At the Battle of Isandlwana Chelmsford’s column is defeated and he retreats out of Zulu territory.Ģ2nd / 23rd January 1879 – A group of Zulu reservists numbering around 4,000 attack the British outpost of Rorke’s Drift. The central column heads towards the camp of a Zulu chief called Sihayo.ġ2th January 1879 – The central column destroys Sihayo’s camp.Ģ2nd January 1879 – The right column, led by Colonel Charles Pearson, engages 6,000 Zulu troops near to the Inyzane River.Ģ2nd January 1879 – A Zulu force of 25,000 makes a surprise attack on the central column who have made camp. Knowing that Cetswayo would never accept these terms, Frere arranged for an army led by Lord Chelmsford (pictured to the right) to prepare for invasion…ġ1th December, 1878 – The British send an ultimatum to Zulu King Cetshwayo.ģ1st December 1878 – Sir Henry Frere grants an extension to the ultimatum.ĩth January 1879 – The centre column, led by Lord Chelmsford, moves to Rorke’s Drift on the edge of Zululand.ġ1th January 1879 – The ultimatum expires and three British columns cross the BuffaloRiver and enter Zululand. In December 1878, an ultimatum was sent to the Zulu king Cetshwayo, requiring him, amongst other things, to disband his army. Furthermore, Shepstone expressed concern over the increasing amount of firearms falling into Zulu hands, further fuelling the case for war. As Shepstone’s fragile territories were bordered by Zululand, he formally outlined how regular border incursions by the Zulus were effecting the stability of the region. Knowing that London did not want a war with the Zulus (they were too preoccupied with troubles in India and Eastern Europe), Frere turned to the new British governor of Natal and the Transvaal, Sir Theophilus Shepstone, for reasons to invade. However, Frere soon realised that uniting the Boer republics, independent black states and British colonies could not be realised until the powerful Zulu kingdom on its borders had been defeated. 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. Famous for the bloody battles of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 saw over 15,000 British troops invade the independent nation of Zululand in present-day South Africa.
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