Galekas attacked the old allies of the British, the Fingoes, and a
party of mounted police at Guadana, but were repulsed. Troops were
immediately sent to the scene of hostilities, Kreli's country was
invaded and his kraal burnt, and a stiff fight was made at Umzintzani
before crossing the Krei. The Connaught Rangers then proceeded to
the front, with 50 mounted men of the 24th, and the bandsmen of that
regiment as gunners with a 7-pounder gun and Naval Brigades from the
"Active" and "Florence." The Galekas, who had joined forces with the
Gaikas under Sandilli, were badly beaten at Nynnuxa, but rallied in
the Chickaba Valley, where the British column attacked them on January
14th, 1878, and drove them off with considerable loss in men and
cattle. On February 25th General Thesiger (later Lord Chelmsford) took
over the command from Sir Arthur Cunningham, and Sandilli's force was
defeated in the Amotala Mountains by the column under Colonel (now
Field-Marshal Sir Evelyn) Wood. In succeeding skirmishes Sandilli was
killed; then the Galeka chief, Kreli, surrendered, and an amnesty was
proclaimed on June 28th, 1878, for all who had taken part in the war
except the sons of Sandilli.
=The Griqua Campaign.=--Meanwhile an outbreak in Griqualand West had to
be suppressed, and this was done by the colonial troops, without the
assistance of the regulars, but not until several sharp engagements
between the Griquas and the Colonials had been fought between June 11th
and July 20th, 1878, when an amnesty was declared and the war was at an
end.
=The Basuto War.=--Following closely on the suppression of the rising
in Griqualand came the Basuto War, occasioned by the refusal of Morosi
and his son Dodo, chief of the Baphutis, to pay the hut tax. Morosi had
fortified an almost inaccessible mountain near the Orange River, and
thither, after a skirmish with the Cape Mounted Rifles, he gathered
his people, and for nine months defied the forces and artillery ranged
against him in his mountain fastness, which with only one accessible
side he had, with considerable skill, fortified and loopholed for
musketry fire. After many futile attempts to storm the place Morosi was
killed, and what was considered to be an impregnable mountain fortress
was taken, and the fortifications blown up. Then it was decided to
disarm the natives, and some hard fighting took place against the rebel
chief Letherodi, and the rising was not stamped out until the Imperial
and Colonial forces in the field totalled 15,000 men. In April 1878
an amnesty was proclaimed, and although the Basutos had been badly
defeated they gained practically all they asked for prior to the rising.
THE ZULU WAR
Then a war was entered upon which was to alternately bring disaster and
as frequently demonstrate the stern inflexibility of the white man.
Zululand, to the north-east of Natal, produced the finest and bravest
black warriors against whom Britain has fought. Chaka on becoming
chief in 1810 organised the tribe on a martial basis, and to his
determined and ruthless efforts to establish a military despotism the
splendid fighting qualities of the Zulu were due. Our story commences
with the recognition of Cetewayo as King of the Zulus by the British
Government in 1872. His father Panda had reverted to the peaceful
pastoral pursuits of the tribe, but Cetewayo determined to again
organise his countrymen as a military nation, and with such success did
he do this that he felt himself in a position to defy white authority.
The seizure of two women on British territory, claimed as the runaway
wives of a chief, and the refusal of Cetewayo to make reparation for
the incursion into British territory, led to the invasion of Zululand
on January 11th, 1879. It was decided to invade the country by three
columns. The first, or southern column, under Colonel Pearson of the
Buffs, was composed of the 2nd Batt. Buffs; six companies of the 99th;
100 Mounted Infantry; 19th Hussars; Royal Artillery with 4 guns; 170
Seamen and Marines from H.M.S. "Active," with a Gatling gun and Rocket
Battery; Mounted Colonial Volunteers, and about 1,000 natives. The
second, or central column, under Colonel Glyn of the 24th, comprised
seven companies of the 1st Batt. and the 2nd Batt. 24th Regiment;
Royal Artillery with 2 7-pounders; Natal Mounted Police; Mounted
Colonial Volunteers, and 1,000 natives. The third, or northern column,
under Colonel Evelyn Wood, consisted of the 1st Batt. 13th; the 90th
Regiment; Royal Artillery with 4 7-pounders; 100 Mounted Infantry;
200 Frontier Light Horse; 100 local Volunteers; a body of Boers under
Commandant Piet Uys, and 5,000 Swazies.
[Illustration: MEDAL FOR ASHANTI, 1900.]
[Illustration: MEDAL FOR TIBET, 1903-4.]
[Illustration: (Obverse.) (Reverse.)
