Battle For Islandwana Research Paper

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Introduction
During the late eighteen hundreds, Great Britain sought to colonize much of Africa for the crown. The forced British rule was not received well by all of the native African tribes and when faced with an ultimatum to surrender to the crown or fight, one tribe chose to fight. The South African Zulu Kingdom refused to comply with Britain’s orders and chose instead to fight for their right to self rule. Against the most advanced army of the time, thousands of Zulu warriors fought back with spears, shields, and a handful of rifles they were able to acquire from their enemy.

History
The 1867 discovery of diamonds in Cape Colony, South Africa, prompted a rapid colonization by the British. The British sought to create a South Africa Confederation and bring the African people and diamonds under British control. They imposed strict taxes on the South Africans and sought to create a “South African Confederation” in an effort to better …show more content…

When they got to Islandwana, Lord Chelmsford and his men stumbled upon a small group of Zulus. In a brash move, Chelmsford divided his troops and sent some of his men to pursue the Zulus. Chelmsford had misjudged the Zulu’s and thought that he was pursuing the main force. The small Zulu group led the British to the main Zulu force of 20,000 who were hiding nearby, waiting to attack.
Now that the Zulu force had accidentally been discovered, they went on the offense and attacked Chelmsford’s divided army. The remaining force that did not pursue the small Zulu group, failed to set up a defensive perimeter back at Islandwana. Because of this, the Zulu’s were able to surround the men with the “horns” of the formation and take Islandwana. Using the “Horns of the buffalo” attack, the Zulu surrounded Chelmsford’s army and exacted a devastating

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