The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-03-20
CHARGED By THE ZULUS.
Tho Desperate Resistance OF Eighty EnRlish
Soldiers Against Heavy Odds In South

The Desperate Resistance OF Eighty English
Soldiers Against Hoavy Odds In South
Africa.
A London letter, describing the ami.
hilation OF British column under Lord
Chelmsford by 1000 zllus, at Rorke's
Drift, in South Africa, says:
Some dozen miles from the camp at
Rorke's Drift proper small commits
sariat post had been stationed, near tie
Tugela river, and not far from the from.
tier towns OF Helpmakaar and Grey
town. Here, without any intrenched
system of defense, utterly unprepared
to resist anything like q serious attack,
and never dreaming of danger, there
were handful of volunteers, some men
of the Twenty-fourth, and some civil
ians, about eighty, all told. They were
under the command OF q couple OF
Young lieutenants- s-Bromhead. of the
Twenty.fourth, and Chard, Of the Royal
engineers. They know nothing OF the
bitter business that had been going on
at the camp. Their first inimation OF
trouble arose from seeing fugitives
making for the river. and, in the dis:
tance, natives in pursuit Seeing dan-
ger, the young lieutenanta called their
men to arms and commenced to turn
their commissaliat stores to account.
They had o vast quantity OF meal IN
bags and large store Of biscuit in tins.
These, under the young engineers di-
rection, they hastily formed inte bar
ricade, with lUop-holes for the rifles.
Meanwhile the outlook saw several of
the fugitives fall under the Zulu fire,
more particularly Lieutenant Coehill,
while crossing the river, the officers
intention being to warn Greytown
and Helpmakaar of the danger they
were in from Zulu advance.
Coghill 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 Rorke's Drift appears
to have been altogether forgotten, ex'
cept by the Zulu army, for the natives
who had pursued Coghill turned out to
be the vanguard of another portion OF
the victorious force which had captured
the Chelmsford convoy. It was at sun.
set that between 5000 and 4, 600 of the
enemy appeared before Ohard and
Rromhead'so breastwork of meal-bags
and biscuit tins. Waiting calmly fol
their advance, the little garrison potree
Into them d totley that staggered them.
The fire was repeated, and the Zilus
swarming over their dead, charged fol
the most vulnerable part of the bsrri
cade, entered it, aid were hurled bach
at the point of the bayonet Again and
again they returned to the breach
which was closed up With their dead
The garrison fought like devils, Ihei
dubbed their rifles, they used theil
bayonets, the young ieutenants fough
with their swords After each repuls'
the men returned to their rifle practice
keeping up a deadly fire. At the rea
of the barricade was small wooden hos
pital. There were Ave patients in. j
and q servant OF Col. Harness.. Th
Zalus fired the hospital and the inmate
were burned to death, except Harrest
servant, who crept out and escaped i
the bush. The light of the fame
helped the garrison to see the TO
and enabled them to avenge owe
and owe, again the foof fellows i
the hospital. All through the night tn
unequal contest went on; the Zulus NOR
than once coming, up to the breastwor
and seizing the rifle barrels which fun
among them q constant and deadly hal
of bullets. Some OF them got inside th
impromptu fortress six different times
but they were slaughtered to q maj
Assistant Uommissary Byrne was cor
spieHons for his bravery. He was killed
But few of the others fell, sheltered b
the bags and tins 30 admirably eng
neered BY Lieut.. Chard. Toward daw
Lord Chelmsford continued his tetrea'
and reached Rorke's Drift shortly afte
tho attacking hosts had withdrawn. Th
zulus evidently had good information
Lord Chelmsford's movements, for .
he came up they retired; and at first tt
men at the beleaguered post though
the fresh force appearing against tt
gray skyline WAS new body OF tt
enemy. The British colors, however
soon made themselves manifest to th
outlook, and the garrison sent up rint
ing cheer, which was answered by the
comrades, who, as they advanced, foun
grim evidence of the contest that ha
only Just been finished. The neighbo
hood of the Drift was strewn with Zul
dead, 351 bodies lying thick about th
barricade, more particularly at the poir
where they had been repulsed with th
bayonet. The bodies further away vel
estimated at between 900 and 700, 6
that Bromhead and Chard's compan
bad averaged ten Zulus killed per NAL
They had not only done something Il
ward wiping out the defeat at the CANT
but they had saved Graytown and He'll
makaar, and, possibly, Natal itself; ft
they had clearly checked the advance
the enemy, who would otherwise ha1
swarmed over the frontier, which he hs
nevertheless crossed here and there
small parties. 1t is thought at the Oar
that every man at Rorke's Drift shoul
have the Victoria CROSS, and nobody
London gainsays their title to the di
tnction. They have covered themselvt
with glory, and added another imperisl
able laurel to the famous but unfortul
ate Twenty-fourth.
How Careless Men Can be With Money
A correspondent says: My frien
was a paymsster of large railroa
company, and one day he went out wit
$50 900 to pay the men. The none
was wrapped up in an old newapape
and he carried it under his arm. d
stopped at way side hostelry for dir
ner, and left the money on chair whe
he went ont. He had not gone man