Hlazakazi Heights.

Posts : 627 Join date : 2009-01-20 Age : 46

Major Dartnell Set-up a temporary camp at a place known as "Hlazakazi Heights" Doe's anyone have a photo of this area, as is supposed to look down into a valley.
Would this have been the valley where the Zulu's laid up, before attacking Isandlwana.

sas1.

Subject: Re: Hlazakazi Heights. Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:21 am

Good morning. I have sent Admin a photo of the bivouac site on the slopes of the Hlazakazi. The area of Maj Dartnell's skirmish is about 3 to 4 km further south, in the vicinity of the Phindo (along the road from Fort Louis to Qudeni). I have a photo of the site in another file and will post in during the course of the morning.
Regards, Ken

Subject: Re: Hlazakazi Heights. Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:47 pm

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Photo of the scene of Maj Dartnell's skirmish
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Maj John Dartnell’s bivouac site on the slopes of the Hlazakazi.
Photo's Supplied By Ken Gillings.

Subject: Re: Hlazakazi Heights. Fri Dec 03, 2010 7:15 pm

By the way, Dartnell's bivouac was situated on the top of the ridge shown in the photo. The relevance of the scene of the fight on the Phindo was that the valley in the distance is the headwaters of the Nsuze River, which is below the isikala semBomvo - where the Zulu army was expected to advance on the camp at Isandlwana. The isikala (ridge) can be seen in the distance; it is situated slightly west of iThala mountain (which is where some people claim Piet & Dirkie Uys were killed in 1838 (which is unlikely - it was closer to Mgungundlovu) and of course where Gen Louis Botha attacked the British garrison on the 25th September 1901. But that's another story...

Posts : 627 Join date : 2009-01-20 Age : 46

Thanks Ken.

Is there any details on the skirmish Maj Dartnell's force had with the Zulu's in this area. Also were Zulu's seen in this valley..

Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 44

"Magogo" Heights is this also know as "Hlazakazi Heights" are they the same...

"At dawn on the 21st of January Major John Dartnell led a party of about 150 men on a reconnaissance mission, some 16km to the south-east in the area of the Hlazakazi Hill. Commandant Rupert Lonsdale simultaneously led 1,600 men of the Natal Native Contingent in the direction of the Malakatha Mountain. During these movements some Zulus were observed on the Magogo Heights. After several skirmishes, Dartnell sent two men back to Isandlwana to report to Chelmsford, and inform him that his party would spend the night on the slopes of Hlakazi."

Subject: Re: Hlazakazi Heights. Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:29 am

The skirmishing took place in the foreground of the photograph (known as the Phindo, in answer to the post by 'impi'). The area of the skirmish is probably about 3 km along the slopes of the Phindo. The whole area, stretching from the Silutshana in the east, south-westwards across the Magogo to the Phindo range is approximately 8 to 10 km in extent, before it links up with the Qudeni range (which then drops into the uThukela / Tugela River valley near Middledrift below Kranskop).
To put the area of operations into perspective, Lord Chelmsford had breakfast in the valley between the Silutshana and the Magogo, then disappeared for about 2 1/2 hours between the Magogo and the Phindo and then reappeared in the Mangeni area, which is south of the photograph showing Maj Dartnell's bivouac on the slopes of the Hlazakazi, which is about 6 km from the area of the skirmish on the Phindo.
These distances are from memory; I'll measure them more accurately when I visit the site again. It is clearly visible on Google Earth.
Regards, Ken

Posts : 1261 Join date : 2010-04-12

Ken. How far would is Hlazakazi from Isandlwana (Roughly)

Subject: Re: Hlazakazi Heights. Sat Dec 04, 2010 9:59 pm

According to my odometer, 24 km.

Regards, Ken

Posts : 1603 Join date : 2009-09-21

Just Out of curiosity. Did Major Dartnell ever give an account of his feelings with regards to the disaster at Isandlwana?

Posts : 1261 Join date : 2010-04-12

I can't help wondering why the Zulu's did not attack Dartnells force. Or was this part of the bigger paln to drawn the troops away from Isandlwana.

Dartnell & Lonsdale’s Bivouac Position
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Chelmsford’s March and Movements at Mangeni
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Subject: Re: Hlazakazi Heights. Sun Dec 05, 2010 7:51 pm

In my opinion, the skirmish on the Phindo formed part of Chief Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza's decoy movement, headed by Chief Matshana kaMondisa Sithole (who lived in the Mangeni area, of course), but modern writers have indicated that I'm imagining things...
One of his descendants - who lives above the waterfall - agrees with my contention.
It is very difficult to speculate what might have happened, but the fact that the main Zulu bivouac was in the Ngwebeni River valley - a considerable distance from Mangeni and further to the north-east - indicates that Isandlwana was the target. Regards, Ken

Subject: Re: Hlazakazi Heights. Sun Dec 05, 2010 7:58 pm

Quote :: but modern writers have indicated that I'm imagining things

Ken. Never mind what they think. Your knowledge on this subject, is well respected on this forum by every member. Idea

I always look forward to your replies.

Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 44

Echo Littlehand... scratch