John Dunn, Cetywayo and the Three Generals

An insider's account of life in Zululand in the nineteenth century, by a major player in the Anglo-Zulu war.

John Dunn (1834–95) became an infamous figure ('a perfect gorilla') in Britain after his involvement in the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879. Presenting his side of the story, this book, edited by D. C. F. Moodie, contains a first-hand account of life among the Zulus in the nineteenth century.John Dunn (1834–95) became an infamous figure ('a perfect gorilla') in Britain after his involvement in the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879. A British subject who had lived all his life in South Africa, he spent his early years learning to be an expert hunter of large game before becoming a confidant of the Zulu king Cetshwayo, quickly accumulating wealth and power; although already married, he took forty-nine wives and fathered one hundred and seventeen children. However, when war broke out he sided with the British against his former friend and patron, and was rewarded with a huge tract of territory in the former Zulu kingdom. This book, published in 1886 and edited by his friend D. C. F. Moodie (1838–91), presents his side of the story, and contains fascinating insights into an extraordinary life lived among the Zulus in the nineteenth century.