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Like Lions they Fought: The Zulu War and the Last Black Empire in South Africa
Describes the causes and background of the Zulu War, recounts the experiences of British and Zulu survivors, and looks at the strategies and tactics of the war
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 9, 2021
The writing was not the best, but I did enjoy the information on the Zulus, as well as the battles they fought with the British. The Zulu’s bravely fought against a British invading army with superior firepower. The unbelievable scene that played out at most of the battles was the British army entrenching itself in a defensible position while the Zulu army keeps trying to overrun it but instead just gets mowed down by intense firepower. It’s horrific to read of how they kept charging while getting demolished by cannons, Gatling guns & rifles.
The last chapter provided a helpful overview of colonial wars in Africa. Europeans have a long, sad history of exploiting Africa in the pursuit of slaves & minerals. I wish there was more info on some of the great African kingdoms prior to so much of the European conquest.
The last chapter provided a helpful overview of colonial wars in Africa. Europeans have a long, sad history of exploiting Africa in the pursuit of slaves & minerals. I wish there was more info on some of the great African kingdoms prior to so much of the European conquest.
October 6, 2024
Have you ever heard of...no? Take a seat, I'll regale you.
It may be the American approach but there is something accessible, fair (to the Zulu experience) and easy to memorize about this 180 page primer.
It may be the American approach but there is something accessible, fair (to the Zulu experience) and easy to memorize about this 180 page primer.
September 10, 2007
If you've seen the two movies "Zulu" and "Zulu Dawn" you might well think that the two battles were all there was to the Zulu War, but that's hardly the case. As with most British disasters, they mostly spark longer campaigns to allow the British army to redeem itself. Lord Chelmsford fought reasonably well after his initial debacle where he learned a bit of respect for his adversary, but then it was his job to get it right the first time. If you have any interest in this area, this is a very fine book and well worth your time.
April 30, 2021
This was a most interesting book. Robert Edgerton not only provided excellent and powerful descriptions of battles but inciteful commentary into the political times, i.e., the Victorian age and the cultures of both the Zulu Nation and the British Empire. The book concludes with a chapter describing the history of Africa, colonialism, and the genocidal murder of the native populations.
The Anglo-Zulu war did not have to be, the Zulu were cattle farmers, but the British wanted a fight. They wanted to eliminate Zulu power in the Region and limit Zulu land holdings for white settlers and businessmen wanting to develop the Regions natural resources. After the discovery of gold and the other abundant natural resources in Southern Africa, the Zulu had to go and the British incurred considerable expense and many casualties to gain their victory.
It was a six-month war with seven major battles. The Zulu won the battle of Isandlwana, but this victory hastened their ultimate defeat. After this lose the British changed Commanders and committed even more troops and resources to this fight. Another famous battle was Rorke’s Drift it was famous because a single company of men held off close to four thousand Zulu. More men were awarded the Victoria Cross in that battle than in any other battle before or since; eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded. The British needed a victory after the defeat at Isandlwana and the public back in England needed the victory. This battle was made into a popular movie in 1964. While reading Edgerton’s narrative I reviewed this movie, and it enhanced my enjoyment.
Edgerton is a professor of Anthropology and Psychiatry at UCLA and his background is evident in his story. He describes in professionally researched detail the culture of the two combatants. His presentation has added brilliance because the story is seen through the eyes of men like Winston Churchill, The common English soldier, the English officers, the British aristocracy, and the Zulu Chief Cetshwayo. The diverse viewpoints provided balance and ensured that there were no villains in this story.
The Zulu did not want this war and tried awkwardly to seek a peace. They were merely defending their homeland from invasion, yet as the British soon found out they were not just farmers but ferocious warriors in battle. The English at the start totally underestimated the Zulu ability to fight and at the end of the war had great respect for their courage. Edgerton spent some time analyzing what made the Zulu so relentless and fearless. They continually charged impregnable positions while sustaining horrendous losses. He pointed to a military culture created by the famous Chief Shaka. In addition, extreme peer pressure and rivalries existed between Zulu tribes as well as “mano on mano” pressure from peers and the woman of the tribe; To be labelled a coward was an unthinkable affliction. This subject of courage in both Zulu and English culture was explored in depth and made interesting reading from a Psychological point of view.
