At the Battle of Rourke's Drift, did the Zulus have guns ?

Question

And no, this isn't my homework - I haven't done homework for over 30 years!

Answer 1

I did some research and found a list of 'Popular Myths' about Rorkes drift including this:-

Martini-Henry's in use by the Zulus at Rorke's Drift

It is a commonly held belief that after the Battle of Isandhlwana, the Zulu's removed the Martini-Henry rifles from the bodies of the dead British soldiers and took them to Rorke's Drift. It was here, they say, that the Zulus used the British Army's own rifle against it's own men. Again, the primary source for this myth is the film 'Zulu'.

This, put simply, could not have happened as it was impossible for the Zulu regiments attacking Rorke's Drift to have used Martini-Henrys for the simple reason that they had formed the reserve at Isandlwana; they did not take part in the attack, and certainly did not have time to loot any rifles there before advancing on Rorke's Drift.

Of this, Ian Knight suggests:

"In fact, powerful though the image of a 'warrior nation' armed only with spears is, the truth - as usual - was far more complex. The Zulu army was already in possession of many thousands of firearms before the Anglo-Zulu War began. These had been obtained from white traders. Most were weapons which were 20 or 30 years old - long since obsolete in European armies - and they were often in poor repair.

If, indeed, the Zulus at Rorke's Drift had possessed Martini-Henrys, they would have caused far more damage to the British garrison, as these weapons were much more powerful and accurate than the weapons they actually had."

The sheer chronology and geography would have made it impossible for the weapons from Isandhlwana to be used at Rorke's Drift, however there is evidence supporting the fact that these weapons were used at Khambula (29th March 1879) against the British by the Zulus.


Hope that answers your question.

By the way I believe that the first British soldier killed at Rorke's drift was named Will. Apparently the order came "Wait 'til you see the whites of their eyes then fire at will!"

Answer 2

The zulus had zero firearms. It was the 1st time they had ever encountered a firearm. That is why no British died and thousands of Zulus died. I remember from watching the History channel. They had a program about the history of guns. Their point about mentioning that specific battle was to prove the awesomeness of guns.

Answer 3

a few of the Zulus had firearms which they had taken after massacring a British column a few days prior to the events at Rourke's drift