Zulu War Memo signed by Colonel Henry Fanshawe Davies, Lord Chelmsford, and Colonel Bellairs

Posts : 272 Join date : 2010-08-13

Conference Hill, 3 June 1879/ Memo D.A. General/ In consequence of the verbal order of the Lt. General Comdg. I have placed the horses at this station on the increased allowance of forage as per margin,/ 12 lbs. English horse/ 8 lbs Colonial horse/ subject of the approval of the Lt. General which I should be glad to have in writing from you. H.F. Davies Col. Gren. Guards/ Comdt. Conference Hill
approved Chelmsford (Lt.-Gen. Commanding)/ W. Bellairs 3.6.9 (Colonel William Bellairs--Staff) [NOTE THIS WAS ONLY ONE DAY BEFORE THE BATTLE OF ULUNDI] (Isandula Collection)
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Posts : 2871 Join date : 2010-06-02

Thanks Isandula, great post.

It serves to demonstrate just how hidebound the Army still was in 1879. Two Colonels and a Lt. General having to approve the amount of forage for a horse!
No wonder any hint of taking the initiative frightened them all to death.
Very little had actually changed since the administrative nightmare in the Crimea 25 years earlier.
Bye the bye, why did English horses require more forage than Colonial?

Steve

Posts : 272 Join date : 2010-08-13

Steve, I think English horses were use to being heavy grain fed and thus required more than say the native Basuto ponies.

Guest

English horses were bigger.

Guest

sorry to qualify..English Cavalry horse's ( Charger's ) their were no
horses on the Eastern Cape untill they were imported from the
Europeans..the Colonials preferred the smaller ponies..

» 1879 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL AND LEDGER HANDWRITTEN BY AND FOR A COLONEL OF THE FAMED GRENADIER GUARDS RIGHT IN THE THICK OF THE ANGLO ZULU WAR
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