The Zulu Wars Essay Research Paper The — страница 3

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have about died when they saw the line of 20,000 Zulu?s before them! The Zulu attacked in a formation called “the horns of the buffalo” which was a disciplined formation designed to bait their foe into assaulting their center and then the “horns” would close around the foe and flank and envelop his sides for annihilation. The Zulu?s attacked in this formation with the left horn almost cutting off some other cavalry units and the right horn going behind the mountain of Isandlwhana to get into the rear of the British camp. The center came straight on towards the British battle lines who were armed with single shot Martini-Henry rifles which fired a big bullet (.45 caliber) but kicked like Hell! The disciplined British volleys actually started to break the attack of the Zulu

center, forcing them to halt for some time and lie down to escape the volleys. But nothing stopped the two horns and they swept forward aggressively. What actually doomed the British, maybe even more than being heavily outnumbered, was the fact the ammo box tops in the supply wagons area were bolted down and not ready for combat. Once the soldier fired the 40 or so rounds in his pouch he was out of firepower and had to face the Zulu spears and clubs with only his bayonet. The Zulu?s began advancing again as the fire slacked off closing and going hand to hand with the British lines. They overran them and pushed into the camp slaughtering everything in their way. The right horn had gotten between the camp and the British line of supply back to the Buffalo River and Rorke’s Drift

cutting off the fleeing soldiers who had to run the Zulu gauntlet to escape. Very few did. The rest of the 24th died where they stood basically. Pulleine gave the colors to Lt. Melville who rode towards Rorke’s Drift. Lt. Coghill soon joined him and the Zulu?s overran both as they tried to cross the river to safety. The colors were swept away – and I have heard they were recovered some time later. While the battle started a rider reached Chelmsford some miles away and told him about the battle. He had his doubts but marched back towards Isandlwhana. Reaching the place at night, so his men would not see the ghastly scene around them, Chelmsford was forced to abandon his campaign and fall back into the British territory. In the distance, however, he could see the fires of the

night action from the Zulu attack on the British garrison at Rorke’s Drift where 4000 Zulu?s took on less than 200 British troops (against orders of their king BTW) and were defeated the next day. Rorke’s Drift was supposedly the largest single action for the awarding of Victoria Crosses in British military history. Splitting his command into 5 columns allowing the Zulu?s to fall on one and annihilate it defeated Chelmsford. It still ranks as the largest defeat of regular troops by indigenous forces in military history. The troops at the battle were defeated by a lack of ammunition getting to the firing lines – although the left horn of the Zulu attack would have probably overran them anyway. I hope this helps you out. There are several good books on the Zulu Wars in print

as well as two excellent and very accurate movies – “Zulu” which is about Rorke’s Drift, and “Zulu Dawn” about Isandlwhana. Though the second film came after the first one listed you will need to watch them in reverse to preserve the timeline. Michael Caine(in his first movie role) and Stanley Baker star in “Zulu” and Peter O’ Toole and Burt Lancaster star in “Zulu Dawn”. They are two of my favorite war movies of all time! Biggsk – 1998-01-23 “It was the Zulu War of 1879 which forced the British Army to reconsider carrying Colors in battle. When the Zululand invasion force was annihilated at Isandhlwana on 22 Jan. 1879, two officers of the 24th Foot fled the battlefield with the Queen’s Color. Zulu?s pursued them and killed them in the Buffalo River

where they lost the Color in the river current. A search party later found their bodies and the Queen’s Color further downstream. When the regiment returned home in 1880 Q. Victoria asked to see the recovered Color and placed a wreath of immortals on the pike. The wreath is carried to this day, and that particular Color, presented in 1866, was carried until 1934. In August 1880 an MP questioned the propriety of carrying Colors on the battlefield and recommended discontinuing “such impedimenta”. The Secretary of War polled generals and colonels on the matter in July 1881. Finally in January 1882 the Army issued an order that “in consequence of the altered formation of attack and the extended range of fire, Regimental Colors shall not in future be taken with the battalions