The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-03-13
CHARGED BY THE zULUs.
The Desperate Resistance of Eighty Rusi,sk
Soldiers Against Heavy Odds In south

OhA0NeB bOhO6.
The Desperate Resistance of Eighty Rnsusk
Soldiers Against Heavy Odds In south
Africa.
A London letter, describing the ami
hilation of q British column under Lord
Chelmsford by 1000 Zulus, at Rorke's
Drift, in South Africa, says
Some dozen miles from the camp at
Rorke's Drift proper O small commits
sariat post had been stationed, near the
Tugela river, and not far from the from.
tier towns of Helpmakaar and Grey.
town. Hers, without any intrenched
system Of defense, utterly unprepared
to resist anything 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 eighty, all told. They were
under the command of couple of
young lieutenants- Bromhead, of the
Twenty fourth, and Ohard, of the Royal
engineers. They knew nothing of the
bitter business that had been going on
at the camp. Their first intimation of
trouble arose from seeing fugitives
making for the river. and, in the dis
tance, natives in pursuit. Seeing dam
ger, the young lieutenants called their
men to arms and commenced to turn
their commissariat stores to account.
They had vast quantity of meal in
bags and large store of biscuit in tins.
These, Under the young engineers di-
rection, they hastily formed into a bar
ricade, with loop-holes for the rifles.
Meanwhile the outlook saw several of
the fugitives fall under the Zulu fire,
more particularly Lieutenant Coghill,
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 Ooghill 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 1000 of the
enemy appeared before Chard and
Bromhead's breastwork of meal-bags
and biscuit tine. Waiting calmly for
their advance, the little garrison poured
into them volley that staggered them.
The fire was repeated, and the Zulus,
swarming over their dead, charged for
the most vulnerable part of the barri-
cade, entered it, and were hurled back
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. They
dubbed their rifles, they Used their
bayonets, the young lieutenants fought
with their swords. After each repulse
the men returned to their rifle practice
keeping up deadly fire. At the rear
OF the barricade was small wooden hos
pital. There were five patients in it
and servant of Col. Harness. The
Zulus fired the hospital and the inmates
were burned to death, except Harness
servant, who crept out and escaped in
the bush. The light of the flames
helped the garrison to see the foe
and 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 breastwork
and seizing the rifle barrels which flung
among them constant and deadly hail
of bullets. Some of them got inside the
impromptu fortress six different times,
but they were slaughtered to a man.
Assistant Commissary Byrne was con-
spicuous for his bravery. He was killed,
But few of the others fell, sheltered by
the bags and tins so admirably engi.
neered by Lieut.. Chard. Toward dawn
Lord Chelmsford continued his retreat
and reached Rorke's Drift shortly after
the attacking hosts had withdrawn. The
Zulus evidently had good information Of
Lord Chelmsford's movements, for as
he came up they retired; and at first the
men at the beleaguered post thought
the fresh force appearing against the
gray skyline was a new body of the
enemy. The British colors, however,
soon made themselves manifest to the
outlook, and the garrison sent up ring.
ing cheer, which was answered by theil
comrades, who, as they advanced, found
grim evidence of the contest that had
only just been finished. The neighbor
hood of the Drift was strewn with Zulu
dead, 351 bodies lying thick about the
barricade, more particularly at the point
where they had been repulsed with the
bayonet. The bodies further away were
estimated at between 600 and 700, &c
that Bromhead and Chard's company
had averaged ten Zulus killed per man.
They had not only done something to-
ward wiping out the defeat at the camp
but they had saved Graytown and Help
makaar, and, possibly, Natal itself; fol
they had clearly checked the advance oi
the enemy, who would otherwise have
swarmed over the frontier, which he hat
nevertheless crossed here and there il
small parties. 1t is thought at the Cape
that.every man at Rorke's Drift should
have the Victoria cross, and nobody il
London gainsays their title to the dis
tinction. They have covered themselves
with glory, and added another imperish
able laurel to the famous but unfortun
ate Twenty-fourth.
How Careless Men Can be With Money.
A correspondent says My friend
was paymaster OF large railroad
company, and one day he went out twill
$50, 900 to pay the men. The money
was wrapped up in an old newspaper
and he carried it under his arm. He
stopped at a way side hostelry for din
ner, and left the money on chair wher
/ tafN l.