Cetshwayo's impis wiped out British troops at Isandlwana in one of the worst disasters in British military history, stabbing 1272 soldiers to death. The impis of the Zulu king then descended on the trading post at Rorke's Drift. About 4000 Zulus attacked 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 had been killed, while the defenders' casualties amounted to seventeen dead and ten wounded. A record eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders of Rorke's Drift. A bronze plague was erected in 1954 by the Historical Monuments Commission. It was only in 1999 that a memorial was finally constructed to commemorate the brave Zulu warriors who fought for their beleaguered nation.

Click here to read more on the battle of Isandlwana.

Related events:

17 January 1879 - Battle of Isandlwana

20 January 1879 - British troops establish their camp at Isandlwana

23 January 1879 - The British successfully thwart the Zulu attack at Rorke's Drift.

Sources:

1. Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa , Cape Town: NASOU, v. 9. Pakenham, T. (1991). The Scramble for Africa, Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball
2. http://africanhistory.about.com/library/thisweek/bl-tw1-3.htm
3. http://www.battlefields.co.za/history/anglo-zulu_war/isandlwana/isandlwana_ian%20knight.htm)
4. http://www.news24.com/News24/On_this_day/On_this_day/0,,2-1602-1492_1469731,00.html