Assegais, drums and dragoons

There is no shortage of books on South African military history, but almost nothing has been written about the early military history of the Cape, which played a fundamental role in the shaping of the armed forces – and the civil societies – of Southern and Central Africa. Established novelist and military writer Willem Steenkamp fills this gap with Assegais, drums and dragoons, starting with the very first recorded battle at the Cape in 1510 and ending with the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806, which changed the course of the sub-continent's history. This is not just a story of battle, however, and Steenkamp takes great care to bring to life the Cape’s social history. The cast of characters includes people of all races and nationalities – the brave and the cowardly, the bright and the stupid, the rich and the poor. Steenkamp has written a highly readable account which is studded with intriguing comments, insights and snippets of information.

Descended from a 1690s-era solider, Willem Steenkamp is a writer, journalist and specialist tour guide who has also been a solider, a security advisor and a director of military tattoos and other spectacles, among several other things. Since childhood he has been absorbing the Cape's history from family stories (one of his ancestors was a hero of the Battle of Blaauwberg) and voluminous reading. And yes, he actually has fired flintlock muskets and muzzle-loading cannon. Willem lives in Cape Town.