The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1879-04-23
WEDNESDAY. APRIL %. 1879.
The Zulu Fights.
THE DESPERATE HAND.To-HAND STRUGGLE AT
tJB RosKE's DRIFT. 5

NE DfSfEhATE I1AND-TO-i1AND CThUGGLE AT
tUB RoREE's Drift.
From the Detroit Free Press.1
The London correspondent of the New York
Times gives the following graphic account of the
terrible affair at Rorkes Drift where battalion
of the Twenty-fourth British Infantry was ami
hilated
On the 2lst Of January last the main body of
the British advance, under Lord Chelmsford,
penetrated considerable distance into ZuIu-
land, over twenty miles beyond Rorke's Drift,
near which q camp had been established, with a
convoy. consisting of 102 wagons l.4OO oxen.
two guns, 400 shot and shell. 200 rifles, $50 900
rounds of ammunition. and rocket-trough, the
whole valued at 100000. Ten miles beyond
Rorke's Drift Lord Chelmsford left the convoy
guard and advanced with the remainder of his
forces. some ten or twelve miles further into
Zulu-land,
ITO LOOK FOR THE ENEMY"
Who. it afterwards turned out. were at the same
time 10000 strong Lord Chelmsford being well
out of the way, they fell upon the convoy. The
British fought hard, and retreated gradually upon
the camp and is valuable stores, thus getting
the support of all their immediate forces. The
Zulus fell fast before the deadly rife; but they
carried out their courageous tactics with bra
very which will not be forgotten when the histo-
ran comes to tell their story. To hurry an en-
counter to the deathstruggle, hand TO hand is
the Zulu idea. They advance in a body the men
IN the rear rushing into the gaps made 10 front
by the enemys fire. Then the men. with short
knives 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 Isan.
dula and the camp at Rorkes Drift The over.
whelming numbers OF the Zulus, taking the troops
at a moment when there seems to have been no
opportunity of availlng themselves of intrench.
ments or barbados, enabled them to
ovERPowER THE RED-coATs.
The British officers and men fought and fell
where they stood each of them, however. shaving
his two or three TO one in the unequal fpht.
The colors of the regiment and the stores fell to
the victors, who thus came into possession of
valuable weapons and ammunition which they
could also show TO possible allies as inducements
to join them. Not less than ffty.one British
officers and go men lay dead in the sacked
camp before the Zulus carried off the spois. To
the meanwhile Lord Chelmsford was still look.
ing for the enemy" When 1t was all over the
news reached him and he hasteued back, to dis
cover that the force be had left in bis rear had
been anDihilated The Zulus had not held the
camp, but had carried off literally everything
that made 1t camp. 1t was an awful scene of
slaughter. There was
NOT LIVING SOUL IN IT.
There we're no wounded to tend and succor.
Quarter had neither been asked nor given. Black
aud white lay together in the death-grip. Both
had fought with equal courage and desperation
The sturdy Engllsbman had met IN the athletic
Zulu fOeman worthy of his STEEL The under.
rated savage had shown himself creature upon
whom drill may be as effective in the direction
at natural courage as on Europeans. Lord
chelmsford eneamped among the dead. making
dispositions TO meet any renewed attack. Some
len miles away, while the flower of his army is
being literally massacred, be Is also quietly
awaiting morning in the shambes, while further
in his rear another desperate fight is going on,
10 that inquiry which be is instituting touching
the above affair, the British public will expect
some explanation from him touching the cues.
tion how it is British General is found adyan-
cling into the heart of an enemy's territory while
that eDemy's army is allowed TO congreeate on
bis rear end destroy bis base of operations.
HEROES FOR THE VICTORIA CROSS.
Some dozen miles from the camp at Rorkes
DRIFT proper, small commssariat post had been
stationed, near the Tugela river, and not far
from the frontier towns of Helpmakaar and
GreytoWD. Here, without any intrencbed sys
TEN OF defense, utterly u0prepared to resist any,
thing like a serious attack, and never dreaming
OF danger. there were handful of volunteers.
some men of the Twenty fourth, and some civil.
ians, about 80, all told. They were under the
command of couple of young leutenauts, Bron-
head, OF the Twenty fourth, and Chard, of the
Royal Engineers. They knew nothing of the
bitter business that bad been going on at the
camp. Their first intimation of trouble arose
from seeing fugitlves making for the river, and,
in the distance natives in pursuit. Seeing dan.
ger the young Lieutenants called their men to
arms and commenced to turn their commissariat
stores to account. They bad vast quantity of
meal in bags and large store of biscuit in tins.
These, under the young Engineers direction,
they hastily
FORMED INTO A BARRICADE
With loop-holes for the rifles Meanwhile. the
outlook saw several Of the fugitives fall under
the Zulu IRE. more particularly Lieut. Cophill,
while crossing the river, the officers intention
being to warn Greytown and Helpmakaar Of the
danger they were in from Zulu advance. Cog.
hill and some hail 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 Rorke's Drift appears to have been al
together forgotten, except by the Zulu army, for
the natives who had pursued CoghIl turned out
TO be the vanguard Of another portion of the vic.
torious force which had captured the Chelmsford
convoy. 1t was sunset on the 22d, just as bis
Lordsbip was beginning to realize what had hap
pened at the camp, and utterly unconscious of
the situation of the post at the Drift, that be.
tween 5000 and 1000 of the euemy appeared
before Chard and Bromhend's beeastwork of
meal-bags and bscut-tns. Waiting calmly for
their advance, the little garrison poured into
them voiley that staggered them. The fire
was repeated, and the
zuLUs swARMING OVER THEIR DEAD
Charged Tor the most vulnerable part oflthe bar.
ricade, entered it and were hurled back at the
point OF the bayonet. Again and again they re-
turned to the breach, which was closed I'd with
their dead. The garrison fought like devils.
They dubbed their rifles, they used their bayo-
nets, the young lieutenants fought with their
swords. After each repulse the men returned
to their rife practice. keeping up deadly fire.
At the rear of the barrcade was small wooden
hospital. There were Eve patients in 1t aud
servant OF Col. Harness. The Zulus fred the
hospital and the
INMATES WERE BURNED TO DEATH,
Except Harness servant. who crept out and es.
capped 10 the bush. The light of the flames helped
the garrison TO zee the Toe. aud enabled them to
avenge over and over again the poor fellows in
the hospital All through the night the UNEQUAL
contest went on. The Zulus more than once
coming up TO the breast work and z