Italeni, the small hillock where the battle took place. The Nzololo stream is at the bottom of the photo with the Reed creek running diagonally below Italeni
Background
After the massacre of Piet Retief and his men by Dingane on 6 February 1838,[3] a number of Voortrekker camps were also attacked by the Zuluimpis on 17 February 1838. The Voortrekker leader Gerrit Maritz became increasingly ill and was unable to lead an expedition. It was decided that Piet Uys and Hendrik Potgieter would lead a punitive commando in retaliation to the perceived aggression by the Zulus and their king, Dingane ka Senzangakona. During the meeting close to Blaaukransriver, Uys was elected as "General Field Commandant" by those present - becoming, in effect, the first elected BoerCommandant-General. Potgieter—a natural leader—objected to this and stated that he and his men were not prepared to serve under any other leader. As a compromise, it was decided that each commando would remain under its own leader, but that both parties would fight together. This arrangement would prove to have disastrous consequences.
The battle
The two commandos (347 men)[4] set out in two separate columns, on and 6 April 1838.[5] For the sake of speed and agility it was decided not to take wagons. Baggage, provisions and extra ammunition were carried by between 75-100 pack horses.[6]
Ndlela ka Sompisi lured the Voortrekkers close to uMgungundlovu. The Voortrekkers descended from Kataza Mountain in the Ntonjaneni range down a mountain pass. The royal capital was visible some 5km away, and across the Nzololo stream in the valley they could see some Zulu warriors atop a small hillock, sitting quietly on their shields. This small hill was close to the centre of a basin formed by low ridges and was called Italeni.[7] It stood like a sentinel some 3000m from uMgungundlovu. There was a plain between Italeni and the Nzololo stream on the western side of the basin. The Reed creek ran diagonally across the basin from east to west below a low neck between Italeni and the eastern rim of the basin. Deep gulleys and dongas criss-crossed the rocky terrain.[6]
The packhorses were left where the farmstead stands today
The Voortrekkers halted a 1000m from the Zulu warriors on top of Italeni.[8] They noticed second column slowly advancing across the plain between Italeni and the Nzololo. Uys gave Potgieter a choice as to which impi he would like to attack. Potgieter chose the one on the plain, while Uys decided to attack the hill in front of the commando. The pack horses were left here and Uys crossed the Nzololo. He continued along the deep pools of the Reed creek and crossed it some 120m further, swinging north to ascend Italeni Hill where the white shields were waiting.
After riding to within 36 metres of the Zulu force, Uys ordered his men to dismount and open fire. The first two volleys from the Voortrekkers decimated the first two lines of the impi, who were still sitting on their shields. The Uys Commando then heard the first volley of the Potgieter Commando, who was at this stage not visible to them. Uys ordered his men to use buckshot and fired a third volley. The White shields then took flight, running back down Italeni hill in the direction of uMgungundlovu. What seemed to Uys and his men as a rout, was in fact a brilliant tactical withdrawal by the Zulus, to draw the commando over the kopje. The Voortrekkers quickly mounted their horses and followed the fleeing Zulus in small groups in all directions.[9]
As the reached the crest of the hill they noted that Potgieter's commando was pushed back by the marauding right horn. When they descended Italeni on the far side they noticed the left horn (black shields) rushing passed them on their right across the low neck towards the Reed creek where the Zulus planned to close the horns and trap the Voortrekkers. The Uys commando quickly realized their mistake and start to take flight, back across the kopje and the low neck towards the Reed creek.
