Anglo Zulu War Revisionist History (1 Viewer)

[damian]

I have before me a new Book entitled Harford: The writings Photographs and Skethces
This is what they say about Rorke's Drift.
Historians have preferred to exaggerate the effort taken at Rorks' Droft in the hour before the Zulu attack and concomitantly they heighten the perceived predicament of soldiers defending and unprepared position. Harford clearly saw otherwise and wrote.
" On 11 the Jan teh 3rd colum crossed the Buffalo into Zululand, teh troops making their way over at different points. The artillery and the 24 th regiment went over by degrees in pontoon, a little above teh main drift, known as Rorke's Drift after the Dutchman Jim Rorke, whose house and farm buildings were occupied by us as a Fort, after being entrenched"

Harford being an experienced officer did not use words like entrenched and fort loosely. So it seems like teh drama of tipping over teh ox wagons and building a mielie bag barricade may be exaggerated.

These darn revisionist are getting in the way of a great story

 

[1879fanatic]

Damian,
Let me read it first! Ijust got in the post from the UK. I'ts in my office at work. I got to tell you, it makes an excellent coffee-table book , what with the heft and beautiful cover. Doesn't Harford remind you of Anthony Hopkins in"Legends of the Fall"? Mike (will get crackin on it next week to catch up)

 

[damian]

I am looking at it now. It is a lovely book.
There are a lot of AZW books comming out, but often by lesser known presses so you have to keep your wits about you. I see there is an AMericna army officer who is compiling a AZW bibliography. He already has one for teh Sudan. That is really a lbour of love. Because you just know that you are not going to make a fortune from your efforts.
Regards
Damian

 

[Spitfrnd]

...a little above teh main drift, known as Rorke's Drift after the Dutchman Jim Rorke, whose house and farm buildings were occupied by us as a Fort, after being entrenched"

Harford being an experienced officer did not use words like entrenched and fort loosely. So it seems like teh drama of tipping over teh ox wagons and building a mielie bag barricade may be exaggerated.
...

If that is the best he has for a source, I would say the old story is still safe. That was my point in the other "Revisionist" thread. It is fine to "revise" history when you actually have new "facts". This does not meet that test.

 

[Louis Badolato]

There's a book called "A Zulu War Diary" by then Lt. later Col. Durnford that gives some interesting insight about the entire Zulu War, but especially Rorke's Drift, from an officer among the relieving troops. Not to take anything away from John Merriott Rouse Chard and Gonville Bromhead, but to paraphrase this book, the real hero behind the defense of the Drift, according to "Tommy Atkins" (i.e. the troops who were there) whom this officer says knows what there is to know about fighting, was one of the NCO's (Dalton if I remember correctly) who also won a V.C. According to the author (who was there a day or two later) the brave survivors of Rorke's Drift gave this NCO a standing ovation every time he left his tent thereafter. Interesting stuff, in a fascinating book by a real fighting soldier.

 

[damian]

The author points out that there had been numeroeus sightings of Zulus in teh area and it is probable that some fortifications would have been established at a supply depot. I suppose teh counter argument is why was that not done at Islandwana though. Ron Locke and Peter Quantrill imply that Rorke's drift was hyped to overcome the public outcry over Islandwana.
Regards
Damian

 

[Harrytheheid]

The author points out that there had been numeroeus sightings of Zulus in teh area and it is probable that some fortifications would have been established at a supply depot. I suppose teh counter argument is why was that not done at Islandwana though. Ron Locke and Peter Quantrill imply that Rorke's drift was hyped to overcome the public outcry over Islandwana.
Regards
Damian

So does Saul David in his book "Zulu". Chard and Gronville certainly get trashed and he states that Dalton was the real force behind the defence of Rorke's Drift.
I still prefer the movie version of events though.

Cheers
H

 

[Spitfrnd]

So does Saul David in his book "Zulu". Chard and Gronville certainly get trashed and he states that Dalton was the real force behind the defence of Rorke's Drift.
I still prefer the movie version of events though.

Cheers
H

Well if it wasn't that way, it dam* sure ought to have been. Once again, implication is not fact though but I am not sure that the importance of Dalton is inconsistent with the popular (movie) view. BTW, surely everyone knows the British (or any) Army would not have been an effective force in any engaugement without great NCOs.

 

[damian]

I will get my men to clean your clothes

Oh don't bother

No bother at all I wasn't intending to do it myself you know

 

[damian]

Well here is serious revisionism, Charlie Harford was according to Maori Brown and several historians afterwards supposed to have fallen to his knees during the assualt on Sihayo's Kraal to capture a rare beetle. An infernal microbe as Browne describes it. Now Harford himself seems to disprove this by saying that he did not fall to his knees looking for a beetle. he rather being frustrated with his jammed revolver threw it aside and it only appeared to the following private that he had fallen to hsi knees and was wounded. teh soldier alled out that Harford was wounded or dead. harford sprung up and reassured the soldier that he was alive. Now that is revisionism gentlemen
Regards
Damian

 

[1879fanatic]

Damian,
I believe Hamilton Browne was the quintessential "Historical Revisionist".Did you read his "Lost Legionnaire" Autobio? Nothing against Browne, he was a fabulous example of the adventuresome type usually reserved for the main character of a Wilbur Smith novel, which is fine by me. Mike

 

[damian]

The Lost Legionary is one of the few books I need to get hold of. I see the Royal Regiment of Wales has a great reprint of it so maybe a bit later this year I will order it. I agree he sounds like a larger than life figure but you gotta doubt waht he says. STill the beetle story was a good one.
Regards
Damian