Anthony Durnford - Anglo-Zulu War

Anglo-Zulu War

He was one of the most experienced officers of the Anglo-Zulu War --"commanding presence, untiring energy and undoubted powers of leadership", he was also apt to be headstrong, and was threatened with loss of command by Lord Chelmsford. Assigned to lead the No. 2 Column of Chelmsford's invasion army, Durnford commanded a mixed force of African troops including the Natal Native Horse and a detachment of the 1st Regiment Natal Native Contingent.

On 20 January Durnford's force was ordered to Rorke's Drift to support Chelmsford's column. On the morning of 22 January Durnford's troops marched to Isandlwana, arriving at mid-morning. A Royal Engineer, Durnford was superior in rank to Brevet Lt-Col Henry Pulleine, who had been left in control of the camp. Durnford was killed during the battle, and was later criticised for taking men out of the camp thus weakening its defence. His policy though, was in effect to ride to the sound of the guns, "and attack the Zulu wherever they appeared", and was well respected by his native Basutos. It must be added, however, that the actions of Durnford and his command effectively halted the left horn of the Zulu army until their cartridge boxes began to run dry. This was no small accomplishment considering the Left Horn included the inGobamakhosi regiment, "The Benders of the Kings". Their ammunition supply expended, Durnford and his troopers fought their way back to the "saddle" that separated the wagon park from the rest of the camp. In one last valiant effort, Durnford perished with a handful of his troopers as the horns of the Zulu army engulfed the camp.

Among the causes of the disaster were the ill-defined relationship between Durnford and Pulleine, brought about by failures of Lord Chelmsford's command and control, a lack of good intelligence on the size and location of Zulu forces which resulted in Chelmsford splitting his force and, most decidedly, Chelmsford's decision not to fortify the camp (which was in direct violation of his own standing pre-campaign orders).