A contemporary 'colourised' photograph showing the ponts at Rorke's Drift

The church was pressed into service as a store, and Witt's house transformed into a hospital, to house a few sick and injured men.  Witt made arrangements for his wife and daughter to go and stay with friends at Msinga, whilst he remained to keep a watchful eye on his mission-station.   Ponts were employed at Rorke's Drift, under the supervision of a civilian ferryman named Daniells.  Shortly after dawn on Saturday, 11th January, 1879 the British, Colonial and African elements of Number Three Column began crossing the flooded waters of the Buffalo River into Zululand.  The invasion was underway.   

Left behind in command at Rorke's Drift was Brevet Major Henry Spalding, of the 104th Regiment, Lord Chelmsford's Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General.  One of his many tasks was to keep open the lines of communication and supply between the advancing column and Helpmekaar.

In charge of the stores depôt at the mission-station was Assistant Commissary Walter Dunne of the Commissariat and Transport Department.  Two locally recruited volunteers; Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton and Acting Storekeeper Louis Byrne, and Second-Corporal Francis Attwood of the Army Service Corps assisted him in this task.

The patients of the improvised hospital were under the care of Surgeon James Henry Reynolds of the Army Medical Department, aided by three other-ranks of the Army Hospital Corps and a civilian servant.  Three of Reynolds's patients were casualties from the first clash with the Zulus at Sokhexe, wounded in the assault on Sihayo's Kraal.  The others, some eighteen or so were members of the Column who were suffering from various ills and injuries.

On Tuesday, 21st January, a two-pronged reconnaissance, led respectively by Major John Dartnell, Natal Mounted Police, and Commandant Rupert Lonsdale of the 3rd Natal Native Contingent, left the camp at Isandlwana to probe for Zulu forces in the vicinity of the Mangeni Valley, some twelve miles south-east of Isandlwana.  When Dartnell and Lonsdale linked-up they confronted a small force of Zulus, near the Mangeni Waterfall.  Fearing they were in contact with the main Zulu force, gallopers were sent back to Isandlwana appealing for reinforcements.  But as we know with hindsight, these were not the main Zulu impi, but what many historians describe as a lure to entice a division of Number Three Column.  A response, which was exactly what, the Zulu izinduna got.   The British response and the consequent disaster at Isandhlwana are dealt elsewhere on this website, but how that affected the garrison at Rorke's Drift must be explained.  Late in the evening of the 21st, Lieutenant Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, of the 95th Foot, was ordered to convey the General's orders to Durnford at Rorke's Drift, the order was to move up to Isandlwana.  John Chard also received orders from the General's Headquarters ordering his men up to Isandlwana, but the order was somewhat vague as it was unclear whether Chard himself was to go forward.

Early in the morning of Wednesday, 22nd January, 1879, Chard sought permission from Major Spalding to go to Isandlwana to clarify the matter.  Shortly after eight o'clock Chard rode into the camp, his men were following behind in a wagon.  The camp was alive with excitement, Zulus had been sighted on the Nquthu Plateau to the left front of the camp, and the troops were forming-up in readiness.  Chard was informed his men were to be attached to the Column.  However, he was required to return to Rorke's Drift and entrench the position overlooking the ponts on the Natal bank.  Accordingly, Chard rode back along the track towards Rorke's Drift; here he encountered Durnford at the head of his part-column moving up to Isandlwana.  Chard acquainted his fellow Royal Engineer with the intelligence regarding the presence of Zulus on the Nquthu Plateau.  Chard's sappers had fallen in with the mainly mounted force, he ordered his Corporal and three Sappers off of the wagon and gave them orders to join the force at Isandlwana.  Then he ordered his batman, Driver Robson and a mixed-race wagon driver to turn the wagon, which contained tools, and return with him to Rorke's Drift in order to entrench the position.  Upon his return to the mission-station Chard reported to Spalding.

