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SITEMAP
BATTLES OF THE ANGLO-ZULU WAR OF 1879
BY KEN GILLINGS
Due for Publication 2009
In the 1870s, India was Great Britain's most important Colonial possession. The two colonies in South Africa - the Cape of Good Hope and Natal - were seen as financial burdens.
How could this be overcome? Confederation was the one possibility; it was working in Canada, was supported by the Colonial Secretary, Lord Carnarvon, and endorsed enthusiastically by Her Majesty's High Commissioner in South Africa, Sir Bartle Frere. Carnarvon was succeeded by Sir Michael Hicks Beech who had far less interest in the region and left Frere to his own devices. Frere considered King Cetshwayo kaMpande of the Zulus as a stumbling block to his ideal of a confederation of white states in Southern Africa and felt that his objective would secure British dominance politically and economically in the Region.
A number of incidents and border infringements were considered as justification for retribution, despite misgivings by the Governor of Natal, Sir Henry Bulwer and Frere chose a meeting between to Natal Colonial authorities and Zulu izinduna - representatives of the King - on the 11th December 1878 as a suitable occasion to present the King with a long, rambling 5000 word ultimatum, the wording of which made it impossible for the Zulus to comply with most of its terms.
On the 11th January 1879, the ultimatum expired and the British invaded Zululand under the command of Maj Gen Lord Chelmsford, whose strategy was to converge on the King's capital at Ondini (Ulundi) using three columns with two in reserve. He unwittingly adopted the Zulus 'i'mpondo zankhomo' ('beast's horns') as his method of attack: No 1 Column (the Coastal Column) was commanded by Col Charles Pearson, No 3 Column (the Central Column) by Col Richard Glyn and No 4 Column (subsequently dubbed the "Flying Column" due to its mobility) by Col Evelyn Wood VC. Two more forces were tasked with operating as reserves. They were No 2 Column (commanded by Col Anthony Durnford RE, who was stationed at Middle Drift on the uThukela River) and No 5 Column, commanded by Col Hugh Rowlands VC in the Lüneberg area on the border of Natal and the Transvaal. Pearson was tasked with invading Zululand across the uThukela River near its mouth, Glyn via the Mzinyathi (Buffalo) River at Rorke's Drift and Wood form the vicinity of present day Vryheid.
Chelmsford accompanied the Central Column, effectively eclipsing Glyn's role as its commander. The first action was fought on the 12th January 1879 at Chief Sihayo's homestead and the Central Column subsequently advanced to the plain below a Sphinx shaped hill known as Isandlwana on the 20th January. The following day, he sent out two parties of troops to find the Zulus. One of them, commanded by Maj John Dartnell, was lured further and further into Zululand by Chief Matshana kaMondisa. These brilliant tactics resulted in Chelmsford dividing his force still further, leaving only about 1759 men in camp.
King Cetshwayo and his izinduna had realised that the terms of the ultimatum were little more than an excuse by the British to invade Zululand and once his 28 000 strong army had been ritually prepared, they were ordered to "eat up" the British army. They had left kwaNodwengu near Ondini Friday 17th January 1879, led by Chief Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza and Chief Mavumangwana kaNdlela Ntuli. On the following morning, 4 000 warriors under Chief Godide kaNdlela Ntuli (Mavumangwana's brother - both of them sons of King Dingane's commander at the disastrous Battle of Blood River on the 16th December 1838) left the main force to deal with Pearson's Column, which had invaded Zululand near the uThukela mouth. Ntshingwayo's objective was to attack Glyn's Column on the 23rd January 1879 and on Tuesday 21st January, the Zulu army proceeded in small groups to the Ngwebeni River valley, a short distance away from the Central Column's camp
On the 22nd January 1879 - the 'Day of the Dead Moon' (it was a new moon and therefore inauspicious to attack on that day), a patrol under the command of Lt Charlie Raw discovered the bulk of the Zulu army and before the commanders could ritually prepare it, the warriors surged out of the valley, over the Mabaso ridge and attacked the British camp, inflicting one of the most amazing defeats on the British army in its colonial history.
That same day, Pearson's Column had a luck escape when Godide's warriors were discovered before they could launch their attack at Nyezane, between the coast and Eshowe.
That evening, little over 100 men managed to hold out against overwhelming odds when the King's impetuous brother, Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande, exceeded his orders and attacked the garrison at Rorke's Drift, whose defenders earned no fewer than 11 VCs.
The British suffered two more embarrassing defeats; at eNtombe River on the 12th March and Hlobane on the 28th March 1879. The following day, the 29th March 1879, Wood survived a determined attack by the Zulu army at Khambula and this was the turning point of the war.
On the 2nd April 1879, Chelmsford defeated the Zulu army under Dabulamanzi and relieved Pearson the following day.
These setbacks resulted in Chelmsford being replaced as Commander in Chief by Sir Garnet Wolseley, but Chelmsford was determined to avenge Isandlwana and avoid the embarrassment of Wolseley bringing the war to a close, so ignoring the latter's orders to refrain from any further action, he advanced on the King's capital at Ondini and defeated the Zulu army at Ulundi on the 4th July 1879.
There is, of course, far more to this story than this summary.
In the first of two publications on the military history of South Africa, Battles of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 will be in the form of a guide to these sites, with text describing the events and maps to orientate the traveller.
Ken Gillings has undertaken extensive research into South African battlefields, especially those in KwaZulu-Natal. He has written numerous articles on this subject and co-edited "The War Memoirs of Commandant Ludwig Krause", which was published by the van Riebeeck Society. He wrote "The Battle of the Thukela Heights" which was published by Ravan Press as a series of Battles to commemorate the centenary of the Anglo-Boer War and chaired the Centenary Committee in KwaZulu-Natal between 1997 and 2003. "Battles of KwaZulu-Natal" (Art Publishers) is in its third edition.
He is an acclaimed Battlefield Guide, a Life Member of the South African Military History Society and the Ladysmith Historical Society and is often in demand as a speaker about his passion for military history.
Due for Publication 2009
Images from the book
(Click on image to enlarge)
