Zululand Battlefield Map - Anglo-Zulu War 1879
Posted on 08/22/2006 10:26:50 AM PDT by Marius3188
British soldiers fighting the Zulus experienced appalling conditions similar to the muddy killing fields of World War I, it has emerged.
Archaeologists have revealed details of soldiers' battle for survival during a bloody siege in the Anglo-Zulu War.
The colonial war in 1879 was dramatised by Michael Caine in the film Zulu.
Historians lacked detailed evidence of the troops' daily lives, but a team of experts from Glasgow have now uncovered a forgotten British fort.
The site at KwaMondi, Eshowe, in South Africa, has been hailed as a treasure trove of historical information which sheds light on the heroism and skill of the Royal Engineers.
The group from Glasgow University was headed by Dr Tony Pollard, star of the popular BBC's Two Men in A Trench series, and used metal detectors to survey the site.
The fort was built by the British army following the invasion of Zululand in January 1879 and was besieged by a huge Zulu force for more than two months.
Dr Pollard, Dr Iain Banks and their team brought to light the endeavours of men such as Captain Warren Wynne, who built the fort and surrounding roads under the threat of an overwhelming Zulu attack.
They also discovered that heavy rains during the siege turned the fort into a polluted quagmire leading to an outbreak of typhus which killed large number of men.
Iconic locations
Dr Pollard said: "During the rains of January to March, the interior of the fort would have been very wet and prone to waterlogging.
"The presence of 1,700 men and their horses would quickly turn the soil into a muddy mess, little different from the mud that their sons and grandsons would face in the trenches of Flanders.
"The artefacts provide an insight into the lives of men who lived in the fort for the duration of the siege.
"They show the value of metal detecting as a technique and also of the less well known sites that have been pushed into the background by iconic locations such as Rorke's Drift or Isandlwana."
Dr Pollard said the story of the fort provides a testament to the skill of the Royal Engineers and particularly of Captain Warren Wynne.
He added: "It is a story without the stuff of legend but nonetheless a story of achievement under difficult and testing conditions; the remains of the fort are a memorial to the men who built and served under such trying circumstances.
"My favourite find is undoubtedly a Martini Henry bullet converted into a plumb bob.
"You can imagine the row when it was discovered there wasn't one in the tool box and Wynne the engineer commanding one of his men to make one - if he didn't make it himself.
"Its also interesting archaeologically to have something designed to kill transformed into something constructive."
Before arriving at Eshowe, the relief column under Lord Chelmsford fought off a 12,000-strong Zulu force.
"God I Love that!"
Lol!You're easy to please! Haven't seen the movie, but it's going on my "gotta watch" list.
Strict, military discipline saved their a$$.
Thanks for posting those details of the battle... Great movie... even if it did exaggerate the "history".
It's just the typical british dry humor. Which is made that much better in a tense military situation.
One of my next favorites was from A Bridge to Far, but I'll tell you about that one later lol.
(And the majority of the men in the battle weren't Welsh!)
H-ll of a battle, H-ll of a movie BUMP
PBS's "Secrets of The Dead" had a good investigative report to find the reasons
the British troops didn't fare so well in another engagement with the natives:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_zulu/clues.html
"Apparently even old films are reviewed in terms of newer movies, not just history."
Nothing new under the sun.
IIRC, Lucas used WWII gun-camera footage as a model for "Star Wars".
"Zulus, Colour Sergeant. Thousands of them."
be quiet now will you, there's a good gentleman, you'll upset the lads.
Zululand Battlefield Map - Anglo-Zulu War 1879
Colour Sergeant Bourne to his troops: "Mark your targets, look to your front."
It reminds me of one of my favorite Kipling poems (about the importance of NCOs)-The 'Eathen.
Amen, had to love Bourne.
another of his
Private: He's right you know.. why us Colour Sergeant? Why us?
Colour Sergeant Bourne to Private: Because we're 'ere lad, nobody else. Just us!
He says that when the drunk Swedish preacher, locked in a shed, is yelling that they are all "going to die".
Yep-that's another good one.
The Washing of the Spears: A History of the Rise of the Zulu Nation Under Shaka and Its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0306808668/102-7470135-0759303?v=glance&n=283155
"Its also interesting archaeologically to have something designed to kill transformed into something constructive."
I see these archaeologists are brainwashed, too. Their focus on how a bullet kills, not how it saves the lives of those who wield them. A bullet that kills and enemy and saves one's life or the life of a buddy in combat is doing something constructive.
A UW professor of design used warplanes in one of his lectures, talked about the beauty of the design but how horrible the function. Evidently, defending our nation is horrible.
"He says that when the drunk Swedish preacher, locked in a shed, is yelling that they are all "going to die"."
I know that, but it was one of the best lines in the movie.
Ping!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.