Tour of Zulu land with Ian Knight

[itchy]

Just got back from a tour of Zululand with the author Ian Knight ,I took over a1000 photos and Iam in the process of doing a day by day account on my blog    http://wargamesandwalking.blogspot.com     the terrain pics may be ofuse to zulu gamers .

[Belisarius]

Had a look at the photos on your blog . It’s fascinating to see the ground over which the troops moved and fought . I,m currently reading Mike Snook’s “ How can man die better “ secrets of Isandlwana revealed , on the Kindle .  I’ve also got Ian Knight’s  “ Zulu “ Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift hard back book  , which  I’m reading  at the same time . Chelmsford seems to have made the classic mistake of splitting his army into three parts , shades of Custer at the Little Big Horn which happened only a few years earlier.

[Mike1879]

Visited those locations myself several years ago with the late Rob Gerrard !! Stunning country and hard to comprehend the hardships endured by the British soldiers. Very tough terrain!!!

[vtsaogames]

...Chelmsford seems to have made the classic mistake of splitting his army into three parts , shades of Custer at the Little Big Horn which happened only a few years earlier.

And for the same reason: he thought he was chasing an elusive foe, rather than walking into a hornet's nest.

[Eric the Shed]

lucky man - I almost went on the tour this year...

[itchy]

Hi
bellsarius, the terrain is very harsh and the size of the area where the fighting took place at Isandlwana is huge ,there are similarities between the big horn and Isandlwana but I think Chelmsford was desperate to bring the zulu into a fight so used 3 columns to catch the army somewhere and also threaten Ulundi knowing the zulus would not want that taking so would fight or give in .

Mike 1879 agree totally

Eric its expensive but worth every penny ,other than seeing the sites and having Ian Knight as the guide ,the accomodation and food were topnotch

vtsaogames Exactly

[Malamute]

lucky man - I almost went on the tour this year...

I went back in 1999, stayed at Fugitives Drift with the late David Rattray.

 I was very fortunate to have him take us to Rorkes Drift, Isandlwana and to the graves of Melville and Coghill. The most evocative place to visit was Isandlwana. You can see the mountain from miles away, it really dominates the landscape.

 Itchy is spot on with Isandlwana, the area of the fighting is vast and very spread out. When you climb the mountain and look down at the white washed stone cairns where the dead are buried you get a real feel for the horror of the last stands but also how the fighting shifted across the battlefield and then on behind the mountain.

I'll bore you with the pictures one day if you're interested in going.