On the morning of January 22 the Isandlwana garrison had consisted of 1,700 men; now about 1,300 were dead. an unsophisticated enemy with spears and old rilfes sparsely distributed against a top european army with the latest martini henry carbine. Chelmsford he had been blamed by many, and even by the Government, for commencing the war without sufficient cause. But other officers were troubled, not pleased, by the camps location. Frederic Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford, GCB, GCVO (31 May 1827 9 April 1905) was a British Army officer who rose to prominence during the Anglo-Zulu War, when an expeditionary force under his command suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of a Zulu force at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879. For over 300 years, the coastlines of the English Channel and south west of England were at the mercy of Barbary pirates. He served in 1845 with the Rifles in Halifax, Nova Scotia before purchasing an exchange in November 1845 into the Grenadiers as an ensign and lieutenant. The ultimatum was a legal faade to mask Freres aggression, but the High Commissioner felt the die was cast. Please note that this is a military history forum and not a political one. In spite of these concerns, Chelmsford raised several regiments of the Natal Native Contingent, or NNC. Suppose the Fingos, Swazis, Mashonas, Griquas and others joined the Zulu in an all-out campaign of white extirpation? As his men fired, Durnford walked all along the line, talking, laughing and encouraging their marksmanship with a hearty, Well done, my boys!. the martini henry round would go through muscle and sinew but on hitting bone would flatten and shatter. 28th August 1879 Cetshwayo is captured and is sent into exile, first to Cape Town and then to London. 12 Facts About the Battle of Isandlwana | History Hit Many generals blunder in war, but few go to such lengths to avoid responsibility. Chelsmfords own field regulation mandated laagers on campaign, but at Isandlwana the instructions were ignored. The Zulu attackers also suffered they lost somewhere between 1,000 and 2,500 men. He brought the Ninth Cape Frontier War to its completion in July 1878, and was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in November 1878. His plans were sound, his preparations thorough, but he couldnt seem to shake the feelings of superiority that many Victorians felt when dealing with native peoples. Anthony, if that make you go to sleep at night then thats okay, you can say it million times.. the bottom line is the Zulus were defending themselves from the ruthless British thieves! A potential war with Russia was looming in Afghanistan and under the circumstances the British government didnt want to be tied down in a senseless colonial adventure. He didnt want war with the abeLungu , the white men, yet war was being forced upon him. It is disingenuous to judge people of the Victorian age by modern standards. Based on an old Boer method of defense, a laager was a circle of wagons arranged in a manner reminiscent of American movies of the Old West. They felt this a prudent course as all of Quebec was held by around 600 regulars and intelligence indicated that the French-speaking population would be favorably inclined towards . There it set up camp. Bottom line is we see people waxing lyrical on the rare Zulu victories but stunning victories won by b rave British soldiers remain anonymous. The final offensive column, the left flank column (No. The horns and chest of the impondo zankomo had been formed without direction, but Chief Ntshingwayo and other officers successfully formed a loins reserve. It seemed too incredible that an entire Zulu army had in effect marched around the Britishuntil he got confirmation in the form of the Zulu left horn as it sped toward him in full attack mode. What happened to Lord Chelmsford after Isandlwana? Hamilton-Browne led his NNC men forward, but the going was rough owing to boulders strewn over the ground. The Queen showered honours on him, promoting him to full general, awarding him the Gold Stick at Court and appointing him Lieutenant of the Tower of London. Drummers were seldom Boys among their other duties was administering floggings as punishment and of 12 Drummers killed at Isandlwana, the youngest was 18 and the oldest in his 30s. He began to cast eyes across the Mzinyathi (Waters of the Buffalo), the river that marked the boundary between Natal and Zululand. After years of domination, enslavement and conquest of many innocent African tribes it was the British who soundly defeated the Zulu and ended their independent nation. In truth, the real hero of Rorke's Drift was Commissary Dalton. Casualties at the Battle of Isandlwana: 52 British officers and 806 non-commissioned ranks were killed. He always felt he owed his life to wearing a blue patrol jacket, not the red tunic. As High Commissioner for South Africa, Sir Henry decided to roll up his sleeves and bring order to the chaos by imposing confederation. he expected natal to be on a war footing.it wasnt. In 2000, an archaeological survey of the site found the remains of the tin lining of a number of boxes along the British firing positions sure sign that boxes had been opened there. what happened to lord chelmsford after isandlwana Lord Chelmsford massively underestimated how many men he would need to take into Cetshwayo's territory. I think the most important aspect of the battle was the tragic heroism displayed by both sides. what happened to lord chelmsford after isandlwana. Some distance away Captain Younghusbands C Company was in the midst of his own last stand. No matter how sincerely a historian (including myself) may strive to present all the facts in an objective fashion, there will always be a perspective. By Dr Saul David 28th June 1879 Sir Garnet Wolseley arrives in Durban. 