The Victorian Soldier in Africa (review)

Manchester University Press's series, "Studies in Imperialism," edited by John M. MacKenzie, is now entering its third decade, yet it still manages to produce vital works on the history of Empire. It is also one of the few series dedicated to cultural history that continues to publish significant tracts of military history. Military historians of Britain should be aware of earlier titles in this series, which have included 'At Duty's Call': A Study in Obsolete Patriotism (1988) by W. J. Reader, Images of the Army: The Military in British Art, 1815–1914 by J. W. M. Hichberger, Popular Imperialism and the Military, 1850–1950 (1992) edited by MacKenzie, and The South African War Reappraised (2000) edited by Donal Lowry. One of the latest volumes in this series, The Victorian Soldier in Africa, written by Edward M. Spiers, is also one of the most important.

As the author of The Army and Society, 1815–1914 (1980) and The Late Victorian Army, 1868–1902 (1992), as well as a contributor to the Oxford History of the British Army (1994), Spiers has given us some of the most comprehensive work available to date on the Victorian army. This previous work, with its emphasis on the army as a political and social institution, has relied primarily on government documents, published diaries and memoirs, and an exhaustive reading of secondary works and articles. In The Victorian Soldier in Africa, Spiers has shifted his research and centered it on the experiences of the regimental officer and the common soldier on campaign. To do this, he has mined the public records offices of the United Kingdom and numerous daily and weekly newspapers to find letters written "from the front," allowing soldiers to speak for themselves. In his effort, Spiers has struck gold.

Utilizing first-hand accounts written by soldiers with varying degrees, but often limited amounts, of formal education can pose challenges to the researcher. So can the fact that many of the letters, particularly those written for mass consumption, were written with ulterior motives. Many of the letters are very personal; some seem all together detached. Many are filled with inaccuracies regarding, for example, enemy numbers and casualties. Yet, despite these limitations, these letters often bring to light hardships, dangers, and fears experienced on active service that no secondary source can honestly relate.

Spiers is well aware of the inherent problems in using these sources and is careful not to let them drive his narrative. Instead, as he presents chapters on the Second Asante War, the Anglo-Zulu War, the campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan, the Bechuanaland Expedition and the two Anglo-Boer Wars, they are used to complement his analysis of these vital Victorian military campaigns.

General readers and scholars of military history alike, will find The Victorian Soldier in Africa a very satisfying read, even if it does not present new interpretations of these "small wars." However, scholars of Victorian military history, in particular, should not miss the opportunity to read it and to witness the potential that these sources have to offer in furthering our understanding of war. And, if a paperback edition is ever released, The Victorian Soldier in Africa will become a very useful classroom text.