"I see you are senior, so you will be in charge, although, of course, nothing will happen and I shall be back again this evening early."

Introduction

Rorkes Drift started life as a home for the settler James Rorke, after he acquired some 300 acres of farm land in 1849, he built his house (The Hospital) and then the storehouse sometime later when he started to trade with the Zulus across the border. The name was to come about soon after he had spent time working on the drift, cutting away the banks, and as more traders and Zulus used it the name Rorke's Drift was born.

Rorke was to die in 1875 and the farm was to pass to the Swedish Missionary Otto Witt, who turned the storehouse into a chapel.

The mission station was commandeered by the central column, the chapel once again becoming a store and Otto Witts house an improvised hospital. The columns camp prior to the invasion being based all around the post. With the central column moving across the Buffalo on the 11th, and continuing upon onto Isandlwana on the 20th the post settled down to an otherwise uneventful routine, at least up to the 22nd.

B company of the 2nd/24th Regt commanded by Lt. Gonville Bromhead was detailed to watch over the drift and the post. The men would at times blame their misfortune on getting such thankless tasks on Lt. Bromhead's partial deafness, but their task to date had been an easy one as yet no effort had been made to fortify the post, as several companies of the 2nd/4th Kings Own Royals were moving up to relieve the two companies of the 1st/24th at nearby Helpmakaar and then B Company at the drift, all three companies of the 24th would then move up to join the central column, leaving the hard work of building the fort to the Royals.

Forces Engaged

BRITISH: Commander Lt. Chard R. E.
Unit	Officers	NCOs/Men	Sick
Staff	-	1	-
Royal Artillery	-	1	3
Royal Engineers	1	1	-
3rd Buffs	-	1	-
1-24th Regt	-	6	5
2-24th Regt B Company	1	81	17
90th Light Infantry	-	-	1
Commissariat/Transport Dept.	3	1	-
Army Medical Dept.	1	3	-
Chaplain	1	-	-
Natal Mounted Police	-	-	3
Natal Native Contingent	1	-	6
Ferryman	-	1	-
TOTAL= 139	8	96	35

The 17 sick of B Company were able to assist in the defence as they were only casual sick.

ZULU

Induna Dabulamanzi (King's half-brother)

Senior uThulwana Ibutho 45 year olds, married, 1500 strong. Some companies were missing being involved in the chest attack on Isandlwana Camp.

Udloko Ibutho 40 years olds married, 2000 strong.

inDlu-yengwe Ibutho 33 year olds, unmarried, 1000 strong. This regt. had skirmished with fugitives from Isandlwana along the Buffaio losing some warriors.

TOTAL 34,000 warriors

Zulu Impi

The attack on Rorke's Drift was not a prepared attack. The Regts. involved were the reserve of the Impi that attacked lsandlwana, their task was to block the retreat of any British forces trying to cross the Buffalo River. Encouraged by the warriors of the Regts, who felt left out of the fighting and wanted to wash their spears too Dabulamanzi decided to attack Rorke's Drift which was known to be garrisoned by British troops but due to their numbers should give an easy victory.

Casualties

British: 17 killed, 12 wounded. (Two men were to die later of their wounds, incl. in above total).

Zulu: Around 500. Chard counted 300, but many more were to die later of their wounds. As was usual, few wounded were found as their comrades would carry them to safety away from the battlefield.

More Rorke's Drift

Introduction
Eyewitness Accounts
Battle Profile
Rorke's Drift Map, Large (slow: 98K)
Rorke's Drift Map, Jumbo (very slow: 240K)
Colour Diorama Photo, Large (slow: 153K)

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