Just a little history refresher from a Web site dedicated to the battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal:
The Battle of Rorke’s Drift
The Battle of Rorke’s Drift was fought on the same day, 22 January 1879, as the nearby Battle of Isandlwana, where the British army suffered the most humiliating defeat in its history against a native military force, fighting the Zulu army of King Cetshwayo.
After the central column of Major General Lord Chelmsford had crossed the Mzinyathi River in its invasion of Zululand, It was on its way to its meeting with destiny at Isandlwana, the mission buildings below Shiyane Hill - also known as the Oskarsberg - were converted into a hospital and provision depot. Under the command of Major Henry Spalding, the camp included Lieutenant John Chard of the 5th company, Royal Engineers, who was tasked with preparing an entrenchment intended to be occupied by G Company of the 1/24th Regiment under Captain Rainsforth and which was due to advance from Helpmekaar on the morning of the battle. Also at the camp was B Company of the2/24th Regiment under Lt.Gonville Bromhead, and one company of the 2/3rd Natal Native Contingent. Chard, who had ridden to Isandlwana had returned by mid-morning.
There was no sign of G Company, so Spalding rode off towards Helpmekaar to look for them, leaving Chard in command during his absence.
Later that morning intense gunfire was heard from the direction of Isandlwana, and news soon reached Chard of the disaster that had struck the Central Column. Chard hastily ordered preparations for a defensive stand at Rorke’s Drift.
Bromhead ordered mealie bags and biscuit boxes to be taken from the store and used in the fortifications. B Company’s tents were struck, the water cart filled and dragged into the yard between the two buildings, and two wagons were also pulled into the defences incorporating the two buildings.
Patients in the hospital who were able to bear arms were posted at positions in the hospital.
The Zulu reserves, under the command of Cetshwayo’s brother Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande who rode on a white horse, totalled some 4,000 warriors and had crossed the Mzinyathi River at a point above Fugitives’ Drift and advanced towards the post. As they approached the Natal Native Contingent they and their white officers fled, leaving Chard with about 100 able-bodied men. This meant that the original perimeter was far too extended, so Chard hastily had a new barricade of biscuit boxes built from the corner of the storehouse to the front wall.
The Zulu attack was launched at around 4:30 pm, with the terraces behind the post having been occupied by warriors. Somewhat inaccurate rifle fire was directed at the defenders, who responded with well-controlled volleys. Several elements of the Zulu force charged toward the front of the hospital, but Prince Dabulamanzi dismounted and encouraged his warriors to attack en masses rather than in small groups. Repeated attacks were launched, and eventually sniping from the Shiyane terraces began to take its toll.
At about 6pm Chard decided to consolidate his position, which necessitated abandoning the hospital. The defenders withdrew gradually, room by room, assisted by Private John Williams who used a pick-axe to breach the internal walls. Their slow progress was marked by some acts of incredible bravery, especially since the Zulus had set fire to the roof. Chard’s men provided covering fire to enable the men to cross the open area between the hospital and the new perimeter.
The Zulus launched waves of renewed fierce attacks crashing into the defences. The defender’s rifle fire was so intense that their gun barrels glowed red-hot. Chard ordered a mealie bag redoubt to be built in front of the store to be used as a final stand. Snipers from the terraces now joined the attack, and the Zulus succeeded in occupying the stone kraal on the east side of the perimeter. Fierce, almost hand-to-hand fighting continued until around midnight, when the Zulu attack began to slacken due to sheer exhaustion. Firing finally ceased at around 4 am the following day.
At dawn the defenders gazed in amazement at the carnage that surrounded them. Then, at about 7 am the Zulus reappeared, only to sit down and rest on the western side of the post. The weary defenders prepared to face a renewed onslaught, only to witness the warriors rising up and moving back down to the Mzinyathi River where they crossed back into Zululand, within a few hundred metres of Lord Chelmsford who was returning with the remainder of the Central Column, who had left Isandlwana shortly before dawn.
The defenders lost 15, plus two who were to die later from their wounds. Virtually every other man had been wounded. The Zulus lost over 370 warriors who were counted and buried in two mass graves, and at least a further 100 were dragged away by the departing warriors towards the river.
Subsequent to the battle the British awarded 11 Victoria Crosses, the highest decoration for bravery, to some of the defenders. This remains until today the largest number of VCs awarded in any single engagement, anywhere in the world! (Emphasis added.)
Ah. Back to a time in 1879 when the great army of the British Empire had the wherewithal and fortitude to turn a day of ignominious defeat into a day of shining vindication by facing down and defeating a veritable hoard intent on its destruction.
And now it’s come to this…
For God’s sake, why didn’t they fight? Why?
