The SAMS Lyceum of Martial and Societal Antediluvian Chronicles An addendum to The SAMS Sporran April 2012 Due to the length of this month’s article there will be no American History Section. Scottish History

​The Battle at Rorke’s Drift It was the summer between my junior and senior year and my friend Don and I decided to “take in a movie.” So we walked to downtown Hamilton (One might refer to it as the local shopping center. But it was way more than that. It was THE shopping district for the whole area and everybody went there. It was a distance of about a mile. Which really didn’t mean much to us at that time because we walked everywhere. Don said the movie was called Zulu. “What's it ​ ​ about? I asked.” “It's supposed to be a good war movie” was his response. We bought our tickets and found some ‘good’ seats. Now this is a phrase you’ll likely never hear again in your lifetime; “Remember where we came in.” An hour or two later it would be followed by, “Is this where we came in?” Way back then, when you bought your ticket it entitled you to stay in the movie theatre as long as you wanted. They showed the same movie all day long with newsreels and cartoons in between showings. So you might arrive somewhere in the middle of the movie and after the movie ended, you stayed to watch the beginning of the movie. It could give you interesting insights into how movies were made and how characters and the plot developed. Like everybody else our age, we stayed there all day long. First of all it was air conditioned and our houses weren’t. It was a chance for us to meet our friends, pick up on all the latest news from around the neighborhoods other than our own and maybe even meet a few girls. Oh yeah, we could watch a movie too. This Zulu turned out to be a great movie, absorbing plot, ​ ​ very good character development and cinematography that just happened to be about a war. During that day Don and I got an intensive lesson in the art of warfare, not to mention the art of making a motion picture. What struck me first was the uniforms of the British soldiers, especially their helmets. I really wanted one, not the soldier, the helmet. (I finally have one now, 50 years later! The colour guard at our post wears them.) The movie was about a small band of about 150 defending a place called Rorke’s Drift against thousands of Zulu warriors. Which leads me to the topic of this particular missive. The war Don referred to in this case was in Natal Province on the southeast coast of Africa near Madagascar. Rorke’s Drift (ford) was located on the Buffalo River, the boundary between British Natal and the . There were several very small incidents involving Zulu warriors and “runaways” that occurred in British Natal. These gave the British an excuse to annex the Kingdom. In early January AD1879 the British sent three ‘expeditionary forces under the command of Lord Chelmsford into The Zulu kingdom. Naturally, the Zulu’s wanted them to leave and began to prepare a defense of their country. That idea was summed up very clearly in the movie when a soldier at Rorke’s Drift asked Colour Sergeant Bourne why the Zulus were attacking them, “Why us?” he asked. His brisk but cogent response was “Because we’re ‘ere’lad, nobody else. Just us.” The had requisitioned the hospital and chapel at Rorke’s Drift to serve as a supply station and field hospital. Rorke’s Drift was defended by B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot,(2nd Warwickshire) and commanded by Lt. . On 22 January AD1879, the Zulu’s responded. An “impi” (army) of about 22,000 Zulu warriors attacked the Number Three British column encamped at Isandlwana. The Zulu’s armed only with their traditional assegai (iron spears) and cow-hide shields completely routed and massacred the heavily armed British force of about 1,500 troopers. Earlier in the week officer, Lt , from the was sent from Isandlwana to Rorke’s Drift to reinforce the pontoon bridge over the Buffalo River that the central column, then camped at Isandlwana, needed to forge. He was working on the bridge and Lt. Bromhead was out hunting. Around noon on the 22nd Lieutenant Gert Adendorff and another trooper from the Natal Mounted Police– arrived bearing the news that their central column of British ‘regulars’ had been defeated and massacred in the Battle of Isandlwana by the ​ ​ Zulu warriors and that a part of the Zulu army about 3 - 4000 warriors ( the reserves) was approaching the station. Ardendorff stayed and sent the trooper to warn another British outpost at Helpmakaar. Lt. Chard immediately began building defensive positions. When Lt. Bromhead returned there was a brief discussion about their situation. Lt. Chard’s commission predated Lt. Bromhead’s by several months, making him the officer commanding. A fortuitous event as he immediately set all of the soldiers erecting additional defensive emplacements. Both Chard and Bromhead resolved to stay and fight. At which time both lieutenants are alleged to have said a most famous of quotes, When the Reverend Mr. Whitt (who used Rorke’s Drift as his church and hospital) says “You’ll all be killed, like those this morning, and now the sick in their beds, all of you.” Lt. Chard replies, “I don’t think so, Mr.Whitt. The [British] Army doesn't like more than one disaster in a day.” and Lt. Bromhead adds, “Looks bad in the newspapers and upsets civilians at their breakfast.” Rorke’s Drift consisted of an outhouse, hospital building, storehouse, and a small masonry cattle kraal. Behind the storehouse was a cookhouse, and a large stock pen. Since Rorke’s Drift was serving as a supply depot it had a vast amount of “mealie bags” (bags of maize-corn) which made for excellent barricades. They were supplemented by biscuit boxes and crates of tinned meat. An outside perimeter was a waist-high barricade composed of mealie bags and overturned wagons. The buildings were also loop-holed for defence. He also ordered the construction of a “redoubt with interior firing steps” (A circular defensive position about 6-7 feet in height. The firing steps allowed the soldiers inside to hide their presence for the approaching enemy. When ordered they would step-up and give covering fire over the heads of their counterparts as they retreated to positions outside the redoubt. Additionally, Chard instructed his men to build an interior wall near the redoubt as “a fall back position’ using the biscuit boxes and crates of tinned meat. The station at Rorke’s Drift was now a strong defensive fortress.

