Battle of Blood River

Battle of Blood River
Part of the Great Trek
Entrance to the Battle of Blood River Monument in Kwazulu-Natal
Date 16 December 1838 Location Blood/Ncome river, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 28°6′19″S 30°32′30″E / 28.10528°S 30.54167°E / -28.10528; 30.54167 Result Voortrekker victory
Belligerents
Voortrekkers	Zulu Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Andries Pretorius Sarel Cilliers	Dambuza Ndlela kaSompisi and Dingane
Strength
664 men 464 Voortrekkers 200 servants 2 artillery pieces	25,000–30,000 men
Casualties and losses
3 wounded	3,000+ killed

The Battle of Blood River^[1] (16 December 1838) 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^[2] 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.^[3]

In January 1840 Prince Mpande finally defeated King Dingane in the Battle of Maqongqe and was subsequently crowned as new king of the Zulu by his alliance partner Andries Pretorius. After these two battles, Dingane's prime minister and commander in the Battle of Blood River, General Ndlela, who had also been Mpande’s personal protector, was strangled to death by Dingane for high treason.