Today in Military History: March 29, 1879
It has been quite a while since I addressed the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 in my historical presentations. So, for today I will discuss the fight at Kambula, which demonstrated the foolishness of assaulting troops who not only occupied high ground, but were well-fortified with artillery support.
Background
In December 1878, following the death of several British citizens at the hands of the Zulus, authorities in the South African province of Natal issued an ultimatum to the Zulu king Cetshwayo, demanding that the perpetrators be turned over for trial, and that the Zulu army be disband. These requests were refused and the British began preparations to cross the Tugela River and invade Zululand. [The British government in London did not want another colonial war on their hands; this conflict was abetted entirely by British South African authorities.] On January 11, led by Lord Chelmsford, British forces advanced in three columns with one moving along the coast, another from the north and west, and the Center Column advancing through Rourke's Drift towards Cetshwayo's base at Ulundi.
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