The compound at Rorke’s Drift ​ Colour Sergeant Bourne (3rd in command) issued each man 70 rounds of ammunition for his single-shot, Model 1871 Martini-Henry rifle. The nine-pound rifle was capable of firing 12 rounds per minute and had an effective range of 400 yards. The rifle also came with a sword-style bayonet useful for close-quarters combat. Bourne had more than 20,000 bullets in reserve. (At the battle's end there were a mere 900 rounds remaining.) As soon as the soldiers received their ammunition, the men began fortifying the perimeter. In the hospital there were 39 British soldiers. There was also a member of the Natal ​ ​ Mounted Police, Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess; 2nd/3rd . Arms and ammunition were sent to the hospital and only a handful of these were unable to take up arms; they were classified as “excused duty”. The “walking wounded” began to create firing loopholes in the walls of the hospital. At about 3:30 pm, a volunteer cavalry troop of about 100 Natal Native Horse under the command of Lieutenant Alfred Henderson arrived at the station after having retreated in good order from Isandlwana. They volunteered to picket the far side of the Oscarberg, the large hill that overlooked the station and from behind which the Zulus were expected to approach. At about 4:20 pm, a brief skirmish ensued with the vanguard of the main Zulu force engaging Lieutenant Henderson's NNH troopers, stationed behind the Oscarberg. However, weary from the battle at Isandlwana and the retreat to Rorke's Drift as well as being short of ammunition for their carbines, Henderson's men departed for Helpmekaar. Henderson himself reported to Lieutenant Chard the enemy were close and that "his men would not obey his orders. They want to die on their own farms.” he added. The Zulu’s attacking Rorke’s Drift had been held in reserve in the Battle at Isandlwana Although, Cetshwayo, the Zulu king, hd ordered them specifically not to attack Rorke’s Drift ​ they were anxious to prove their bravery in battle.They were armed with the traditional spear and shield and some of the warriors had old muskets they purchased from merchants. However, most Zulu’s depreciated their use in combat. The soldiers had worked all afternoon and so that when the Zulu’s finally arrived, most of the barricades had been completed. The Zulu warriors had left their morning encampment at around 8 am, and by the time they reached Rorke's Drift at 4:30 pm, they had fast-marched some 20 miles (32 km). Then they would spend almost all of the next eleven and a half hours continuously storming the British fortifications at Rorke's Drift.

