Rorke's Drift

by Adrian Greaves

The story of the bravest battle ever fought.

On 22nd January 1879 a force of 20,000 Zulus overwhelmed and destroyed the British invading force at Isandlwana, killing and ritually disemboweling over 1200 troops. That afternoon, the same Zulu force turned their attention on a small outpost at Rorke's Drift.

The battle that ensued, one of the British Army's great epics, has since entered into legend. Throughout the night 85 men held off six full-scale Zulu attacks at the cost of only 27 casualties, forcing the Zulu army to withdraw. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded for bravery shown on that night, the largest number for any one engagement in history.

But as Adrian Greaves's new research shows there are several things about the myth of Rorke's Drift that don't add up. While it was the scene of undoubted bravery, it was also the scene of some astonishing cases of cowardice, and there is increasing evidence to suggest that the legend of Rorke's Drift was created to divert attention from the appalling British mistakes which caused the earlier defeat at Isandlwana.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, War, Africa, 19th Century

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Adrian Greaves is the founder of the Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society and the author of numerous books on the period and South African wars.

Reviews

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adrian Greaves new account of the legendary battle at Rorke's Drift between a few thousand brave Zulu warriors and a small force of equally brave British soldiers is bound to be the definitive book on the subject for some time to come. Over 450 pages in length with a number of black and white photographs and 10 maps the author presents the full picture of this epic stand and places it in the context of the British campaign into Zulu Land.

The book is set in two parts, the first half (202 pages) offers the reader a narrative of the events leading up to the British invasion, the battle at Isandlwana, the final battle at Rorke's Drift, and then the events leading to the end of the campaign. The second half of the book (over 240 pages) is taken up with numerous chapters and appendices dealing with a host of material in relation to the people involved and the battle itself.

Subjects covered include the medical treatment of the wounded, personalities involved, an examination of the Roll of Rorke's Drift, medal citations, history of the 24th Regiment, archaeological investigations at the battlefield, and a visitor's guide to Rorke's Drift. Seven appendices that provide a host of other information follow these chapters. This part of the book is a researchers gold mine and offers the amateur historian a wealth of information on the battle.

Overall it's a very interesting book to read and very well presented. The narrative was easy to follow and I enjoyed the accounts of the fighting at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift. However, although I was amazed at the amount of information offered and I appreciate the research that has gone into this book, I wanted more of the narrative to be concentrated on the actual battle at Rorke's Drift. In all only about 30 pages is dedicated to the actual fighting at Rorke's Rift with another 30 pages covering the aftermath of the battle.

I am sure much more could have been written about the fighting at Rorke's Drift but what was offered was still quite good and I was fascinated by the information supplied on some of the main characters involved at Rorke's Drift. I am pretty sure that most people who loved the movie 'Zulu' or who have a passion for this period of history will enjoy this book as much as I did.

[Richard Luck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable book - 'thorough' doesn't really do it justice.

[Padraic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Functional account of the battle covered by the movie "Zulu" (1964 with Stanley Baker and Michael Caine). It's generally agreed that this fight, while militarily impressive, was meaningless, except in that it was promoted by the Empire to cover up the much larger (and more significant) loss at Isandhlwana the previous day. As such, the battle is an opportunity to study how empires cover their butts (can you say Guantanamo?). Please beware: there's a large contingent of white racists who view this fight as the Caucasian's Finest Hour (short of Auschwitz, I guess). Docked one point for a barf factor.

[Michael Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a compelling read for any budding historian with an interest in the finer details of the Anglo-Zulu campaign and an overall introduction to Great Britain's interest in Colonial Africa. This book read far more so as an academic text then a novel with clearly defined individual chapters obviously written with the intention of being read independently of one another. This style makes it very annoying to read if reading from beginning to end as there is very often verbatim repetition.
My only criticism however was that lack of detail of the battle itself with a focus in the lives and careers of the individual actors.

[Poilu · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful book detailing the events leading up to the British Empire declaring war on the Zulu Kingdom. With a narrative of the battle of Rorke's Drift and the British defeat at Isandlwana. Contains some very interesting information covering a lot of different aspects at the time of the Anglo-Zulu war.

[Michael Haseloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily the most informative book I have read regarding Rorke's Drift. The original reports of Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead were very interesting to read. Recommended for anyone interested in military history.

[Jim D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is probably the most comprehensive book one can read on this famous engagement. Imagine, slightly over 100 British solidiers at an isolated mission station, facing 3500-4000 Zulu warriors from late one afternoon until the following morning, and surviving. That was Rorkes Drift. The author painstakingly reviews the situation before the conflict in South Africa, the personalities and politics that led to the invasion of Zululand, the disaster at Islandwana, and finally, the battle at Rorkes Drift. The book is at least 400 pages and surprisingly the battle iteself takes up less than 100. After the battle portion. there are appendices, interviews, documents, lists of participants, archeological studies, and last but not least a visitors guide. The book is a must for anyone who has seen the movie Zulu or is interested in a very unique slice of history. I learned quite a bit, including what in the movie was accurate, the effort by the Commanding General to shift the blame for the disaster at Islandwana and the revernce the british have for this minor engagement, where more VIctoria crosses were awarded than any other battle in british history . Outstanding military history.

[David Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is more of an academic text than a novel. It shows that the move, Zulu, aside from being generally correct, when it comes to the participants is wholly a work of fiction.

The book covers the lead up to this battle, the preceding disaster, Rorke's Drift and the outcome. It deals in detail with the principle actors, how they received their decorations and their later lives in brief. It covers the political aspects in some detail.

I found the book became a little repetitive and often repeated items verbatim.

I did enjoy the book but it is no easy afternoon read.

[brian andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read through this book, its about the officers, men and locations, environment and the Zulu nation that form the background story and the story of the Rorke's Drift military action. There are several stories about the actions in Rorke's Drift but the major story arc is about the whole environment of what lead to the fighting, the characters of the officers and what happened afterwards.

[David Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent account of the events leading up to the Battle of Rorkes Drift as well as the battle itself. Also introduced the key players and the events that followers

[Mark Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed book but very listy. He lists everyone who was at the battle all 140 ISH of them and gives their life story and what they went on to do