Battle of Gingindlovu

Battle of Gingindlovu

Part of: Zulu War

date	April 2, 1879
place	Gingindlovu coordinates: 29 ° 0 ′ 0 ″  S , 31 ° 35 ′ 0 ″  E
output	British troops victory

Parties to the conflict
United Kingdom	Zululand
Commander
Lord Chelmsford	Somopho kaZikhala
Troop strength
5,670	11,000
losses
13 dead	more than 1,000 dead

The Battle of Gingindlovu on April 2, 1879 was one of the most important battles of the Zulu War . The victory of the British troops under Lord Chelmsford against the outnumbered Zulu paved the way for the march of the British troops on Ulundi , where it came to the final victory of the British over the Zulu in the battle of Ulundi .

prehistory

At the beginning of the Zulu War, the Zulu were able to achieve considerable success. On January 22nd, 1879 the main force of the Zulu defeated the III. Division of the British Armed Forces in the Battle of Isandhlwana , also the I. Division under Colonel Charles Pearson could be included in Eshowe . At the end of March, Chelmsford ordered a counter-offensive, which began on March 29 and aimed, among other things, at the liberation of the besieged Eshowes.

Lord Chelmsford , Commander of the British Forces at Gingindlovu

Course of the battle

Preparations

On April 1st, Chelmsford's troops reached the area around Gingindlovu and set up camp on a hill. As a consequence of the defeat at Isandhlwana, when a British camp could not withstand the onslaught of the Zulu warriors, Chelmsford had the camp fortified with trenches. Scouts report to Chelmsford on the evening of April 1 that around 11,000 Zulu warriors camped on the Nyazane River. A Zulu attack was expected in the morning of April 2nd. At four in the morning the British troops were preparing for the attack by the Zulu, and shortly afterwards they approached the British position.

struggle

The first attack took place on the north side of the British camp. The massive onslaught of the numerically far superior Zulu could only be repulsed with difficulty and mainly thanks to the Gatling guns stationed there . Under heavy fire, the onslaught of the Zulu came to a standstill and the attackers were pushed towards the west, where they were again under fire from the hill. After the attack finally collapsed, Chelmsford ordered the counterattack from down the hill. This was successful and around seven in the morning the Zulu army was finally defeated. The fleeing Zulu were pursued by mounted British troops and many killed. In total, the Zulu had to mourn more than 1,000 casualties, the British only lost thirteen soldiers.

consequences

With the Battle of Gingindlovu, the Zulu army was dispersed and the British were able to continue their advance. On April 3, the British succeeded in ending the siege of Eshowe and liberating the I. Division. Then the advance on the capital Ulundi continued, where the British won a final victory on July 4th.

Today a granite memorial and a small cemetery commemorate the battle.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Battle of Gingindlovu. Retrieved September 21, 2019 . 
2. ^ South African Military History Society - Journal - Forgotten Battles. Retrieved September 21, 2019 . 
3. ^ The Battle of Gingindlovu | South African History Online. Retrieved September 21, 2019 . 
4. ^ Battle of Gingindlovu | Zululand Route 66.Retrieved September 21, 2019 (en-ZA). 
5. ^ Battle of Gingindlovu. Retrieved September 21, 2019 (American English).