The Defense of Rorke’s Drift by Alphonse de Neuville ​ The traditional mode of attack for the Zulu was “the horns of the buffalo” (Water buffalo have long powerful horns.) The Zulu divided their army into four sections. The center represented the head and the loins of the buffalo and the two flanks were the horns. First the center (The head) would attack and draw the attention of their enemies. The loins advanced and the head joined the horns while they circled around and enveloped the distracted enemy. It was a very effective battle tactic. It was the very strategy they successfully used in the Battle of Isandlwana. However, as the Zulu’s were soon to learn that while it was very effective in the open fields of Southwest Africa it was ineffectual against an entrenched enemy in a fortified position. Shortly after 4:30, about 500 Zulus (the head of the Buffalo) appeared around the hill to the south, running towards the mission station. When they attacked, at some 100 yards from the wall, they were met by a heavy volley of fire from the garrison and veered around the hospital to attack from the north-west.The loins then advanced. The two units of Zulu warriors (The head and a horn) now became a disorganized mass of attackers. They were driven back again by the sustained fire from the garrison and retreated to the nearby undergrowth for protection. The other horn of the Buffalo force swept around to attack the hospital and northwestern wall. This attack too was thwarted. A few of the attacking Zulus took cover and were pinned down by continuing British fire. Others retreated to the terraces of Oscarberg. Some of the Zulus on the terraces were armed with obsolete Brown Bess muskets. They began a harassing fire on the compound. They were ill trained and the muskets were inaccurate. Their intended use was a coordinated volley fire not individual sniper fire. During the entire battle, Zulu musket fire inflicted few casualties. Only five of the seventeen defenders who were mortally wounded in the action were struck by gun fire from the terraces. Those British soldiers on the barricades – including Chard and Bromhead – were engaged in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. In many places the British wall was too high for the Zulus to scale, so they resorted to crouching under the wall, trying to grab a hold of the defenders' Martini–Henry rifles, slashing at British soldiers with their spears or firing their weapons through the wall. At other places, they clambered over the bodies of their fallen comrades to drive the British off the walls but were driven back.

The Defense of Rorke’s Drift by Lady Elizabeth Butler.

The hospital at the western end of the fortifications then became the focus for the fighting. At 6:00 pm,under near constant Zulu attack Chard realised that the north wall could not be held. He pulled his men back into the yard, abandoning the front two rooms of the hospital in the process. At that time the hospital was becoming untenable; as the loopholes had become a liability: rifles poking out were grabbed at by the Zulus, yet if the holes were left empty, the Zulu warriors threw their own weapons into the rooms hoping to wound or kill the defenders. The thatched roof soon caught fire and as the troopers retreated the building was stormed by the Zulus. Several soldiers engaged in a room by room delaying tactics while the other walking wounded carried the ill patients with them as they withdrew. With the Zulus now in almost complete control of the burning building the troops abandoned the hospital. As many men as possible were extracted, the remaining few patients and more than a few attacking Zulus perished in the flames. The hospital burned through the night. It served to thwart part of the Zulu attack as well alerting the relief column that had arrived at Isandlwana to the battle raging at Rorke’s Drift. Having arrived too late to effect a change at Isandlwana, they resolved to march to Rorke’s Drift and provide any aid they could. By ten o’clock that night the hospital and the cattle kraal had been abandoned, and the defenders were packed into their little bastion, including the redoubt and the wall around the storehouse. The fighting now concentrated on the wall of biscuit tins linking the mission house with the mealie bag wall.The burning hospital reduced the areas from which the Zulus could attack as well as providing some light for the defenders on the dark and almost moonless night. The savage Zulu attacks were resisted until around midnight, when, unexpectedly, the ferocity of the assaults diminished.

The last stand at the redoubt ​ However the attacks did continue. They were not the massed attacks, but were made by smaller groups of warriors, probably numbering in the hundreds or less. At two in the morning even these attacks began to slacken; by four o’clock, even the sniper fire from the terraces was dying down. The British had fought for over ten hours. Most were wounded. All had not eaten since the fighting began and whatever water that remained was sent to the hospital. The conditions for the Zulus were mostly the same and they were themselves losing heart. The only provisions they had were those they carried with them since the morning and they were gone and they too were exhausted with many wounded warriors. Additionally, they were running out of ammunition. When the firing ceased around 4am, unknown to the British, the Zulus withdrew. By then the tuckered out British held only the area around the storehouse. When dawn broke at last, the British were astonished to see that the Zulus had gone. They left the field littered with their dead and wounded.The exhausted soldiers did not celebrate their victory. They opened the biscuit tins and began to eat. Patrols were dispatched to scout the ​ battlefield, recover rifles, and look for survivors, many of whom were killed when found as they would have been unable to treat them at the overwhelmed hospital. (There was only one surgeon and he was obligated to treat the approximately 150 wounded British soldiers first.) All in all, the ​ Zulus had lost at least 370 men, (The Zulu’s carried away their dead and wounded where they could. The defenders lost 17 troopers. At roughly 7:00 am, Zulus suddenly appeared again and ​ leaving their breakfast, the British hurriedly manned their positions once again.

