Armies of the Nineteenth Century Africa: Tribal and Imperial Armies in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar, 1800 to 1900

Principally covering Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar, this volume deals with the native peoples of East Africa and the Arabs and Europeans who variously fought, explored, and raided there in the course of the 19th century. The detailed text provides the dress, arms, organisation, and tactics of the protagonists, and includes sections on the foreign explorers and the forces of the British and German East African colonies. Illustrations include 124 drawings of warriors and soldiers.

This book is illustrated very much in the neat style familiar from the WRG Armies & Enemies series by the same illustrator, but also contains many maps and illustrations form the period.
The detailed text provides the dress, arms, organisation, and tactics of the protagonists, and includes sections on the foreign explorers and the forces of the British and German East African colonies.

Principally covering Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar, this volume deals with the native peoples of East Africa and the Arabs and Europeans who variously fought, explored, and raided there in the course of the 19th century.

The book is beautifully bound with a sumptuous brown linen cover embossed with gold figures. All printed on cream rag paper, giving the feel and quality of volume from the past.

This is the first book in a new series that approaches the era of exploration in Africa as a military subject, covering both the native peoples and the foreigners – merchants, slave-traders, adventurers, and invaders – who fought, explored, and raided there in the course of the 19th century. East Africa, by prolific military author Chris Peers, principally covers the greater part of the region that has since become the present-day nations of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. The detailed text provides considerable information on the military organisation, tactics, dress and equipment of all the most significant native states and peoples (of whom the Ngoni, Hehe, and Masai are perhaps the most well known), as well as the Arab and Egyptian forces which operated here. Campaigns and major battles of the period are also discussed. In addition there is a chapter on the foreign explorers – including John Hanning Speke, Henry Morton Stanley (en route to his meeting with Livingstone), and Count Samuel Teleki – who pushed into East Africa in ever increasing numbers in the second half of the century, which describes their expeditions, their equipment, and the well-armed columns of servants, porters and locally-raised bodyguards which accompanied them. The final two chapters cover the more organised forces of the British and German East African colonies during their formative years, with details of their unusual and sometimes exotic uniforms. Illustrations include 124 drawings of warriors and soldiers, 57 other illustrations, and eight maps.

Chris Peers
Hardcover no d/w as issued, 184pp Foundry Books 2003 1st Ed

Near Fine