Hook (Illustrator)

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Osprey Publishing
21 November 2024

African history; Boer Wars; Indigenous peoples; Land forces & warfare; Battles & campaigns

Series: Campaign

A myth-shattering study of the first clash between the Zulu kingdom and European interlopers and its dramatic effects on Boer and Zulu alike.

By the 1830s, the Zulu kingdom was consolidating its power as the strongest African polity in the south-east, but was under growing pressure from British traders and hunters on the coast, and descendants of the early Dutch settlers at the Cape – the Boers. In 1837, the vanguard of the Boers' Great Trek migration reached the borders of Zulu territory, causing alarm. When the Boer leader Piet Retief and his followers were massacred in cold blood, war broke out. Although the initial Boer counter-attacks were defeated by the Zulus, in December 1838 a new Trekker offensive resulted in a nation-defining clash between Boer and Zulu at the battle of Blood River.

In this ground-breaking and carefully balanced new work, containing stunning artwork and detailed maps, Ian Knight explores what has long been a controversial and partisan topic in South African history, placing the Zulus more squarely in this part of their history. Among the topics covered are the 1836 Boer/Ndebele conflict, the imbalance in technique and weaponry, the reasons why the British settlers allied themselves with the Boer Trekkers, and why the war was a key turning point in the use of traditional Zulu military techniques. This work also reveals that a Boer victory at Blood River was by no means a foregone conclusion.

By: Ian Knight
Illustrated by: Adam Hook (Illustrator)
Imprint: Osprey Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Volume: 402
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 184mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781472860750
ISBN 10: 1472860756
Series: Campaign
Pages: 96
Publication Date: 21 November 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

(Subject to confirmation) Origins of the Campaign Chronology Opposing Commanders Opposing Forces and Orders of Battle Opposing Plans The Campaign Aftermath The Battlefield Today Bibliography Index

Ian Knight is widely known as a historian specializing in the wars of the 19th-century Zulu Kingdom. He is the author of numerous full-length studies about the Anglo-Zulu War, and has written extensively on Zulu and colonial subjects. Ian's attention to the Zulu perspective is highly regarded.