The Matabele War
The Matabele War started in 1893. Before then, Cecil Rhodes and King Lobengula had a good relationship, choosing peace instead of fighting. This was partly because of King Lobengula’s observations of the Zulus engaging the well equipped British regulars in 1879, giving him good cause for peaceful negotiations. But that would not last. The amaNdebele had excellent cattle grazing lands. With the command and organization of the Europeans it would make great business and export for Rhodesia, having massive potential. The full potential would be seen later in the 20th century when Rhodesia became the biggest supplier of beef in all of Africa. As with anyone, the amaNdebele declined to give up this land. Rhodes was distributing this land to various parties, before he even had ownership of it.
The event needed to start his acquisition of Matabele lands would come in 1893. A rather large band of around 400 Mashona cattle thieves “ruffled feathers” with a herd of amaNdebele cattle. They went to Fort Victoria to escape the amaNdebele, who dispatched a raiding party to track them down. The European residence in Fort Victoria watched the amaNdebele slaughter the robbers. This gave Cecil Rhodes his motive for attacking realm of King Lobengula. Leander Jameson was appointed to layout the battle plan that would give them Matabeleland. Jameson was later to be humiliated and captured during the the Jameson Raid in 1896.
Major Patrick Forbes was the officer commanding. He led a column from Salisbury, and met Major Allan Wilson, leading the column form Fort Victoria, at Iron Mine Hill. Together they advanced towards GuBulawayo (Lobengula’s capital). A small pox outbreak prevented any immediate action by the amaNdebele until the 25th of October. The column had crossed the Shangani River and set up a laager, when 6000 amaNbebele attacked. The battle did not last long, after maxim guns and combined fire from Martini-Henrys forced a retreat. Less than ten casualties were taken that day.
On the first of Novemeber, the Battle of Bembesi started. The amaNdebele showed the Europeans how proud and courageous their warriors were by conducting frontal assaults on the maxim guns, a true sign of fearlessness. There were only 700 BSAC soldiers and with a ratio of 100 to 7, Forbes and his men still won, thanks only to superior European weapons.
King Lobengula burnt Bulawayo to the ground, to keep the pride that it would never be captured by the Europeans. After this he retreated, as to not be captured. The 4th of November marked the Rhodesian capture of Bulawayo. Forbes went on to pursue Lobengula, and ordered Major Allan Wilson to try to follow and capture Lobengula after they reached the Shangani river, but they were surrounded by his soldiers and wiped out. This was later called the Shanghani Patrol where 34 Rhodesian soldiers fought to their death.
This patrol was a minuscule loss, as the amaNdebele could not turn the tide of the war. King Lobengula was found dead, wrapped in ox skin in a cave, sometime in January. The reason of his death is not known, but it is most likely he had small pox, and took poison to shorten his agony. The Matabele War ended in a Rhodesian victory.
The event needed to start his acquisition of Matabele lands would come in 1893. A rather large band of around 400 Mashona cattle thieves “ruffled feathers” with a herd of amaNdebele cattle. They went to Fort Victoria to escape the amaNdebele, who dispatched a raiding party to track them down. The European residence in Fort Victoria watched the amaNdebele slaughter the robbers. This gave Cecil Rhodes his motive for attacking realm of King Lobengula. Leander Jameson was appointed to layout the battle plan that would give them Matabeleland. Jameson was later to be humiliated and captured during the the Jameson Raid in 1896.
Major Patrick Forbes was the officer commanding. He led a column from Salisbury, and met Major Allan Wilson, leading the column form Fort Victoria, at Iron Mine Hill. Together they advanced towards GuBulawayo (Lobengula’s capital). A small pox outbreak prevented any immediate action by the amaNdebele until the 25th of October. The column had crossed the Shangani River and set up a laager, when 6000 amaNbebele attacked. The battle did not last long, after maxim guns and combined fire from Martini-Henrys forced a retreat. Less than ten casualties were taken that day.
On the first of Novemeber, the Battle of Bembesi started. The amaNdebele showed the Europeans how proud and courageous their warriors were by conducting frontal assaults on the maxim guns, a true sign of fearlessness. There were only 700 BSAC soldiers and with a ratio of 100 to 7, Forbes and his men still won, thanks only to superior European weapons.
