Book - The Washing Of The Spears

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I read this book about 20 years ago and just started to read it again.  Shaka Zulu led his Zulu army to conquer much of the African continent and was one of the great military leaders of all time, up there with Khan, Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon.  Understanding his conquests and leadership style (cruel and strict) are enough reason to read this book, but the most fascinating part is the clash of armies from different eras.  The Zulu's were not at all unlike the Khans, even moving as swiftly on foot as mounted cavalry (50+ miles per day), carrying only primitive spears and hide shields. They encountered the British in South Africa in the late 1800's which, I presume, is perhaps the only time in history that this kind of clash actually occurred. It's almost like MMA where totally different styles from remote parts of the world and different epochs of history were put together in one arena.  It is akin to a fight between Napoleon and Alexander or a naval battle between the Phoenicians and the Spanish Armada.  The Zulus defeated a British unit at the Battle of Isandhlwana, and shortly thereafter was the last major battle of the Zulu's - Rorke's Drift. This epic battle was depicted in the legendary movie Zulu with Michael Cain.

I hope Jocko gets a chance to read this book.  Shaka is one of the least understood of the world's great military leaders and his conquests completely reshaped the continent of Africa.