Has the British military devolved into this? To surrender to an enemy driven by obeisance to Sharia law even when a woman is part of your crew? Has the instinct for self-preservation been completely drummed out of the British Navy and Marines? Has chivalry?
Something inside me refuses to believe that our own U.S. Marines would have surrendered so quickly. I simply can’t believe it. I firmly believe that our Gyrenes and Sailors would have fought tooth and nail to the end rather than submit to captivity at the hands of Islamofascist pigs like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
It’s bad enough that the Brits didn’t fight back. It’s even worse that they allowed a woman to get involved.
Now that they’re captives, the male members of the crew don’t dare resist their captors for fear of what might happen to Seaman Faye Turney. And this, in turn, has resulted in a series of “confessions” or “admissions” being released by the Iranians in the name of Turney.
Turney shouldn’t have been on that zodiac in the first place. This is a grotesque example of poor thinking and bad policy that has escalated into an international nightmare.
One would think there are some sackings to be made all up and down the hierarchy of the Royal Navy, not the least of which should be due to a failure to instill an appropriate degree of fighting spirit in the troopers of the line.
Some words from Winston Churchill:
This, most certainly, is not their finest hour.
This post goes out to American fighting Gyrenes everywhere, God bless their souls.
Semper Fidelis.
More blogging on this travesty at:
Technorati Tags: KwaZulu-Natal, The Battle of Rorke’s Drift, Battle of Isandlwana, British army, humiliating defeat, Zulu army, King Cetshwayo, Major General Lord Chelmsford, Zululand, Royal Engineers, Lt.Gonville Bromhead, Helpmekaar, Isandlwana, defensive stand, Rorke’s Drift, Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande, Victoria Cross, British Empire, ignominious defeat, shining vindication, why didn’t they fight, surrender, obeisance, Sharia law, instinct, self-preservation, British Navy, Marines, chivalry, U.S. Marines, Gyrenes, Sailors, captivity, Islamofascist pigs, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Seaman Faye Turney, confessions, admissions, Iranians, poor thinking, bad policy, international nightmare, failure to instill, appropriate degree of fighting spirit, Winston Churchill, finest hour
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I couldn’t agree more.
As an Englishman, I am deeply embarrassed by the cowardly behaviour of our so called marines and sailors. The once proud Royal navy is now a laughing stock. Their humiliating surrender to a bunch of ignorant savages and subsequent snivelling kowtowing and eagerness to appease their captors’ every demand does not bode well for the future of the planet. When the fanatical followers of such a vicious and evil cult realise that they can carry out acts of aggression like this with impunity, then God help all the peace loving and civilised nations of the world.
How dare Faye Turney and the rest of the traitors now seek to make financial gain from their cowardice. They should be given dishonourable discharges at best.
Great read - I always enjoy posts about the Anglo-Zulu war.
Just a couple of corrections I wanted to offer.
1.) By and large, the defenders of Rorke’s Drift, contrary to the depiction in the film “Zulu”, did not fire “volleys” into the advancing zulu. Almost all of the rifle fire offered by the defenders of the post was done “at will.” This was done for several reasons. Firstly, the zulu had a tendency to crawl very close to the North wall before launching attacks, with the result that there was almost no time for controlled volleys, and the fact that the attacks began so late in the day and carried on into the night. Perhaps the only true “volleys” loosed by the defenders were against the initial two attacks that came towards the South wall and then veered towards the week spot in the barricades near the hospital. Moot point probably, but I’m a stickler for facts. In fact, it was one of these close-up assaults on the north wall launched without warning tha cause Chard to start thinking of abandoning the outside perimeter. The result was his “biscuit box barricade’ that seded the hospital to the zulu.
2.) The sniping from the Oskarberg probably did less damage to the defenders of the mission station then the much closer zulu sniping behind the stone wall just 100yds in front of the north wall. It was sniping from this position taht seems to have pinned the brits down from time to time. The sniping from the Oskarberg probably did as much harm as it did good. The sniping from the stone wall directly in front of the perimeter was a much greater concern.
3.) Far from being “almost hand to hand”, the fighting at Rorke’s drift was largely hand to hand. Bromhead himself leads several forays into the abandoned area in front of the hospital, where good work was done with the bayonet. There was also another Williams that was butchered in the hospital after killing scores of zulu with his rifle and bayonet. They drug him outside and mutilated his body. Hook and Hitch I believe mentioned this in their post war writings and Mike Snook in “Like Wolves on the Fold” makes a case for him as a “12th V.C. candidate.”
Great read though….and I couldn’t agree with you more on a political level. I see we’re both avid readers of Malkin!!!