MEDAL AWARDED FOR NATAL NATIVE REBELLION.]
On January 22nd a body of about 6,000 Zulus were defeated at Inyezane
by Colonel Pearson's force, which then marched on to Ekowe (Etschowe),
where a depot was formed without opposition, but on the same day the
central column, which had crossed the river at Rorke's Drift, where a
detachment of the 24th was left, met with overwhelming disaster at the
isolated hill of Isandhlwana. Lord Chelmsford, with Colonel Glyn, had
marched out leaving one company of the 2nd 24th, and five companies
of the 1st 24th, with 70 artillerymen and 2 guns, mounted police,
volunteers, and native friendlies, to defend the unfortified camp, and
while he was reconnoitring in the south-west the Zulu impi of 14,000
attacked the camp at Isandhlwana, where the men, standing back to back,
faced the fearful odds until almost every white man had fallen where
he stood. A Zulu chief afterwards said, "They turned back to back and
fought till they died. Not one tried to escape."
In this desperate struggle Lieutenants Coghill and Melville made
a gallant attempt to save the colours of the 24th, and with their
precious charge essayed to swim the Buffalo, but Melville's horse
being killed Coghill returned to assist him, and his horse being also
shot the colours fell into the river, from which they were rescued ten
days later. The brave officers were found dead side by side. For this
gallant effort the Victoria Cross was posthumously conferred upon the
two officers. Around the fatal hill of Isandhlwana 50 British officers,
and over 800 non-commissioned officers and men, met their death; the
five entire companies of the 1st 24th were annihilated, and 90 men of
the 2nd Battalion killed.
=Rorke's Drift.=--Meanwhile on that fatal day the little force which
had been left under Lieutenant Bromhead at Rorke's Drift to guard 35
sick men and the stores, had performed prodigies of valour. About 80
men kept at bay 3,000 Zulus from 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the 22nd
until 4 a.m. on the 23rd. Again and again the Zulus tried to rush the
hastily improvised fort; they set fire to a building which had been
converted into a hospital, and forced the devoted band into the inner
defences. Half a dozen times they rushed the meagre entrenchments,
but were forced back, until at last on the morning of the 23rd they
retired, leaving 370 dead around that well-kept post. The gallant men
who defied that army lost 17 killed and 2 wounded, 5 of the sick men
being burnt to death despite the strenuous efforts of their comrades to
rescue them.
=Eight Victoria Crosses.=--In this glorious defence, in which every man
was a hero, eight Victoria Crosses were earned: Lieutenant G. Bromhead
of the 24th, Lieutenant J. M. R. Chard, R.E., for their brilliant
defence; Corporal W. Allen, Privates F. Hitch, Hy. Hook, John Williams,
and W. and R. Jones, for their gallant defence of the hospital, and
holding it against the enemy while the patients were removed. Corporal
Allen and Private Hitch were wounded, but when no longer able to fight
served out ammunition to their comrades through that terrible night.
Towards the end of March Lord Chelmsford proceeded to the relief of
Ekowe, at the same time instructing Colonel Evelyn Wood to advance
on the Zlobani, or Inholbani, mountain, a precipitous and deeply
wooded stronghold which he determined to attack. Dividing his force
into two columns under Colonel Russell and Colonel (later General Sir
Redvers) Buller, he attacked the place on the early morning of March
28th. Buller gained the summit without much opposition, but Russell
discovered that an immense impi of Zulus was attempting to cut off the
former's retreat, which unfortunately became a rout, as the struggling
mass of men were compelled to face the assegais of the Zulus with
little opportunity of retaliating. Buller, who was one of the last to
leave the "Devil's Pass," won the V.C. for saving the lives of two
officers and a trooper during the retreat, which would have had more
disastrous results but for Russell's perception and assistance.
Next day the entrenched camp at Kambula was attacked by a force
of 25,000 Zulus, but after four hours' fighting, in which assegai
frequently clashed with British bayonet, they made off with Colonels
Buller and Russell in hot pursuit, and the humiliation of the previous
day was avenged, over 3,000 Zulus being killed. Meanwhile, Lord
Chelmsford, with 3,000 soldiers and sailors, and 2,500 friendlies,
was attacked on his way to Ekowe by a Zulu impi under Dabulamanzi,
the half-brother of Cetewayo, at Ginghilova; but after one and a half
hour's fighting, during which the Zulus rushed right up to the muzzles
of the British rifles, they were driven off with the loss of about
1,000 men. Two days later Ekowe was relieved, and the post abandoned.
