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The breech-loading, single-shot .458in Martini-Henry rifle has
become a symbol of both the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and the numerous
battles in Egypt and the Sudan in 1884-85, but continued to be used
by both British and colonial troops well into the 20th century. Its
invention and introduction into British service were in direct
response to the success of the Prussian Dreyse needle gun, which
demonstrated that the breech-loading rifle offered faster loading,
improved accuracy and superior range; significantly, the weapon
could be loaded and fired from a prone position, thus offering the
rifleman greater security on the battlefield. Due to the longevity
of service, many Martini-Henry rifles survive today, both in
museums and in private collections, and the weapon is highly prized
by shooting enthusiasts. Featuring specially commissioned
full-colour artwork and an array of arresting first-hand accounts
and written by an authority on warfare in the Victorian era, this
engaging study tells the story of the powerful Martini-Henry and
its impact on the battlefield, from the Anglo-Zulu War to the
opening months of World War I.
Britain's war against the Zulu people of southern Africa in the
late nineteenth century is one of the most famous clashes in the
history of the British empire, but her earlier wars against the
Xhosa, also in southern Africa, are far less well known. And,
although the role Lord Chelmsford played in the Anglo-Zulu War has
been recounted in exhaustive detail, his earlier experience against
the Xhosa has rarely been explored in the same intensive way. That
is why Stephen Manning's absorbing study of these colonial
campaigns and Chelmsford's part in them is so timely and valuable.
Chelmsford's military career and Britain's troubled relationship
with the Xhosa people came together in 1878 with the conclusion of
the 9th Frontier War, in which Chelmsford commanded the victorious
British forces. This conflict is vividly described here. Perhaps
Chelmsford learned the wrong lessons from his struggle with the
Xhosa because his initial handling of British forces during the
Anglo-Zulu War resulted in disaster at the Battle of Isandlwana.
Although Chelmsford regained the initiative and his forces defeated
the Zulus at Gingindlovu and Ulundi, his reputation never
recovered. Stephen Manning's account of Chelmsford's South African
campaigns gives us a fascinating insight into the military and
political history of southern Africa in the period and provides a
fresh view of Chelmsford himself - as a man of his time and as a
military commander.
It may come as some surprise that in such a popular area of
military history there is no book that focuses on the experience of
the Victorian soldier--from recruitment to embarkation, fighting,
and perhaps returning, perhaps dying -- in his own words. Dr.
Manning's meticulous research in primary sources gives the lie to
the received image of the disciplined, redcoated campaigner of
Victorian art and literature--for one thing, by the time he arrived
at his destination, the coat would have been in rags. The distances
covered on march were unbelievable, through desert and
disease-ravaged swamp. Lavishly illustrated thoughout, all the
major Colonial campaigns and most of the minor ones are featured.
To understand how what was in reality a tiny standing army
controlled the largest empire the world has ever seen, this book is
a must.
How did technical advances in weaponry alter the battlefield during
the reign of Queen Victoria? In 1845, in the first Anglo-Sikh War,
the outcome was decided by the bayonet; just over fifty years
later, in the second Boer War, the combatants were many miles
apart. How did this transformation come about, and what impact did
it have on the experience of the soldiers of the period? Stephen
Manning, in this meticulously researched and vividly written study,
describes the developments in firepower and, using the first-hand
accounts of the soldiers, shows how their perception of battle
changed. Innovations like the percussion and breech-loading rifle
influenced the fighting in the Crimean War of the 1850s and the
colonial campaigns of the 1870s and 1880s, in particular in the
Anglo-Zulu War and the wars in Egypt and Sudan. The machine gun was
used to deadly effect at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, and
equally dramatic advances in artillery took warfare into a new era
of tactics and organisation. Stephen Manning's work provides the
reader with an accurate and fascinating insight into a key aspect
of nineteenth-century military history.
Britain fought three major wars, and two minor ones, with the
Asante people of West Africa in the nineteenth century. Only the
Sudanese and Zulu campaigns saw a greater loss of life, both for
the British and the indigenous population. Like the Zulus, the
Asante were a warrior nation who offered a tough adversary for the
British regulars - they were respected for their martial skills and
bravery. And yet these wars have rarely been written about and are
little understood. That is why Stephen Manning's vivid, detailed
new history of this neglected colonial conflict is of such value.
In the war of 1823-6 the British were defeated - the British
governor's head was severed and his skull was taken to the Asante
king who made a cast of gold and this trophy was paraded once a
year during an Asante ceremony. The years 1873-4 witnessed the
brilliance of Sir Garnet Wolseley in overcoming the logistical
problems of sending a large British expedition deep into the jungle
where it faced not only a formidable foe but a climate so
unforgiving that the region became known as 'The White Man's
Grave'. Finally, the 1900 campaign culminated in the epic siege of
the British fort in Kumasi which must rank as one of the great
Victorian escapades alongside the more famous sieges of Peking and
Mafikeng. Stephen Manning's account, which is based on Asante as
well as British sources, offers a fascinating view from both sides
of one of the most remarkable and protracted struggles of the
colonial era.
This book chronicles the three very different sieges of Quebec and
sheds new light on these pivotal eighteenth-century conflicts. This
book is being published to mark the 250th anniversary of the siege
of Quebec. But unlike other books on this celebrated event, this
account is set against a much wider canvas. The book is divided
into three parts: each telling the story of one of the three
eighteenth-century sieges of Quebec. There will be illustrations
and maps included. By chronicling the events of three very
different sieges, across two separate eighteenth-century conflicts,
Dr Manning offers an exciting new perspective on events. He does
not just concern himself with the celebrated siege by Wolfe in
1759. The importance of Quebec and the role it played during both
the Seven Years War and the American War of Independence is
fundamental. The geographical position of the city is emphasised to
show how the city played such a vital part in eighteenth-century
conflicts. The power of the city to draw historical figures such as
Benedict Arnold and George Washington is described. The British
attached enormous importance to its capture of North America from
the French, all this being explained in the fuller context of The
Seven Years War. But at all times the author concentrates on the
detail of military strategy. The final battle on The Plains of
Abraham is chronicled by a detailed analysis of Wolfe's genius and
the reasons for his military success. The conflict was however far
from over. At the battle of St Foy in 1760, the French beat the
British and laid siege to Quebec once again. They failed however
and the intervention of The Royal Navy in May then proved decisive
as the British were finally able to force the French Army back to
Montreal and capture the city. But Britain's relations with her new
North American colonial subjects quickly turned sour, leading
directly to the outbreak of war between Britain and her American
subjects. The final siege of Quebec was by the Americans in 1776.
It failed and the future of Canada as a separate political entity
was assured. This is a thrilling tale told with consummate skill
and real narrative pace.
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