The trickle of fugitives from the nearby battlefield of Isandlwana alerted the 50 men stationed at Rorke's Drift of the impending approach of two Zulu ibutho. Lieutenant Chard of the Royal Engineers, and Lieutenant Bromhead of the 2/24th, B Company, debated the feasibility of staying to defend the drift, as opposed to fleeing back to Natal. It was only when Assistant Commissary Officer Dunn interjected his opinion that it was finally decided to stay and defend the outpost at Rorke's Drift.
Quickly
fortifying the two buildings and the nearby kraal with a wall of mealie
bags and biscuit boxes, the officers gathered to discuss the situation.
The station was being used as both a depot and a hospital. There
was plenty of ammunition to be had, but it was debatable whether or not
the small garrison could stand against a determined Zulu assault.
After reviewing their options, Chard and Bromhead decided to attempt an
all around defense, and stationed their men thusly in units of 8, keeping
a small section of 6 men as a mobile reserve. A further two troopers
were assigned to the defense of the makeshift hospital, where the brave
Corporal Schiess of the Natal Mounted Police was recovering from some severe
blisters. Lt. Chard oversaw operations at the south wall, Bromhead
was to the west, and Dunn kept an eye to the eastern end of the compound.
It
was approximately 5:00 PM when the Zulu were first sighted to the southwest,
coming round Shiyane Hill. There were four units of 20 Zulu each,
one a "white shield" regiment - an elite unit. Each of the units
immediately broke into a run and dashed for the outpost as fast as they
could go. Leaping nimbly over rocks and other obstacles, it seemed
that they would be upon the defenders in no time.
(Note:
The two models on the roof are actually within the building, firing from
loop holes punched in the back wall)
The Zulu swerved to the south as they advanced.
They knew of the firepower wielded by the British, and wished to avoid as many rifles as possible, so they skirted the west end of the compound as best they could, but hadn't quite gotten out of the line of fire when. . .
Bromhead
gave the command to open fire! The unit stationed on the back wall
had been reinforced by the mobile reserve, and they, along with several
troopers on the west wall, poured a tremendous amount of lead into the
advancing natives. The two British soldiers stationed in the hospital
added their fire from makeshift loop holes, and Corporal Schiess, noted
for this skill with firearms, dropped two more Zulu in their tracks!
This initial volley was too much for the Zulu's left wing, which was staggered by the impact and immediately reconsidered their forward momentum and began to fall back.
As
the Zulu unit began to fall back, Bromhead ordered his men to give them
a parting give, namely a few more rounds of Martinni-Henry fire!
This was more than the unit could take, and the survivors dissolved into
the grass and headed for home.
Unfortunately (for the Zulu), things were not looking much better on the Zulu right. As the brave natives headed straight into the teeth of the deadly British rifle fire, they began to take some heavy casualties. One of the Zulu units decided that it would be better off hiding behind the hospital, while the unit on the extreme right opted to take cover behind the cook house.
It
did not go so well for the White Shields, however, who had decided to be
the first to wash their spears in British blood! Crying out in unison,
"Uthusu!", the vaulted over a small rise and sprinted for the south wall
of the compound. Waiting until the last possible moment, the two
British units opened fire with a devastating volley that all but annihilated
the White Shields just feet from the outpost wall!
While these four units were assaulting the British, a unit of Zulu "marksmen" had taken up a commanding position on the Shiyane Hill, from where they began to fire down into the compound. Unfortunately, it turned out that the term "marksmen" had been used quite liberally in their case, for they were all horrendous shots. In fact, after several minutes of shooting, all they had managed to do was kill the British bugler, and then only because he had stood up to blow a few encouraging notes on his horn instead of staying down behind the mealie bag wall like his fellow soldiers. Still, after having lost almost 40 warriors to British fire, the Zulu were glad to have caused their first casualty!
Although
the results from the initial wave were disappointing, Prince Dabulamanzi,
the Zulu commander, was not worried. He had plenty of warriors at
his disposal, and they were all brave and willing to risk their lives to
take this outpost and win some glory. He set about organizing the
second wave.
As he did so, the Zulu unit that had hid behind the hospital decided to make their move. Using the wall as cover, they crept around until they could lunge at the British unit defending the western end of the outpost. Springing up, they stabbed at them with their assegai and took wild swings with a knobkerrie or two. However, the British line stood unwavering and fought off the natives, although they managed to lose a man in the process.
The
only remaining Zulu unit of the initial wave then decided that they would
cast in their lot, and springing up from the long grass where they lay
hidden, they bolted for the back wall of the compound. The British
defenders did not have time to get off any shots, and so had to face the
Zulu with bayonet alone.
The melee lasted a minute or two, but the Zulu unit had taken too many casualties to present a real threat to the entrenched British. Soon, the surviving Zulu were bolting back in the direction of Shiyane Hill, taking what cover they could as they did so.
Chard and Bromhead took a moment to look around and assess the situation. "So far, so good, eh chap?", questioned Bromhead.
"I believe you may have spoken too soon, old bean.", was
Chard's reply. . .