A huge contrast between the British, Boers and Zulu were the need for support and its transportation to the front. The British could not march to war without tons of supplies, while the Zulu carried just their spears and shields, and the Boers required a rifle, ammunition, a blanket, and a horse. Supplies were not the problem for the British but transporting them was a problem. Transport was a recurring nightmare for the British, for instance, just tents for a single battalion of approximately 600 men weighed more than 9 tons and wagons were hard to find and when found an exorbitant price had to be paid for them. This problem slowed any quick movement plans the British may have had they were slow and cumbersome, yet in the end, reinforcements, gatling guns and artillery won the war. The battle of Ulundi and the losses experienced by the Zulu while fighting a modern army with advanced weaponry convinced the Zulu to stop fighting and the war was won.
In addition of the story of combat, I found several interesting observations by our author, for instance:
1) I have never read of Churchill in actual combat. yet in this book he is credited with killing 6 Pachuns in Northern India and two Dervishes at point blank range in Africa. He was with the 21st Lancers when they made the last British Calvary charge in its history. The author also spoke of Churchill’s lack of religion, stating that he had little interest in the subject and was agnostic concerning a God.
2) Our author stated that there were “File closers” on both sides of this war. These were units in the rear of each attacking army ensuring that no one deserted their post. I was aware that the Russian army in World War II used “file Closers’, but the British?
3) Edgerton talked at length of how the Zulu would work themselves up into a frenzy for battle with dance and song. Late in his narrative he mentions that they also used narcotics! The British used some drugs, but liquor was the drug of choice to steel themselves for a battle.
4) In the final chapters the author stated that he believed that the Zulu could have won this war by using better tactics. They could have used guerrilla tactics and night raids to exhaust and demoralize the British forces. By extending the war he believed that the government in London would have tired and would have been willing to declare victory and sign a peace treaty to end the conflict.
After all is said, this little book about a six-month war was packed with details about battles, discussion about cultures and a sad historical look at the continent of Africa. Well done, Robert Edgerton.
The Anglo-Zulu war did not have to be, the Zulu were cattle farmers, but the British wanted a fight. They wanted to eliminate Zulu power in the Region and limit Zulu land holdings for white settlers and businessmen wanting to develop the Regions natural resources. After the discovery of gold and the other abundant natural resources in Southern Africa, the Zulu had to go and the British incurred considerable expense and many casualties to gain their victory.
It was a six-month war with seven major battles. The Zulu won the battle of Isandlwana, but this victory hastened their ultimate defeat. After this lose the British changed Commanders and committed even more troops and resources to this fight. Another famous battle was Rorke’s Drift it was famous because a single company of men held off close to four thousand Zulu. More men were awarded the Victoria Cross in that battle than in any other battle before or since; eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded. The British needed a victory after the defeat at Isandlwana and the public back in England needed the victory. This battle was made into a popular movie in 1964. While reading Edgerton’s narrative I reviewed this movie, and it enhanced my enjoyment.
Edgerton is a professor of Anthropology and Psychiatry at UCLA and his background is evident in his story. He describes in professionally researched detail the culture of the two combatants. His presentation has added brilliance because the story is seen through the eyes of men like Winston Churchill, The common English soldier, the English officers, the British aristocracy, and the Zulu Chief Cetshwayo. The diverse viewpoints provided balance and ensured that there were no villains in this story.