By this time considerable reinforcements had arrived from England,
among the officers being the Prince Imperial of France, who on June
1st, while reconnoitring with Lieutenant Carey of the 98th Regiment and
6 troopers, was killed by a party of Zulus. On July 3rd, Buller, with
500 cavalrymen, was attacked after crossing the White Umvolosi River by
nearly 5,000 Zulus, and in this affair Lord William Beresford of the
9th Lancers gained the V.C. for the rescue of a dismounted trooper, and
Lieutenant Lysons and Private E. Fowler of the 2nd Cameronians also
gained the coveted distinction for their bravery.
=Ulundi.=--Next day the battle of Ulundi was fought, and despite the
repeated charges of the Zulu army of over 15,000 men, the British
square remained unbroken, until the enemy gave way after forty minutes'
desperate endeavour, and then the 17th Lancers under Colonel Drury Lowe
cut them up as they fled. The capture of the King's kraal at Ulundi
practically ended the war, although for over a fortnight he eluded
the vigilance of his pursuers. On August 28th he was captured, and on
September 1st, 1879, the Zulu chiefs accepted the conditions laid down
by the British Government. During this campaign 76 officers and 1,007
men were killed; 37 officers and 206 men wounded; 17 officers and 330
men died of disease, while 1,286 were invalided home.
=Basuto War, 1878-9.=--Sekukuni, who had allied himself with Cetewayo
and defied the Colonial Government, stating that the country was his,
and he was ready for war, caused trouble by raiding a friendly chief;
an expedition was therefore organised to proceed against him, but
owing to the need for the concentration of British troops in Zululand,
operations were suspended. When, however, Cetewayo had been captured,
Sir Garnet Wolseley, who had succeeded Lord Chelmsford in the command,
proceeded to attack the strongholds of Sekukuni on November 28th, 1879,
and the "Fighting Koppie" was taken after a desperate struggle, during
which the chief escaped, but was captured a few days later and taken
prisoner to Pretoria. Thus came to an end a succession of wars during
the severe trials of which the finest attributes of the British soldier
were repeatedly called forth.
The troops engaged from 1877-9 were, in 1877-8-9: 24th, 88th, 90th,
94th; 1878-9: 13th, 80th, 83rd; 1879: 2nd Batt. 3rd; 4th, 21st, 57th,
58th; 3rd Batt. 60th; 3rd Batt. 91st, 97th, 99th; and Naval Brigades.
=The Zulu Medal.=--For these campaigns a medal similar to that awarded
for the Kaffir wars was given to the participants, the only difference
being the substitution of a Zulu shield and assegais for the date
in the exergue of the reverse. The ribbon is the same. The bars are
similar to those given with the I.G.S. 1854 medal, and do not record
specific actions, but periods of service. Those serving for three years
received the bar inscribed 1877-8-9; two years, 1877-8 or 1878-9; or
for one year, 1879. A single bar only was issued with each medal.
AFGHANISTAN, 1878-80
The British had by military and monetary assistance helped Shere Ali on
to the throne of Afghanistan in 1869, and, naturally, took umbrage at
the overtures made to Russia--the refusal to accept a British Resident
at Cabul, the honoured reception of a Russian envoy, and finally the
signing of a treaty which placed the Ameer of Afghanistan under the
guardianship of Russia. A mission was consequently sent to Cabul,
but it was stopped at Ali Musjid, at the entrance to the Khyber Pass,
by threats of attack if it dared to proceed any farther. Sir Nevill
Chamberlain, therefore, thought it prudent to return to Peshawar, and
on November 21st, 1878, war was declared. Afghanistan was then invaded,
and the Ameer declared a Jehad, or holy war, against the British.
=Ali Musjid.=--The same day the fort of Ali Musjid, armed with 22 guns,
was attacked, and the enemy abandoned it after some smart fighting. The
column under General Sir S. Browne then pushed on to Jellalabad, having
lost in the attack 2 officers and 35 men killed.
The troops engaged at Ali Musjid, on November 21st, 1878, were the
17th, 51st; 4th Batt. 60th; 81st; four Batteries of Artillery; 10th
Hussars, and the following native regiments: 1st Sikhs; 4th Goorkas;
6th, 14th, 20th, 27th, and 45th Bengal Infantry; Bengal Sappers and
Miners and 11th Bengal Lancers.
=Peiwar Kotal.=--Major-General (later Field-Marshal Lord) Frederick
Roberts, V.C., with the Kurram Field Force, crossed the Thall the
same day as General Browne had captured Ali Musjid, and advancing up
the Kurram Valley garrisoned Fort Azim, and then proceeded to attack
Peiwar Kotal; but finding it too strong to assault in front, General
Roberts decided upon a daring march of 10 miles in order to turn the
Afghan position, and this he carried out in a masterly and successful
manner while the heavy snowstorms made the intense cold less endurable.
