Boers Battle Zulus, Defense Wins

3,000 Zulu dead, 3 Voortrekkers wounded The Dutch had been in this part of Africa for over 175 years, building a colony in the area surrounding the Cape of Good Hope. Constant conflicts with the native tribes and the British takeover of their land pushed the Boers (descendants of Dutch, German and French colonists) into a large-scale movement to areas northeast of the original Cape Colony. This Great Trek became every bit as famous as the westward expansion of the American frontier in the mid- to late-1800’s. The primary antagonist of the Voortrekkers (literally “pioneers”) was the Zulu nation, newly unified less than 20 years previously by their famous king, Shaka Zulu. The current ruler, Dingane, had assassinated Shaka his half-brother in September, 1828. Ten years later, Dingane treacherously slew then-Boer leader Piet Retief and his followers after promulgating a treaty with them. In late November, 1838 fellow Boer Andries Pretorius was appointed to lead a unit (commando) of about 470 men with 200 servants, for the sole purpose of punishing King Dingane’s perfidy. The problem, however, was the Dingane royal residence UmGungundlovu (which means “secret conclave of the elephant”) was protected by hilly, rocky terrain with the only access point through a narrow gorge. There was also a sort of dynastic struggle ongoing between King Dingane and his half-brother Mpande. Mpande had fled from Umgungundlovu with 17,000 soldiers, weakening Dingane’s forces but still leaving him with more 20,000 loyal men. Prior to approaching Dingane’s headquarters, Pretorius and his followers held a meeting one night, vowing that should they defeat Dingane, they would build a church and celebrate their victory as a Sabbath day. As Pretorius and his commando approached Dingane’s residence, each night they constructed a wagon laager for defense. This consisted of the ox wagons arranged into an all-around defense, with the wagons’ tongues chained together to prevent them from being moved. In addition, movable wooden barriers protected any gaps; also, one of the barriers was also arranged so it could be moved to allow horsemen to sally out and engage the Zulus. The 900 oxen, 500 horses and supplies were gathered in the center of the laager. [Use of laagers, or wagon forts, are mentioned being used by some Germanic tribes as early as the 4th century AD. They were perfected as a battlefield “rolling fortress” by the Hussites of the 15th century.] On the evening of December 15, 1838, Pretorius and his commando arrived at a spot next to the Ncome River, and prepared to build a laager. Along with some horsemen, Pretorius scouted the area, returning to his men and reporting that large groups of the Zulus were approaching their position. One of his followers advised engaging the enemy with horsemen, but Pretorius rejected the offer. The laager was constructed next to the Ncome River, with a wide, open field of fire to the front, and a dry river bed (called a donga) guarding one flank. In addition to their muskets, the Boers had three small cannon to defend their encampment. The laager was in the shape of a large capital-D, with the river at the bottom and the donga at the straight back. The Boers were armed with flintlock muskets, not particularly accurate but capable of ranges of several hundred yards. The Zulus were armed primarily with large oval-shaped body shields, clubs, some bows, their long throwing spears (assegais) and their short stabbing spears called iklwa (the story goes that these weapons were named for the sound made as they were plunged into an enemy’s body, then withdrawn). These shorter spears were a military innovation of Shaka; in fact, a Zulu warrior who forgot himself and threw his assegai could be sentenced to immediate death. At around dawn of December 16, groups of Zulus crossed the Ncome River and attacked the Boer laager. A dense fog had covered the area prior to dawn, but had lifted as the battle began. With plentiful ammunition, and the help of their servants and some women loading as quickly as possible, the Boers kept up a steady fire. Hundreds of Zulus were killed, as the sound of drums, the shouts of the warriors, and the battle cries of “Usuthu!” echoed over the plain. A second attack was also repulsed, but this second attack was stopped just short of the bulwarks of the laager. In hopes of diverting some of the Boers’ fire, a group of Zulus clambered into the donga. However, Pretorius sent a group of Boers outside the encampment to deal with that threat; the Zulus were shot down to a man. At about mid-morning, the Zulus withdrew to a distance of 500 yards, and began debating whether to launch another attack. To draw them back, Pretorius sent a detail of his men outside the wagons, taking a few potshots at the Zulus. The Zulus then launched a third assault, apparently not quite as vigorous as the first two. As mid-day approached and the native assault lost its steam, Pretorius sent a few hundred horsemen out to counterattack the Zulus. This sortie divided the Zulu forces, and routed them thoroughly. Pretorius then joined the pursuit, as the Zulus retreated to their stronghold. The pursuit was called off at mid-day. Zulu casualties were counted at 3000 on the field of battle. Miraculously, not a single Boer was killed, although three men (including their commander) were wounded. The result of this fight – called “Blood River” because the Ncome River ran red with Zulu blood – only heightened the Boers’ “manifest destiny” that they were ordained by God to rule the lands of southern Africa. Today, there stand 64 wagons and three cannon, sculpted in bronze, marking the battle site. However, December 16, formerly “The Day of the Vow,” is now recognized as “Reconciliation Day” by the government of South Africa.