num_pages: 655
description: In 1879, armed only with their spears, their rawhide shields, and their incredible courage, the Zulus challenged the might of Victorian England and, initially, inflicted on the British the worst defeat a modern army has ever suffered at the hands of men without guns. This definitive account of the rise of the Zulu nation under the great ruler Shaka and its fall under Cetshwayo has been acclaimed for its scholarship, its monumental range, and its spellbinding readability. The story is studded with tales of drama and heroism: the Battle of Isandhlwana, where the Zulu army wiped out the major British column; and Rorke's Drift, where a handful of British troops beat off thousands of Zulu warriors and won eleven Victoria Crosses.
language: English
title: The Washing of the Spears: A History of the Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation Under Shaka and its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879
titlecomplete: The Washing of the Spears: A History of the Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation Under Shaka and its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879
genres: Historical, War, South Africa, European History, Nonfiction, World History, Military History, History, Military Fiction, Africa
ratings_count: 955
publisher: Simon and Schuster