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Learn about the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War, where a Zulu force of 20,000 warriors defeated a British column of 1,800 troops in 1879. Find out the background, prelude, battle, aftermath and legacy of this decisive victory for the Zulus.
- 22 January 1879
Learn about the Zulu War battle of 1879, where the Zulus defeated a British force of 1,200 men and killed their commander. Find out the details of the battle, the Zulu army, the British regiments and the aftermath.
Learn about the first significant battles of the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879, when the British suffered a devastating defeat at Isandlwana and a heroic defense at Rorke's Drift. Find out how these events shaped the outcome of the war and the fate of the Zulu kingdom.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn how a British invasion of Zululand in 1879 led to a disastrous defeat at Isandlwana, where 20,000 Zulu warriors attacked a camp of 1,300 British soldiers. Find out the causes, course and consequences of the battle and the war that followed.
- Tristan Hughes
- Lord Chelmsford invaded Zululand with a British army on 11 January. 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.
- Chelmsford made a fundamental tactical error. Confident that his modernised army could easily quash Cetshwayo’s technologically inferior forces, Chelmsford was more worried that the Zulus would avoid fighting him on the open field.
- 1,300 men were left to defend Isandlwana… Half of this number were either native auxiliaries or European colonial troops; the other half were from British battalions.
- … but the camp was not suited for defence. Chelmsford and his staff decided not to erect any substantial defences for Isandlwana, not even a defensive circle of wagons.
Jan 25, 2014 · Learn how a force of 20,000 Zulus annihilated a British contingent of 1,800 men in 1879, and how this battle became a symbol of black resistance in South Africa. Hear the stories of the Zulu warriors and their descendants who keep the memory alive.
Jan 16, 2021 · Learn how the British army suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Zulu warriors in 1879, despite their superior firepower and numbers. Discover the causes, events and consequences of the first major engagement of the Anglo-Zulu War.
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