As yet Captain Rainforth's 'G' Company, 1st/24th, had not arrived.  Unbeknown to Spalding 'D' Company, 1st/24th had been delayed by bad weather en-route, and had not reached Helpmekaar Spalding was concerned as to the whereabouts of Rainforth's men and penned a camp order deploying one N.C.O. and six other-ranks as a pont guard.  This small number were be augmented by fifty of Stevenson's N.N.C.  Having done so he decided to ride to Helpmekaar and ascertain the delay of the reinforcements.  Almost as an afterthought he consulted a copy of the Army List, to establish who would command the post in his absence.  The command devolved to Chard, whose seniority pre-dated Bromhead's by three years.  This done Spalding rode out, and with it him went his chance of military glory. 

Chard went down to the ponts and settled down in his tent for lunch.  At about 12.30 p.m., cannon-fire was heard from the direction of Isandlwana.  Surgeon Reynolds, Otto Witt and the Reverend George Smith, a local Anglican missionary and Chaplain of the Weenen Yeomanry, a local volunteer unit, who was serving as a volunteer Chaplain to Number Three Column, climbed to the top of the Oskarberg and peered through a telescope towards Isandlwana.  They could see through the heat haze what was obviously a battle taking place.

On the Natal side of the Buffalo, the three observed four horsemen riding at the gallop towards the mission-station, fearing that the riders might require medical assistance Reynolds made his way down to the post, leaving Witt and Smith on the hill top.   Bromhead and Chard were also aware of the approaching horsemen, and must have sensed that something was amiss.  A rider rode up to Bromhead and Dunne of Commissariat, and blurted-out, "The camp is taken by Zulus!"  Dunne peered across the river and saw a number of Natal Native Horse riding towards Natal.   At the ponts two white horsemen from the Zulu bank, who asked to be ferried across, were hailing Chard.  One of the horsemen was Lieutenant J. Adendorff, of the 1st/3rd N.N.C.; he imparted the dire news to Chard, his companion, Lieutenant Vaine rode on to pass the word to Helpmekaar. 

Bromhead dispatched a message to Chard calling him back to the mission-station.  Word of the disaster spread amongst the small pont-guard, Sergeant Frederick Millne of the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Foot, 'The Buffs', and the civilian ferryman, Daniells, volunteered to moor the ponts mid-stream and with the pont-guard defend the crossing.  Chard was heartened by the offer, but politely declined it.  

Upon reaching the post Chard and Bromhead found it difficult to comprehend the disaster, which had befallen the camp at Isandlwana.  A hurried officers' conference was called, it was James Dalton, who brought the two lieutenants to reality.  Stressing that the only option should the Zulus attack the post at Rorke's Drift would be fight - not flight, and with the words, "Now we must make a defence!" he motivated the others into action.  A dribble of survivors from Isandlwana, paused and attempted to impress on the garrison the futility of a defence.  But the men busied themselves preparing barricades from the stores at hand, and ignored their pleas.  Only Adendorff elected to remain.  A party of Natal Native Horse of about one hundred men rode up, under the command of Lieutenant Alfred Henderson, who placed his men at Chard's disposal.  With Henderson was the meat contractor of the Natal Mounted Police, Bob Hall.  Chard ordered Henderson to deploy his men in mounted screen behind the Oskarberg, protecting the approach from Fugitives' Drift.  The time was about 3.30p.m. The Reverends Witt and Smith had now come down from their vantage point on top of the Oskarberg.  They had distressing news; the Zulus were crossing upriver in force.  Witt fearful of his wife's safety at nearby Msinga, decamped taking with him a wounded N.N.C. officer from the hospital.  To protect the remaining hospital patients Lieutenant Bromhead had detailed a hospital guard of six men; Privates Alfred Henry Hook, Robert Jones, William Jones, John Williams, Joseph Williams and Thomas Cole.  Many of the hospital patients were able to bear arms and the hospital was loopholed in readiness to receive an attack.

Infantry picquets were deployed in skirmishing order on the lower slopes of the Oskarberg, and the pont guard withdrawn to the post.  At 4.20 p.m. the crackle of musketry was heard from the position where the Natal Native Horse were deployed, and black horsemen galloped past the now fortified post.  Henderson paused and spoke to Chard, he stated that his men would no longer obey orders, and he could not convince them to stand and fight.  But their desertion must be considered in the light of their previous actions at Isandlwana, where they had fought virtually from first to last before quitting the field, now they were low on ammunition.  They must have thought that a fort built from biscuit boxes and mealie sacks, could do little to deter the Zulus flushed with the success of Isandlwana.  Trooper Henry Lugg, a patient in the hospital, heard Bob Hall's famous warning as he too rode by - "Here they come black as hell and as thick as grass!"

