ISANDLWANA...ranks among the worst defeats suffered by the British Army in Africa. Following the start of the Anglo-Zulu War on 11 January 1879, the British commander-in-chief, Lord Chelmsford, invaded Zululand with a force of 4 659 men at Rorke’s Drift. On 20 January, the British set up camp to the south of Isandlwana, a prominent hill, unaware of the fact that the main Zulu army of about 20 000 men was concentrated only about 5 km away, at Nqutu Hills. The following day Chelmsford sent out a reconnaissance patrol, which was lured further away from the camp by an apparently retreating Zulu force.  On 22 January Chelmsford and 800 men went to the assistance of the patrol, leaving Colonel H Pulleine in charge of the camp. Around mid-morning, Pulleine’s force of about 1 774 was reinforced by 500 men who arrived with Colonel Durnford, who soon left to defend Chelmsford against a possible Zulu attack from the rear. Using the traditional ox-horn formation, the 20 000-strong main Zulu army attacked the camp, but the attack of the central force was stalled. The attack resumed at 13:00, and within half an hour the camp was overrun by the Zulu warriors. Most of those who managed to flee were pursued and killed, with only a few surviving. Over 1 000 Zulu were killed in the battle of Isandlwana, while the British lost 52 officers and 1 277 men, including 471 black troops.
FUGITIVE’S DRIFT A few men managed to escape from Islandlwana, but on finding the road to Rorke’s Drift blocked they tried to escape in a more southerly direction towards the Buffalo River. But most of them were pursued and overtaken by the Zulu; among those killed were Lieutenants N Coghill and T Melville, who had tried to save the Queen’s Colours. They were buried where they fell.
RORKE’S DRIFT ...was attacked late on the afternoon of 22 January by the reserve of the Zulu forces that had not taken part in the Islandlwana assault. The British force consisted of 8 officers and 131 men, of whom 35 were ill, while the Zulu force numbered between 3 000 and 4 000. After being driven from the hospital building, the redcoats took cover behind a line of biscuit boxes and eventually retreated to a redoubt of mealie bags.
The Zulu attack continued until after midnight and repeatedly penetrated the British defences, necessitating hand-to-hand combat. The assault was abandoned only in the early hours of the morning. On the British side, 17 men were killed, while one officer and seven men were wounded. The Zulu casualties are estimated at over 500. The defenders of Rorke’s Drift received 11 Victoria Crosses – the highest number ever awarded for a single engagement. |
