Sir Garnet Wolseley maintained later in this journal...

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Sir Garnet Wolseley maintained later in this journal that "if the 24 th had been well-handled and had behaved well [ at Isandhlwana ] , the disaster could never have occured ...

Source :

A.Preston,Wolseley's South African Journal 1879-1880 ( Cap Town,1973),p.257.

As Sir Garnet Wolseley was a famous British general, comtemporary and participant of the Zulu war, what to think of his opinion?

Subject: Sir Garnet Wolseley Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:32 am

Wolseley was critical of nearly everyone and was happy to think he knew best ! , he wasnt at Isandlwana , so we'll never know how he would've handled the whole situation .
90th

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Yes Marsupial , I noticed that with him, there was the concurrency between the British general ?

HE was the one to say this on the 24 th? Attacking the units to Isandhlwana ! It was a bold anyway !

Posts : 1086 Join date : 2012-05-12 Location : NYC

90th wrote:: Wolseley was critical of nearly everyone and was happy to think he knew best ! , he wasnt at Isandlwana , so we'll never know how he would've handled the whole situation .
90th

Yes, he seems to have been a judgmental "know it all"...and as you say, he was not in a position to provide any special insight. But I guess his attitude is interesting to know in the same way that the Duke of Cambridge's was...

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Criticizing the 24 th, it was daring all the same !

Posts : 1086 Join date : 2012-05-12 Location : NYC

Pascal MAHE wrote:: Criticizing the 24 th, it was daring all the same !

I think you underestimate the power of a Victorian "modern major general." He was virtually inviolate.

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In general in a military disaster like Isandhlwana, people criticize the actions of senior officers, but criticize the poor soldiers of Isandhlwana, he was thinking!

I think that the downfall of LC was pleased to Sir Garnet Wolseley...

Posts : 1086 Join date : 2012-05-12 Location : NYC

Pascal MAHE wrote:: In general in a military disaster like Isandhlwana, people criticize the actions of senior officers, but criticize the poor soldiers of Isandhlwana, he was thinking!

I think that the downfall of LC was pleased to Sir Garnet Wolseley...

Yes, Chelmsford was a potential rival. Also, he confided his opinion to his journal in writing which is not like proclaiming it on the internet today. Given his reputation, I'm sure he gave voice to those opinions as well within his inner circle...but I don't see anything particularly daring or noteworthy about his doing so. This was, after all, a professional evaluation and he was at the top of his profession. Right or wrong -- he was entitled to be thinking analytically.

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Oh the stories of "circle", the famous clans, except that of Sir Garnet Wolseley, there were others at the time in 1879 , LC did not have one to him ?

It was still the first I read that a man de l'epoque had dared criticize the 24 th !