Classics of colonialism
The Battle of Isandlwana, fought on 22 January 1879, was the first episode of the Anglo-Zulu War. Later, in the heyday of colonialism, Great Britain hoped to subjugate all of Southern Africa. Contrary to stereotypes, the British were opposed not by primitive tribes but by primitive states, especially the Zulu (or Zululand) kingdom. The level of development is roughly 5th-7th. It was inhabited by the warlike Zulu people who corresponded to Central and Eastern Europe in the centuries (although a direct analogy is difficult to draw).
According to historians, the war began because British colonial administrator Bartle Frere gave the Zulu kingdom an impossible ultimatum. He used the border dispute and occasional attacks by Zulu raiders as a pretext for an ultimatum and, without the permission of the British government, demanded that the Zulus pay a huge compensation, disband the army, and accept a British official as an arbiter of decisions. King Ketchwayo did not even respond to these demands, and in January 1879 the British army (still without government permission) crossed the border and invaded Zululand.
The total strength of the British army was about 16 thousand people, including regular troops (“red jackets”), militia from local colonists and native troops. It was almost as large as the Zulu army of 24 thousand men, and in this case the Africans theoretically did not even stand a chance in open battle. However, Ketchwayo managed to outwit the British commander-in-chief, Lord Frederick Chelmsford, who could not imagine that the tribe was capable of cunning and serious military maneuvers.
The Zulus sent a small detachment forward, which engaged British scouts advancing in three widely spaced columns. They decided that this was the vanguard of the main force and thus the main group of 2,800 men, including most of the regular infantry, was separated from the central column. While this group went to engage the main Zulu force, a small force of 1,300 men (600 redcoats and two cannon) was left to guard an unfortified camp in the rear. As it turned out, the Africans deceived the British and forced them to leave, and they themselves attacked the camp, where there were about 15-20 thousand people.
War
The British believed in the firepower of a regular army armed with modern breech-loading, rapid-firing and long-range rifles. The militias recruited from the locals were also trained according to the European model, but they were very poorly trained. Africans did not understand the concept of line infantry fighting with firearms and considered the gun a coward’s weapon. They were prohibited from using traditional tactics and weapons.
The bulk of the Zulu army was armed with iron-tipped spears and leather shields. Firearms were carried by a few dozen warriors at most and were represented by outdated rifles of past centuries. But the Zulus were well disciplined, knew how to maintain order, and were brave warriors in every respect.
They advanced in the traditional “buffalo horns and breast” battle formation, designed to surround the enemy with “horns”. From the perspective of the British commander, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pulleyn, only the “chest” and the right “horn” were approaching him, while the left was lagging behind. He sent all the regular British infantry, along with two battalions of natives, against the attackers; these, after a slight retreat, took a defensive line along the dry bed of a small river. During clumsy manoeuvres, the British lost a missile battery that was left unprotected. It was captured by Africans.
At first, the British’s plan worked; Experienced regulars armed with modern Peabody-Martini rifles, supported by a pair of cannons, fired volley after volley into the advancing Zulus. The Africans suffered heavy casualties and were trapped behind the hills, as the intensity of fire meant that almost no one would have time to reach the British line. However, at this stage the British were disappointed by the native troops. Only one of the ten local warriors remaining in the camp had a firearm. Seeing that they were surrounded by a numerically superior enemy, the locals began to flee the battlefield.
Since there were few British survivors, it is difficult to reconstruct an accurate picture of the final stages of the war. Apparently, after about an hour, the British troops began to tire, the rate of fire of the guns dropped, and in the meantime the left “horn” of the buffalo, which had previously lagged behind, did its job and surrounded the British. The “red jackets” began to retreat to the camp in an organized manner, but this did not bring any salvation. The British command underestimated the Africans and therefore did not even surround the tents with tied carts – a very effective mobile fortification of that period. Therefore, the camp did not provide any protection; on the contrary, people were squeezed into a ring on a small piece of land. There the British army met with death.
bloody rituals
Zulu warrior explained (source: Zulu Country via Bertram Mitford) events such as: “The sun went dark in the middle of the war [от поднявшегося от стрельбы дыма]We may decide to fight until evening. After that [после отступления англичан] We entered the camp and there was a lot of smoke and gunfire. After this the bright sun came out again.”
The bodies of the British in the camp lay grouped in small heaps. They probably tried to fight the last few wars and the resistance lasted a long time. The few British cavalrymen who could easily escape chose to stay and die with the rest. When the cartridges ran out, the British responded with bayonets and rifle butts. The Zulu spoke of a large Irishman who drove enemies away from the commander’s tent with a bayonet until he was pierced by a spear. The Africans captured two regimental standards and the third was taken away on horseback by Lieutenant Melville (but lost and was killed en route).
Of the 1,800 soldiers in the British army, 1,300 died in the war; this includes Commander Pulleyn and nearly every European in the army. Their opponents suffered irreparable losses from 1 thousand to 2 thousand people. The Zulus were ordered not to touch whites in civilian clothes, but they executed Africans fighting for the British because they considered them traitors. In addition, Africans dismembered the corpses of the British – they considered this barbaric and subsequently did not often take prisoners, but there is a cultural explanation for this phenomenon. The Zulus lived as a tribal community and had many rituals to keep the army together. It was also believed that for the sake of unity, everyone should spear in the blood of the enemy and become symbolic accomplices of victory. It was called khlomula and was also practiced during hunting: after killing a dangerous animal, each participant approached and inflicted an additional wound.
The British Empire had no need for Zulu territory, but the state could not tolerate such a defeat. Therefore, reinforcements were sent to aid the troops and the Zulu Kingdom was defeated and divided. Since then, the British always fortified the camp in wars against the Zulus.