The War of Mlanjeni ? which saw European colonists once more pitted against the formidable Xhosa of the Eastern Cape ? was the longest conflict in South African history until the second Anglo-Boer War. The loss of life was substantially heavier than that of the Zulu War of 1879 and its political after-effects were significantly greater than those that followed the Zulu War. The Zulu War has been the subject of numerous accounts but the silence surrounding the Eighth Frontier War is deafening. Harry Smith's Last Throw fills this gap; vividly telling the harrowing story of this savage war, often from the viewpoint of those involved in the fighting. The Xhosa had previously fought with some chivalry, refusing to make war on women and children, just as they had in their own internecine wars. The Eighth War changed all that and brutal killings were perpetrated by both sides ? black and white. The ?Harry Smith' of the title is the famous 19th century British soldier, Sir Henry George Wakelyn Smith, was at first applauded for his management of the Eighth War ? praise he himself did much to foster. This excellent new book also seeks to re-evaluate Smith's role as one of the prime causes of the war. AUTHOR: Born in the UK, Keith Smith is a retired computer consultant now living on the north coast of New South Wales in Australia. He has written three books on the Anglo-Zulu Wars and this is his first study of the later Frontier Wars, or Wars of Dispossession as they are now called, between the Cape authorities and the indigenous Xhosa people. SELLING POINTS: ? Balanced, first-person accounts from all combatants ? Named after the 19th century British soldier, Sir Henry George Smith, Governor and High Commissioner of the Cape of Good Hope ILLUSTRATIONS: 8 pages of plates
