On 22 January 1879, the Battle of Isandlwana was fought in South Africa between the British under Henry Polleine and the Zulus under Ntshingwayo during the Anglo-Zulu War.
Why did it happen?
In 1877, the British decided to consolidate all their possessions in South Africa into one federation by formally annexing the Transvaal region. The British high commissioner's Henry Bartle Frere and Lord Chelmsford realised this would bring them into a confrontation with the Zulu kingdom and so decided to gamble on a quick victory before the news could reach London. In December 1878, using a minor border incident as an excuse, they demanded that the Zulu chief, Cetshwayo disband his army, knowing full well that he would not. When Cetshwayo refused, war was declared and in January 1879, an army of 4,200 British troops under Lord Chelmsford marched across the Buffalo River and invaded the Zulu kingdom. After pitching a small camp at Rorke’s Drift, Chelmsford established a second, larger camp at Isandlwana on 20 January before dividing his forces. Leaving the camp at Isandlwana to be defended by Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Polleine, Chelmsford led 2,500 troops away to pursue Zulu scouts while fatally underestimating the size of the Zulu army.
Who was involved?
The British army at Isandlwana numbered 1,700 infantry, 500 cavalry and 2 artillery. The British infantry and artillery were encamped at the base of the Isandlwana Hill while the cavalry under Anthony Durnford was sent to scout ahead. The Zulu army at Isandlwana numbered 20,000 warriors equipped with short, stabbing spears and shields made of cowhide. The signature tactic of the Zulu army was the “buffalo-horns” formation where the main body delivered a frontal assault while the two wings outflanked and enveloped their enemy to the left and right. The entire Zulu army was hidden behind a ridge overlooking Isandlwana Hill.
What happened?
On 22 January, while scouting ahead, the British cavalry discovered that a Zulu army under Ntshingwayo and Mavumengwana was positioned on the other side of the hills surrounding Isandlwana. After the British cavalry fell back to their camp, the main Zulu army attacked in their traditional buffalo-horns formation with the British rifles and artillery inflicting significant casualties. In response, the Zulu warriors threw themselves on the ground every time the British artillery drew back preparatory to firing. At the same time, the Zulu wings outflanked and encircled the British forces, whose ammunition began to run low. Upon falling back to their camp, the British soldiers attempted to open their ammunition boxes, only to find that the boxes screws were rusty. To make matters worse, the Zulu warriors engaged the British soldiers in hand-to-hand combat: spears versus bayonets. As the British cavalry fled the battle, the Zulu army made one final assault that overwhelmed the British camp. While the Zulus suffered 2,000 casualties, the British army was almost annihilated with just 60 soldiers escaping the encirclement, only to be hunted down and killed by the Zulus.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Isandlwana was a major victory for the Zulus and one of the British Empire's most humiliating defeats. When news of the defeat reached London, the British government ordered Sir Garnet Wolseley to take over command from Chelmsford. Despite his victory, Cetshwayo was anxious to make peace with the British due to heavy casualties sustained at Isandlwana. Chelmsford, however, was anxious to crush the Zulus before Wolseley could replace him. Despite peace offers from Cetshwayo, Chelmsford reinvaded Zululand and decisively crushed the Zulu army at the Battle of Ulundi on 4 July 1879. Cetshwayo was captured and exiled to Cape Town where he stayed until 1883.
Bibliography
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Knight, Ian. Zulu Rising: The Epic Story of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. London, Pan Books, 2011.
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