Potgieter's attack
On his side Potgieter made what was reported as a "half-hearted" attack on the Zulu forces, and then retired. At first he , diligently searched every garden, gulley and donga for possible hidden enemies. Watching the 2000 warriors closing in across the plain, he halted at the drift of the Nzololo stream.[10] He ordered some 12-20 (sources vary) forward with strict instructions not to dismount. They closed the gap with the right horn and fired a volley which suddenly enraged the Zulu Impi. The Zulus charged with a cacophony of noise and the small party turned and fled back towards the drift. One man, Joseph Kruger, who dismounted against orders, was unable to mount his panicked horse and was killed within seconds'
Potgieter's attack and flight route
The Potgieter commando rushed back towards their pack horses and some of the men got blocked in the Nzololo stream by a high rock wall. Bitter fighting took place but the men managed to stay on the western side of Nzololo stream and flee up along the pass from which they came. The right horn continued along the Nzololo stream and grabbed the Uys pack horses. Gert Rudolph, the voortrekker leader that had replaced the ailing Gert Maritz, rushed to Potgieter to request him to cover his rear. However, Potgieter ignored this request and continued retreating towards the top of the rim. The Zulus followed the trekkers towards the rim but turned when they saw the commando regrouping [11] The action of sending Rudolph as a messenger to Potgieter almost certainly saved Rudolph's life.
Uys in trouble.
The area where Uys were wounded close to the two woody gulleys
Meanwhile, two members of Uys' party (the Malan brothers) had become isolated from the rest of the commando while pursuing the fleeing Zulus and were being led into an ambush in a bushy gorge.[9] Seeing the danger they were in, Uys formed a party of fifteen volunteers (including his son, Dirkie) and rode to their rescue. The group of fifteen rode to the two bushy ravines in the opposite direction of the fleeing Voortrekkers. Uys and Jan Meyer halted briefly for Uys to adjust his flint. Suddenly two Zulus jumped from the tall grass and hurled their assagais. Meyer's horse was skilled instantly and Piet Uys were severely wounded in his spleen and lungs. Blood poured from his wound and soon covered his horse's flank. Blood started to trickle from his nose and mouth. [9] At first Uys helped Meyer on his horse with Meyer clothes immediately covered by the blood of Uys.[11] Uys fainted due to the loss of blood and had to be revived. He had less than 8 minutes to live.[6]
The rocky ridge as described by WG Nel
The group of fifteen struggled back towards the neck, constantly fighting. A rocky ridge briefly split their group in two with Uys now wedged between the brothers Moolman. The left horn now blocked any further advance and the Voortrekkers were forced to shoot a passage through the wall om Impis. The Malan brothers were killed here, before they were able to reach the crest of the neck. On the other side of the neck is the rocky downhill towards the Reed creek. Pieter Nel fell from his stumbling horse on the downhill and was killed before he could regain his horse, held by WG Nel.[9] Uys and the Moolmans slowly travelled towards the creek where Uys fainted again. He was revived and helped across the creek. Here he fell from his horse for a final time and succumbed to his wounds. Accrording to WG Nel and Louis Nel his son Dirkie was killed on the hill-side (northern) of the Reed creek.
Other reports, such as Boshof in Annals of Natal, avers that Dirkie Uys rushed about a 100m back to where his father succumbed, and fought and died here alongside his stricken father.[4]
The rest of the Uys commando fought bitterly and was hemmed in by the left horn coming from the neck and the right horn who was lurking in the Nzololo stream. Some Voortrekkers, such as Dawid Malan snr, Louis Nel and Theunis Nel were killed in fierce hand to hand combat in the area of the donga, just above the rockface in the Nzololo stream.
The rockwall on the bottom right hindered the flight of the Voortrekkers. Thereafter they were hemmed in by the high walls of the donga. Three Voortrekkers died here in hand tot hand fighting.
The part of Uys' commando that remained behind (under the command of Field Cornet Potgieter), were surrounded and had to fight their way out. They raced along the eastern side of the Nzololo stream until they passed the first hill on their right and crossed the stream ascending towards the rim of the basin where they met up with Potgieter's men.
Due to the outcome of the battle, the Voortrekker forces involved in the fighting subsequently became known as the Vlugkommando (Flight Commando).
Aftermath
The commandos returned to their camp on 12 April. During a subsequent meeting of the Voortrekkers, Potgieter was accused of cowardice and treachery for his refusal to endanger his commando in an attempt to rescue Uys' party. In vain, Potgieter argued that if he had attacked, he and his men would also have died at Italeni. In disgust at the cries of "traitor", Potgieter and his followers left and returned to the Orange Free State.
