Film Zulu: Colour Sergeant Bourne: It's a miracle. Lieutenant John Chard: If it's a miracle, Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer Henry point 45 caliber miracle. Colour Sergeant Bourne: And a bayonet, sir, with some guts behind it.
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Subject: Wrong time to invade Zululand & invade as one. Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:31 am
Why did the British choose the rainy season to invade. ( This alone would have slowed the whole process down making it easy for the Zulus to attack a slow moving column in the open.
Was it necessary to split the advancing columns,could they not have invaded as one. The intention had been to prevent the Zulu army escaping, upon entering Zululand all of the three columns were to far apart to help each other.
Chard1879
Posts : 1261 Join date : 2010-04-12
Subject: Re: Wrong time to invade Zululand & invade as one. Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:30 am
"Chelmsford originally planned to send five separate columns into Zululand, and essentially prevent the Zulu’s from avoiding a major confrontation by surrounding them. This was changed into three columns, the 4th and 1st columns continued as originally planned, but the 3rd and 2nd merged into a larger central column. The fifth column, consisting of roughly 2,300 men did not enter Zululand at all."
90th
Posts : 10677 Join date : 2009-04-07 Age : 66 Location : Melbourne, Australia
Subject: Wrong time to invade zululand Sun Jun 19, 2011 2:09 pm
Hi Dave. This has been covered fairly well on the forum , but I'm not sure where it is ! . cheers 90th.
Mr Greaves
Posts : 747 Join date : 2009-10-18
Subject: Re: Wrong time to invade Zululand & invade as one. Fri Jun 24, 2011 1:22 pm
It appears that the British had invaded Zululand prior to the 11th Jan., which would have been a Saturday,
Newman states: “During the afternoon on the Wednesday (Which would have been the 8th Jan) the camp was startled by a sentry sending in news that several mountain men were coming down to the river from the Zulu said, and at that distance, it was impossible to distinguish who or what they were. All turned out and hurried down to the drift. Where the punt was working. And it was then discovered that the visitors were not Zulus at all; but the party consisted of Captain Barton and Lieutenant Baron Von Steitencron, of the frontier light horse, with an escort of one corporal and three men, who had made a most adventurous ride from Colonel Wood’s column, which we learnt had crossed the Blood River on the previous Monday morning, (That would have been on the 6th Jan) and were encamped a few miles in Zululand.”
So could we say the Hostilities? Actually began on the 6th Jan when Wood’s cross into Zululand. Because its was not for the intention of peace talks.
(I could be wrong, I don’t know)
Source> In Zululand with the British Army.
old historian2
Posts : 1095 Join date : 2009-01-14 Location : East London
Subject: Re: Wrong time to invade Zululand & invade as one. Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:46 pm
Has this not been mentioned before, it other history books.
Chelmsfordthescapegoat
Posts : 2594 Join date : 2009-04-24
Subject: Re: Wrong time to invade Zululand & invade as one. Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:04 am
Mr. G. No. 4 Column under Colonel Wood did cross on the 6th January in preparation for the advance up the Zulu coast.
kwajimu1879
Posts : 420 Join date : 2011-05-14
Subject: Re: Wrong time to invade Zululand & invade as one. Sat Jun 25, 2011 9:31 am
Chelmsford the Scapegoat,
I think you are confusing your columns! Evelyn Wood's theatre of operations was no where near any coast, that I know of.
Pearson's column was known as the coastal column, as their line of advance was parallel with the Indian Ocean.
kwaJimu1879
impi
Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 43
Subject: Re: Wrong time to invade Zululand & invade as one. Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:14 am
No. 4 column, under Colonel Evelyn Wood, V.C., C.B., was at Utrecht, and was composed of the 1st Batt. 13th Light Infantry, the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry, 4 guns of the nth Battery, ;th Brigade, R.A., the Frontier Light Llorse, and some thousand native allies.
1879. Colonel Wood's column crossed the Blood River and entered Zululand on the 6th of January. Several skir- mishes between the scouts of the column and the enemy- took place, invariably ending in the defeat of the latter and the capture of their cattle. On the ioth, the troops moved in the direction of Rorke's Drift for the purpose of co-operating with No. 3 column in an attack upon a large force of the enemy, under Sirayo. The Zulus, however, in spite of the rapid movements of our troops, had received a timely warning and had retired. Several thousand head of cattle were captured, and after a consultation with Lord Chelmsford, Colonel Wood returned with his column to the Blood River.
On the 1 8th, No. 4 column left its camp near Bemba's Kop, moving in a north-westerly direction, and at 11.30 p.m. on the 21st, advanced against a large body of the enemy strongly posted on the Zlobani Mountain. The 90th, thirty Dutch volunteers, and 600 of Wood's Irregulars passed under the Insaka at daylight, and ascending the Zunguin heights passed over the top driving the enemy before them. The 13th and guns marched from Tinta's kraal, and encamped at the foot of the Zunguin. On this occasion Captain Wilson's company of the 90th having to escort some waggons back to camp, returned immediately that duty was performed, having marched thirty-six miles in twenty-four hours. A second attack was made on the enemy's position on the 24th, when the 90th advanced in line against 4,000 Zulus, who turned and fled. In both attacks the enemy suffered severely from our well-directed fire.
At this time the news of the disaster at Isandhlwana reached Colonel Wood, who determined to retire to the Umvolosi River for the purpose of covering Utrecht.
Compelled by circumstances to remain stationary, Col. Wood sought for a position, which, while guarding the main line into the Transvaal, would at the same time enable him to act on the offensive whenever an opportunity
offered. .V site for an entrenched camp was chosen on the 1879. Kambula Hill, commanding three lines of road, viz., that leading, via Derby, to Pretoria, that entering Natal at Rorke's Drift, and the main road to Utrecht.
1879graves
Posts : 3320 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon
Subject: Re: Wrong time to invade Zululand & invade as one. Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:23 pm
Hi All
This is from "From Midshipman To Filed Marshal" by Sir Evelyn Wood VC.