In 1879 Lord Chelmsford opened the Zulu War with a complicated five-pronged attack. It would lead to one of the great disasters in British colonial history.
Britain first became interested in southern Africa early in the 1800s as part of a strategy to secure their global empire. By the 1860s they were firmly in countrol of the southern tip of the country, having wrestled it away from the Boers (Dutch settlers). At the same time, a new African power, the Zulu nation, was emerging just to the northeast of this area. Led by their crafty and brutal king, Shaka, the Zulus quickly dominated all of the local African tribes in a vast area known as Zululand.
By the 1870s, Shaka was long dead, assassinated by his relatives, and Southern Africa had settled into an uneasy peace between the British colonials and their Zulu neighbours. This lasted as long as the Zulus possessed nothing that the British Empire wanted. Unfortunately, when diamonds were discovered in the Zululand hills, the British began to encroach upon Zulu territory. The Zulus naturally responded by attacking those that attempted to steal their land.
In 1879, Lord Chelmsford, the highest-ranking member of the British Army in South Africa was given permission to launch a punitive expedition against the Zulus in response to some minor border violations. Going well beyond his mandate, Lord Chelmsford decided to march against the Zulu capital in an attempt to force the Zulus to join a British Confederation. Unfortunately, his plans far outstripped his means. Although he theoretically had the manpower, Chelmsford lacked the logistical support to move his entire army deep into Zululand. Thus he divided his army into five groups, each separated by wide distances. The northern and southern most groups would advance only a little way into Zululand to act as diversions and to guard the flanks. The three middle columns would form the main attack party. As it happened, only two of these columns would be involved in the coming battle, the main column under Chelmsford and a column composed of African cavalry under the command of Colonel Dunford.
The British advance into Zululand was no secret, and King Cetshawayo kaMpande had quickly organized his army in response. In a matter of days, he had 40,000 Zulu warriors at his command.
Although Chelmsford had no idea of the size of the army he faced, his plan was centred on meeting the main Zulu force in open combat. After several days marching, he camped his column in the shadow of a great rocky outcrop known as Isandlwana and sent out his scouts. The scouts soon sent back word that they had sighted the Zulu army during the night. Unsure, what he might be facing, Chelmsford split his column in two and marched half to where his scouts had reported the enemy, but the enemy wasn’t there.
It is not fully known if the reports of the scouts were erroneous, or if the Zulus had managed to move their entire army under the cover of darkness, but either way, the Zulus had managed to slip around Chelmsford’s advance element and launch an attack on his camp at Isandlwana.
As the massive Zulu army descended toward the camp, the left flank ran into Colonel Dunfords column of cavalry. Durnford boldly called for his men to dismount and face the coming horde.
Meanwhile at the camp, LtCol Pulleine, the acting officer in-charge, formed his men into a rough semi-circle with Isandlwana at his back.
Combined, the two British forces had around 1,700 men. They faced a Zulu force numbering around 20,000. For hours the concentrated fire of the British Martini-Henry breech-loading rifles kept the Zulus at bay, but eventually, the British ammunition began to run low. With the lessening gunfire, the Zulus swept forward into the British lines. Outnumbered 10 to 1, the British were slaughtered.
Of the 1,700 members of the British force only 400 survived. Most of these were African levies that had fled early in the battle. Only 60 Europeans survived and all of those had been mounted.
Although the Zulus had won a great victory, they left 1,000 of their own dead on the battlefield. It was a punishing victory from which they would never fully recover.
With his supplies destroyed, Lord Chelmsford retreated the remains of his army from Zululand. He had suffered a painful and embarrassing defeat, but news of this defeat would spell doom for the Zulu nation. Almost as soon as news of Isandlwana reached England, reinforcements were dispatched to Africa. Lord Chelmsford would return.
