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Rorke's Drift
The Battle of Rorke's Drift, also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants John Chard of the Royal Engineers and Gonville Bromhead of the 24th Regiment of Foot, began once a large contingent of Zulu warriors broke off from the main force during the final hour of the British defeat at the day-long Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879. They travelled to attack Rorke's Drift later that day and continuing into the following day. Just over 150 British and colonial troops defended the station against attacks by 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. The massive but piecemeal attacks by the Zulu on Rorke's Drift came very close to overwhelming the much smaller garrison, but were consistently repelled. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to individual defenders, along with a number of other decorations and honours. Prelude Rorke's Drift, known a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colony Of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its provinces. It is now the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It was originally only about half the size of the present province, with the north-eastern boundaries being formed by the Tugela and Buffalo rivers beyond which lay the independent Kingdom of Zululand (''kwaZulu'' in the Zulu language). Fierce conflict with the Zulu population led to the evacuation of Durban, and eventually, the Boers accepted British annexation in 1844 under military pressure. A British governor was appointed to the region and many settlers emigrated from Europe and the Cape Colony. The British established a sugar cane industry in the 1860s. Farm owners had a difficult time attracting Zulu labourers to wor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and the British defence at Battle of Rorke's Drift, Rorke's Drift. Following the passing of the British North America Act 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupled with military campaigns, might lead to a ruling white minority over a black majority in South Africa. This would yield a large pool of cheap labour for the British sugar plantations and mines, and was intended to bring the African Kingdoms, tribal areas, and Boer republics into South Africa. In 1874, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, Bartle Frere was appointed as British High Commissioner for Southern Africa to effect such plans. Among the obstacles were the armed independent states of the South ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piecemeal
{{disambiguation ...
Piecemeal denotes something being done piece by piece or one stage at a time. Piecemeal may also refer to: * Piecemeal (Gilbert Benson), a fictional character in the Marvel Universe * Piecemeal (Cyborg villain), another fictional character in the Marvel Universe * Piecemeal necrosis, a necrosis that occurs in fragments See also * Peasemeal Peasemeal (also called pea flour) is a flour produced from yellow field peas that have been roasted. The roasting enables greater access to protein and starch, thus increasing nutritive value. Traditionally the peas would be ground three times ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthony Durnford
Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony William Durnford (24 May 1830 – 22 January 1879) was a British Army officer of the Royal Engineers who served in the Anglo-Zulu War. Breveted colonel, Durnford is mainly known for his defeat by the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana, which was a disaster for the British Army. Background Durnford was born into a military family at Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland, on 24 May 1830.Greaves (2011), pp. 165–167. His father was General Edward William Durnford, also of the Royal Engineers. His younger brother, Edward, also served in the British military, as a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Marine Artillery. During his formative years he lived with his uncle in Düsseldorf, Germany. In July 1846 Durnford returned to England to enter the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in 1848 initially serving at Chatham and Scotland. In October 1851 he embarked for Ceylon and upon arrival was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garrison
A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city, town, fort, castle, ship, or similar site. "Garrison town" is a common expression for any town that has a military base nearby. The term garrison comes from the French language, French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip". "Garrison towns" () were used during the Early Muslim conquests, Arab Islamic conquests of Middle Eastern lands by Arabs, Arab-Muslim armies to increase their dominance over indigenous populations. In order to occupy non-Arab, non-Islamic areas, nomadic Arab tribesmen were taken from the desert by the ruling Arab elite, conscripted into Islamic armies, and settled into garrison towns as well as given a share in the Jizya, spoils of war. The primary utility of the Arab-Islamic garrisons was to cont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isandlwana
Isandlwana () (older spelling ''Isandhlwana'', also sometimes seen as ''Isandula'') is an isolated hill in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is located north by northwest of Durban.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (1950), v.12, 703. The name is said to mean abomasum, the second stomach of the cow, because it reminded the Zulus of its shape. History This mountain has historical significance. On 22 January 1879, Isandlwana was the site of the Battle of Isandlwana, where approximately 22,000 Zulu warriors defeated a contingent of approximately 1,750 British and African troops in one of the first engagements of the Anglo-Zulu War. The Zulu force was primarily under the command of Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza. The battle was one of the worst defeats suffered by the British Army during the Victorian era. Isandlwana hill (28°21′32″S 30°39′9″E) rises due east of Rorke's Drift, a ford on the Buffalo River, a tributary of the Tugela River. See also *Battle of Isa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
