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Battle of Isandlwana

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Battle of Isandlwana
Part of the Anglo-Zulu War

Depiction of the battle from the Illustrated London News
Date 22 January 1879
Location Isandlwana, South Africa
Coordinates: Click the blue globe to open an interactive map.

28°21′32″S 30°39′9″E
Result Zulu victory

Belligerents
British Empire Zulu Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Overall commander:
Lt. Gen. Lord Chelmsford

Subordinate commanders:
Bvt. Lt-Col. Henry Pulleine †

Bvt. Col. Anthony Durnford † Overall commander:
Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza

Subordinate commanders:
Vumindaba kaNthati

Mavumengwana kaMdlela

Zibhebhu kaMapitha[1]
Strength
No.2 Column:
British: 14
Native + colonial: ca. 511
No.3 Column:
British: 734
Native + colonial: ca. 578
In addition to the troops above, an indeterminate number of civilians (wagon drivers, servants, etc.) were also present.[2] Zulu Impi:
about 20,000[3]
ca. 10,000 to 15,000 engaged
Reserve:
4,000 to 5,000 to Rorke's Drift
Casualties and losses
Over 1,300 killed:[4]
52 officers[5]
727 British regulars[5][6]
471 others including:[5]
133 European Colonial troops[7]
343 African NNC[8]
2 cannons captured 1,000 killed[9][10]
2,000 wounded

Battle of Isandlwana

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Anglo-Zulu War

IsandlwanaRorke's DriftIntombeHlobaneKambulaGingindlovuEshoweUlundi

The Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zululand in South Africa, a Zulu force of some 20,000 warriors attacked a portion of the British main column consisting of about 1,800 British, colonial and native troops and perhaps 400 civilians.[11] The Zulus were equipped mainly with the traditional assegai iron spears and cow-hide shields,[12] but also had a number of muskets and old rifles[13] though they were not formally trained in their use.[14] The British and colonial troops were armed with the state-of-the-art[15] Martini-Henry breech-loading rifle and two 7 pounder artillery pieces as well as a rocket battery. Despite a vast disadvantage in weapons technology,[16] the numerically superior Zulus ultimately overwhelmed the poorly led and badly deployed[17] British, killing over 1,300 troops, including all those out on the forward firing line. The Zulu army suffered around a thousand killed.[18]

The battle was a crushing victory for the Zulus and caused the defeat of the first British invasion of Zululand.[19] The British Army had suffered its worst defeat against a technologically inferior indigenous force.[20] However, Isandlwana resulted in the British taking a much more aggressive approach in the Anglo-Zulu War, leading to a heavily reinforced second invasion[21] and the destruction of King Cetshwayo's hopes of a negotiated peace.[22