However, it has been speculated that, without the lessons learnt as a result of the Battle of Italeni - such as fighting from the shelter of ox-wagons whenever possible and choosing the place of battle rather than being enticed into unfavourable terrain - the Voortrekkers would not have succeeded in finally beating the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River eight months later.
The rest of the Uys commando raced along the eastern side of the Nzololo stream (right) to continue by crossing the stream above another rock wall and ascending towards the rim of the basin using the gulley below the hill on the left.
Site of the battle
The exact site of the battle was found 185 years after the battle together with seven Voortrekker graves. Further archeological research is planned to determine the identity of the buried remains.
Previously it has been speculated that the Zulus named it the "Battle of Italeni" as some of the fighting took place at Itala Mountain, 24 kilometres away. There is a place called Ithaleni or Ethaleni in Nkandla KwaZulu-Natal. The locals believe this is exactly where the 1838 battle took place. Here are places named from this hill. Ithala, Thaleni and Thalaneni.
Today, the site features two schools: Thalaneni Primary School[12] and Ithala High School.[13] A monument is erected at the hilltop.
The Great Trek was a northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial administration. The Great Trek resulted from the culmination of tensions between rural descendants of the Cape's original European settlers, known collectively as Boers, and the British Empire. It was also reflective of an increasingly common trend among individual Boer communities to pursue an isolationist and semi-nomadic lifestyle away from the developing administrative complexities in Cape Town. Boers who took part in the Great Trek identified themselves as voortrekkers, meaning "pioneers", "pathfinders" in Dutch and Afrikaans.
The Boer republics were independent, self-governing republics formed by Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the Cape Colony and their descendants. The founders – variously named Trekboers, Boers and Voortrekkers – settled mainly in the middle, northern, north-eastern and eastern parts of present-day South Africa. Two of the Boer republics achieved international recognition and complete independence: the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The republics did not provide for the separation of church and state, initially allowing only the Dutch Reformed Church, and later also other Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition. The republics came to an end after the Second Boer War of 1899–1902, which resulted in British annexation and later incorporation of their lands into the Union of South Africa.
Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the creation of the South African Republic, as well as the earlier but short-lived Natalia Republic, in present-day South Africa. The large city of Pretoria, executive capital of South Africa, is named after him.
The Battle of Blood River was fought on the bank of the Ncome River, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led by Andries Pretorius, and an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 Zulu. Estimations of casualties amounted to over 3,000 of King Dingane's soldiers dead, including two Zulu princes competing with Prince Mpande for the Zulu throne. Three Voortrekker commando members were lightly wounded, including Pretorius.
The year 1838 was the most difficult period for the Voortrekkers from when they left the Cape Colony, till the end of the Great Trek. They faced many difficulties and much bloodshed before they found freedom and a safe homeland in their Republic of Natalia. This was only achieved after defeating the Zulu Kingdom, at the Battle of Blood River, which took place on Sunday 16 December 1838. This battle would not have taken place if the Zulu King had honoured the agreement that he had made with the Voortrekkers to live together peacefully. The Zulu king knew that they outnumbered the Voortrekkers and decided to overthrow them and that led to the Battle of Blood river.
Gerhardus Jacobus Rudolph (1797–1851) was the grandson of the South African Rudolph progenitor, Johan Bernhard Rudolph.
Andries Hendrik Potgieter, known as Hendrik Potgieter was a Voortrekker leader and the last known Champion of the Potgieter family. He served as the first head of state of Potchefstroom from 1840 and 1845 and also as the first head of state of Zoutpansberg from 1845 to 1852.
The Natalia Republic was a short-lived Boer republic founded in 1839 after a Voortrekker victory against the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River. The area was previously named Natália by Portuguese sailors, due to its discovery on Christmas. The republic came to an end in 1843 when British forces annexed it to form the Colony of Natal. After the British annexation of the Natalia Republic, most local Voortrekkers trekked northwest into Transorangia, later known as the Orange Free State, and the South African Republic.
The Weenen massacre was the massacre of Khoikhoi, Basuto and Voortrekkers by the Zulu Kingdom on 17 February 1838. The massacres occurred at Doringkop, Bloukrans River, Moordspruit, Rensburgspruit and other sites around the present day town of Weenen in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province.
