"There is a manly and generous ring through his book, infinitely preferable to an over-critical and carping spirit." - The Academy and Literature, 1881
In 1879, a Zulu force of some 20,000 warriors attacked a force of about 1,800 British, colonial and native troops. Charles L. Norris-Newman, the only war correspondent present for the ensuing melee, managed to survive and wrote of his chilling observations and experiences in his 1880 book "In Zululand with the British, Throughout the War of 1879."
In introducing his book, Norris-Newman writes:
"I was the first and only officially appointed special correspondent that was in the field with the troops during the early days of preparations and our first entry into Zululand; which ended so disastrously, as every one knows, on that fatal 22nd January at the camp of the Head-quarters column at Isandwhlana. Having been sometime previously residing in Natal I knew something of the country, and of the native language and customs; and throughout the whole campaign I was constantly about with the different Divisions of our forces. Thus I was able to get a more general view of the whole conduct of the war than if I had attached myself to any one Division throughout. I have in this work tried to confine myself to a concise (but I hope interesting) description of facts, as they occurred, and as I saw them."
About the author:
Charles L. Norris-Newman was born in 1852 in Yorkshire, England. He was a special war correspondent for The Times, Pall Mall Gazette, Standard, and Daily Mail. In addition to being a war correspondent during the Zulu War, he served as a British Intelligence officer during the Matebele War and travelled through Manchuria with Russians as special war correspondent.