King Lobengula burnt Bulawayo to the ground, to keep the pride that it would never be captured by the Europeans. After this he retreated, as to not be captured. The 4th of November marked the Rhodesian capture of Bulawayo. Forbes went on to pursue Lobengula, and ordered Major Allan Wilson to try to follow and capture Lobengula after they reached the Shangani river, but they were surrounded by his soldiers and wiped out. This was later called the Shanghani Patrol where 34 Rhodesian soldiers fought to their death.
This patrol was a minuscule loss, as the amaNdebele could not turn the tide of the war. King Lobengula was found dead, wrapped in ox skin in a cave, sometime in January. The reason of his death is not known, but it is most likely he had small pox, and took poison to shorten his agony. The Matabele War ended in a Rhodesian victory.
The First Chimurenga
A sketch of Armstrong and Burnham being chased by angry Matabele
In
1893, the Matabele War started in Rhodesia because of the amaNdebele being
told to yield some of their lands to the European farmers for greater
productivity. The amaNedebele did not want to give up their lands they used to
graze their cattle, so war ensued. After
this Cecil Rhodes captured much of the Matabelelands including the old capital
of Bulawayo. This left a scaring mark on the amaNdebele that would be shown in
1896, during the First Chimurenga.
The war was also instigated by a amaNedebele Mlimo, or spirit medium, in the Matopo Hills. She prophesized the end of the whites in Africa. When war started, there were only 48 Policemen to protect Rhodesia after many of the British South Africa Company men were, at the time, in the Transvaal, after the failed Jameson Raid. It was estimated that around 15,000 amaNdebele and Mashona warriors were ready to attack the colonial population. The Europeans (and Africans who worked and lived with them) would have the odds stacked against them. This coincided with the absence of the BSAC Policemen. The rebellion was planned for the night of March 29. However, this plan was dissolved after a Native policeman was shot and stabbed by edgy amaNdebele. The south eastern plains were raided by the amaNdebele, killing indiscreetly white farmers, miners, and other European/ Non-African people. Most of the settlers there who avoided the killing fled to Bulawayo to prepare a defense.
The amaNdebele had many mistakes that as assisted the Settlers. They never set up blockades on the roads leading to towns or cut their telephone lines, allowing communication. The Mlimo had also told them they would be impervious to bullets and that they would pass right through them. This was true, but in a literal sense. Many who had faith in him did believe this.
Those in Bulawayo scoured the Countryside picking up survivors and engaging the amaNebele in mounted assaults, when possible. In Salisbury, a reinforcement was being equipped. Colonel William Napier had veterans equipped with mainly hunting rifles, a few Martini- Henrys, and an assortment of old machine guns(Maxims, Gatlings, and Nordenfeldts) preparing to give whatever aid they could.
On the 29 of March, the town of Kimberley, in South Africa, received a plea to send help. Lt. Col. Herbert Plumer was tasked with raising a 500 man force to help relieve the Rhodesians. Meanwhile a man was organizing outposts along the road to the south to keep the roads open for the relief column. This man was Frederick Selous, a famed big game hunter and soldier, whom the Selous Scouts were named after. He was also a big organizer of the raids and defenses against the amaNebele. The raids were very successful, the maxim guns proving a deciding factor, and they helped prompt the ever increasing supply of friendly African support against the amaNdebele.
On the 11th of May, a 600 strong relief column from Salisbury led by Cecil Rhodes reached Gwelo. They reached the northeastern outskirts of Bulawayo two days later. The column finally entered the city on May 24. A week after this Maj. Gen. Sir Fredrick Carrington and Col. Robert Baden-Powell took overall command of the various forces. Soon after this Carrington was notified of the Mlimo's whereabouts in the Matopo Hills. Bonnar Armstrong and Fred Burnham were sent to assassinate the spirit medium. They did, setting huts ablaze as a diversion, and reached their horses, being chased for two hours.
The summer was filled with fighting. The Mashonas joined the amaNebele in June, but stayed on the defensive after a few battles. Various engagements occurred, usually ending after the support weapons of the Europeans were brought into play such as the battle at Tabis-I-Mhamba and the ambushing of Major Laing’s column in Fig Tree. General Plumer was campaigning against some of the last amaNebele amabutho(regiments), when the first British regulars arrived there to help fight the amaNdebele.
