Islandlwana and Rorke's Drift, 1879

On 11th January 1879, General Frederic Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford, led three columns of troops into the independent Zulu Kingdom, which British colonila official considered a threat to Natal, with which it shared a long border along the Tugela River. Colonel Evelyn Wood VC of the 90th Light Infantry commanded the North Column; the South Column, near the Indian Ocean coast was commanded by Colonel Pearson of the 3rd Foot (The Buffs). In the centre, Lord Chelmsford accompanied the column commanded by Colonel Glynn of the 24th Foot, which comprised both battalions of the 24th, plus units of Natal Native Infantry and irregular horse.
The Centre Column crossed the Tugela River at Rorke's Drift, heading for Zulu King Cetshwayo's principal kraal at Ulundi. Progress was slow in the hilly scrubland, and it was 20th January before the Centre Column reached Islandlwana, a distinctive "Sphinx-like" hill ten miles from the border. The following day, a mounted reconnaissance patrol encountered the Zulus in strength.

Islandlwana Hill and battlefield

At first light on 22nd January 1879, Lord Chelmsford led the 2nd Battalion, 24th Foot, the Mounted Infantry and 4 guns to advance to contact. However, the Zulus had disappeared and, bypassing Chelmsford's main force, were moving on Islandlwana, where the 1st Battalion, 24th Foot had remained.
Despite a vast technological disadvantage, the numerically superior Zulus overwhelmed the badly deployed and poorly led British troops, capturing both colours of the 2/24th and the Queen's colour of the 1/24th, despite the attempt by Lieutenants Melville and Coghill (both awarded posthumous VCs in 1907) to carry it from the field.

"Black as hell, and thick as grass!"
The reserve impi of the Zulu force, unengaged at Islandlwana, swept around the south of the battlefield and advanced on Rorke's Drift. By the time they arrived at Rorke's Drift, they had force-marched some 20 miles and would spend the next eleven and a half hours storming the hastily contructed fortifications at the mission station.
Rorke's Drift was defended by about 150 men, most of them from B Company, 2/24th Foot. Upon receiving the news of Islandlwana and of the approach of some 4000 Zulu warriors, Lieutenant John Chard, commanding a small detachment of No.5 Field Company, Royal Engineers, and Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, commanding B Company, directed their men to construct a defensive perimeter from mealie bags, and to fortify the buildings.

The battle began at about 4.20pm when troops of the Natal Native Contingent encountered the vnaguard of the Zulu impi. However, tired from the battle and retreat from Islandlwana, they chose this moment to withdraw, greatly depleting the defending force.
At 4.30pm the Zulus came in sight of the station and attacked both the north and south walls of tghe compound. From then on, and throughout the night, the Zulus kept up a constant assault against the British positions until about 2am, and they finally withdrew at 4am.

By that time, Chard's force had lost 14 dead, 2 mortally wounded and a further 8 seriously wounded. Virtually every man had some kind of wound, and were all exhausted, having fought for their lives for the best part of ten hours. Of 20,000 rounds of ammunition at the mission station, only 900 remained. Three hundred and fifty-one Zulu bodies were counted after the battle, but many wounded and captured Zulus were later executed. As Trooper William James Clarke of the Natal Mounted Police wrote in his diary, "Seeing the manner in which our wounded had been mutilated after being dragged from the hospital... we were very bitter and did not spare wounded Zulus."