Editing Anglo-Zulu War (section)

===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|''[[The Last Stand at Isandlwana]]'', painting by Charles Edwin Fripp (1854–1906)]]
[[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 about 80 miles inside Zulu territory.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Morris |title=Washing of the Spears}}</ref>

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> Meanwhile, No. 5 Column under the command of Col. [[Hugh Rowlands]] would camp at Luneville in the [[Transvaal (province)|Transvaal]], to guard against possible intervention either by the Pedi tribe under Sekhukhune–a known ally of Cetshwayo–or by the Boers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historynet.com/anglo-zulu-war-battle-of-hlobane/|title=Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Hlobane|date=12 June 2006}}</ref>{{sfn|Laband|2009|pp=103–106}}

While Cetshwayo's army numbered perhaps 35,000 men, it was essentially a militia force which could be called out in time of national danger.{{efn|{{harvnb|Knight|1996|p=11}} states "they were a part-time citizen army, and were armed primarily with traditional weapons".}} It had a very limited logistical capacity and could only stay in the field a few weeks before the troops would be obliged to return to their civilian duties.{{sfn|Knight|2005|p=8}} Zulu warriors were armed primarily with ''[[Assegai]]'' thrusting spears, known in Zulu as ''[[iklwa]]'', clubs, some throwing spears and shields made of cowhide.{{efn|{{harvnb|Archer|Ferris|Herwig|Travers|2008|p=462}} state "They had a national army of twenty-five thousand men equipped with cowhide shields, assegais and clubs.}}{{sfn|Lock|Quantrill|2002|p=62}}
[[File:Alphonse de Neuville - The defence of Rorke's Drift 1879 - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Rorke's Drift]] by [[Alphonse de Neuville]]. The British defense of the small hospital station was a morale boost for the British Empire.  |300x300px]]
The initial entry of all three columns was unopposed. On 22 January the centre column, which had advanced from Rorke's Drift, was encamped near [[Battle of Isandlwana|Isandlwana]]; on the morning of that day Lord Chelmsford split his forces and moved out to support a reconnoitering party, leaving the remaining 1,300 men of the No. 3 Column under the command of Colonel [[Henry Pulleine|Pulleine]]. Colonel Durnford would arrive later in the morning with 500 men of the No. 2 Column to reinforce the camp. The British were outmanoeuvred by the main Zulu army nearly 20,000 strong led by [[Ntshingwayo Khoza]]. Chelmsford was lured eastward with much of his centre column by a Zulu diversionary force while the main [[Impi]] attacked his camp. Chelmsford's decision not to set up the British camp defensively, contrary to established doctrine, and ignoring information that the Zulus were close at hand were decisions that the British were soon to regret. The ensuing [[Battle of Isandlwana]] was the greatest victory that the Zulu kingdom would enjoy during the war. The British centre column was wrecked and its camp annihilated with heavy casualties as well as the loss of all its supplies, ammunition and transport. The defeat left Chelmsford no choice but to hastily retreat out of Zululand. In the battle's aftermath, a party of some 4,000 Zulu reserves mounted an unauthorised raid on the nearby British Army border post of [[Rorke's Drift]] and were driven off after 10 hours of ferocious fighting on 23 January.
[[File:Guerriers zoulous.jpg|thumb|left|Zulu warriors, 1879 ([[Charles Edwin Fripp]])]]
While the British central column under Chelmsford's command was thus engaged, the right flank column on the coast, under Colonel [[Charles Pearson (British Army officer)|Charles Pearson]], crossed the Tugela River, skirmished with a Zulu impi that was attempting to set up an ambush at the [[Siege of Eshowe#Prelude: Inyezane|Inyezane River]], and advanced as far as the deserted missionary station of Eshowe, which he set about fortifying. On learning of the disaster at Isandlwana, Pearson made plans to withdraw back beyond the Tugela River. However, before he had decided whether or not to put these plans into effect, the Zulu army managed to cut off his supply lines, and the [[Siege of Eshowe]] had begun.