The Battle of Kambula took place on 29 March 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War, when a Zulu military force attacked the British camp at Kambula, having routed the mounted element of the British force at the Battle of Hlobane the day before. The battle was a decisive Zulu defeat and the Zulu warriors lost their belief in victory. The war ended after the Zulu defeat at the Battle of Ulundi on 4 July 1879.
The following lists events that happened during 1838 in South Africa.
Uys is the surname of a family that played a significant role in South African history during the nineteenth century and made distinguished contributions to South African culture, politics and sports during the course of the twentieth.
Dirk Cornelis "Dirkie" Uys was a Voortrekker hero during the Great Trek.
Petrus Lafras Uys (1797–1838) was a Voortrekker leader during the Great Trek.
Sigananda kaZokufa was a Zulu aristocrat whose life spanned the reigns of four Zulu kings in southeastern Africa. According to oral history, Sigananda's grandfather was chief Mvakela, who married a sister of Nandi, King Shaka's mother, and that his father was Inkosi Zokufa. He also said he had a son called Ndabaningi.
Richard Philip King (1811–1871) was an English trader and colonist at Port Natal, a British trading station in the region now known as KwaZulu-Natal. He is best known for a historic horseback ride in 1842, where he completed a journey of 960 kilometres (600 mi) in 10 days, to request help for the besieged British garrison at Port Natal. In recognition of his heroic deeds, a statue was unveiled in Durban portraying himself riding his horse 'Sunny’. Additionally, he was bestowed with an estate in Isipingo. Several prominent landmarks in Durban, including the Kings Park Rugby Stadium, Kingsmead Cricket Stadium, the former soccer stadium, and Kingsway High School, were named in his honour.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the Cape Colony was annexed by the British and officially became their colony in 1815. Britain encouraged settlers to the Cape, and in particular, sponsored the 1820 Settlers to farm in the disputed area between the colony and the Xhosa in what is now the Eastern Cape. The changing image of the Cape from Dutch to British excluded the Dutch farmers in the area, the Boers who in the 1820s started their Great Trek to the northern areas of modern South Africa. This period also marked the rise in power of the Zulu under their king Shaka Zulu. Subsequently, several conflicts arose between the British, Boers and Zulus, which led to the Zulu defeat and the ultimate Boer defeat in the Second Anglo-Boer War. However, the Treaty of Vereeniging established the framework of South African limited independence as the Union of South Africa.
The Biggar family, Alexander Harvey Biggar and his two sons Robert and George, were pioneer traders at Port Natal, in what was to become the Colony of Natal. Subsequent to the massacre of Retief's delegation, they became involved in the exchange of attacks between Zulus and settlers. Although contributing to the overthrow of Dingane, all three lost their lives in the conflicts of 1838. Alexander's grandson John Dunn became a well-known Natal pioneer in his own right.
uMgungundlovu was the royal capital of the Zulu King Dingane (1828–1840) and one of several military complexes which he maintained. He established his royal kraal in 1829 in the eMakhosini valley against Lion hill (Singonyama), just south of the White Umfolozi River.
The Piet Retief Delegation massacre was the 1838 killing of 100 Voortrekkers by the Zulu king Dingane in what is now KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Voortrekkers, led by Piet Retief, migrated into Natal in 1837 and negotiated a land treaty in February 1838 with Dingane. Upon realizing the ramifications of the imposed contract, Dingane betrayed the Voortrekkers, killing the delegation including Retief on 6 February 1838. The land treaty was later found in Retief's possession. It gave the Voortrekkers the land between the Tugela River and Port St. Johns. This event eventually led to the Battle of Blood River and the eventual defeat of Dingane.
The Battle of Vegkop, alternatively spelt as Vechtkop, took place on 16 October 1836 near the present day town of Heilbron, Free State, South Africa. After an impi of about 600 Matebele murdered 15 to 17 Afrikaner voortrekkers on the Vaal River, abducting three children, King Mzilikazi ordered another attack. The voortrekkers, under the command of Andries Potgieter, repulsed them, but at the cost of abandoning their livestock.
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Voortrekkers 
