Visiting South Africa''s Zulu Battlefields: Isandhlwana And Rorke''s Drift

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 96
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The Battles

After various tensions beginning in 1878, the British in the colony of Natal delivered a series of demands to the Zulu chief Cetshwayo in December 1879. Cetshwayo did not respond and three columns of troops were despatched to Zululand to attack the royal kraal at Ulundi. The column commanded by Lord Chelmsford consisted of over a thousand men. They set up a weakly defended camp at Isandhlwana, 16 km from Rorke''s Drift, the ford over the Buffalo River marking the boundary between Natal and Zululand.

On 22 January, while Chelmsford was out reconnoitring, a 20 000 strong Zulu army outflanked the camp and, despite British fire power, delivered a crushing defeat still unrivalled in British military history. British casualties exceeded 800 men.

In the mid-afternoon of that same day, the British heard of the slaughter at Isandhlwana and that three impis (regiments) of Zulu warriors were approaching the Swedish mission station at Rorke''s Drift. Commanded by Cetshwayo''s brother, Dabulamanzi, the fighting force comprised perhaps 4000 Zulu warriors. It is not widely recognised that many were armed, ...
... though their weapons were inferior to the British Martini-Henry rifles and their training was deficient.

In the ensuing encounter 139 British soldiers led by Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead famously withstood the Zulu onslaught, with the conflict continuing into the early hours of 23 January when the Zulus withdrew. 17 British soldiers died and perhaps 400 Zulus, who were buried in several mass graves.

Eleven Victoria crosses were awarded British combatants. Celebration of their bravery diverted attention from the disastrous encounter at Isandhlwana. The British summoned reinforcements and broke the strength of the Zulu nation at the Battle of Ulundi on 4 July 1879. Cetshwayo was the last king of an independent and unified Zulu nation. These sites are visited today by many descendants of that historic conflict, as well as by devotees of military history from around the world.

Battlefield Country

The small Zululand town of Dundee is close to many battlefields of the Anglo-Zulu and the later Anglo-Boer Wars. Places to visit include the sites of the battles of Talana, Elandslaagte and Spioenkop (of the Second Boer War of 1899-1902). The battlefield of Blood River (Ncome in Zulu) where the Boers famously defeated a Zulu army in 1838 is also nearby. The nearby Talana Museum and heritage park has exhibits dedicated to this conflict and other historic battlefields, that will take visitors back in time. Bonny Kominek wrote this article while on a holiday booked with Dialaflight who provide flights to South Africa and other desinations.