Only
a week later, the Voortrekkers believed their prayers
were answered when along the banks of a river near
Dundee, known to the Zulu as 'Peaceful One' (‘Ncome’) -
a 12 000 - strong impi attacked the 460 Voortrekkers...
and experienced the first failure of their Shaka-devised
battle strategies.
The
determined ‘Wenkommando’ held their own, and traditional
weapons, ox-horn formation and unquestioning bravery
proved no match for the flintlocks, field artillery and
mounted marksmen of the Boer's own unique tactics. The
ensuing carnage remains known as 'The Battle of Blood
River'.
Victory and Vows
King Dingane
fled northwards, only to be assassinated in a forest on
the edge of Swaziland in the Ubombo mountains, by the
Nywayo tribe. The Voortrekkers built their Church of the
Vow three years later in a more secure Pietermaritzburg,
and religiously maintain their Day of the Vow. A replica
of the Voortrekker ‘Laager’ of 64 bronze cast wagons and
a stone memorial can be found at the site of the battle.
The
trekkers declared the Republiek of Natalia in 1838, but
the British refused to recognize their independence. The
new republic was short-lived and in 1843, Britain
annexed Natal and incorporated it into the Cape Colony.
This annexation served to further aggravate the Boers'
resentment towards the British.
Only
a week later, the Voortrekkers believed their prayers
were answered when along the banks of a river near
Dundee, known to the Zulu as 'Peaceful One' (‘Ncome’) -
a 12 000 - strong impi attacked the 460 Voortrekkers...
and experienced the first failure of their Shaka-devised
battle strategies.
The
determined ‘Wenkommando’ held their own, and traditional
weapons, ox-horn formation and unquestioning bravery
proved no match for the flintlocks, field artillery and
mounted marksmen of the Boer's own unique tactics. The
ensuing carnage remains known as 'The Battle of Blood
River'.
The
trekkers declared the Republiek of Natalia in 1838, but
the British refused to recognize their independence. The
new republic was short-lived and in 1843, Britain
annexed Natal and incorporated it into the Cape Colony.