Meanwhile, the left flank column at Utrecht, under Colonel [[Evelyn Wood (British Army officer)|Evelyn Wood]], had originally been charged with occupying the Zulu tribes of north-west Zululand and preventing them from interfering with the British central column's advance on Ulundi. To this end Wood set up camp at Tinta's Kraal, just 10 miles south of [[Hlobane Mountain]], where a force of 4,000 Zulus had been spotted. He planned to attack them on 24 January, but on learning of the disaster at Isandlwana, he decided to withdraw back to the Kraal. Thus one month after the British invasion, only their left flank column remained militarily effective, and it was too weak to conduct a campaign alone. The first invasion of Zululand had been a failure.{{efn|{{harvnb|Laband|2009|p=5}} "The Anglo-Zulu War is described in terms of the 1st invasion and 2nd invasion."}}

[[File:Ntombe.jpg|thumb|upright|Battle of the Intombe river]]
It had never been Cetshwayo's intention to invade Natal, but to simply fight within the boundaries of the Zulu kingdom. Chelmsford used the next two months to regroup and build a fresh invading force with the initial intention of relieving Pearson at Eshowe. The British government rushed seven regiments of reinforcements to Natal, along with two artillery batteries.

On 12 March, an armed escort of stores marching to Luneberg, was defeated by about 500 Zulus at the [[Battle of Intombe]]; the British force suffered 80 killed{{efn|{{harvnb|Morris|1998|p=474}} gives 80 killed: 62 British soldiers, 3 European conductors and 15 native voorloopers.}} and all the stores were lost. The first troops arrived at Durban on 7 March. On the 29th a column under Lord Chelmsford consisting of a total of 5,670 men (3,390 Europeans and 2,280 Africans) marched to the relief of [[Eshowe]], with entrenched camps being formed each night.

Chelmsford ordered Sir Evelyn Wood's troops to attack the [[AbaQulusi (Zulu)|abaQulusi Zulu]] stronghold in Hlobane.{{sfn|Colenso|1880|p=}} Lieutenant Colonel [[Redvers Henry Buller|Redvers Buller]], led the [[Battle of Hlobane|attack on Hlobane]] on 28 March. However, as the Zulu main army of 20,000 men approached to help their besieged tribesmen, the British force began a retreat which turned into a rout and were pursued by 1,000 Zulus of the abaQulusi who inflicted some 225 casualties on the British force.

The next day 20,000 Zulu warriors{{efn|{{harvnb|Colenso|1880|p=353}} notes "The strength of the enemy was thought to be 20,000 of whom 1000 are supposed to have been killed.".}}  attacked Wood's 2,068 men in a well-fortified camp at Kambula, apparently without Cetshwayo's permission. The British held them off in the [[Battle of Kambula]] and after five hours of heavy attacks the Zulus withdrew with heavy losses but were pursued by British mounted troops, who killed many more fleeing and wounded warriors. British losses amounted to 83 (28 killed and 55 wounded), while the Zulus lost up to 2,000 killed.{{efn|{{harvnb|Raugh|2011|p=5}}, gives 800 Zulu casualties. {{harvnb|Knight|1995|p=142 }} says, '785 [bodies] were collected from close by the camp. Many more lay out on the line of retreat where the slaughter had been heaviest... Perhaps as many as 2,000 died'.}} The effect of the battle of Kambula on the Zulu army was severe. Their commander [[Mnyamana Buthelezi]] tried to get the regiments to return to Ulundi{{sfn|Morvan|2021|pp=261–262}} but many demoralised warriors simply went home.{{sfn|Knight|1995|p=142 }}

[[File:The burning of Ulundi.jpg|thumb|The burning of Ulundi]]

While Woods was thus engaged, Chelmsford's column was marching on Eshowe. On 2 April this force was attacked en route at [[Battle of Gingindlovu|Gingindlovu]], the Zulu being repulsed. Their losses were heavy, estimated at 1,200, but the British suffered only two dead and 52 wounded and the next day they relieved Pearson's men. They evacuated Eshowe on 5 April after which the Zulu forces burned it down.