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The Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 - Zungeni Mountain Skirmish

Index

Zungeni Mountain Skirmish's background

What makes Zungeni Mountain Skirmish such a great example?

Zungeni Mountain Skirmish's background

On 5 June 1879, British irregular cavalry discovered around 300 Zulus near Zungeni Mountain, charged and scattered them, and burned the nearby settlement before withdrawing under fire. A second, larger British force, including regular cavalry, then approached the Zulu position but could not close with them in the thick bush, and withdrew after a British officer was killed and the Zulus threatened to outflank them. It was a minor engagement compared to the war's major battles, but it caused Lord Chelmsford's advance on Ulundi to pause before resuming a month later.

What makes Zungeni Mountain Skirmish such a great example?

Frederic Thesiger and the Skirmish at Zungeni

As a small, inconclusive engagement rather than a battle with a clear victor, Zungeni is a good test of whether a chart can register a moment of hesitation and caution in a commander's campaign, rather than only its dramatic highs and lows.

The chart shown is the birth of Frederic Thesiger, set at midday, with transits for the skirmish at Zungeni on 5 June 1879 set at midday.