What I Saw in Kaffir-Land

A complex and controversial Victorian's account of war



It is fatal to project the attitudes of the modern (or any) age onto those of another time or to view historical events from any perspectives other than that of those who took part in them. It is a difficult discipline for the modern reader to master and, perhaps inevitably, history is evaluated from our own moral standpoint irrespective of whether that would in itself ultimately stand up to any kind of scrutiny. There have been many appalling acts in modern warfare that are equal to those atrocities in the past that we may be inclined to 'understand' as being the result of 'savagery' or lack of enlightenment. The nineteenth century wars against the Xhosa tribes of South Africa could be as savage as any fought and there can be little doubt that imperial powers could use methods verging on genocide when they decided to take over the lands and resources of underdeveloped people. Equally, a savage foe inevitably fought a savage war and Kaffir and Zulu warriors were not given to taking prisoners. This book is by and concerns the experiences of Steven Lakeman in the wars by the British crown and settlers against the Kaffir tribes in Cape Colony in the 1850s. Lakeman was a mercenary adventurer, soldier and administrator, and it was widely recognised that his command, the Waterkloof Rangers, waged war in a fashion brutal to the point of criminality by modern standards. Some of his matter of fact statements concerning the activities of his men-and indeed his own actions-will be troubling to contemporary sensibilities, while being essential reading for those who wish to understand both the events reported and those who took part in them. Lakeman was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1853. He went on to play a pivotal role in the Victorian age both in war and as a diplomat. He was one of the earliest proponents for the discontinuation of the iconic scarlet uniform of the British soldier and its replacement with khaki and he campaigned vigorously for the introduction of the Minie rifle to replace smooth bore muskets.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.