104th Foot
The 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) was a regiment of the British Army, raised by the Honourable East India Company in 1765. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) to form the Royal Munster Fusiliers. History Early history The regiment as first raised by the Honourable East India Company as the 2nd Bengal European Regiment when it was formed from the 1st Bengal European Regiment in 1765. It went to take part in an action at Rohilkhand in April 1774 during the First Rohilla War before being absorbed by the Marine Battalion in 1803. It was re-raised as the 2nd Bengal (European) Regiment in 1822 and took part in a deployment to Burma in 1825 before being disbanded in 1830. The Victorian era The regiment was re-raised as the 2nd Bengal (European) Light Infantry from a nucleus of 1st Bengal (European) Regiment in 1839. It saw action at the Battle of Chillianwala in January 1849 and the Battle of Gujrat in F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brevet (military)
In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the officer's title (for example, "Bvt. Maj. Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain" or "Bvt. Col. Arthur MacArthur"). It is not to be confused with a '' Brevet d'état-major'' in Francophone European military circles, where it is an award, nor should it be confused with temporary commissions. France In France, ''brevet'' is a word with a very broad meaning, which includes every document giving a capacity to a person. For instance, the various military speciality courses, such as military parachutism, are ended by the award of a brevet. The more important brevet in the French military is that of the École de guerre (''lit''. "school of war"), the French Staff College. Between 1870 and 1940, an ''officier breveté'' was a graduate of the ''École ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford
General Frederic Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford, (31 May 18279 April 1905) was a British Army officer who rose to prominence during the Anglo-Zulu War, when an expeditionary force under his command suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of a Zulu force at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879. Despite this defeat, he was able to score several victories against the Zulus, culminating in the British victory at the Battle of Ulundi, which ended the war and partly restored his reputation in Britain. Early life Frederic Augustus Thesiger was born 31 May 1827, the eldest child of Frederic Thesiger, a lawyer who later became Lord Chancellor and was created Baron Chelmsford. Thesiger was educated at Eton College. Thesiger's great-uncle Sir Frederick Thesiger was aide-de-camp to Lord Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. Military career He wished to pursue a military career. In 1844, after unsuccessfully trying to obtain a place in the Gren ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buffalo River (KwaZulu-Natal)
The Buffalo River (; ) is the largest tributary of the Tugela River in South Africa. With a total length of , its source is in Majuba Hill, "Hill of Doves" in the Zulu language, located northeast of Volksrust, close to the Mpumalanga / KwaZulu-Natal border. It follows a southerly route into KwaZulu-Natal past Newcastle then turns southeast past Rorke's Drift, before joining the Tugela River at Ngubevu near Nkandla. During the nineteenth century it formed part of the boundary between the Colony of Natal and Zululand. The Buffalo River has a number of tributaries, including the Ingagane from the SW and the Blood River from the NE, which it joins near Kandi Mountain. Rorke's Drift is a ford across the Buffalo River which is one of the famous places of the 1878–79 Anglo-Zulu War and Isandhlwana is another important place of that war located about 20 km SE of the river, not far from the confluence with the Tugela. Tributaries * Batshe * Bzangoma * Blood River * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading, on horseback, or inside a vehicle getting its wheels wet. A ford may occur naturally or be constructed. Fords may be impassable during high water. A low-water crossing is a low bridge that allows crossing over a river or stream when water is low but may be treated as a ford when the river is high and water covers the crossing. The word ''ford'' is both a noun (describing the water crossing itself) and a verb (describing the act of crossing a ford). Description A ford is a much cheaper form of river crossing than a bridge, and it can transport much more weight than a bridge, but it may become impassable after heavy rain or during flood conditions. A ford is therefore normally only suitable for very minor roads (and for paths intended for walkers and horse riders etc.). Most modern fords are usually shallow enough to be crossed by cars and other wheeled or tracked vehicles (a proce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Rorke
James "Jem" Rorke (c. 1827 – 24 October 1875) was a settler and trader of Irish descent in Southern Africa. He served as a civilian in the British Army commissariat in 1846 during the Seventh Xhosa War. In 1849, Rorke purchased a farmstead in the Colony of Natal, on the border with Zululand near a river crossing that became known as Rorke's Drift. He established a trading post that led to good relations with the Zulu. Rorke committed suicide in 1875. His homestead played a key role in the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War and was the site of the Battle of Rorke's Drift. Early life Rorke's father was an Irish soldier, he arrived at Mossel Bay with an Irish regiment of the British Army in 1821; there was an influx of British settlers to Southern Africa in this period. Rorke's father fought in wars against African tribesmen before settling in the Cape Colony after either his period of enlistment ended or he deserted. James Rorke was born in 1827. Rorke served as a civilian with the British ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
