Battle of Isandlwana

After destroying the Sihayo homestead, the central column moved forward to Isandlwana where the British made camp in the shadow of the distinctive mountain. On 21st January 1879, scouts reported sightings of what they believed were the main Zulu army in the direction of Ulundi. Chelmsford reacted by leading more than half his column to engage the Zulus leaving around 1,700 men at Isandlwana which included a significant force of colonials from the Natal Native Contingent. On 22nd January, scouts from the camp stumbled upon around 25,000 Zulus hidden in Ngwebeni valley less than 6 miles from the camp. These scouts had found the main Zulu army. Lord Chelmsford was chasing a diversion.

The superbly disciplined Zulus quickly emerged from the Ngwebeni valley and deployed their ‘Horns of the Buffalo’ tactic that Shaka had introduced decades earlier. The Zulu commanders stood on iNyoni vantage point as their warriors advanced on the British camp. As the ‘horns’ encircled the camp to the left and right, the main body of the Zulus moved forward and the battle began.

Despite heroic a defence by the British forces, they were simply overwhelmed by the Zulu forces and less than 60 soldiers escaped with their lives. In the closing moments of the battle, Lieutenant Melville was given the task of making an epic dash to save the Queens Colours. Melville rode his horse for 5 miles through Zulu attacks down to the Buffalo River which formed the border between Zululand and Natal. Melville along with Lieutenant Coghill were both killed on the Natal side of the river at Fugitives Drift having saved each others lives but losing the Queens Colours. In 1907, Coghill and Melville were both posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Visiting Isandlwana

The Isandlwana Battlefield is located in a remote part of KwaZulu Natal which means if traveling from either Johannesburg or Durban, an overnight stay is needed. More information about traveling to KwaZulu Natal and other parts of South Africa on our African website – http://www.big5.explorertravel.co.uk/ KwaZuluNatal.htm