22nd / 23rd January 1879 A group of Zulu reservists numbering around 4,000 attack the British outpost of Rorkes Drift. Chelmsford had a seizure and died while playing billiards at the United Service Club in London on 9 April 1905 in his 78th year. When did the Dutch come to South Africa? Lieutenant Smith-Dorrien gathered up the flotsam and jetsam of the campstragglers, officers servants and the likeand organized them into a party to retrieve ammunition. Wrong the Zulus were not defeated in every other engagement, the battle of Intombe the British who had comprised of one hundred men were ambushed and defeated by the Zulus who were six hundred men strong roughly eighty British were killed. Defeat at Isandlwana. Chelmsford placed these men under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pulleine. 'We must not forget,' Disraeli told the House of Lords on 13 February, 'the exhibition of heroic valour by those who have been spared.'. View this object . The incident gave Frere two reasons for war. Three crewmen survived, though wounded. Chelmsford also raised native levies, an intelligent move that was squandered by mishandling and white apprehension. The NNH were good fighters, tribesmen who were devoted to Durnford and had an animosity toward the Zulu. Since the British government did not have the funds or the desire to fully garrison colonial outposts, units like the Natal Volunteer Corps filled the void. The Zulus had outmanoeuvred Chelmsford and their victory at Isandlwana was complete and forced the main British force to retreat out of Zululand until a far larger British Army could be shipped to South . Famous for the bloody battles of Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift, the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 saw over 15,000 British troops invade the independent nation of Zululand in present-day South Africa. More than 12 tons of ammunition would have to be carried, as well as 60 tons of tentage, and also one ton of food a day per battalion. War began in January 1879, when a force led by Lieutenant-General Lord Chelmsford invaded Zululand to enforce British demands. The guns discharged case (a kind of shrapnel), but little execution was done. As they were trying to cross the Buffalo River, however, Coghill lost the Colour in the current. Frere had been sent out to to Cape Town with the specific task of grouping South Africa's hotch-potch of British colonies, Boer republics and independent black states into a Confederation of South Africa. The Boer Transvaal Republic became bankrupt, so insolvent it was annexed by Britain in 1877. King Edward VII appointed him Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the November 1902 Birthday Honours list,[11][12] and he was invested with the insignia by the King at Buckingham Palace on 18 December 1902. On the contrary, he was determined to drive the Zulus into a corner and make them fight.. The build up to the war started in 1877 when Sir Henry Frere, a British colonial administrator, was sent to Cape Town with the task of uniting South Africa under a single British confederation. Chelmsford, concerned about the arrival of Wolseley and wanting to redeem himself after the catastrophe at Isandlwana, refuses any such compromise. A and F Companies of the 24th were taken from in front and behind and slaughtered before they could even fix their bayonets. Sorry that you may not like when you are told the truth in your face. Durnfords position at Isandlwana was ambiguous, since he was technically senior over Pulleine. Superstitious troops of Lord Chelmsford's Central Column experienced a feeling of approaching doom when they arrived at Isandlwana in the British colony of Natal on 21 January 1879 and saw that the conical hill was shaped like the sphinx on their regimental badge. what happened to lord chelmsford after isandlwana. Chelmsford thus led a 12,000-strong army divided into three columns into Zululand, despite having received no authorisation from Parliament. Lonsdale pulled the reins of his horse, dug in his spurs and rode off as fast as he could, the Zulu in hot pursuit. The logistical problems of supply and transport were formidable, almost overwhelming. Sihayo kaXongo, a Zulu border chief, had the misfortune of having adulterous wives, and his domestic difficulties provided Frere with an excuse for war. What happened to the bodies at Isandlwana? the artillery was initially useful but the zulu saw the gunners leap away from the guns at the point of firing and quickly learnt to lie flat. Their discipline varied, but their sartorial splendor made up for any lack of formal training. By the end of the day, hundreds of British redcoats lay dead on the slope of Isandlwana Cetshwayo having ordered his warriors to show them no mercy. Battle of Ulundi - British Battles Starting at 1pm, the battle sees over 20,000 Zulus repelled and by 6pm the battle is over with the loss of only 18 British soldiers. Durnford himself led part of his forces along the base of the Nquthu escarpment, while other horsemen were sent to scout the plateau. As for Coghill and Melville, according to the story battered and bruised they reached the far bank of the Buffalo River where they made their final stand. An hour later, as the hard-pressed British defenders fought for their lives, a portion of Chelmsford's force at Mangeni Falls received word that the camp was in danger of being overrun. The invasion came after Cetshwayo, the king of the Zulu Kingdom, did not reply to an unacceptable British ultimatum that demanded (among other things) he disband his 35,000-strong army. Further, the Trekboers occupied a hinterland left virtually uninhabited by the genocidal rampages of both Shaka and Mzilikaze, so they had as much claim to those areas, as anyone else. 11th February 1879 News of the defeat at Isandlwana reaches London and reinforcements are requested. He ensured that potential witnesses to his errors were unable to speak out. London has agreed to send seven regiments and two artillery batteries to support Chelmsfords campaign. The camp had been thoroughly looted, the Zulu rifling through the commissariat boxes and littering the ground with flour, sugar, tea, oats and other supplies.