The "Blessings" of Civilization

Battle of Isandlwana
Charles Edwin Fripp (PD)

Having slept much better on Tuesday night (but nowhere near long enough to have much effect on my recovery efforts) I am in a better mood today than I was yesterday. So more of a substantial post today. Maybe. We'll see.

In much of the world, in olden times, life was, or could be, as Hobbes¹ put it, nasty, brutish, and short. Without the blessings of civilization things could, and did, get out of control at times.

Whereas with civilization ... (visions of World War II, Vietnam, Gaza, and Ukraine all spring into my head at once)

Yeah, problematic.

Anyhoo, back in the 19th Century the British Empire was very much a going concern, even though they'd lost much of North America in the previous century, the Empire continued to grow. Africa was one place where the Europeans found "room to grow."

I don't know if you've ever seen the films Zulu and Zulu Dawn (and if you haven't, you should) but they cover one particularly nasty bit of empire building in the year 1879. The first film, Zulu, covers the action at a place called Rorke's Drift.  The second covers the events at the Battle of Isandlwana, not that far from Rorke's Drift (see map below). These fights occurred during the Anglo-Zulu War (this is a good synopsis of that war).

(Source)

The Battle of Isandlwana was an unmitigated disaster for the British Empire. A British camp of nearly 2,000 men (both British and colonial troops) were attacked and overwhelmed by a native force of well over 10,000 (some sources give the total Zulu force as 20,000 men, of whom 10,000 to 15,000 were actually engaged in the fighting.)

Modern rifles (single shot breechloaders) and a couple of cannon on the one side (British) and on the other (Zulu) mostly spears and cowhide shields. The British lost over 1,300 killed, the Zulu as many as 5,000. (Sources vary.)

Part of that Zulu force went on to assault the British troops garrisoning Rorke's Drift. There, roughly 140 men held off a Zulu force of 3,000 to 5,000. Again, modern weapons against shields and spears, this time though the British had the advantage of prepared defenses, buildings and what were essentially sand bags (actually "mealie" bags, sacks of corn in American parlance).

What was it all about? Well, in essence the British wanted all of Southern Africa under their sway. They needed a port for their navy in the area, a protected port. As one colonial administrator put it, I paraphrase, with a Zulu king independent on the borders of Natal, all the other little chieftains in the area had some hope of standing up to the might of the British Empire.

So thousands had to die so that the Royal Navy could have protected facilities on the Cape of Good Hope.

It's an interesting war to read about and two very good movies to watch, Some historical inaccuracies in both but minor given the scope of the films. Zulu was Michael Caine's first big role and Peter O'Toole's portrayal of Lord Chelmsford (the British commander responsible for the initial invasion of Zululand and the defeat at Isandlwana) is spot on. I highly recommend both films.

All this from a comment about the 46th Psalm the other day (Masoretic or Septuagint?). Just to be clear, this one ...

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

(Masoretic numbering, for sure.)

With a tip of the hat to Colour Sergeant Bourne ...

¹ Thomas Hobbes (05 Apr 1588 – 20 Dec 1679), English philosopher, in his book Leviathan stated as regards man's "natural" state - "In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain, and consequently no culture of the earth, no navigation nor the use of commodities that may be imported by sea, no commodious building, no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no account of time, no arts, no letters, no society, and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death, and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." (Source)