Chelmsford, based on his own military experience and history of wars in the region, completely miscalculated the capabilities of his army and that of the 35,000 strong Zulu army

The Zulus were far too numerous and too fast. The British defensive setup was poorly suited to the terrain and enemy they faced, and they were quickly overwhelmed.

The main force of the Zulus would meet enemies head on while left and right forces, the horns, would curve around and attack the enemy flanks. 16 On 22 January, the head of the beast was heading right at the central British column of 1,774 men encamped at the base of Isandlwana, a jagged rocky

Eshowe, Zulu Native Reserve Territory, I have the honour to report that on vestono л ι Δ™ ύ 1 1 ' 1 ι 8 ? 3 */. one of three messengers sent by UsibebuVeil* 7 ^ i ь 4 ^ before me Nsaba, tory bv an Usutu impi sent by CetywRvo anľí P T* °^ the ^i mva810n ° f his terri " which'took place between the^iSÄS^ Г° ^ P artlCukrs of the encounter I enclose, for your Excellcncv's information я n ° 1Ce ' r at u » me, from which it will be seen that thè ôt„ РУ S statemen t, made before Usibebuwere arrested,

The two messengers, Marwanqa and Matiya arrive μ f ι .ι . A P ril 1 -· is appended to that of Nsaba? ag0 ; their statem ent _____ (Signed) M. Osborn. Eshowe, Zulu Native Reserve Territory Nsaba states :— A P ril Ю, 1883. refLeľce\Tth^L r ^ ЯГ ľf^ to the Commissioner with his words in Ím^Tu^tW t Г 1 m Μ ,' 1S Pe °P le Ъ У the Usutu f0 ^s.

We atwered thaTľe wer S et°T W Sf"V? fT ^ ^ wWe We missioner in the Resede to complain of Usi ^ ^ bu^t hľs^Z ·° ^, 00 ™- and those of his people and seized their cattle.

ould vary. In the event it was a different story that had to be told. Lord Chelmsford, the commander-in-chief, established his camp at Isandlwana on 20 January 1879. During the next three days a British battalion and the camp of the main column was annihilated by a Zulu force anned with spears, while the small British frontier post at Rorke's Drift was successfully defended for several hours.

After their catastrophic defeat at Isandlwana the British told themselves a number of stories in order to be reassured. Lieutenants Coghill and Melvill died at the battle of Isandlwana attempting to save the color, the mystical soul of the battalion that bore the legend of its history, and their "ride to glory" became a powerful symbol of self-sacri

As the battle of Isandlwana came to an end and the victorious impi sacked the British camp, a Zulu force, which had not been involved in the main battle, crossed the Buffalo river to attack the base

On 22 January 1879, the British army suffered its worst colonial defeat of the nineteenth century when 1,500 men armed with the most modern weapons then available were wiped out at the battle of Isandlwana by a Zulu army––an impi––of 25,000 warriors armed only with spears. That an army of this size had slipped past British reconnaissance on the open veldt of South Africa to mount such a successful attack was remarkable in itself, but a second battle on that same day at a small mission station named Rorke’s Drift made these events more remarkable still.

It has often been posited that the British Empire provides an example of greedy capitalists dispossessing indigenous peoples in their search for new markets and raw materials, 1 yet whenever one looks into the particular circumstances of an episode of expansion, it is very difficult to isolate a viable economic motive

. Indeed, it should be sufficient to point out that the major forward moves conducted in South Africa––the annexation of the Transvaal, the occupation of Bechuanaland, and the destruction of the Zulu kingdom––all took place before the discovery of gold. Before this mineral revolution, South Africa was too poor to tempt the British government into increasing its control there for economic reasons.

IMPERIALSTRATEGY

but a second battle on that same day at a smallmission station named Rorke’s Drift made these events more remarkable st

120 men decided to stand and fight rather than flee the advancingimpithat had justwiped out their comrades.