PRINCE IMPERIAL |
Peter Ewart
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Hear hear, Bill. IK's best book.
P. |
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Coll
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I've just finished 'Anatomy Of The Zulu Army' by Ian Knight, which I think is great. Moving on to 'With His Face To The Foe'.
Can I ask this question - Did the Prince Imperial's father turn down plans for the first Ironclad, for reasons I know not ? I caught the tail-end of a documentary a while back and I'm sure it is he they were talking about. I don't know if his reason(s) were the cost of such, or disbelief a ship could be made out of metal, which ended up being built during the ACW. I can't find anything on the internet, so I may be wrong. Please put me right on this matter. Many thanks Coll |
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John Young
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Coll,
Widen your internet search to include the name of John Ericsson, and you might find your answers. Also look at La Gloire, and you discover about Napoleon III's iron-clads and their perceived threat to the U.K. Happy hunting! John Y. |
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Coll
Guest
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Thanks John
I had been waiting until I was going on to read WHFTTF before I asked this question. I wasn't sure if I'd sound stupid, as I missed most of the details in the documentary. I'll try another search. Thanks again Coll |
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AMB
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John/Coll,
French ironclads. A fascinating story & one previously not appreciated by me - thank you for the heads up. This forum never fails to educate! AMB |
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Rich
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Thx John on Ericsson...I got educated too. You see we kind of were taught here that the Monitor and the CSS Virginia were the first ironclad ships but really France and England had them starting in the 1850's..(maybe not all ironclad though, right?). And it was interesting to note that Ericsson's first design wasn't like the "cheesebox on a raft" that we see today in prints but really it was kind of "half a grapefruit" resting upside down on a plate. And oh I loved this. He also had something new in his design..two mounted tubes below the waterline on both sides of the vessel capable of firing 20ft long underwater projectiles equipped with explosive heads. Something he called "hydrostatic javelins"! Interesting why he want to France with the initial offer..........he distrusted the Royal Navy and prefered to go to its enemy.
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Stephen Coan
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The University of KwaZulu-Natal Press has just published 'End of a Dynasty - The Last Days of the Prince Imperial, Zululand 1879' by Paul Deleage, translated by Fleur Webb from 'Trois Mois Chez les Zoulous', published in 1879.
Deleage, a journalist for 'Le Figaro', was sent out to southern Africa to report on the Prince Imperial's activities with the British army in Zululand and his book throws light not only on the prince but on the British officer class of the period. |
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AMB
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Stephen et al,
Further details of the Deleage book in my posting of 1 Nov 07. AMB |
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Coll
Guest
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I've been checking around for details about Camerone, and it appears it was during the time of Napoleon III.
Apparently, he took great interest in Camerone, when he heard of the heroic stand made by a few men against the mexicans. Am I on the right track ? Coll |
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Peter Ewart
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A cutting of Stephen's interesting interview with Fleur Webb and the story behind its translation (Witness, 12 Nov) has just arrived from KZN. I don't know whether it appeared in the online digest of that issue, which I sometimes find difficult to get into these days, or not.
Peter |
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John Young
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Coll,
Amazon have a couple of books on Camerone. I had one recommended to me by a former FFL member:The Hand of Captain Danjou: Camerone and the French Foreign Legion in Mexico, 30 April 1863 . I can't vouch for it myself, but I'm sure he would have recommended it if he didn't think it was up to scratch. If the Prince Imperial film project I was involved in some years back had come off, then Camerone was to have been the next project. John Y. |
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Coll
Guest
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Thanks John
Camerone - definitely a story to be told. It seems that it isn't known about in wider circles, due to the small number of men involved. Which is a pity, I think, as the soldiers just wouldn't give in. I gather even the Mexican commander was impressed with their heroism. Rightly so. I had been hoping to see a documentary appear sometime on the History Channel about Camerone, as many other battles have been covered. However, I don't know if there has ever been a documentary made about it at any time. Would this be true ? Coll |
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