The attack was successfully delivered, the Afghan defence turned, and
then Brigadier-General Cobbe hammered away at the enemy's front with
his artillery while Roberts advanced against the main body; and after
a contest which fiercely raged for seven hours, the Afghans made off,
leaving their tents standing and the whole of their baggage; 6 field
and 11 mountain guns were captured, and so distressed was Shere Ali
with the defeat that he fled to Balkh, where he died while awaiting
permission to make an asylum in Russia. The British losses were: 2
officers killed, and General Cobbe wounded; 90 European and Indian
soldiers killed or wounded. In this battle Major J. Cook, of the Bengal
Staff Corps, gained the Victoria Cross by charging the enemy and
rescuing Major Galbraith, who was attacked by an Afghan. During the
operations at Cabul this gallant officer was killed.
The troops engaged were the 8th and 72nd, a squadron 10th Hussars,
and the following native regiments: 2nd and 5th Punjab Infantry; 5th
Goorkas; 23rd and 29th Bengal Infantry, and 12th Bengal Cavalry.
=Charasia.=--On the death of Shere Ali, his son Yakoub Khan, who had
been imprisoned by his father, ascended the throne, and, recognising
the futility of the contest, agreed by the treaty of Gandamak to vest
the control of his country in the Indian Government, to allow a British
Resident at Cabul, and to accept a subsidy of six lakhs of rupees while
the Khyber Pass was to be controlled by us, and the Kurram, Pishi, and
Sibi Passes were to be attached to the Indian Empire. On June 17th,
1879, Sir Louis Cavagnari set out with his secretary, Mr. Jenkins, and
Dr. Kelly, and an escort of 25 cavalry and 50 infantry of the Guides
under Lieutenant Hamilton. Cabul was reached on July 24th, and on the
night of September 2nd the Residency was attacked, and after a gallant
defence Sir Louis and his officers and almost all the escort were
murdered. This outrage necessitated prompt action, and General Roberts
hurried up from Simla. Pushing past Peiwar Kotal, the Shaturgardan Pass
was occupied before the enemy could reach it. At Kushi the Ameer rode
into camp and said that he had been dethroned by his rebellious troops.
No one believed him. Pressing as rapidly as possible on to Cabul, Sir
Frederick Roberts found that the Afghan army occupied a very strong
position at Charasia. On October 6th he stormed the place, and after a
determined defence the Afghans fled towards Cabul in great confusion,
leaving behind them 20 guns and 2 standards. Next day the British army
marched on Cabul, and entered with the band of the 67th playing at
its head; by October 8th General Roberts was occupying the fortified
cantonments of Sherpur, in which he found 73 guns. The British losses
were 20 killed and 70 wounded.
[Illustration: Edwardian Variety.
Medal for Abor.
INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDALS, 1908.]
[Illustration: (Reverse.) (Obverse.)
SILVER MEDAL FOR SUDAN, 1910.]
The regiments engaged were the 67th, 72nd, and 92nd; one battery Royal
Horse Artillery; one battery Royal Field Artillery; two Mountain
Batteries, and 9th Lancers. Native regiments: 5th Goorkas; 5th Punjab
Infantry; 5th Punjab Cavalry; 12th Bengal Cavalry; 14th Bengal Lancers;
Bengal Sappers and Miners.
=Cabul.=--Once inside the city the army was practically shut in,
for the whole country was hostile to the British. Colonel Sir Hugh
Gough, V.C., relieved the Shaturgardan garrison, and the lines of
communication were directed to Gandamak and the Khyber. Throughout
December General Roberts was kept busy with continual fighting; during
this time, in an engagement with the Kohistanee on December 11th, the
9th Lancers suffered severely, and for rescuing some of the unfortunate
troopers who had fallen into a deep ditch the Rev. J. W. Adams was
awarded the V.C. Standing up to his waist in water, and under a heavy
fire, he stuck to his task until the Afghans were within a stone's
throw of him. On this unfortunate day three guns had to be spiked
and abandoned. After this affair the Afghans made direct for Cabul,
but were checked on their advance on Sherpur by the steady conduct
of the 72nd Highlanders. On the 14th the Asmai heights were occupied
by the enemy, but after a determined fight they were driven off;
almost immediately, however, a force of over 15,000 Afghans, led by
Moollahs shouting "Allah Ya Allah!" dashed with reckless impetuosity
upon the place, and, despite the utmost gallantry on the part of the
British troops, a portion of the position and a couple of guns had to
be abandoned. Then the increasing number of the enemy compelled the
concentration of the army within the cantonments of Sherpur, which
were fortified to resist siege, and by the intuition of Sir Frederick
Roberts had been well provisioned to sustain the defenders.