Stevenson's untried, faint-hearted N.N.C. company having witnessed the retreat of the Native Horse decided that enough was enough, and opted to quit the post.  Stevenson and his N.C.O.'s led the way.  Outraged by this defection a number of shots rang out after them, fired from the front of the post, one of them finding its mark in the back of Corporal W. Anderson.

From a position on top of the store's roof, Private Fred Hitch shouted he could see some four to six thousand Zulus advancing towards the post.  One wit, Private Augustus Morris, retorted from below,  "Is that all?"

Chard withdrew the infantry picquets and the Zulus came in sight.  Ranged against Chard's command of scare one hundred and fifty men, were over four thousand warriors drawn from the amabutho-regiments of the uThulwana, the iNdlondlo and the uDloko, all these men were in their forties and wore the isicoco of a married man.  The iNdluyengwe were an unmarried regiment, its ranks filled by men in their later twenties.  These regiments had formed the uNdi corps had been the Zulu reserve at Isandlwana, their only contribution to that battle had been to harry the fugitives on the trail leading to the Buffalo River.  The commander of the Zulu force was Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande, the half brother of King Cetshwayo.  Keen for his share of the glory, which would cover those who had fought so well at Isandlwana, Dabulamanzi heeded the cry "Let us go and have a fight at Jim's!" and contrary to the king's orders to act only in the defence within the borders of KwaZulu, he led his men across the Buffalo and into Natal.

The first Zulu assault was directed towards the rear of the hospital, a mass of warriors from the iNdluyengwe loped towards the building, Trooper Lugg of the Natal Mounted Police recounted, "I had the satisfaction of seeing the first man I fired at roll over at 350, and then my nerves were as steady as a rock..." he continued, "...There was some of the best shooting at 450 yards that I have ever seen."

Rorke's Drift, as the Zulu's would have first seen it

Looking up the incline to the Hospital, and the steep ledge

Private Hook at the other end of the hospital, stated how the Zulus were checked by the fire from the hospital and that from the storehouse, and forced to take cover less than fifty yards from the rear wall.  The warriors crept forward and took up positions behind the ovens and cookhouse.

Others swept wide of the hospital and launched an attack on the side of the hospital and the barricade to the front of the hospital.  Some Zulus took up position in the broken terraces and caves of the Oskarberg and began shooting down at the post, at this time their inaccurate fire proved more of a nuisance than a threat.  Hiding inside one of the caves was Chard's mixed-race wagon driver, who luckily survived to give testimony to accuracy of the defenders' return fire.

Inside the hospital, Private Thomas Cole, allegedly nerved by an attack of claustrophobia, fled from the room he had been detailed to defend with Hook.  He emerged from the veranda and moved towards the front wall which was under attack, however, his progress was stopped by a bullet in the head, the bullet continued in its trajectory and smashed the nose of Private James Bushe.  The Zulus appeared to be gaining the advantage at the barricade in front of the hospital, a timely bayonet charge led by Lt. Gonville Bromhead, put pay to this, causing the warriors to retreat.  Undaunted, again and again the Zulus pressed home their attack, countered each time by Bromhead and his bayonets.  Reinforced by the deployment of warriors of the other regiments, the Zulus rushed towards the side and front of the hospital barricade, compelling the defenders to abandon this position.  With great haste a line of boxes was thrown-up, a dogleg connecting the eastern end of the hospital to the front wall, from this position the defenders raked the warriors who endeavoured to force their way into the front of the hospital.  Chaplain Smith witnessed this, "...such a heavy fire was sent along the front of the hospital that, although scores of Zulus jumped over the mealie bags to get into the building, nearly every man perished in that fatal leap."

Colour Sergeant Bourne was moved by the courage of the Zulus, he later recounted, "To show their fearless and their contempt for the red-coats...they tried to leap the parapet, and at times seized our bayonets, only to be shot down.  Looking back, one cannot but admire their fanatical bravery."