To their relief no attack materialised. Soon after their appearance, the Zulus left. They​ ​ had been on the move for six days prior to the battle and had not eaten properly for two. In their ranks were hundreds of wounded, and they were several days' march from any supplies. Around 8:00 am, another force appeared, and once again the defenders left their breakfast to man their positions again. However, the force turned out to be the vanguard of Lord Chelmsford's relief column. They could finally relax now that reinforcements had arrived.It also ​ ​ gave them some time to reflect on the previous day's events and the magnitude of their accomplishment.

The Defenders at Rorke’s Drift ​

Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne, could not disguise his admiration for his opponents’ courage. “To show their fearlessness and their contempt for the redcoats,” he recalled, “The Zulus tried to leap the parapet, and at times seized our bayonets, only to be shot down. Looking back, one cannot but admire their fanatical bravery.” The movie Don and I saw, Zulu, was a marvel of equality. It evenly presented both The ​ ​ British and The Zulu perspective on the war. However, it played fast and loose with the facts: To begin with the film identified the units at Rorke’s Drift as Welsh. The regiment had been stationed at Brecon in South since AD1873. However, there were more “British” than Welsh soldiers in the unit. It had been the army’s custom since the Battle at Culloden and the Occupation of Scotland that troops stationed in an area would be composed of men from elsewhere. The film identified the unit as The , but the unit was not, in fact, ​ ​ called that until two years after the battle. Most of the men of the 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot (1/24) and were recruited from the industrial and rural classes of , principally from Birmingham and adjacent southwest counties. Only 10 soldiers of the 1/24 that fought in the battle were Welsh. Of the 122 soldiers of the 2/24th Regiment present at the Battle of Rorke's Drift, 49 are known to have been of English nationality, 32 were Welsh, 16 were Irish, one was a Scot, and three were born outside the UK. The nationalities of the remaining 21 are unknown. The movie also depicted the NNH under Lt. Henderson as abandoning the station and refusing to lend any assistance. This was simply not true. Their actions were described in a previous paragraph. It is considered common knowledge that filming at night can cause massive problems for filmmakers. Filming an entire movie at night would prove extremely difficult not to mention expensive. So in the film, Rorke’s Drift became a daylight battle. In reality almost all of the fighting occurred at night. The climatic scene of the film is cinamaphotragraphy at its absolute finest. It is both intensely dramatic and truly exhilarating. Imagine if you will the first rays of dawn breaking through the night sky. Below it are the besieged, wounded and exhausted soldiers. As the sun sheds its light over the hillside the soldiers are dismayed to see thousands of Zulu warriors suddenly appearing on the hilltop. Then The Zulus begin chanting their battle cry, building their courage before their heroic and final charge. The troopers are noticeably unsettled. Exhausted, wounded, hungry and thirsty, they faced their overwhelming enemy resigned to the idea that this was to be their last battle. Then, suddenly the soldiers' spirits are raised as they sing ‘’. Invigorated by the stirring lyrics of the song, once again they repulse the ​ ​ Zulus this time once and for all. Then as the film ends the Zulus salute “fellow braves” as they depart. One cannot help but feel joyful amazement at the heroic bravery of the “Welshmen”. While it is a superb ending, it is purely imaginary. It never happened. There was no sunrise attack. There was no singing. The men were at the verge of complete exhaustion after fighting for 11 straight hours without food or water. At 7am, a body of Zulus did, in fact, appear on the hill, but no attack followed. The Zulus never saluted them, praising their bravery. They were massing for another attack when they spotted the relief column approaching. Rather than continue the fight they left before the column arrived. The soldiers did engrave their place in the annals of history though. The Defense of Rorke’s Drift is considered to be one of the greatest examples of bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. Additionally, there were 15 medals awarded to the defenders;11 Victoria Crosses and 4 Distinguished Conduct Medals.

