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3rd Column’s Activities 13 –19th January 1879?
Paul Lamberth


Joined: 03 Sep 2005
Posts: 37
Location: Rorke's Drift KZN South Africa
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Can anyone tell me exactly what the rest of the 3rd column’s activities were between the days 12th and 20th January 1879 on the banks of the Mzinyathi River? Besides what is already known in the form of road detail (Dunbar & Hamilton-Browne and recon ( Russell)etc
Are there any formal records?
Was the construction of “Fort Melvill” possibly proactive? (I can understand that the name would have been ‘reactive’)
Chelmsford had clearly put the whole country (Natal) on alert prior 11 Jan. It appears that this was not the case in terms of the column, why?
Fort Pine was completed prior 11/1 could that have meant that there were other forts planned?.
If so, would that have included the “Mission” at Rorke’s and Helpmekaar?
Why did the CO’s not adhere (or did they) to Chelmsford’s ‘Regulations for Field Forces in South Africa, 1878’ (although it appears there were concerns)
Am I correct in stating that the other columns did adhere to ‘Regulations’

Thanks Paul.
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Julian whybra


Joined: 03 Sep 2005
Posts: 437
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I suggest you read a good reference work on the period 13-20th Jany.
Basically, preparations for the invasion and moving into Isandhlwana were carried out.
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Martin Everett


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 786
Location: Brecon
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Paul,

My understanding is that after the action in defence of RD the mission was fortified and called Fort Bromhead. There are illustrations of this in the small museum at RD. After a number of deaths through disease this fort was abandoned in favour of a position overlooking the river near the drift - called Fort Melvill. Construction on the latter was probably started in March/April 1879.

Certainly if you go by the illustrations that Lt WW Lloyd 1/24th produced of Helpmekaar there were reasonable attempts at fortifying the storage depot located there. Round about 20 January 1879. This suggests, but there is no tangible evidence, that some postive attempts to fortify RD were made well before the news of the loss of Isandhlwana were received at the mission station on 22 January. I do not think it was a total 'rush job' on 22 January as most pundits would suggest.

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Martin Everett
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Mike McCabe
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Try to get a copy of the (colured, paperback) Laband and Thompsom field guide. Fort Melvill became the obvious site to fortify, being the natural promontery overlooking the site of the original pont and cask ferries used on 11 January; the pont staying in place until (probably) March/April 1879, possibly later.

The river profile and sub surfce rocks limited the choice of centreline for the pont and the rather constricted site (with its left and right turn onto the ferry deck being slightly awkward for carts etc), used on 11 January had to be a compromise. In the event most draught animals appear to have been able to ford across on 11 January, and the ferries were mostly used to keep the infantry dryshod.

Fort Melvill was temporarily re-activated just before and during the early part of the 1880-81'Transvaal Rebellion', and photographs survive showing a detachment of the 58th, and some of 2nd Coy RE, behind bagged walls.

RD post was not only cramped and insanitary, by mid/late February there was no real tactical reason to hold it and Fort Bromhead (very rapidly improvised) was actually comparatively vulnerable and contributed nothing to the security of the pont crossing, some half a mile away, mostly out of site, and beyond rifle range.

What would be interesting is if you could trace the surviving military burial records still held by SAHRA BSU to deduce (by name) the distribution of military burials between Helpmekaar, the walled RD military cemetery, and what must be other burial sites in the RD area. The obelisk at RD clearly had an 'information cut off' date after which no names were recorded on it. However, as we know from other recorded information (helpfully published I think by Dr Greaves in one of his books) there were further deaths and burials extending into April. I have the dates of the RE ones somewhere in my boxes, though not confirmation of their burial locations.
MC McC
3rd Column’s Activities 13 –19th January 1879?
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