Anglo-Zulu War of 1879: campaigning with the 57th Regiment

Hello everyone! I hope your week has been going well. Today I have an unusual item to show. Some of you may know that I enjoy collecting coins of colonial Africa. Well, today’s piece is not a coin but a military medal – a British South Africa campaign medal, awarded to all soldiers who participated in conflicts there from 1877 to 1879.

UNITED KINGDOM
Time of Victoria, 1837-1901
AR South Africa Campaign Medal (36.0mm, 31.21g, 12h)
Awarded to Sergeant John Morton, 57th Regiment of Foot
For Service in the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War
Obverse: VICTORIA REGINA, crowned bust of Queen Victoria left
Reverse: SOUTH AFRICA above lion crouched in front of protea bush; Zulu ox-hide shield and crossed assegais in exergue
On edge: 357 · SERGT J · MORTON. 57th FOOT ·

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Originally, these medals came with a clasp, naming the years of service of the recipient, and a ribbon. Mine is missing both – which doubtless made it more affordable for me – but which necessitated a bit more detective work.
On the edge of each medal, the recipient’s number, rank, name, and regiment are engraved. Mine reads:

“357 · SERGT J · MORTON. 57th FOOT ·”

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Just who was Sergeant J. Morton of the 57th Regiment of Foot? Exactly when and where did he serve, and what battles may he have been in?
I did some extensive digging in the online UK National Archives. I found that his first name was John (likely enough) and that he joined the British Army on February 28, 1874, and was discharged on February 27th, 1886, after a standard 12-year term of service.

Discharge document, name of Sgt. John Morton highlighted.​

The official Medal Roll for the South Africa Campaign medal gives additional information. Here, I was assisted by a very generous member of the 1879 Zulu War Forum who provided information and a scan of the medal roll’s column headings. From this I learned that Sergeant John Morton was awarded the medal specifically for his service in the 1879 Zulu War (as opposed to the other South Africa campaigns of 1877-9.)

Entry from official Medal Roll for the South Africa Campaign Medal.
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Originally, Sergeant Morton’s medal would have included an 1879 clasp and ribbon like this:

1879 medal with clasp & ribbon.
Source: https://www.noonans.co.uk/archive/lot-archive/results/310347/?keywords=zulu+medal+57th&x=0&y=0]
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The Zulu War is one of the most famous in British colonial history. From the terrible disaster at Isandlwana, to the heroic defense of Rorke’s Drift, to the final defeat of the Zulu King Cetshwayo at Ulundi, few other colonial wars provided such intense highs and lows, with such a sense of the exotic. But before we get into Sergeant Morton’s role in the war, let’s take a brief look at his regiment: the 57th Foot, later known as the West Middlesex.

- THE 57th REGIMENT OF FOOT -​

Badge or colors of the regiment.
Source: By Historical records of the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot - https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hnzw13;view=1up;seq=1, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55025069​

In his book Queen Victoria’s Little Wars, historian Byron Farwell wrote:

“The most distinguishing feature of the British army has always been its regimental system. Unlike regiments in other armies, a British regiment is not a unit of a relatively fixed size. It can be as small as a weak battalion or as large as twenty-five or more battalions or, as is the case with the Royal Regiment of Artillery, include an entire arm of the army.”

Regiments were very close communities, extremely conscious of their past history, glories, and failures, fiercely loyal to their own. Farwell goes on:

“…each regiment…is much like a separate army, with its own distinctive uniforms, customs, unique characteristics, and sometimes even its own marching pace. It does its own recruiting and selects its own officers. It is also like a clan or tribe; or like an enlarged family, a tightly knit family, with its own quarrels, perhaps, but ever united against attack from the outside, be the outsiders the War Office, another regiment or enemies of the monarch….Real families identify themselves with particular regiments, sons following fathers as officers into the same regiment for generations.” (p. 354)

ORIGIN AND PARTICIPATION IN THE AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE​

The 57th Regiment was no exception when it came to these observations. It was formed, along with nine other regiments, in 1755 in response to growing French incursions in North America and the East Indies. After a brief stint on the Mediterranean island of Minorca, the regiment was transferred to Ireland. Later, beginning in 1776, the 57th was heavily engaged in the American colonies during the Revolutionary War, fighting in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, South Carolina (taking part in the siege of Charleston), and Virginia.

NAPOLEONIC WARS - ALBUHERA​

It was during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically the Peninsular War, that the men of the 57th acquired their nickname “the Die Hards”. At the bloody battle of Albuhera in 1811, the regiment’s colonel, William Inglis, though badly wounded, continued to urge his men on, shouting “Die hard the 57th, die hard!”

General Sir William Inglis.
Source: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3195277]
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The desperate nature of the fighting is vividly captured in H. H. Woollright’s account in his Regimental history:

“Colonel Inglis…was severely wounded by a grape shot…but, refusing all offers to carry him to the rear, he remained where he had fallen, in front of the colours of his regiment, urging the men to keep up a steady fire and die hard.
“Most nobly did all ranks respond to his exhortations. Though their comrades fell with horrible wounds on every side; though their leaders were down, and all hope of success seemed gone; undaunted they maintained the fight; closing in on their torn and broken colours as they bit their cartridges and plied their ramrods, grimly determined to die hard; and the line of the 57th, though torn and decimated by the murderous fire directed on it, remained firm and unflinching on the crest of the hill, where, on the following day, were to be seen their dead ‘lying as they had fought in ranks, and with every wound in front.’” (pp. 165-166)

Of the 600 officers and soldiers that had gone into the battle, only about 160 emerged fit for duty.

INDIA AND THE CRIMEA​

After Napoleon’s defeat, the 57th spent many years in India before being dispatched to the Crimea in 1854, where it again distinguished itself: two “Die-Hards” received the newly created Victoria Cross for bravery there.

BACK TO INDIA AND NEW ZEALAND​

In 1858, The 57th returned to India right on the tail-end of the Indian Mutiny; two years later the regiment embarked for New Zealand and spent the next 7 years fighting the fierce Maori tribesmen.

CEYLON​

After returning home to England and Ireland for a time, the 57th was once more sent off to the edges of the Empire, this time to the island of Ceylon, modern-day Sri Lanka. It was there on Ceylon, in 1874, that John Morton joined the regiment.
On January 11, 1879, British forces across the Indian Ocean in Africa crossed the Thukela River into Zululand. On February 11, 1879, news about the disaster of Isandlwana reached Ceylon. And the next day, an emergency telegram from London was received ordering the 57th regiment to embark to Natal, South Africa, to reinforce the British army.

- THE ZULU WAR -​

The reasons the British went to war with the Zulu Kingdom in 1879 boil down to power politics. The discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa in the mid-late 1800s had made the region a site of intense interest and activity. There were three main players in the area: the Boer republics (Orange Free State and the Transvaal), the British colonies (including the Cape Colony and Natal), and the powerful Zulu kingdom to the north.

Detailed map of region.
Source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21669/map-of-the-zulu-kingdom-and-british-imperial-expan/]​

The Boers were traditionally bitter enemies of the Zulu, and didn’t think much better of the British; the Zulus were on amicable terms with the British, and the British wanted to bring the whole region under one unified government, under their own administration. By doing so, the British hoped not only to maximize the efficiency of the gold and diamond mining operations, but also to ensure their own control over the resource-rich region.
In 1877 the British annexed the Transvaal, and in 1878 on a rather thin pretext issued an ultimatum to the Zulu king Cetshwayo demanding, among other things, the complete disbandment of the Zulu army. This was utterly impossible; the entire structure of Zulu society was based on martial service, and even if Cetshwayo had been inclined to accede to this demand it would simply not have been possible to carry it out. The British knew this, of course, and began making preparations to launch their invasion as soon as the deadline for the ultimatum had passed.

Lord Chelmsford and King Cetshwayo.
Sources: By Samuel Robert Lock / George C. Whitfield / Adam Cuerden - RijksmuseumPublished in Men of Mark: Contemporary Portraits of Distinguished Men" by Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington of Fleet Street, London, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=177524950] and [By Carl Rudolph Sohn - The Royal Collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39070217
​

Too big for one post! Continued...

 

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INVASION​

On January 11, 1879, a British army of about 16,500 troops, divided into five columns, invaded Zululand under the leadership of General Lord Chelmsford. Contact with the enemy was initially slight and the British, full of confidence in their own military superiority, continued to advance as quickly as their woefully inadequate supply chain would allow.

DISASTER AT ISANDLWANA​

This confidence, however, was soon to be shattered completely at Isandlwana, when on January 22 a force of about 20,000 Zulus suddenly attacked No. 2 Column under Colonel Anthony Durnford. Caught unawares, the British soldiers put up a stiff defense, but they were ultimately overwhelmed and massacred. Over 1,300 men were killed, including Durnford; only a handful survived the disaster and escaped.

Last stand at Isandlwana by Charles Edwin Fripp.
Source: By Charles Edwin Fripp - Transferred from fr.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Barbe-Noire using CommonsHelper. Original uploader was Georgio, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4866576]​

The shock this defeat caused among the British is almost impossible to overstate. The fact that an entire British column had not only been beaten, but completely annihilated, by an army of “savages” was unthinkable. And worse, the defeat had left the colony of Natal wide open for Zulu invasion and pillaging.

DEFENCE OF RORKE’S DRIFT​

The victorious Zulus, meanwhile, had gone on from Isandlwana to attack a small mission station near Rorke’s Drift, a natural crossing-place over the Buffalo River, a few miles away. The station housed a supply depot and hospital and was garrisoned by about 150 British (mostly of the 24th regiment) and native soldiers. With only a few hours’ warning, the soldiers, under lieutenants John Chard and Gonville Bromhead, feverishly began to construct makeshift walls and defences using wagons, bags of grain called mealies, and boxes of biscuits from the supply. At about 4pm, the first of the Zulus appeared, then more and more until an estimated 4,000 Zulu warriors surrounded the tiny British garrison.

Battle of Rorke’s Drift by Alphonse de Neuville.
Source: By Alphonse de Neuville - 5AFi-BKNCeU_VA at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21997608]​

The Battle of Rorke’s Drift, fought from about 4pm on January 22nd to 4am the following day – almost a full 12 hours of desperate fighting – became the stuff of hallowed legend. With incredible energy and bravery, the Zulu warriors charged the barricades again and again, each time nearly overwhelming the defenders. The British soldiers fired until their rifle barrels became too hot to touch. All around the perimeter there was savage hand-to-hand fighting, bayonet against assegai. Eventually the British were forced to fall back to a second, and then a third, line of defence. The Zulus broke into the hospital which subsequently caught fire; trapped inside, the British soldiers fought room by room, some holding off the enemy while others gouged holes in the far walls to escape through; by these means they managed to rescue many of the sick patients who were still in the hospital. Outside, the attacks continued long into the night, illuminated by the light of the burning hospital in what must have been an almost unimaginably nightmarish ordeal.

Battle of Rorke's Drift by Lady Butler.
Source: By Elizabeth Thompson - Royal Collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92154728​

But somehow, the British managed to hold their own, and by dawn on the 23rd the Zulus had broken off the attack and retired. As Ian Knight tells us in his book Nothing Remains But To Fight: The Defence Of Rorke’s Drift, 1879:

“For the defenders of Rorke’s Drift, the first cold, grey light of dawn, just after 5.20 on the 23rd, brought a sight of utter devastation. A heavy pall of smoke hung over the post, carrying with it the acrid smell of roasted flesh. Hundreds of Zulu dead were sprawled around the post, piled up, in places where the attack had been fiercest, almost to the top of the barricade…Shields, spears, and firearms littered the field, and the yard was carpeted with spilt grain from the mealie-bags, cartridge cases…battered helmets…The men of the garrison must have been an awful sight; blackened by grime, battered, bloody.” (p.108)

Seventeen British soldiers had been killed, and most were wounded. They had used up nearly all of their ammunition: 20,000 rounds were expended during the battle, a staggering average of about 130 per soldier. The Zulu casualties were far worse; the official number of 351 dead is far too low, and easily could have been double that, besides those wounded.
The heroic defence of Rorke’s Drift was instantly immortalized by a British public still reeling from the blow of Isandlwana. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders, the most VCs ever awarded for a single battle. Rorke’s Drift quickly became a symbol of British discipline, devotion to duty, and courage under the most desperate conditions.

PREPARATIONS FOR A SECOND INVASION​

Ultimately, the Zulus did not follow up on their victory at Isandlwana by invading Natal. Cetshwayo had given his generals explicit instructions not to cross the border into British territory; he hoped that by showing restraint in this way he would demonstrate to the British his peaceful intentions and perhaps gain some diplomatic leverage. Unfortunately for him, after the humiliating defeat at Isandlwana, British prestige demanded vengeance – and almost immediately preparations began to be made for a second invasion.
The first and most vital need was for reinforcements, not just for launching a second invasion but also for defence of the colony against possible Zulu attack. The British home government, which was initially skeptical and unsupportive of the war, now almost deluged Lord Chelmsford with additional forces: seven new regiments and two artillery batteries, making a total force of some 25,000 troops. Among the very first of the new arrivals was the 57th Regiment of Foot, which boarded ship and departed from Ceylon on the afternoon of February 19 under the command of Colonel Charles Mansfield Clarke. John Morton, assuming he had risen to the rank by this time, would have been one of the 36 sergeants on board with the regiment.

Colonel Charles Mansfield Clarke.
Source: https://www.1879zuluwar.com/t3498-lieutenant-colonel-charles-mansfield-clarke-57th-regiment]

THE 57th ARRIVES IN SOUTH AFRICA​

Four weeks later the 57th arrived in Durban, Natal. To the 808 men on board, it probably didn’t feel much different than Ceylon: just another hot, humid, tropical colonial port city. Lord Chelmsford was in Durban at the time and was impressed with the troop’s professional appearance on inspection. On March 17th, six days after their arrival, the 57th regiment moved out of Durban into the wilderness and war.

THE SIEGE OF ESHOWE​

The first order of business was to relieve the No. 1 Column, which had effectively been under siege ever since Isandlwana two months previous. This column, commanded by Colonel Charles Knight Pearson, had marched deep into Zululand, reaching the abandoned mission station of Eshowe some twenty miles from the Thukela River on January 23rd. The next day, word reached Colonel Pearson of the British defeat at Isandlwana. Realizing that this meant he and his men were essentially stranded, as the Zulus were now free to move rapidly to surround them and cut off their lines of supply and communication, Pearson began to fortify the station and prepare for a siege.
Despite their precarious situation, No. 1 Column had three distinct advantages: one, there was a large cache of supplies available at the mission; two, the Zulus had learned from Rorke’s Drift the very high cost of direct attacks on fortified positions; and three, they had with them Captain Warren R. C. Wynne of the Royal Engineers. Wynne immediately began the task of making the mission more defendable, constructing walls, ditches, and ever improving the existing buildings against attack. Wynne quite literally worked himself almost to death in turning the abandoned mission station into a small fortress, but his efforts paid off: though the scouts and pickets were constantly harassed, the fort itself was never threatened by a direct Zulu attack during their two-month-long stay. Instead, sickness, disease, and privation took their toll, accounting for nearly all of the 28 deaths that occurred during siege.

THE 57th ADVANCES WITH THE RELIEF COLUMN​

Meanwhile, as the 1,800 men of No. 1 Column waited at Eshowe, the 57th regiment, along with the 60th, the 91st, and men from other units, all under the command of Lord Chelmsford, slowly slogged their way to their relief. It was the rainy season, and the primitive roads were quickly reduced to quagmires of mud from the passage of the 120 supply wagons, nearly two thousand oxen, and some 5,500 soldiers.

Relief column on the move.
Source: https://www.1879zuluwar.com/viewima...com/albums/tt38/freeforum1879/capture1-27.jpg]​

Men of the 57th entrenching a laager.
Source: By From The Graphic, copyright expired., PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1654863​

By April 1st they had reached Gingindlovu, a small village about a dozen miles southeast of Eshowe. Here, for the first time, the British scouts ahead of the main column began to encounter significant bodies of enemy. That night, they could see the distant fires of the Zulu forces camped to the north. At 6 o’clock the next morning, April 2nd, the Zulus advanced to the attack.

BATTLE OF GINGINDLOVU​

The Battle of Gingindlovu was the first major battle since Isandlwana, and one can well imagine Lord Chelmsford’s feelings as he and his men prepared to fight. For more than two months, the dark spectre of Isandlwana had haunted not only Lord Chelmsford but the British soldiers in general. Now, finally, the opportunity had come to put that ghost to rest and prove to themselves that they had what it took to defeat the Zulus in a fair fight on open ground.
Chelmsford formed his men into a square laager, or wagon enclosure, with the 60th regiment facing the northeast side, the 91st on the southwest, and men of the 3rd and 99th regiments on the northwest. The southeast side of the enclosure was covered by the men of the 57th regiment, among them Sergeant John Morton.
The Zulus attacked in their usual three-pronged formation, with two wings or “horns” circling around the flanks while the main body advanced against the center. The British were soon surrounded by an estimated 11,000 warriors, who advanced under cover of the tall grass that came up in some places within a hundred yards of the laager.

Battle of Gingindlovu.
Source: https://www.britishbattles.com/zulu-war/battle-of-gingindlovu/

FIRST ATTACK: THE 60th REGIMENT​

The first attack came on the northeast side of the laager defended by the 60th regiment. Unlike the seasoned 57th, the men of the 60th were new, inexperienced, and very skittish, and though they kept up a tremendous volume of fire their aim was poor and their officers had difficulty in imposing order and discipline to their volleys. Still, they managed to blunt the first Zulu rush and their continued fire kept the Zulus pinned down.

SECOND ATTACK: THE 3rd and 99th​

Meanwhile, a second attack had been launched on the northwest side, defended by units from the 3rd and 99th regiments. The Zulus pressed the attack fiercely, apparently led by Prince Dabulamanzi, who had been the Zulu commander at Rorke’s Drift. However, despite the Zulu’s bravery and determination, this attack also eventually began to falter in the face of concerted British rifle fire. This seeming success caused the British to nearly make a serious mistake: seeing the Zulu attack stalled, Lord Chelmsford ordered a squadron of mounted infantry to leave the laager and clear the area of the fleeing Zulus. What looked like the beginnings of a rout to the British, however, was only a temporary pull back. As soon as the mounted men left the laager, the Zulus surged back, nearly surrounding them and forcing the British to fight their way back to the laager and safety. One man had his horse shot under him just as it leaped over the barrier back into the square.

THIRD ATTACK: THE 57th​

It was about at this point that the Zulu left horn swung in to engage the southeast side defended by the 57th, which until this time had not taken much part in the battle. Here, the layout of the ground and some ruined huts and buildings gave the Zulus good cover to within about 200 yards of the British line. Despite this advantage, and the characteristic ferocity of their attack, they proved to be no match for the tough, battle-hardened men of the 57th. H. H. Woollright records the account of the battle as reported in the British newspaper The Standard:

“Sweeping round to our right, the enemy then made a determined effort to force their way in on that side, but were met and checked by a tremendous fire from the 57th and 91st. Nothing could be finer than the manner in which these masses of natives, with their white shields, their head-dresses of leopard-skin and feathers, and the white ox-tails hanging from their necks, advanced against our entrenchments….Notwithstanding the tremendous musketry fire that they encountered, they advanced in the most gallant manner right up to our entrenchments, and it looked at one time as if, in spite of the hail of fire from our breechloaders, they would force their way to the entrenchments and bring the matter to a hand-to-hand fight. After again and again charging up to within twenty of thirty yards of the muzzles of our Martini-Henrys, these heroic savages gave up the game at last, leaving the front of our defences piled with dead and wounded.” (p. 349)

Throughout this intense attack we can imagine Sergeant John Morton filling his role in the chaos of battle, moving among his men, giving them encouragement, shouting orders, and perhaps directing their fire along with the other sergeants and officers. The men’s superb discipline and training shone brightly that day. One eyewitness reported that their volleys were “as clear as if they were at Aldershot [the British Army training camp.] If every regiment had possessed such seasoned men as those, we could have walked to Ekowe and back without having to burrow in the ground like ant-bears.” So well did the men of the 57th comport themselves that after the battle they were specially commended by Lord Chelmsford himself:

“At the end of the action, Lord Chelmsford came to Colonel Clarke, and said that he would especially mention the 57th, for their coolness and the manner in which they had controlled their fire. The average number of rounds fired per man in the regiment was only five, although they had repelled as fierce an attack as any made during the day.” (Woollright, p. 350)

The losses for the 57th were 4 men wounded, three of them severely, including a Captain Hinxman. The Zulus lost at least 1,000 killed, with countless more wounded.

AFTER OF THE BATTLE​

The Battle of Gingindlovu lasted for a little over an hour and was a decisive victory for the British. Not only did it boost their own confidence, it also had a tremendously demoralizing effect on the Zulus, to whom it was now plain that they could not ultimately win the war. The fighting was not over, however. It would be another three months before Lord Chelmsford, in command of a much larger force, fought and defeated the Zulus in their last stand at Ulundi, the royal residence and capital.
The Battle of Gingindlovu was the first and only major battle fought by the 57th regiment during the Zulu War. After the battle and the advance to relieve the men at Eshowe, the 57th retraced its steps back past Gingindlovu, joining with several other regiments to form a new 1st Division under Colonel Clarke, where, according to Woollright, they

“…remained near Ginginhlovu in “laager” till the 25th of April, being all the time without tents, and suffering much from the constant cold and wet, which caused a great deal of sickness – dysentery, rheumatism, and Natal sores.” (p.351)

OUTPOST AND CONVOY DUTY​

From April 25 to the middle of June, the 57th was engaged in building Fort Chelmsford, a new permanent outpost on the Inyezane river, and transporting supplies there to be used in further operations. It was hard, dangerous work, with the men having to be constantly on the alert for Zulu attack, especially when escorting the supply wagons to and from the fort.

THE HUNT FOR CETSHWAYO​

Lord Chelmsford’s victory at Ulundi on July 4th broke the resistance of the Zulu army, but it did not result in the capture of the Zulu king Cetshwayo, whose whereabouts were unknown to the British. Accordingly, a force was assembled, consisting of the 57th and 60th regiments along with some mounted infantry and native units, under the command of Colonel Clarke, to reoccupy Ulundi and find and capture the Zulu king.
The new column departed Port Durnford on the 24th of July, but did not reach Ulundi until August 11th. This march was particularly arduous, with steep hills, thick mud, and extremes of cold and heat. A few days out from Ulundi, the column was joined by General Sir Garnet Wolsely, who had been appointed to replace Lord Chelmsford as commander in chief. That night, a terrible storm swept the camp:

“The weather had been trying ever since the column commenced its march, and cold, heat, and wet had been experiences in turn; but the climax was reached this evening, when a violent storm of wind, with torrents of rain, set in, which laid nearly every tent prostrate and flooded the camp. Three men, three hundred and fifty oxen, and eight horses died from exposure this night, and the camp presented a most unpleasant sight next morning, numbers of dead animals lying about everywhere. The storm continuing throughout the 8th and 9th, rendered any movement on these days impossible…” (Woollright, p. 354)

The 57th regiment finally reached Ulundi a few days later, and after establishing a base of operations there, began to search the surrounding country for the Zulu king. Lord Gifford, an officer of the 57th, was particularly tireless in this pursuit, and finally managed to pinpoint the king’s location; but he was bitterly disappointed when the Dragoon Guards beat him to it the next day. On August 28th, 1879, Cetshwayo, king of the Zulu, seeing himself surrounded, stepped with dignity out of the hut in which he had been hiding and surrendered himself to the British. The war was over.

Surrender of Cetshwayo.
Source: By Henry Marriott Paget - Cassell's history of England, Volume 7. London : Cassell and Comp., Ltd. 1909. Onlineː https://archive.org/details/cassellshistoryo0007unse/page/n10/mode/1up, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=170871167​

WAR’S END AND RETURN HOME​

57th regiment now began to make its way back to Natal. But though the war was over, the hardship for the men was most certainly not. Rather than go back the way they had come, the 57th went by a different route, through a rugged wilderness that lacked even the suggestion of roads. Their purpose in doing this was to pacify the region, which had hitherto not been travelled by the British. After a few more grueling weeks of marching, the 57th finally crossed the Thukela River in mid-September, after six months of hard campaigning and fighting. By November 1st, the regiment had left Africa, and was on its way home. The grateful colonists of Natal offered this tribute to the 57th regiment:

“The 57th brought with them a grand name, and it is pleasant to know how well that name has been borne throughout the campaign. They have exhibited all the steadiness and discipline that might be looked for in time-expired soldiers. In the operations that preceded the relief of Etshowe, at Ginginhlovo, in camp under General Crealock, and during the march to St. Paul’s, to Ulundi, and back again by the untraversed track over the Middle Drift, the behaviour of the ‘Old Die-Hards’ was all that a British commander can desire, and they carry home with them the hearty regards of every Natalian.” (Woollright, p. 356)

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Thanks for reading if you made it this far! I hope you enjoyed the post. Please feel free to comment and/or post your own related coins and medals!​

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Sources:

Farwell, Byron. Queen Victoria’s Little Wars. Harper & Row, New York, 1972.

Woollright, H. H. History of the Fifty-Seventh (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot, 1755-1881. Wiliam Clowes & Sons Ltd., London, 1893.

Knight, Ian. Nothing Remains But To Fight: The Defence of Rorke’s Drift, 1879. Greenhill Books, London, 1993.

Castle, Ian, and Ian Knight. Fearful Hard Times: The Siege and Relief of Eshowe, 1879. Greenhill Books, London, 1994.

Knight, Ian. “By The Orders of The Great White Queen”: Campaigning in Zululand through the Eyes of the British Soldier, 1879. Greenhill Books, London, 1992.

Online sources:

Wikipedia: https://www.wikipedia.org/

1879 Zulu War Forum: https://www.1879zuluwar.com/

 

AWESOME