During Queen Victoria’s reign, British power and Empire were at their zenith. Yet almost every year English troops saw action in some part of the globe, from Ghana’s equatorial rainforests to New Zealand’s green hills. They usually won—but this fascinating history, now with a new introduction, considers those times when the Queen’s soldiers suffered calamitous defeats. Evocative contemporary eyewitness accounts, along with incisive analysis, combine to create a wonderfully readable and informative look at a rarely-considered aspect of Victorian military history. The blunder-filled battles covered include the Retreat from Kabul in 1842, the Charge of the Light Brigade, and the 1879 Invasion of Zululand.