ZULU WAR.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3192, 13 May 1879, Page 1

ZULU WAR.

The following is an extraot from the evidence- Of Ga^tiin iEwefc jjifen before tlie: !tQpnk ,pr $^mrj into! lihe iisarter -of Is and lan a, and is taken from the despatch by Lord Chelmsford, published in the Timesi—'""« T-'!:i' ' -? ,-'<■-r•■■'■■■ -.r-i-;.-'-.

".At'abotftl2 o'cloelc, hearing firing on ttie bill where the company cf the Ist Bittalwn of the 24th Begiment was stitiotied; I proceeded in that direction. Ob ray way I passed a company of the Ist BMtaliori W W 2*eh Beg Went, under command of; Captain Mostyn, who re« quested me, being mounted, to direct Lieutenant Caraye to take special care nqt to endanger the right of his company, and to inform that officer that he himself was moving up tothe left. „X also noticed a body of Lieutenant-Colonel Durnford's mounted, satires retiring down the. hill, but 4|d not see the enemy. Oni arriring atjthe" flu; side^tne crest of the hill, I found the company in charge of Lieutenant C|kfayei a ieetipn being detached about 500 yards to the left; in charge of Lieutefaani'Bjfsbn^ The whole were in extended order, engaging the enemy, who wits moving in < similar formation towards oiir left; keeping at about 800 yards from our line.

:/'-G^pM|ltt <'M6Btjii utiioTed''his company into the space 1 between the portions of tbjat already on the hill, and his men then extended and entered into,action. This line was then prolonged on our right atf>ng, the crest, of the bill by a body of native infantry. , I observed that the enemy made little progress as regards his advance, but r appeared to be moving at a ra^pid pace towards oar left. The right extremity of the enemy's line was very thin, but increased in depth towards and beyond our right as far is I could see, a lill interfering with an extended view. A>out five minutes after the arrival of Captain Motsyn's company, I was informed by liieutenant Melville, Adjutant Ist Battalion of the 24th Hegiment, that a Fresh body of the enemy was appearing inj force in our rear, and he requested me toj direct the left .of the line formed, at above-, described^ -ito, '',- fall b4c^'|raeping; jupi'j Mel /firi»i- ''". t ,Miii;' I did; then proceeded towards the centre of trfe- lines- -I.found, however, that it had already retired. I therefore followed in tbe same direction, but being mounted hid great difficulty in descending the hill tKe groand being very rocky and precipitous, On arriving at the foot of the sliope I found the two companies of the Ist Battalion of the,24th Begiment drawn up about .400 yards distant in extended order, (and Captain Younghusband's com* pany in a similar formation in Asckelm pa the. left. , TLe'enemy was descending the bill, having .rushed forward as soon as our nien disappeared below tt»e crest, and beyond (?) the right of the line with which Iwaa f present had even arrived near the fiofWtfie tiill;; T%^emy>fl& haoV hitherto been very wild and ineffective; nbw^hbwißv^r, rl'ieW. casualties began to occur in our line. The'ebmpanies of tlie lpt Bittalion of the 24th Regiment first' engaged were now becoming'short of ammunition, and at the request of the officer in charge, J:Went'to 1 procure a fresh rsupplyWitb! the'assistance Of the Quarternjaster of jtl^e $A Battalion r; Jof Regiment .;aDd"«oimeT.:men!.^lf/.tlie'' Iloyal ; thad! some boxes placed on a niule cart and sent off to the companies engaged, and sent more by hand, employ,ing apy; men without arms;; I then went b ick to theK line, a telling t the: men, that plenty of ammunition was coming. I fyund that the; companies ;:of the Ist [Battalion of the 24th Eegiment before a luded to bad retired fo within 300 yards f that portion of the camp occupied by .'tlie Native Contingent. On my way I noticed a dumber of native' infantry retreating in haste towards the camp, their go ffcefs encleavoring So prevent them, but r.fl ithout effect; On looking round to that rpjortion of the field to our right and rear, |]j sawf'thit'the enemy was surrounding us. Jlj rode up to Lieutenant-Colonel Durn■''■fbra'jfw'h.'b wai neilT^lieright^nd pointed ! tjiis out to him. °ile requested me to take ( ,meltt'to' ißat ijarlj of, the field and endeavor "to hQldith ie; i enemy,.^n i Icheck; , but while he #as speaking'those men of the Native ■X ontingent >who .had : remained iu r action, f>riishe^ u p^a,tj^Jn.'it^s\i^mqst! : 4i>prder > 'thus laying open the rigbtand rear of the companies of the Ist Battalion of the 24th Regiment on the left, and, the enemy, dashing forward in the moat rapid manner^ ■poured in at this part of the line. In a moment all was disbrder.apdfewbf the men of the Ist Battalion of'the\24thi Begiment thad time to fix bayonets before the enemy thiemr tf«»ng their assegais 'with fearful effect.^ I heard officers call* ing to their men to be steady ; but the -retreat became in a few, seconds general, , «kai|i » direction towards the road to r 3dr)ie'a'--i|)rift.'----"'3efore,- however, we r gaitee|f | ttfe^ne^nea^ tlie Isandlaiia hill, the enemy had Arrived on that portion of [th«-field'lalap, pnd thelarge circle he had inpw formed closed in on us. The only space; which appeared opened was down a ? 4*epig^ll]r;runni!ag to jth? "south of the^ ,rbad, into^ihich^we plunged,in great coni i -Hsio^: m i{Ttie"'en^ '^d^Tce^r'"iip st/with? '■ ins x ai-"first -'on' bothi !^anks, r then on our right only, firing occasionjally, but chiefly makingf tftei of the .assegais. It was now about 130 p.m.; jiboat this period ""two guns, with "Which j-fßereJ Majj<^ Smith-and'Lieu-tenant Curling,'B.A :", were returlning'with "gTeafco^ffiottlty?bwinfe* to' the nature of pthe'f^t^aad^^d ;ai feW !jecdnd9;iilate. Further'ptt the .ground passed over on our retreat would at any other, time r b|B| looked upon as impracticable for horses to descend, and many losses occurred owing to horses falling and the enemy coming up with the riders. About half a mile from the neclc ; the retreat had to be carried on in nearly single file, and in thisjmanner the Buffalo river was gained at a point about fire 'miie^bej|^|^|te'^nft.' l:;lii:;cro ■this river" many men and horses were

carried away by thestteam'and lost their j lives. After crossing -the fire of the enemy ,wa» diseqn,tinued; r pursuit, however, was ' still Kept up, but' with little effect, and apparently with the view of cutting us off from Rorke's Drift. The number of white men who crossed the river at this point was, as far as I could see, about 40. In addition to these there were a great number of natives on foot and on horseback. White men, about 25 or SO, arrived at Helpmakaar between 5 and 6 p.m.., when, with the assistance of other men joined i there, a laager was formed with waggons round the atores. I estimate the strength of the enemy to have been about 15,000.