Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879

The Anglo-Zulu War occupies a special position in British military history; not least because a single day, 22nd January 1879, saw one of the worst defeats ever inflicted on an imperial army by an indigenous force, and one of the most celebrated examples of a small force overcoming overwhelming odds.

On 22nd January 1879 a force of 20,000 Zulus overwhelmed and destroyed the British invading force at Isandlwana, killing and ritually disemboweling over 1,000 men, including 806 non-commissioned ranks and 52 officers.. That afternoon, the same Zulu force turned their attention on a small outpost at Rorke's Drift.

Later on the same day, at Rorke's Drift on the Natal border with Zululand, in South Africa, a tiny British garrison of 140 men - many of them sick and wounded - fought for 12 hours to repel repeated attacks by up to 3,000 Zulu warriors.

Before that on 11th December 1878, Zulu chiefs were summoned to the Natal bank of the Tugela River, which runs along the border between Zululand and Natal, and presented with an ultimatum which, among many stringent requirements, included the disbanding of the Zulu army. Knowing the Zulus would and could not comply with the ultimatum, a British invasion force under Lord Chelmsford was already advancing towards the borders of Zululand.

When British troops invaded Zululand in January, 1879, the Zulus, including their King Cetshwayo and his councilors, had no idea why. The Zulus had no grievance with the British who governed Natal on the southern border of Zululand. In fact, the Zulus and British had been at peace for decades. Still, as the British troops advanced in to the Zulu Kingdom, King Cetshwayo mobilized his army. The Zulu King Cetshwayo called up all able-bodied men to defend their way of life and ‘wash their spears’.

Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879