The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-07-10
aaliseeIIa,rrutts.
THE WAR In ZQLULAND
IA TERRIBLE RIDE FOR LIFE PER
SONAL HATRED OF THB zU-s
LUIS.
Once More Isa Trap Retfslt Cut on and Must
Wight 1t Ont 10 the End llliph and Blood
Thirsty bfhat,

W '"f 81 "i|||.-
of the terrible eRepqRt On NE 1ppana
mountain hy one #ho paFiitipatsfi in It:
"On March 27th We start from our
camp at KambuIa FIill AN Zaluland, to
attack a Zllu stronghold some. twenty
miles away called the Zobana mountain.
We numbered about eight hundred
mounted men, and were nearly all Of us
volunteers, under Col. Wood nominally,
but the real command was exercised by
Col. Butler. We started about s O'Clock
in the morning, and very cheerful and
lively we were. We thought little of the
morrow, or if few did, they only had
in their imaginations day Of success
and triumph over our savage foes, We
had got to hate those Zulus. to hate them
with personal hatred, something after
the manner that a man hates snake, or
o tiger, or hungry wolf, knowing that
If we did Dot destroy it, we shall our.
selves be destroyed. The air was brac-
ing and invigorating; to good lungs and
empty stomachs it was positively exhil.
Grating. About five o'clock in the even
ing we reached the slope of the noun.
tain. We were fred at, but took no no
tice, as we wanted to get along unper
ceived. When darkness set in we biv-
ouacked, each man holding his horse in
his hand while he lay down to rest-not
to sleep During the night there was
terrible thunder storm and we got thor
oughly drenched. At a. M, we were
all aslir, feeling miserable enough; our
saddles were nearly as soft and wet as
our clothes. We aocended the hill pret.
ty easy, but nearly at the top the q ,lus
began to make us aware of their pres
ence. By six o'clock we were at the top
of the plateau, and our native allies were
setting fire TO some 2 lu huts and col.
lectiDg the cattle, about 0U0 in number.
After time we collected at the opposite
end Of the plateau, and here we found
the q lIus in stronger numbers than we
had estimated. They commenced a
heavy fire upon us, and we we're engaged
fully half An hour with them before we
succeeded in silencing them. About IL
we became aware of the serious fact that
while we had been engaging few q llus
at one side, very large number of then
had cone the way we asCended, and
others TO our right and left, and that we
were being surrounded A very few
minutes observation was sufficient to
convey the terrible idea to our minds |
that once more the Zllus had got US into
q trap, and that we would have to fight |
for our lives to get out of it or die. The |
willy savages began to appear on every |
Bide-not in twos or thTees, but in hun. |
dreds and thousands. Some of them |
had evidently climbed what to US seem.
ed positively perpendicular buttress on
our left Our retreat was cut off, and
there was nothing to be done but either
fight il ont to the end, or endeavor to es-
cape down an almost perpendicular pass
o few hundred yards in front of us
Th5re had been too much fighting it |
out to the end" in the two months i'm.
mediately preceding Isandula There
was but one outlet for us, and towards it
we had orders to gallop. was in the
rear. and when l reached the place the
sight was sckeDing There was an al
most perpendicular pass about ten feet
wide aud about 800 or 400 yards down.
1t wao filed with rough, ranged bould-
ers, between which were creviCes where
once the poor horse and rider fell they
were seen no more. II seemed full of
horses and men fJundering one upon
the other in dire and dreadful confusion,
while the q lius were pouring murder
our fire among them. How | got down
/ do not know; have not met with
single comrade yet who does. The chief
sensation experienced was that behind
me, at about 800 hundred yards distance
was a very strong force of Zplus, yelling
in manner most bloodthlrsty and fen
dish. In one or two places progress was
altogether impeded by chasms six or
eight feet wide, and it was only by jump
ing them, or rather rsking the attempt
(fOr many poor fellow lost his footing
and his life here), that further descent
was possible. Nearly all the horses " ere
killed or had to be left before we reach
ed the bottom. All this time the us
were firing upon US, and, amid the most
piteous shreks for mercy, rushing from
the sides of the pass and assiegiug our
poor fellows. How any OF us escaped is {
to me and almost every one else, mira
Gle. AT last, somehow or other, got to 3
the neck of the pass, escaping injury q
from the heavy FIRE of the enemy, but
Dnly to fnd that on the plain was big q
Zulu army engaged with our men, who
we're divided into parties and fighting Q
or dear life. Col. Wea.herey aud his :
'Orps were cutup almost to man. They a
we're separated from the main body, and .
he last seen Of the gallant Colonel was u
lis commanding figure, sword in hand,
,illing the enemy right and left, and sci. {
ing his lifI as dearly as possible. The U
etreat home was light We reached D
he camp in the evening by twos and o
hrees, some with arms and clothing, 9TH n
'rs almost devoid of either. Some nor. a
les we're carrying two men, others three; ?
avery one was humiliated and dispirited.
This is one picture of the disaster in 81
The DEVILS Pass" on the Ziobana e.
March 28th, 1879
1t was getting considerably into the IL
oreDoon OF the 29h before had sufi. 81
,lently recovered myself to feel exactly tt
low and where l was. The ordinary u
luties Of camp life had been going on, M
md now and then l had come across a ia
Of the previous day, whose =
laggard face still betokened how he had A
'een face to face with DEATH" Our th
amp was to all intents and purposes i'm. d'
,regnable. 1t was proof against an Or o.
linary European army without artillery. y
A0ou, II a m, we learned that q Zulu u
py bad been caught and had informed %
;ol. Wood that the ZIu5 were to attack ~
ls during our dining hour. Shortly af. 70
erwsrds it was shown plainly enough ce
hat this was 80. The q illus could be pa
Ieen in Q huge black mass about Ave ey
niles away, coming on very slowly and CO
Everything went nm in 90 mn Oh