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PaulThomas92 (talk | contribs) Result is clunky and is nonsensical. Nobody says in WW2 that the Axis "won the initial invasions" but were then defeated. |
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| caption = From left to right clockwise: The [[Battle of Isandlwana]], The charge of the [[17th Lancers]] at [[Battle of Ulundi|Ulundi]], The British defence of [[Rorke's Drift]], and the British defense of [[Battle of Kambula|Kambula]]
| date = 11 January – 4 July 1879<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=01|day1=11|year1=1879|month2=07|day2=04|year2=1879}})
| place = [[Zulu Kingdom]], present day [[South Africa]]
| territory = Partition of the Zulu Kingdom
| result =
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|UKGBI}} [[British Empire]]
*{{flagicon image|Flag of the Natal Colony 1875-1910.svg|23px}} [[Natal Colony]]
| combatant2 = [[Zulu Kingdom]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon|UKGBI}} [[Benjamin Disraeli]]<br />{{flagicon|UKGBI}} [[Henry Bartle Frere]]<br />{{flagicon|UKGBI}} [[Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford|Lord Chelmsford]]<br />{{flagicon|UKGBI}} [[Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley|Garnet Wolseley]]<br />
| commander2 = [[Cetshwayo kaMpande]]<br />[[Ntshingwayo Khoza]]<br />[[Dabulamanzi kaMpande]]<br />
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{{Campaignbox Scramble for Africa}}
The '''Anglo-Zulu War''' was fought in 1879 between the [[British Empire]] and the [[Zulu Kingdom]]. The most famous battle of the War was the Defense of Rorke's Drift.
Following the passing of the [[Constitution Act, 1867|British North America Act of 1867]] forming a federation in Canada, [[Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon|Lord Carnarvon]] thought that a similar political effort, coupled with military campaigns, might lead to a ruling white minority over a black majority, which would provide a large pool of cheap labour for the British sugar plantations and mines, encompassing the African Kingdoms, tribal areas and [[Boer republics]] into [[South Africa]]. In 1874, Sir [[Henry Bartle Frere|Bartle Frere]] was sent to South Africa as [[High Commissioner]] for the British Empire to effect such plans. Among the obstacles were the armed independent states of the [[South African Republic]] and the Kingdom of [[Zulu Kingdom|Zululand]].<ref>Knight (1992, 2002), p. 8.</ref> Frere, on his own initiative, sent a provocative [[Anglo-Zulu War#Terms|ultimatum]] on 11 December 1878 to the Zulu king [[Cetshwayo]] and upon its rejection sent [[Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford|Lord Chelmsford]] to invade Zululand.{{sfn|Spiers|2006|p=41}}{{sfn|Colenso|1880|pp=261–262}}{{sfn|Morris|1998|pp= 291–292}}{{efn|{{harvnb|Knight|2003|p=9}} states "By late 1878 Frere had manipulated a diplomatic crisis with the Zulus..."{{harvnb|Knight|2003|p=11}} notes "... an ultimatum with which, Frere knew, they could not possibly comply".}} The war had several particularly bloody battles, including an opening victory of the Zulu at the [[Battle of Isandlwana]], followed by the defence of [[Rorke's Drift]] by a small British Garrison from an attack by a large Zulu force. The British eventually won the war, ending Zulu dominance of the region. The Zulu Kingdom was then made a protectorate and later annexed by the [[British Empire]] in 1887.
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==First invasion==
{{Main|Action at Sihayo's Kraal|Battle of Inyezane|Battle of Isandlwana|Battle of Rorke's Drift|Siege of Eshowe|Battle of Intombe|Battle of Hlobane|Battle of Kambula|Battle of Gingindlovu}}
[[File:Isandhlwana.jpg|thumbnail|upright=1.35|
[[File:Military Map of Zulu Land.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|British Army military map of Zulu Land, 1879]]
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The pretext for the war had its origins in border disputes between the Zulu leader, [[Cetshwayo]], and the [[Boers]] in the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]] region. Following a commission inquiry on the border dispute which reported in favour of the Zulu nation in July 1878, Sir [[Henry Bartle Frere]], acting on his own, added an ultimatum to the commission meeting, much to the surprise of the Zulu representatives who then relayed it to Cetshwayo. Cetshwayo had not responded by the end of the year, so an extension was granted by Bartle Frere until 11 January 1879. Cetshwayo returned no answer to the demands{{efn|{{harvnb|Colenso|1880|pp=261–262}} says "the terms...are evidently such as he (Cetshwayo) may not improbably refuse, even at the risk of war...to preclude you from incurring the delay...involved in consulting Her Majesty's Government upon a subject of so much importance as the terms..."}}{{sfn|Knight|2003|p=11}} of Bartle Frere, and in January 1879 a British force under Lieutenant General [[Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford]] invaded Zululand, without authorization by the British Government.{{sfn|Spiers|2006|p=41}}{{sfn|Knight|2003|p=9}} The exact date of the invasion was 11 January 1879. Chelmsford crossed the [[Buffalo River (KwaZulu-Natal)|Buffalo River]] at [[Rorke's Drift]], an old Irish trader's post that had become a mission station, in command of 4,700 men of the No. 3 Column, which included 1,900 White troops and 2,400 African auxiliaries.{{snf|Meredith|2007|p=92}}
Lord Chelmsford, the [[Commander-in-Chief]] of British forces during the war, initially planned a five-pronged invasion of Zululand composed of over 16,500 troops in five columns and designed to encircle the Zulu army and force it to fight as he was concerned that the Zulus would avoid battle. The Zulu capital, Ulundi, was
In the event, Chelmsford settled on three invading columns with the main centre column, now consisting of some 7,800 men comprising [[Richard Thomas Glyn]]'s No. 3 Column and [[Anthony Durnford]]'s No. 2 Column,{{efn|{{harvnb|Colenso|1880|pp=263–264}} gives 7,800: 1,752 Imperial and Colonial troops and 6,054 Native Contingent and 377 Conductors and Drivers for the Number 2 Column under Durnford and the Number 3 Column under Glyn which made up Chelmsford's Main Column. The strength of the entire invasion force is given as a total of 16,506 for the five columns: 6,669 Imperial and Colonial troops; 9,035 troops in the Native Contingent; 802 Drivers, etc.}} under his direct command. He moved his troops from [[Pietermaritzburg]] to a forward camp at Helpmekaar, past [[Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal|Greytown]]. On 9 January 1879 they moved to [[Rorke's Drift]], and early on 11 January commenced crossing the [[Buffalo River (KwaZulu-Natal)|Buffalo River]] into [[Zulu Kingdom|Zululand]].{{sfn|Giliomee|Mbenga|2007}} Three columns were to invade Zululand, from the Lower Drift of the [[Tugela River]] (No. 1 Column under [[Charles Pearson (British Army officer)|Col. Charles Pearson]]), [[Rorke's Drift]] (No. 3 Column under Lord Chelmsford), and [[Utrecht, South Africa|Utrecht]] (No. 4 Column under [[Evelyn Wood (British Army officer)|Col. Evelyn Wood]]) respectively, their objective being [[Ulundi]], the royal capital. Durnford's No. 2 Column was ordered to stay on the defensive near the Middle Drift of the Tugela River.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2015/07/24/the-battle-of-isandlwana-zulu-wars-with-the-british/|title = The Battle of Isandlwana: Zulu Wars with the British|date = 24 July 2015}}</ref>
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