Scapegoats of the Empire (Annotated)

Scapegoats of the Empire is George Witton's forceful memoir of the Boer War and the notorious court-martial of the Bushveldt Carbineers, in which Harry "Breaker" Morant and Peter Handcock were executed while Witton's own death sentence was commuted. Written in a plain, urgent, and polemical style, the book blends eyewitness testimony, military narrative, legal protest, and imperial critique. Its literary context lies within early twentieth-century war memoirs that contest official histories, exposing the brutal ambiguities of guerrilla warfare and the moral evasions of empire. Witton was an Australian trooper whose service in South Africa placed him at the centre of one of the most controversial episodes in British imperial military justice. Imprisoned after conviction for murder, he wrote the book after his release in 1904 to vindicate himself and his comrades, arguing that colonial soldiers were punished for practices tolerated, encouraged, or ignored by higher command. His personal ordeal gives the work its intensity and its unmistakable defensive purpose. This book is recommended to readers interested in military history, colonial politics, legal injustice, and the literature of testimony. Though partisan, it remains an indispensable primary source: troubling, vivid, and essential for understanding how empires protect themselves by sacrificing inconvenient men.This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.