Mules or Horses

Subject: Mules or Horses Fri Jul 07, 2017 11:38 am

Just picking up on a comment that John Young made that he believes that the RA were using Mules rather than horses at iSandlwana.
Ive been reading through various tombs including the Curling letters, there are a lot of references to horses and none for mules.
So John, explain yourself sir !

Posts : 1185 Join date : 2015-11-24

Mules were carrying Hale's and ammo. RB. would have thought the
wagon's were mule led.i have read somewhere of the composition
of horse's, and mules, will try and dig it out.

Subject: Re: Mules or Horses Fri Jul 07, 2017 4:29 pm

Frank,

Don't go through tombs - that's grave-robbing!

Lt.-Colonel Ian Bennett, the author of Eyewitness in Zululand and Rain of Lead had made an extensive study of 'N' Battery, 5th Brigade, Royal Artillery, both prior and subsequent to iSandlwana. It was his conclusion - which he shared with me - based on material he had discovered that N/5's limbers were drawn by mules rather than horses.

Their caissons were also mule-drawn.

John Y.

Subject: Re: Mules or Horses Fri Jul 07, 2017 4:37 pm

Sorry an extra 'b' snuck in there. As they say though the proof is in the detailing, care to share the Colonels thoughts, it really is of interest.

Subject: Re: Mules or Horses Fri Jul 07, 2017 5:23 pm

Frank,

I will e-mail you.

John Y.

Subject: Re: Mules or Horses Fri Jul 07, 2017 5:34 pm

One thing I was thinking, (when John mentioned this), was that on Archibald Forbes return to Isandlwana, he draws a distinction between the dead horses of the RA limber (in the gulley) and the dead mules on the ambulance wagon.

I cant help wondering if mules were used to draw the limbers, why no one happened to mention it......

Mule borne rocket troughs & ammo were ‘well’ documented.

Subject: Re: Mules or Horses Fri Jul 07, 2017 5:47 pm

According to Major D Hall 11/7 battery was mule drawn but he does not mention N5 being mules drawn.

11/7 was a garrison artillery unit - so maybe that was the expected norm for it to have mules

He also mentions that at Isandlwana, N/5 lost 24 horses and 30 mules.

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Cheers

Simon

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