At 6 o'clock on the morning of December 23rd, 1879, just before the day
broke, 30,000 Afghans flung themselves at the British defences, and
maintained the assault until 1 o'clock, then realising that further
efforts were fruitless, and suffering from heavy losses, they began to
retire, when the cavalry sallied forth and put them to rout. In this
defence 2 officers and 8 men were killed, and 5 officers--including
Colonel Gough--and 41 men wounded. It is estimated that the Afghans had
3,000 men placed _hors de combat_. During the night the enemy melted
away, and when General Gough arrived with reinforcements not an Afghan
was to be seen. Cabul was then reoccupied.
The regiments engaged were the 9th, 67th; 72nd Seaforth Highlanders;
92nd Gordon Highlanders; 9th Lancers. Native regiments: 2nd, 4th,
and 5th Goorkas; 5th Punjab Infantry; 23rd and 28th Bengal Infantry;
12th Bengal Cavalry, and 14th Bengal Lancers; 5th Punjab Cavalry; two
batteries Punjab Artillery, and Bengal Sappers and Miners.
=Ahmed Khel.=--General Sir Donald Stewart set out from Kandahar in
April 1880 to occupy Ghuznee, and to open up communication with General
Roberts at Cabul. On April 19th he met the enemy, 15,000 strong, at
Ahmed Khel, 23 miles south of Ghuznee. There a mad charge of 4,000
Ghazis threatened to exterminate Stewart's little force, but standing
firm they withstood the shock of the fanatics, who as they rushed at
the rallying squares of Britisher, Sikh, Punjabis, and Bengalese, were
mowed down by their steady fire. In this conflict, lasting only one
hour, 1,000 Ghazis were killed, but of the British force only 17 were
killed, and 6 officers with 120 men wounded. Marching on to Ghuznee,
they reached the city on the 20th. Sir Donald Stewart then assumed
command at Cabul, and Abdul Rahman was recognised as Ameer.
The regiments engaged at Ahmed Khel were 59th; 2nd 60th Rifles, and a
battery of artillery; native regiments; 2nd Sikhs; 15th, 19th, and 25th
Bengal Infantry; 19th Bengal Lancers, and 1st Punjab Cavalry.
=March to "Kandahar."=--When Abdul Rahman, who had been living in
Russian Turkestan, returned to Cabul, and his authority appeared to be
established, the British army was ordered back to India. They were,
however, delayed by the determination of Ayoub Khan, a younger brother
of the deposed Ameer, to make a bid for the Ameership, and he set out
with the object of seizing Candahar, which had been left in the command
of General Primrose with a garrison of about 3,000 men, including the
7th Fusiliers, the 66th, and a number of native troops. To check the
advance of the Afghans, about 2,000 men were sent out with 6 guns under
General Burrowes as far as the Helmund, but encountering an enormous
army at Maiwand he assumed the defensive in a bad position, and the
Ghazis drove the British troops from the field with the loss of the
colours of the 66th and 2 guns. Thirteen hundred of the British force
lay dead on the field. The remnants of that unfortunate army got back
to Candahar after suffering great privations, and General Primrose
concentrated his troops in the citadel, where they were hemmed in by
the enemy, and from August 11th to the 31st waited for relief.
General Sir Frederick Roberts then offered to march on Candahar, and
with 10,000 men and 8,000 camp followers set out on August 8th to
march over 300 miles through a mountainous and hostile country. His
army consisted of the 2nd 60th Rifles; 72nd and 92nd Highlanders; 9th
Lancers; three Batteries of Artillery; 2nd, 4th, and 5th Goorkas; 2nd
and 3rd Sikh Infantry; 15th Sikhs; 24th and 25th Punjab Infantry;
23rd Pioneers; 3rd Bengal and 3rd Punjab Cavalry, and Central India
Horse, formed into three brigades under Brigadiers Baker, Macgregor,
and Macpherson. Ghuznee was reached on August 15th; on the 23rd
Kelat-i-Ghilzie was relieved, and after a rest the force marched on
to Candahar, and by August 27th was in communication with General
Primrose. In face of the relieving force Ayoub Khan withdrew to the
hills, and General Roberts entered Candahar on the 31st.