Colenso! The very name is evocative of military disaster, particularly for the British Army, and primarily the British Artillery. With the opening engagements of the Anglo-Boer war at the Battles of Talana, Elandslaagte and Ladysmith still resounding in his ears, General Sir Redvers Buller attempts to force a crossing of the Tugela River at Colenso. At the outset, Buller's plans are beset with problems and everything begins to go wrong. In this account, renowned historian Darrell Hall closely examines the details of the Battle of Colenso, the bloody battle that left scores of British dead on the field, destroyed several military careers and left the British Army with the bitter taste of ignominious defeat.