Who was next to Younghusbands C Coy ?

Posts : 1998 Join date : 2011-08-01 Age : 23

Who was next to Younghusbands C Coy ?

Snook places Mosytn's F Coy there, but Jackson puts a Coy of NNC then Raw and Roberts troops of NNH.

Anyone confirm ?

Cheers

Posts : 1851 Join date : 2009-03-25

Did you not say, Jackson was the best source. I would go with him. There is a map on the forum posted not do long ago showing the deployment of the compaines.

Posts : 1998 Join date : 2011-08-01 Age : 23

Only problem was, Moystn withdrew to the firing line while Raw took up a posistion in front a donga, so
did Moystn leave a pemary gap ?

Cheers

Subject: Who was next to Younghusband's C Coy? Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:59 pm

Hi DB.

Well, according to a map in the book "ISANDLWANA zulu war", by Ian Knight and Ian Castle, it shows the following positions of the troops.

Younghusband, N.N.C. Co, Zikhali Horse, Mostyn, Cavaye, Porteous, N/5 (2X7 pdr.), Wardell, Pope, N.N.C. Co, Durnford.

It shows a large gap between Pope and the N.N.C. Co, and an even larger one (in fact a very large one), between the N.N.C. Co and Col Durnford. The map also shows the movement that Pulleine ordered Pope to make to his right, which of course was not known by Col Durnford when he decided to move from the donga.

Hope this helps.

Martin. Salute

Posts : 1998 Join date : 2011-08-01 Age : 23

Thanks Mr Cooper
Best thing about Jackson is he has the sources avaible, found out for sure were they were.

Raw

"We took up post on the right of a company of the 24th having on our left a troop of Lonsdale's men."

Also it quotes a letter written by Essex saying that he arrived at the foot of the hill and wrote that the natives were
on the far right, then came Durfords men.

Posts : 1261 Join date : 2010-04-12

DB. Does this help.

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Subject: Re: Who was next to Younghusbands C Coy ? Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:13 am

Penn Symons was in a pretty unique situation in that he managed to talk to most of the suvivors within days of the battle. He places Younghusband then Mostyn then Cavaye on the original firing line at the bottom of the spur. If they then fell back to "within 400 yards of the camp", there would be no reason to suspect that the order changed.
My money would be on him.

Phillip Bam seems to agreee.
Knight has Younghusband NNC Zikalis Horse then Mostyn and Cavaye
Jackson agrees with Knight
Snook has the same imperial line up but the NNC behind the imperial troops
Morris and Snook agree
Greaves has Younghusband, Cavaye and Degaucher. ( He alo puts Degaucher on the spur with Mostyn )

So consensus really answers the question as Mostyn being closest to Younghusband.

Regards

Posts : 1998 Join date : 2011-08-01 Age : 23

Hi Springbok

Were does Penn Symonds put Raw ?

Cheers

Subject: Re: Who was next to Younghusbands C Coy ? Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:41 am

He doesnt specifically mention Raw. In his watercolor he shows three companies of 1/24 stretching from the scree slope down to the donga, then the NNC on the knuckle and at right angle another line of 4 but marked as 2/24/G company. He records the three companie and the NNC but not the east facing.
A reason for this could be put forward that the eye witnesses/suvivors that he spoke to, Smith Dorean, Gardner Essex Hammer etc were all either in the camp area or at the mountain end of the line and for most certainly the early part of the battle the East facing companies were hidden by either the rocky ridge or the tents. Its only when those companies fell back onto the reverse slope of the ridge that they became visible, that at the same time that the North facing companies fell back onto their eventuall firing line.
And I think by this time a large amount of the fugitives were allready on there way home.

Regards