A
bloody night
the Irish at Rorke's Drift
Harvey, Dan
1959-
creator
text
bibliography
ie
Newbridge, Ireland
Merrion Press
2017
2016
monographic
eng
x, 156 pages : ill., maps ; 24 cm
The word Zulu means 'heaven', but for the suddenly besieged and minute British garrison at Rorke's Drift, it represented a hellish horde of warriors from the Zulu nation. In what was to become a famous clash of the 1879 Anglo-Zulu war, thousands of poorly armed but well-trained Zulus had unexpectedly begun to hurl themselves in a head-long, deadly onslaught against the hastily barricaded one-time trading station and mission hospital. A fight for survival to the bitter end followed. To stay alive, the hugely outnumbered defenders had to check their individual fears, hold their composure, and show resilience when it really mattered. The defence of Rorke's Drift was an epic encounter and an exceptional piece of soldiering. Its tale of courage in adversity against impossible odds endures; the little-known but significant role of those Irishmen present is no less absorbing a story, and all the more intriguing for its unheralded heroism.
Dan Harvey.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Rorke's Drift, Battle of, South Africa, 1879
Zulu War, 1879
Participation, Irish
South Africa
History
1879
968.4045
9781785371295 : (pbk)
HUL
160914
20170830131445.0
eng