Battle of Intombe

Battle of Intombe
Part of the Anglo-Zulu War
Battle of the Intombe river (Illustrated London News)
Date 12 March 1879 Location Right bank of the Intombe river, Zululand, South Africa 27°13′57″S 30°36′41″E / 27.23250°S 30.61139°E / -27.23250; 30.61139 Result Zulu victory
Belligerents
British Empire	Zulu Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
David Moriarty † Anthony Booth	Mbilini waMswati Manyonyoba kaMaqondo Kubheka
Strength
104 troops[1]	500–800
Casualties and losses
62–80 killed[a]	30[3]

The Battle of Intombe (also Intombi or Intombi River Drift) was an action fought on 12 March 1879, between Zulu troops loyal to Mbilini waMswati and British soldiers and African civilian conductors, drivers and voorloopers (scouts) defending a convoy of wagons on the road from Derby to Lüneberg. The convoy straggled badly along the road due to the rains and bogged on both sides of the Intombe river, which had risen and was in spate due to the rains. Most of the wagons were laagered (parked close together as an obstacle), somewhat haphazardly, close to the river on the Derby side (the north bank) with a small party and two wagons on the Lüneberg side (the south bank).

The Zulu leader Mbilini waMswati and his followers could see how vulnerable the convoy was from the high ground of the Tafelberg. Mbilini assembled a large force of Zulu irregulars and attacked the laager on 12 March. Using the early morning mist for camouflage, the Zulu were able to rush the laager and overrun the British and their African auxiliaries. A few men managed to reach the river and dived in, hoping to be washed across to the south bank, where the small British party there engaged the Zulus on the north bank with rifle-fire. About twelve men from the north bank got across the river and joined the force on the south bank.

The officer commanding the party on the south bank mounted a horse and deserted his men, command devolving on sergeant Anthony Booth who formed square and retreated southwards, holding off Zulus who crossed the river to pursue them. When the officer reached safety he alerted the garrison which set out on every horse that they could find, with 150 infantry following on foot. Booth and his party were rescued and the carnage at the laager examined, the last of the Zulu being seen making their escape with about 250 cattle and much of the supplies from the wagons.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).