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DateOriginal Topic
3rd December 2002Zulu Impi withdrawal at Rorkes Drift
By Clive Dickens
Could someone please clear a matter up for me. I am at present reading Adrian Greaves book" Rorkes Drift " and in it he states that at sunrise the Zulu Impi drank at the Buffalo river and then continued their withdrawal and it was then that they first saw Lord Chelmsford's coloumn on it's way to the drift. BUT I have always understood that they in fact saw Lord Chelmsford's column from thier positions on the high ground this one makes more sense to me as a soldier of 20 years plus I cannot see them withdrawing unless they had something to frighten them off so to speak and I cannot believe they would see much from the river level and having been there reecently myself by what I could see myself bears this out .so could someone who has studied this much longer than myself put me right
Clive
DateReplies
3rd December 2002Julian Whybra
I agree with you. Chelmsford's men saw the returning impi just after crossing the Manzimnyama.
3rd December 2002Lee Stevenson
Presuming that is that the Zulu "impi" retired in one group, and at the same time
3rd December 2002John Young
Clive,

I've just re-read the passage you refer to. You're right, from the position that Dr. Greaves places the Zulu force, you can see little or nothing - the view is obscured.

On Lee's point, I don't think the Zulu force which had attacked Rorke's Drift retreated en masse. I believe there were desertions from the force which started in the very early hours of 23rd January, 1879.

They were frankly disheartened by the losses they had sustained in their attack. Together with the fact they were disobeying King Cetshwayo kaMpande's orders by being in Natal and attacking a fortified position would not have boded well for some, who may have feared what retribution might be visited upon them.

John Young,
A.-Z.W.R.S.