The Zulu did not want this war and tried awkwardly to seek a peace. They were merely defending their homeland from invasion, yet as the British soon found out they were not just farmers but ferocious warriors in battle. The English at the start totally underestimated the Zulu ability to fight and at the end of the war had great respect for their courage. Edgerton spent some time analyzing what made the Zulu so relentless and fearless. They continually charged impregnable positions while sustaining horrendous losses. He pointed to a military culture created by the famous Chief Shaka. In addition, extreme peer pressure and rivalries existed between Zulu tribes as well as “mano on mano” pressure from peers and the woman of the tribe; To be labelled a coward was an unthinkable affliction. This subject of courage in both Zulu and English culture was explored in depth and made interesting reading from a Psychological point of view.
A huge contrast between the British, Boers and Zulu were the need for support and its transportation to the front. The British could not march to war without tons of supplies, while the Zulu carried just their spears and shields, and the Boers required a rifle, ammunition, a blanket, and a horse. Supplies were not the problem for the British but transporting them was a problem. Transport was a recurring nightmare for the British, for instance, just tents for a single battalion of approximately 600 men weighed more than 9 tons and wagons were hard to find and when found an exorbitant price had to be paid for them. This problem slowed any quick movement plans the British may have had they were slow and cumbersome, yet in the end, reinforcements, gatling guns and artillery won the war. The battle of Ulundi and the losses experienced by the Zulu while fighting a modern army with advanced weaponry convinced the Zulu to stop fighting and the war was won.
In addition of the story of combat, I found several interesting observations by our author, for instance:
1) I have never read of Churchill in actual combat. yet in this book he is credited with killing 6 Pachuns in Northern India and two Dervishes at point blank range in Africa. He was with the 21st Lancers when they made the last British Calvary charge in its history. The author also spoke of Churchill’s lack of religion, stating that he had little interest in the subject and was agnostic concerning a God.
2) Our author stated that there were “File closers” on both sides of this war. These were units in the rear of each attacking army ensuring that no one deserted their post. I was aware that the Russian army in World War II used “file Closers’, but the British?
3) Edgerton talked at length of how the Zulu would work themselves up into a frenzy for battle with dance and song. Late in his narrative he mentions that they also used narcotics! The British used some drugs, but liquor was the drug of choice to steel themselves for a battle.
4) In the final chapters the author stated that he believed that the Zulu could have won this war by using better tactics. They could have used guerrilla tactics and night raids to exhaust and demoralize the British forces. By extending the war he believed that the government in London would have tired and would have been willing to declare victory and sign a peace treaty to end the conflict.
After all is said, this little book about a six-month war was packed with details about battles, discussion about cultures and a sad historical look at the continent of Africa. Well done, Robert Edgerton.
February 11, 2024
My enjoyment of this book was kind of like a reverse sandwich - I loved the "bread' at the beginning and the end, but the "meat" in the middle was a little too "in the weeds" for my tastes. The first few chapters provide a great overview of this conflict, along with insightful views into the Zulu and the British army cultures at the time. The bulk of the central portion of the book tracked the individual battles in excruciating detail. For readers who really enjoy an in-depth look into the logistics and strategies of war campaigns, this will be right up your ally, but if you want more of the "big picture" stuff, your eyes might glaze over a bit during this stretch. The last few chapters then provide a nice follow-up of the aftermath, along with an ultra condensed overview of the next century-or-so of European interference in Africa.
June 3, 2024
I will always regard "The Washing of the Spears" by Donald Morris (1965) as the ultimate work on the Zulu War. Edgerton's did nothing to change that. It is short and readable but he is an anthropologist rather than a historian and it shows. He certainly gives a different emphasis and had access to source material unknown to Morris. But in the end he goes of rail and concludes with chapter on other colonial wars in Africa that is quite besides the point, except for him to say bad colonialism was.
December 19, 2025
The author's writing is choppy & he quotes the n-word very freely. The work is well-researched and uses many primary sources. He comes off as an English partisan but critical of the individual English stakeholders during the war.
January 4, 2009
This is a great book. You will understand no just the Zulu war but also both the culture of Colonial UK and the Zulu people.
May 18, 2016
A quite fascinating book and highly readable, my only complaint was that he used the term Hottentot which is offensive instead of the term Khoikhoi for that racial group.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews