War and Military Atlas

How Battles Were Fought
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Battles and Campaigns

Battle of Rorke's Drift

Modern

The Battle of Rorke's Drift was fought on 22-23 January 1879 in the Anglo-Zulu War, when a Zulu force that had broken off from the main army during the British defeat at Isandlwana attacked the British mission station and supply depot at Rorke's Drift. A vastly outnumbered British garrison under Lieutenants John Chard and Gonville Bromhead defended the post successfully; the action holds the record for the largest number of Victoria Crosses awarded for a single battle. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Battle Type
Defensive engagement (fortified outpost defence) 1
Year
1879 1
Location
Rorke's Drift, Natal Colony, South Africa 1
Outcome
British victory (successful defence) 1
Battle Type
Battle Type (category)
Defensive Engagement 1
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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Battle of Rorke's Drift
  • Lead section
    After a large contingent of Zulu warriors broke off from the main force during the final hours of the British defeat at the day-long Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879, they travelled ten kilometres (six miles) to attack Rorke's Drift later that day, with fighting continuing into the following day.
  • Infobox: Result
    British victory
  • Infobox: Date
    22-23 January 1879
  • Part Of: Anglo-Zulu War, Infobox: part_of
    the Anglo-Zulu War
View the Source
Wikidata: Battle of Rorke's Drift
Wikidata Q1123353, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
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