Cetewayo's impis wipe out British troops at Isandhlwana in one of the worst disasters in British military history, stabbing 127
Date: 22 January, 1879
Cetewayo's impis wipe out British troops at Isandhlwana in one of the worst disasters in British military history, stabbing 1272 soldiers to death. The impis of the Zulu king then descend on the trading post at Rorke's Drift. About 4000 Zulus attack the fortified buildings held by 130 men of the 24th regiment at about 4.30 p.m. At the end of the attack at about 4 a.m. early the next morning, more than 350 Zulus are killed, while the defenders' casualties amount to seventeen dead and ten wounded. A record eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders of Rorke's Drift. The Historical Monuments Commission erected a bronze plague in 1954. It was only in 1999 that a memorial was finally constructed to the brave Zulu warriors who fought for their beleaguered nation.
References
- Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 9, p. 408
- Pakenham, T. (1991). The Scramble for Africa, Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball
- africanhistory.about.com/
- www.battlefields.co.za/
- www.news24.com