On the 28th of August, amaNdebele Izinduna (Leaders and chiefs) came to an agreement with Cecil Rhodes. They gave him their grievances and discussed peace. They agreed, but the Mashonas didn't surrender for another full year. The First Chimmurenga, was again another Victory for the Rhodesians, as was the war three years earlier. This was the last war fought within Rhodesia itself. (It was not fought along the border, and took place in the middle of the country.)
The war was also instigated by a amaNedebele Mlimo, or spirit medium, in the Matopo Hills. She prophesized the end of the whites in Africa. When war started, there were only 48 Policemen to protect Rhodesia after many of the British South Africa Company men were, at the time, in the Transvaal, after the failed Jameson Raid. It was estimated that around 15,000 amaNdebele and Mashona warriors were ready to attack the colonial population. The Europeans (and Africans who worked and lived with them) would have the odds stacked against them. This coincided with the absence of the BSAC Policemen. The rebellion was planned for the night of March 29. However, this plan was dissolved after a Native policeman was shot and stabbed by edgy amaNdebele. The south eastern plains were raided by the amaNdebele, killing indiscreetly white farmers, miners, and other European/ Non-African people. Most of the settlers there who avoided the killing fled to Bulawayo to prepare a defense.
The amaNdebele had many mistakes that as assisted the Settlers. They never set up blockades on the roads leading to towns or cut their telephone lines, allowing communication. The Mlimo had also told them they would be impervious to bullets and that they would pass right through them. This was true, but in a literal sense. Many who had faith in him did believe this.
Those in Bulawayo scoured the Countryside picking up survivors and engaging the amaNebele in mounted assaults, when possible. In Salisbury, a reinforcement was being equipped. Colonel William Napier had veterans equipped with mainly hunting rifles, a few Martini- Henrys, and an assortment of old machine guns(Maxims, Gatlings, and Nordenfeldts) preparing to give whatever aid they could.
On the 29 of March, the town of Kimberley, in South Africa, received a plea to send help. Lt. Col. Herbert Plumer was tasked with raising a 500 man force to help relieve the Rhodesians. Meanwhile a man was organizing outposts along the road to the south to keep the roads open for the relief column. This man was Frederick Selous, a famed big game hunter and soldier, whom the Selous Scouts were named after. He was also a big organizer of the raids and defenses against the amaNebele. The raids were very successful, the maxim guns proving a deciding factor, and they helped prompt the ever increasing supply of friendly African support against the amaNdebele.
On the 11th of May, a 600 strong relief column from Salisbury led by Cecil Rhodes reached Gwelo. They reached the northeastern outskirts of Bulawayo two days later. The column finally entered the city on May 24. A week after this Maj. Gen. Sir Fredrick Carrington and Col. Robert Baden-Powell took overall command of the various forces. Soon after this Carrington was notified of the Mlimo's whereabouts in the Matopo Hills. Bonnar Armstrong and Fred Burnham were sent to assassinate the spirit medium. They did, setting huts ablaze as a diversion, and reached their horses, being chased for two hours.
The summer was filled with fighting. The Mashonas joined the amaNebele in June, but stayed on the defensive after a few battles. Various engagements occurred, usually ending after the support weapons of the Europeans were brought into play such as the battle at Tabis-I-Mhamba and the ambushing of Major Laing’s column in Fig Tree. General Plumer was campaigning against some of the last amaNebele amabutho(regiments), when the first British regulars arrived there to help fight the amaNdebele.
On the 28th of August, amaNdebele Izinduna (Leaders and chiefs) came to an agreement with Cecil Rhodes. They gave him their grievances and discussed peace. They agreed, but the Mashonas didn't surrender for another full year. The First Chimmurenga, was again another Victory for the Rhodesians, as was the war three years earlier. This was the last war fought within Rhodesia itself. (It was not fought along the border, and took place in the middle of the country.)
Below is the Bulawayo field force, with Frederick Selous sitting middle The multi-barrel Nordenfeldt, as it was used in Rhodesia