The Zulu War-Plan Of Colonel Evelyn Wood's Camp at Machulisimi

Where is Machulisimi.?

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littlehand,

O.K., I give up. Where is Machulisimi?

I entered the name in Google, and every hit led back to the sketch. Does the accompanying article have any information, or is all about Grahman Berry's visit to London?. (Print too small, I couldn't read it.)

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Petty Officer Tom

Hi Littlehand / P.O.Tom.
After a couple of hours searching came upon this in ' The Narrative Of The Field Operations Connected With The Zulu War Of 1879 '
by The Intelligence Branch Of the War Office . ( What a mouthful ) .

'' At 4am on the 1st Feb ( 1879 ) , a force of the Frontier Light Horse and the Dutch Burghers , about 140 strong , under the command of Lt - Col Buller , left Kambula and proceeded to the MAKULUSINI KRAAL . This kraal was known to be a centre of
resistance and a rallying point for the most hostile natives in this region , and its destruction was considered advisable . It lay
some 30 miles East Of Kambula , in the centre of a basin surrounded by Precipitice hills '' .

As you can see Machulisimi is no doubt Makulusini .

cheers 90th. Idea

90th
I cant find any reference that Wood camped at that site. I think the name commonly used for the Zulu homestead was eba Qulusini. Buller raided it but theres no reference that he occupied it. The only camp/fort that I can come up occupied by the 90LI and the 13th was Fort Tinta, but that plan doesnt tie up.
I checked through most of the books, only real references where from Rope of Sand and The Field Guide to the War in Zulu land, both by Prof Laband.

regards.

Hi Springbok
Yes , I got the same impression that Wood didnt actually camp at the Makulusini Kraal . To me there is no doubt
Makulusini is Machulisimi . I went through Labands Book Field Guide To The War In Zululand no mention of a camp
spelt either way . Also no mention in David Rattray's book ' Guidebook To The Anglo Zulu War Battlefields ' . As I posted
earlier it seems a force of only 140 men under the command of Buller actually went to the Kraal . It was commonplace
for names to be spelt incorrectly by the British , ie Isandlwana .... Isandula etc etc .
cheers 90th.

"Colonel Wood remained at Fort Tinta the day of the 26th, loading up the burdens of twenty waggons, and on the 26th marched nine miles towards the 'Ngabaka
Hawane mountain, twenty miles to the east of Utrecht. But he was in no hurry to fall back faster than was needed, so he halted from the 27th till the 31st on the White Umvalosi, and only then proceeded a short distance further to a good position at Kambula, on the south-eastern side of the mountain, where water and wood were plentiful and where he established a strong entrenched camp. Next morning Colonel Buller took about 140 mounted men to the Makulusini kraal, thirty miles or more to the eastward, this kraal being " a centre of resistance and a rallying point " for the most hostile natives. He got there at half-past twelve, having been over eight hours on the road. He had guarded his line of march by leaving thirty men in the pass, and with the rest he advanced into the basin of the hills."

Source: The life of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Evelyn Wood

90th
Yep fully agree. Now that the Buller attack destination is defined, where would that camp map have come from ? Definitly not on Woods line of march to ulundi,

Hi Springbok
Yep , have to agree it's a strange one , and it doesnt look like any of the other camps he made during the war .
Most likely only a picture of the camp that may have been used if required !.
cheers 90th . Idea

Posts : 2558 Join date : 2009-04-06 Age : 62 Location : UK

Quote :: The life of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Evelyn Wood

Littlehand have you got this book.

» 1879 Graham Berry Zulu War Plan Camp Machulisimi Wood'S
» Colonel Pearson’s camp lower Tugela
» The build up to war Evelyn Wood undercover and the first shots of the Zulu War?