Book description
In 1882, the British invaded Egypt in an audacious war that gave
them control of the country, and the Suez Canal, for more than seventy
years. In 'A Tidy Little War', William Wright gives the first full
account of that hard-fought and hitherto neglected campaign, which was
not nearly as 'tidy' as the British commander would later claim. Using
unpublished documents and forgotten books, including the discovery of
General Sir Garnet Wolseley's diaries, Wright highlights how the
Egyptian War, climaxing in the dawn battle of Tel-el-Kebir, was
altogether a close-run thing. These documents offer an intriguing
perspective of the General's handling of the war and his relationship
with his war staff. The war was the major combined services operation
of the late Victorian era, it saw the Royal Navy sail into battle for
the last time in its old glory and the book has the first full account
of the Bombardment of Alexandria.
