What was he thinking?

Guest

Hi All

Why LC left troops in the camp of Isandhlwana :p;: ,he needed all the third column to face the royal army Zulu supposed to be in front of Dartnell :p;:

Cheers

P.

Posts : 2594 Join date : 2009-04-24

Isandlwana wasn't never going to be a permanent camp.

The Good Lord Chelmsford moved to Dartnell to assist. There would not have been enough time, to move the whole camp. So he only took half the column..

Guest

Hello Chelmsfordthescapegoat, how are you from the time Very Happy

?

And he thought defeat all Zulu royal army with so few troops scratch

?

Not enough time ? But Dartnell troops were mobile enough to escape the Zulu royal army, if it had been there, right ?

Cheers

P.

Posts : 2558 Join date : 2009-04-06 Age : 60 Location : UK

Not sure Dartnell would have escaped, if the whole Zulu Army had been there. Certainly the Zulus annoying Dartnell had no intention of attacking him, just leading him away from Isandlwana.
The Zulus were quite busy themselves on the 22nd. They engaged Pearson, Dartnell and Chelmsford tryed to engage them, Isandlwana. and of course Rorkes Drift.

Guest

yes but in the LC scenario, all the Zulu royal army was in front of Dartnell!

I think LC was left for the decisive battle (because of bad informations of Dartnell ...)!

And LC felt overcome all the Zulu royal army with so few troops scratch

And Dartnell with only mounted troops and light infantry, he could easily avoid encirclement and escape if all vthe Zulu royal army was in front of him !

Posts : 1862 Join date : 2009-03-25

I don’t think anyone expected that the Zulus would move to meet the British near the border. Chelmsford thought he would be able to march straight to Ulundi. He was under the impression that due to his superior weapons the Zulus would just give up.

Guest

Yes and he was so under the impression that due to his superior weapons that the Zulus would just give up, that he will face them with only half of the third column !

Posts : 1862 Join date : 2009-03-25

Good Point you have there Pascal!!!!! Wonder what he would have done if he had discovered the same amount of Zulus at Dartnell's location, that had attacked Isandlwana.

Guest

You've got it, this is what I strive to discuss this topic!

In addition he had left the reserve of ammunitions of the 2/24 th at Isandhlwana !

LC was completely stupid or what ?

In face of the 26,000 warriors of the Zulu royal army, LC was beaten in advance, if the third column was not met and if she fought in open country (because it had banned laagers!)

I tell you this guy was really dangerous for his poor soldiers !

Posts : 249 Join date : 2013-06-01

Apologies for posting the same answer in 2 threads, but you seem to have created 2 threads which essentially ask the same question, Pascal. FWD Jackson in the Hill of the Sphinx, writes that whilst the camp at Isandhlwana was attacked on the morning of the 22nd January, equally, LC and the 2/24th and Dartnell's troops could just as easily have been attacked in the early hours/morning of the 22nd at their loosely defended, hastily constructed, ill-prepared camp at Mangeni Gorge. The 2/24 column could have been attacked in transit on its way to Mangeni Gorge during the early hours. Any of these scenarios would have resulted in a similar, catastrophic, total defeat, similarly to what happened at Isandhlwana, because in any of these situations, Chelmsford was more than confident that his troops and the Martini Henry would easily defeat the Zulus.
He was wrong of course.
The implication is that no matter where the Zulus had attacked, Chelmsford was cruising for a bruising.
In answer to your question, Chelmsford obviously thought one battalion of the 24th would have been more than a match for the whole of the Royal army

Guest

Here the subject is rather, what was he thinking of the Zulu Royal Army before the war, for being beaten in this way?

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