Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-03-07
INTERVENING STAR.
March =. IS7p.
TIE DISASTER At THE CAPE.
The Gallant Twenty.FOurtla.

| KILL TIN TIMES THEIR OWN NUMBER.
| LONDON, Feb. pat the risk OF telling a
twice told tale, ] venture to return to the gal
liant incident of the Zulu war. Ny excuse is
tnat the detaiS keep coming to London in frag-
ments, ana that the story Is not yet complete.
| nor Will 1t be until the newspaper correspon-
dents letters and the Cape journals come in. 1t
Is worth while In the interval. dealing with the
cane facts 60 put the narrative into
main body OF the British advance. under Lord
chelmsford, penetrated considerable distance
INTO INTO, Zulu-land over 20 miles beyond Rorkes
Win convoy, consisting OF 102 wagons, 1.409
| oxen, guns, 400 shot and shell, 1900 rifles,
100000 rounds OF ammunition, and rockes-
miles beyond Rorke's Drift Lord Chelmsford
| lett the convoy guard and advanced with the
remainder OF his forces, some 10 or ls miles
envy" who, it afterward turned out, were
at the same time 10000 strong. Lord Cheims-
ford ford, being s well ont of the way, they fell
and Tetreated gradually upon the camp aud its
valuable stores. thus getting the support of all
their immediate forces. The Zulus fell fast be-
fore the deadly rife; but they carried out their
| courageous tactics with bravery which VIII
not be forgotten when the historian comes to
tell their story. TO hurry an encounter to the
death-strugge, hand-tO-hand, is the Zulu idea.
They advance In body, the men In the rear
rushing into the gaps made in front by the
and SHIELDS sling back their rifles and leap upon
the foe. Those who are armed with spears
break them Off short and convert them into
short swords. This is what happened at
Isardula and the camp at Rorkes Drift. The
overwhelming numbers Of the Zulus taking
the troops at moment when there seems TO
have been no opportunity of availing them
selves OF intrenchments or barrfcades. enabled
them to overpOwer the red-coatS. The British
both officers and men, fought and fell where
ney st9 9S ea &c OF them however, staying his
cOlOrS of the regiment and the stores fell to the
victors, who thus came into possession OF valu-
could also show to possible allies as induce
ment TO join them. Not less than 81 British
officers and SO men lay dead in the sacked
camp before the zulus carried Off the spois.
looking for the enemy" When it was all over
the news reached him and he fastened pack. to
had been annihilated. The Zulus had not held
the caynr but had carried OF literally every
thing tn made it a camp. 1t was an awful
seer scene e. OF slaughter: There was not living
succor. Quarter had neither been asked nor
given. Black and white lay together in the
death-grip. Both had fought with equal cour-
age and desperation. The sturdy Englishman
had met in the Athletic Zulu foeman worthy
OF his steel. The moderated savage had shown
himself creature upon whom drill and discip-
lin may be as effective In the direction Of natu-
raj courage as on Europeans. Lord Chelmsford
encamped among the dead, making dispositions
to meet any renewed attack. Some 10 miles
away, while the flower OF his army is being
literally massacred he is also awaiting morn
ing In the SHAMELESS while further in bis rear
another desperate light is going on. In that In
Quiry which he is instftuting touching the
above affair, the British public will expect
some explanation from him touching the Ques-
ton how it is British general is found adyanc-
ing Ito the heart OF an enemy's territory while
that enemy's army is allowed to congregate on
his rear and destroy his base OF operations.
HEROES FOR THE VICTORIA CROSS.
