Zungeni Mountain skirmish
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Era | Date not recorded (no reliable year in Wikidata) | derived from year |
|---|---|---|
| Location | South Africa | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Anglo-Zulu War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | -28.2833, 30.9500 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Zungeni Mountain skirmish took place on 5 June 1879 between British and Zulu forces during the second invasion of Zululand, in what is now South Africa, in the later stages of the Anglo-Zulu War. British irregular horse commanded by Colonel Redvers Buller discovered a force of 300 Zulus at the settlement of eZulaneni near Zungeni Mountain. The horsemen charged towards and scattered the Zulus before burning the settlement. Buller's men withdrew after coming under fire from Zulus who threatened to surround them.
Buller's men were joined by more irregulars and a force of British regular cavalry, the latter under the command of Major-General Frederick Marshall. Two squadrons of the 17th (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers, led by Colonel Drury Drury-Lowe, approached the Zulu position. They could not close with the Zulus, who were in an area of long grass and bushes, and Zulu fire killed the 17th Lancers' adjutant, Lieutenant Frederick John Cokayne Frith. Drury-Lowe ordered some of his men to dismount and return fire. When the Zulus threatened to outflank the British, Marshall ordered a withdrawal. Aside from Frith, British casualties included two irregulars wounded; two months after the battle, the remains of 25 Zulus were discovered on the battlefield.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Zungeni Mountain skirmish (revision 1381279925), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Maqongqo · 12 km
- Battle of Isandlwana 1879 · 30 km
- Battle of Italeni 1838 · 39 km
- Battle of Rorke's Drift 1879 · 41 km
- Battle of Blood River 1838 · 45 km
- Battle of Ulundi 1879 · 47 km
Other battles of the Anglo-Zulu War
- Battle of Gingindlovu 1879
- Battle of Hlobane 1879
- Battle of Intombe 1879
- Battle of Inyezane 1879
- Battle of Isandlwana 1879
- Battle of Kambula 1879
- Battle of Rorke's Drift 1879
- Battle of Ulundi 1879
- Siege of Eshowe 1879
All 10 battles of the Anglo-Zulu War →
Browse more: battles in South Africa · Africa · Date not recorded battles