Isandlwana: Zulu Victory
by Epics: More Prisoners of Eternity.
It came as a terrible shock to the drawing rooms of Victorian Britain. A British army wiped out by spear-carrying natives. The first phase of an unprincipled land-grab had come to a catastrophic conclusion. It was a great Zulu victory, but it could not be tolerated.
In early January, 1879, war broke out between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. This was neither an accident nor the consequence of unforeseen events. Sir Bartle Frere, the British High Commissioner for southern Africa, had been actively seeking a conflict with the Zulu King Cetswayo, for some time. He was determined to extend British power in the region and eliminate the only remaining independent threat to it. In December, 1878, he found an excuse to heighten tension. A number of British citizens had been murdered in Zulu territory. In contravention of direct orders issued from Britain that he avoid conflict with the Zulu’s, Sir Bartle demanded that Cetswayo hand over the miscreants. Moreover, he demanded that Cetswayo disband his impis (regiments) and he presented a deadline by which this must be done. Sir Bartle, made it clear that not to comply would be tantamount to a declaration of war. He knew that Cetswayo could not possibly comply, without his impis he would be powerless, impotent. So Sir Bartle had already made his preparations for war. When the ultimatum passed without compliance, Sir Bartle ordered the British Military Commander in the Province of Natal, which bordered the Zulu Kingdom, Lord Chelmsford, to invade.
Lord Chelmsford had under his command 8,000 men, more than 4,000 of whom were British regulars. They were armed with the latest breech loading Martini-Henry rifle, and were supported by rockets and artillery. Though they were greatly outnumbered by the 24,000 warriors Cetswayo could put in the field, they were not expected to be troubled by an enemy armed with no more than spears and cattle-hide shields.
On 11 January, 1879, leaving a small force behind at the Mission Station of Rorkes Drift, he crossed the Buffalo River into Zululand. His plan was to split his army into three separate columns. Firmly believing that Cetswayo would refuse to fight unless forced to do so, he determined to march directly on Cetswayo’s capital at Ulundi with 4,000 men, another column under Colonel Pearson would circle around Ulundi and cut off Cetswayo’s line of retreat. A third column under Colonel Henry Pulleine would remain in camp at Isandlwana to await instructions.
Colonel Pulleine was an administrative officer who had neither seen combat or commanded men in the field. The more obvious choice for command would have been Colonel Anthony Durnford, a colourful Irishman superior in rank to Pulleine. He knew the Zulu’s and the terrain. He had lost the use of his left arm in a fight with Hlubis tribesmen at Bushman’s Pass and had only been rescued from certain death by a contingent of his recently formed Basuto horsemen. He was brave, arrogant and outspoken. It had earlier been intended that he would command one of the three columns but he had fallen out of favour with Lord Chelmsford, who distrusted this mercurial Irishman whom he believed had gone native.
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