Some dozen miles from the camp at ROrke's
Drift proper, q small commissariat post had
been stationed, near the Tugela river, and not
far from the frontier towns OF Helpmakaar and
Greytown. Here, without any tntrenched sys-
tenn OF defense, utterly unprepared to resist
anything like serious attack, and never dream
ing OF danger, there were handful of volun-
teers, some men OF the oath, and some civilians,
about SO, all told. They were under the COM
mand OF couple OF young lieutenantS, Brom-
heaa q 1.-THE the nth ana GnaT Of the royal eng
that had been going On at the camp. Their first
intimation OF trouble arose from seeing fugtives
making for the river, and, ia the distance, ma
yves In pursuit. Seeing danger, the young
1eutenants called their men to arms, and COM
menced 70 turn their commissar1at stores to
account: They had vast quantity of meal In
bags and large store Of biscuit in tins. These
under the young engineers direction, they hast
lily formed into barncade, with loop holes for
of the fugitiyes fan Under the zulu fire. more
particularly Lieut.. Coghill, while crossing the
river, the officers Intention being to warn
were in from Zulu advance. Coghin and
| some half dozen or more had got away from the
camp, charged With the duty OF carrying news
Of the Zulu attack to the rear. The little post
at Rorkes Drift appears to have been altogether
| forgotten; except by the Zulu army, for the ma
| lives who had pursued Coghill turned out to be
force which had captured the Chelmsford con-
voy. 1t was sunset on the 22d, just as his Lord
| ship was beginning to realize what had hap
pened at the camp, and utterly unconscious OF
the situation Of the post at the Drift, thai be-
tween 5000 and 4, 900 OF the enemy appeared be-
fore Chard and Bromhead's breastworlofmeal
bags and biscuit tins. Waiting calmly for their
| volley that staggered them. The fire was re-
| peated, and the ZuluS, Swarming over their
dead, charged for the most vulnerable part Of
the Darr1cade, entered 1t, and were hurled back
| at the point OF the bay0net. Again and again
they returned to the breach, which was closed
Up with their heir dead The garrison fought like
| their bayonets, the young Ieutenants fought
| with their swords. After each repulse the men
returned to their rifle practice, keeping up a
small wooden hospital There were five patients
In 1t and servant OF Col. Harness. The Zulus
fired the hospital, and the inmates were
who crept out and escaped In the bush. The The
| light of the flames helped the garrison to
see the foe, and and enabled them to avenge
The Sos over agan The ee R S9 fellows
equal contest went on, the Zulus more than
once coming up to the breastwork and selling
me afe rllle 6arIeiS which flung among them con-
L
| got inside the tmpromptu fortress six different
tmes, put they were slaughtered to q man.
Assistant Commissary Byrne was conspicuous
TOT his bravery. He was killed. But few of the
| others fell, sheltered by the bags and tins SO
| admirably engineered by Lieut.. Chard Toward
| dawn Lord Chelmsford continued his retreat
| and reached ROrke'S Drift shortly after the at
lacking hosts had withdrawn. The Zulus evil
Gently had good information of Lord Chelms-
lordS movements, for as he came up they re-
| tired; and at first the men at the beleagured
| post thought the fresh force appearing against
| the gray Skyline was new body OF the en-
envy. The British colors, however, soon made
themselves manifest to the outlook, and the
garrison sent up ringing cheer, which was
answered by their comrades, who, as they
advanced, found grim evidence Of the con-
test that mad only just been finished The neigh
Dornood OF the drift was strewn with Zulu
ueao, S5l bodies lying thick about the barri-
Caoe more particularly at the point where they
| mao peen fepulsed with the bayonet The boz
| ules Iurther away were estimated at between
| 6oo and 200, so that Bromhead and Chard's COM
| pany mad averaged 10 Zulus killed per man.
| Iney had not only done something toward
wlping out the defeat OF the camp, but they had
| saved GreytOwn and Helpmakaar, and, poSSi-
| ply, Natal itself; for they had clearly checked
lne advance OF the enemy, who would other
wise nave sWarmed over the frontier which he
mas nevertheless crossed here and there In small
parties. 1t is thought at the Cape that every
man at Rorke's Drift should have the Victoria
cross, and nobody In London gainSays their