Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Battles of Hlobane and Khambula: Forgotten Turning Point of the Anglo-Zulu War

The Battles of Hlobane and Khambula: Forgotten Turning Point of the Anglo-Zulu War

Greaves, Adrian

Hardcover

African HistoryBritish HistoryOther Wars

Publisher Price: $39.95

ISBN10: 1036130584
ISBN13: 9781036130589
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
Published: Apr 30 2026
Pages: 192
Weight: 1.01
Height: 0.95 Width: 6.07 Depth: 9.30
Language: English
The battles are competently told and the analysis of what went wrong and right for the British is even better. Glossing over details receives an examination of the official and personal reports that are understandable from the viewpoint of career officers seeking to make British troop losses less problematic than the final correlation of casualties. - Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

The two main Zulu War battles of Hlobane and Khambula were fought on consecutive days, 28 and 29 March 1879, with very different outcomes. The first, a bungled raid to deprive the Zulus of vital cattle, ended in a humiliating debacle due to poor planning and reconnaissance. The latter saw the outnumbered British first repulse the counterattack against their camp and then unleash their cavalry to turn the Zulu withdrawal into a bloody rout, thus sealing the first decisive British victory of the war. As Adrian Greaves contends in his exciting account, this change in fortunes made Khambula the most important battle of the war, since it persuaded both Lord Chelmsford and the Zulu king, Cetshwayo, that the British could defeat the Zulus. Yet, despite their importance, these linked encounters have been neglected by historians due mainly to their inaccessibility and dangerous terrain.

Both battles are described in the fullest detail possible, drawing on eyewitness testimony and meticulous research and benefitting from the author's twenty-five years' experience of leading guided tours of the battlefields and surrounding terrain. He recounts tales of extraordinary courage but also exposes blunders and cowardice that tarnish some famous reputations. Colonel (later Field Marshal) Wood in particular comes out badly. This is an essential, eye-opening book for anyone with an interest in the Anglo-Zulu War.

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