Battle of Rorke's Drift

E130146

The Battle of Rorke's Drift was an 1879 engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War in which a small British garrison famously defended a mission station against a much larger Zulu force.

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
Battle of Rorke's Drift canonical 11
Rorke's Drift 3
Battle of Rorke’s Drift 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf battle
military engagement
aftermath boosted British morale after Isandlwana defeat
attacker Zulu warriors
awardResult 11 Victoria Crosses
belligerent British Empire
Colony of Natal
United Kingdom
Zulu Kingdom
casualtiesAttackersKilled over 300
casualtiesDefendersKilled approximately 17
category Anglo-Zulu War
surface form: Battles of the Anglo-Zulu War
combatant 24th Regiment of Foot
24th Regiment of Foot
surface form: 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot
commander Gonville Bromhead
John Rouse Merriott Chard
Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande
conflict Anglo-Zulu War
country South Africa
countryAtTime Colony of Natal
date 1879-01-22
defender British Army
defensivePosition mission station at Rorke's Drift
endDate 1879-01-23
fortifications makeshift barricades of mealie bags and biscuit boxes
hasPart defence of the hospital
defence of the storehouse
hasRepresentationIn film "Zulu"
historicalPeriod 19th century
location Natal
Battle of Rorke's Drift self-linksurface differs
surface form: Rorke's Drift

South Africa
namedAfter Rorke's Drift mission station
notableFor large number of Victoria Crosses awarded
successful defence by a small garrison against a much larger force
partOf Anglo-Zulu War
precededBy Isandlwana
surface form: Battle of Isandlwana
primaryWeaponAttackers assegai spears
cowhide shields
primaryWeaponDefenders Martini–Henry rifle
surface form: Martini-Henry rifles
result British victory
startDate 1879-01-22
strengthAttackers approximately 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors
strengthDefenders approximately 150 British and colonial troops
tacticalType defensive battle
theatre Southern Africa
timeOfDay fought mainly at night
year 1879

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (16)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Zulu Kingdom notableEvent Battle of Rorke's Drift
KwaZulu-Natal hasHistoricalSite Battle of Rorke's Drift
this entity surface form: Rorke's Drift
Zulu people battle Battle of Rorke's Drift
Battle of Isandlwana (near its borders, involving colonial forces) followedBy Battle of Rorke's Drift
subject surface form: Battle of Isandlwana
Battle of Isandlwana (near its borders, involving colonial forces) near Battle of Rorke's Drift
subject surface form: Battle of Isandlwana
this entity surface form: Rorke's Drift
Battle of Rorke's Drift location Battle of Rorke's Drift self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Rorke's Drift
Anglo-Zulu War hasBattle Battle of Rorke's Drift
Anglo-Zulu War notableEvent Battle of Rorke's Drift
this entity surface form: British defense of Rorke's Drift
Martini–Henry rifle notableEngagement Battle of Rorke's Drift
this entity surface form: Battle of Rorke’s Drift
Zulu Army notableBattle Battle of Rorke's Drift
Natal Native Contingent notableEngagement Battle of Rorke's Drift
Buffalo River historicallySignificantFor Battle of Rorke's Drift
subject surface form: Buffalo River (South Africa)
Zulu basedOn Battle of Rorke's Drift
Zulu depicts Battle of Rorke's Drift
Private Frederick Hitch notableWork Battle of Rorke's Drift
subject surface form: Frederick Hitch
Private Frederick Hitch battle Battle of Rorke's Drift
subject surface form: Frederick Hitch