Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift Battlefields, South Africa
Dr. John Turner, our Zulu history expert, proved once and for all that history does not have to be boring. The group drove to the Isandlwana battle site site first where John handed out umbrellas for everyone, sat us down on the side of a mountain facing Isandlwana, and then proceeded to relate the historic events that took place over a two-day period, January 22 and 23, 1879
It wasn't until 1820 that the great warrior Zulu King Shaka united the region under his authority and military power. Before that the Makhosini Valley was divided into small chiefdoms or kingdoms. The Battle of Isandlwana on January 22, 1879 was the first major encounter between the British Empire and Zulu Kingdom. The "short and dirty" - 20,000 Zulu warriors equipped only with spears and shields annihilated a mixed British/native force armed with modern firearms. Any British soldier in the firing line was slaughtered and approximately 50 Enlisted men and five officers escaped out of 1,300 men while several hundred others fled the battlefield. Isandlwana went down in history as the worst military defeat for Britain at the hands of a colonial force.
John moved us from spot to spot in a dramatic fashion making it easy to visualize and imagine the horror on British faces when 20,000 Zulu warriors appeared from out of nowhere.
From Isandlwana, we moved to Rorke's Drift, a mission station situated near a natural ford (drift) on the Buffalo River. The defense of Rorke's Drift immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana earlier in the day. One hundred and thirty-nine British (a mere handful) soldiers defended their garrison against the assault by 4,000-5,000 Zulu warriors and the British defense held by a hairsbreath. At Rorke's Drift, John walked us around the mission station and graphically showed how the British retreated in different sections as outer defenses fell, where men died, fires were set and brought history to life. Eleven British defenders received the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military decoration. There is a little museum at Rorke's Drift that sells books, and makes an effort to respect both the Zulu and British dead.
You may have seen the old movie "Zulu" made in 1964 on television "oldie" stations and not realized this movie is based on fact and/or exactly where this action epic was set. "Zulu" is based on the famous Rorke's Drift incident (detailed above) and when ex-Marine and I arrived home, we rented and watched "Zulu" with a new understanding.
