fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 week agoHow did 140 British soldiers defy 4,000 Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift?
Immediately after their famous victory over the British at the Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879, as many as 4,000 Zulu warriors pushed on across the Zulu-Natal border. This Zulu army headed for Rorke's Drift, some 12 miles (19 km) away. Here was a mission station and 140 soldiers of the 24th Warwickshire Regiment and allied troops. A siege battle lasted 12 hours, but the defenders held on, all the more remarkable a feat since a good number of the men were invalids even before the battle started.