Crossing the Buffalo by Adrian Greaves

Author:Adrian Greaves [Greaves, Adrian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409125723
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Published: 2012-05-24T04:00:00+00:00

Curling was right about the shock and outrage with which the news of the disaster was received in Britain, though the suggestion that a Zulu spy network was behind Chelmsford’s defeat was indicative of the wild rumours circulating around the British camps.

Little that was positive could be said concerning Major Spalding. One rumour focused upon his departure from Rorke’s Drift and suggestions abounded that he deserted his command prior to the Zulu attack. Chard had certainly informed Spalding that the Zulus were possibly approaching the position and if Spalding had felt the need to hurry up the reserves, any one of the several underemployed officers or NCOs could have been sent the short distance to Helpmekaar with the task. Furthermore, having collected the two companies, Spalding reached a point less than 3 miles from the beleaguered mission station and could have pressed on to relieve the post. Inexplicably, no official questions were asked of Spalding although Major Clery came straight to the point in one of his letters home. He wrote from Helpmekaar on 13 April, ‘Spalding is utterly worthless, so that the General was – as regards an opinion on any subject – practically without an adjutant or quarter-master.’ Spalding pre-empted any criticism by submitting an explanatory report to Chelmsford detailing his actions on the day. If Spalding had remained at his post he would, as the commanding officer, have certainly been awarded the Victoria Cross. It was inevitable that rumours of Spalding deserting his men would spread and reach Chelmsford, who intervened on Spalding’s behalf. He wrote a memo to the adjutant general which exonerated Spalding; Chelmsford believed that Spalding was acting correctly when he left Rorke’s Drift to chase up the overdue replacements.

For the shocked survivors from Chelmsford’s column who managed to reach Helpmekaar, the fear of another Zulu attack remained. Consequently, Captain Walter Parke Jones RE and his able subordinate Lieutenant da Costa Porter commenced the construction of a substantial entrenchment. Jones described the fort’s location as ‘vile’; its position had been determined by Chelmsford who insisted that its construction should focus on defending the existing iron storehouses. Jones thought the position was totally unsuitable; the ground was waterlogged and following one particularly heavy downpour, the surrounding ditch was filled with water to a depth of 6ft. And when it rained, the fort quickly became a swamp. As at Rorke’s Drift, there were no tents and the whole garrison was shut in every night and marched out for ablutions an hour before daybreak under a police escort. When supplies arrived from Pietermaritzburg some tents were erected outside the fortifications but, due to the close proximity of fit and sick men, such accommodation was moved on 31 March to a new location 500 yards away and a wagon laager was built to house the hospital tents. Much discomfort arose and, with few stores and constantly driving rain, life at Helpmekaar was physically and mentally exhausting. Washing facilities were limited to one bathe per week in a nearby stream and men and officers had to let their beards grow.

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