CASE FILE: Day of the Zulu
THE SCENE: South Africa
LEAD DETECTIVE: Historian Ian Knight
It seems most unlikely that a group of tribal warriors in 19th century Africa could defeat and virtually wipe out an entire battalion of the powerful British army, but it did in fact happen. Day of the Zulu is a battlefield investigation of the loss of 1,300 British soldiers during an 1879 invasion of Zululand in South Africa. Studying the possible reasons for this massacre, historians and battlefield archeologists assess the roles of a solar eclipse and the surprising tribal use of “battle drugs,” including potent cannabis, natural painkillers, and hallucinogenic mushrooms that impart remarkable physical strength to those who ingest it. Day of the Zulu reflects the sophisticated battle techniques of the Zulus and captures the turmoil of a battle that was the last stand before a century of subordination.
