Horse-Oxen- Wagons- Isandlwana

What was the point in killing the Horse’s and Oxen at Isandlwana.

Surly the Zulu could have made better use of them, for instance transporting weapons and ammunition back to Uludi on the Wagons. I mean they had no intention of going further into Natal at that point.

Perhaps they didn’t understand logistics.

sas1

i have often about that wondered about that,i can only think that the oxen were very slow and needed long rests,no feed for the horses?,i think they wanted a quick getaway to harvest their crops,and steer clear of chelmsfords remaining force,as they hadnt really eaten in a couple of days.in other words they would have been slowed down. 90th

I think that in normal circumstances oxen would have been a vluable commodity - i think that they were simply killed in the frenzy of the battle .

I thought they killed the Horse’s and Oxen, because is was those, that had helped to carry the Whiteman and his weapons of destruction into Zululand. They also stabbed tins of bully beef and other food substances that could sustained the life of the British troops.

Gary is nearer the mark,when he says "In the frenzy of the battle" .

This is an account by Colonel HAMILTON-BROWNE (Eye Witness Account)

THE MORNING AFTER ISANDLWANA

Just before daybreak orders were given to fall in and as soon as I got my men into their places I galloped across the camp to my tent to try and save some papers, medals, etc.
My God, in the grey dawn, it was a sight! In their mad rush into the camp, the Zulus had killed everything. Horses had been stabbed at their picket lines. Splendid spans of oxen were lying dead in their yokes, mules lay dead in their harness and even dogs were lying stabbed among the tents. Ripped open sacks of rice, flour, meal and sugar lay everywhere. They had even in their savage rage thrust their assagais into tins of bully beef, butter and jam. Among all this debris singly and in heaps, or rather in groups of two or three, lay the ripped and mutilated bodies of the gallant 24th, showing how, when their formation was broken, they had stood it out, and fought back to back or in groups until they had been run over and de- stroyed. That they had fought to the last gasp could be seen by the number of dead Zulus who lay everywhere in amongst them, the bayonet wounds on their bodies telling of the fierce, though short combat that had taken place after the right horn of the Zulus had swept round the hill. I had just time to get to the door of my tent, inside of which I saw my old setter dog, dead, with an assagai thrust through her. My two spare horses were also lying killed at their picket rope, with my Totty groom dead between them. As I said before, my camp was on the extreme left of the line, and the best part of the fighting had taken place there. I saw the bodies of two of my officers lying dead with heaps of empty cartridge shells by their sides. Both had been splendid shots and I bet they had done plenty of execution before they went under. As I reined up I glanced out to the left and left front of the camp, and saw heaps and heaps of Zulu dead. Where the volleys of the 24th had checked them, they lay in lines, and the donga I had ridden over on the morning of the 21st was chock-full of them. Surely the 24th had died game, but bitter as I felt, a thrill of admiration passed through me when I thought of the splendid courage of the savages who could advance to the charge suffering the awful punishment they were getting.


Taken from THE LOST LEGION IN New Zealand.

S.D

There was another account along the same lines by one of the newspaper men back then, who had gone back to Isandlwana with Chelmsford, if I remember he gives quite a good account. It was a free book with a video I brought some years ago. I will dig it out and quote from it.