On the rear wall the aim of the Zulu riflemen was improving, Corporal John Lyons was struck in the neck by a musket ball, (that very ball is on display at the Museum of the South Wales Borderers, Brecon.) thus wounded he encouraged his fellow corporal, William Allan, "Give it to them, Allan, I'm done; I'm dying." Allan replied,  "All right Jack."  Before a bullet too struck him in his right arm.  Lyons saw Chard and implored him for help, Chard and some others dragged him to safety, and to the care of Surgeon Reynolds.

A defensive line was being constructed linking the western end of the store to the northern barricade in front of the store.  James Dalton the architect of the defences fell severely wounded in the upper body.  Manning this secondary line of defence was Bromhead, Private Hitch and five others, but they exposed to rifle fire from both the front and back of the post.  Of this group only Bromhead remained unscathed, four of the men were killed, and Hitch and the other wounded.  The slug, which struck Hitch's right shoulder, shattered the shoulder blade into thirty-nine pieces.  Seeing Hitch's plight Bromhead, handed him his revolver in order to defend himself.

The bullet-swept yard between the two buildings was now untenable, and the hospital defenders were cut off from the newly formed line of defence.  Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess, a Swiss serving in the N.N.C., crept out along the abandoned front wall, and dropped down over the barricade, over the rocky ledge and killed three Zulus whose fire had been exacting a toll on the defenders.

Before night fell, some of the defenders could see a cloud of dust rising from the road that led to Helpmekaar.  A cheer went up from the defenders it could only mean one thing, a relief force from Helpmekaar.  It was in fact Spalding at the head of the two 1st/24th companies from Helpmekaar.  Some three miles distant from the mission-station, Spalding was confronted by a number of Zulus who deployed in an attempt to surround his two hundred or so men.  Spalding was convinced that the post at Rorke's Drift must have shared the fate of Isandlwana, and withdrew on Helpmekaar.

Then, there began in earnest a battle within a battle, the defence of the hospital, and what must be amplified at this time a defence conducted purely by private soldiers, not one of the hospital defenders was a non-commissioned officer, there was a sergeant present, Maxfield, but he was delirious with fever, and thus cannot be considered to have performed any active role in the defence.

The Zulus launched a concerted attack on the hospital, assaulting the western end room held by Privates John and Joseph Williams.  With them in this room were Private William Horrigan and two other patients.  With bullet and bayonet the two aided by Horrigan held the room, which had no means of exit save for door leading to the outside and to the Zulus.  John Williams seized a pick-axe and began knocking a hole in a partition wall, then the Zulus grabbed hold of Joseph Williams's rifle and manhandled him out of the room, spread-eagled him and assegaied him.  With the door undefended, the warriors poured into the room, killing the two hospital cases, just in time John Williams and Horrigan escaped through the breached wall.  The roof of the hospital was now ablaze, and a choking smoke filled the small confined room.  Pressed by the Zulus Hook left his room, leaving behind much to his chagrin the wounded N.N.C. private, Hook heard the Zulus questioning the private before putting him to death.

Hook found himself in a room containing nine sick men, until John Williams, who informed Hook of Joseph Williams's fate, Horrigan was dead, joined him also, he had stumbled in the wrong direction after exiting the escape hole and blundered into some Zulus in the smoke and confusion.  John Williams knocked a hole in the wall of this room, whilst Hook held off the Zulu challenge.  A flung assegai struck Hook's helmet, the blade grazing his head, so confined was the space that only one Zulu at a time could attempt to engage Hook, who met each attack in turn.  In the meantime, John Williams had succeeded in evacuating all but one of the sick, Private John Connolly, who was recovering from having dislocated his knee.  Hook left his post and dragging Connolly behind him escaped through the hole, dislocating his knee again in the bargain.

Others decided to take their chances outside, Privates John Waters and William Beckett hid for a short time in a wardrobe, before rushing outside.  Beckett was seen by a Zulu, who stabbed him in the stomach, inflicting a wound that would prove to be fatal, he staggered off and collapsed.

Waters was luckier, he had equipped himself with a black cloak, and covering himself with it hid in the long grass.  He changed position and moved to the cookhouse, only to find it occupied by Zulus.  Rather than risk detection should he move, he decided to remain where he was.

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