Victoria Cross Lieutenant John Rouse Merriott Chard, 5th Field Coy, Royal Engineers, Officer in Command Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead; B Coy, 24th Regiment of Foot (2nd/24th Foot) Corporal William Wilson Allen; B Coy, 2nd/24th Foot Private ; B Coy, 2nd/24th Foot Private Alfred Henry Hook; B Coy, 2nd/24th Foot Private Robert Jones; B Coy, 2nd/24th Foot Private William Jones; B Coy, 2nd/24th Foot Private John Williams; B Coy, 2nd/24th Foot Surgeon-Major James ; Army Medical Department Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton; Commissariat and Transport Department Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess; 2nd/3rd Natal Native Contingent Distinguished Conduct Medal: Colour Sergeant Frank Edward Bourne; B Coy, 2nd/24th Foot Gunner John Cantwell; N Batt, 5th Brig Royal Horse Artillery Private John William Roy; 1st/24th Foot Second Corporal Francis Attwood; Army Service Corps

In the painting by Alphonse de Neuville, a sharp eyes reader may have spied a dog in the lower center. It was not artistic license, it was a white fox terrier named "Dick". He was owned by Surgeon-Major James Reynolds of the Army Medical Department. Reynolds was awarded the and his dog, Dick, (who did survive) was specially mentioned in the dispatch for "his constant attention to the wounded under fire where they fell."

​From The Mass Deck Scots Pancakes Scots pancakes are quite different than Americanpancakes. They are cooked on a hot girdle and are entirely different from crepes (also known as pancakes in Britain).

Ingredients: 8 oz plain white flour 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda Large pinch of salt ​ 1 tablespoon castor sugar 2 tablespoons oil 1 egg Milk to mix Method: Heat the girdle and grease lightly. Sift all the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a ​ bowl. Add in the castor sugar, oil, egg and a little milk. Stir into the flour and add enough milk to make a thick creamy mixture, approximately the consistency of very thick double cream. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the hot girdle and cook until they bubble on top. Turn and cook on the other side until golden brown. While cooking the rest of the mixture store the cooked pancakes between a small folded towel. Serve the warm pancakes with butter and preserves. Makes 12 pancakes

Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels ​ ​ ​ Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm– no need to take temperature) ​ 1 packet active dry or instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) 1 teaspoon salt 1 raw egg 1 Tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool 3 and 3/4-4 cups (460-500g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for work surface coarse sea salt for sprinkling 1 teaspoon of milk or non-dairy milk 1/2 cup (120g) baking soda 9 cups (2,160ml) water Method: Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown ​ sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/3 cup sections. Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the two ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape. Place pretzel onto the prepared baking sheet. Mix whole egg with milk or non-dairy milk for egg wash. Baste each pretzel with egg wash. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve.. Pretzels may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 3 days (they lose a little softness). Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled pretzels freeze well, up to 2 months. To ​ ​ reheat, bake frozen pretzels at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until warmed through or microwave until warm. The prepared pretzel dough can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated dough can be shaped into pretzels while still cold, but allow some extra time for the pretzels to puff up before the baking soda bath and baking.

Best Ever Pigs in a Blanket ​ Ingredients: 1 (8-oz.) tube crescent rolls 1 12-oz. package mini cocktail weiners ​ 4 tbsp. melted butter Coarse salt, for sprinkling Method: Preheat oven to 375º. On a lightly floured surface, unroll crescent sheets and tear where ​ perforated. Cut each triangle into 3 smaller triangles. Place one cocktail weiner on the thick side of each triangle then gently roll to thinner side. Transfer to a medium baking sheet, brush with melted butter, and a sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Drambuie Oranges Ingredients: 6 to 8 small thin skinned juicy oranges 4 tablespoons Drambuie ​ Method: Slice the top and the bottom off each orange and sit each one on a board. Cut away the outer skin so that there is no white pith left behind and then slice each orange across into thin slices. Place the orange slices in a shallow dish with the Drambuie, cover and leave to chill in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours, during which time the juice from the oranges will develop a wonderful tasting sauce with the Drambuie. Arrange on serving plates as before and serve while the slices are still chilled end.

Scottish Crackers This section features humorous contributions. If you have heard a joke recently and wish to share it or you have a humorous anecdote please send it in. Scottish Words of Wisdom Time and tide will tarry on nae man. ​ The Discreet Scotsman Six retired Scotsmen were playing poker in McTavish's apartment when Angus loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest, and drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen brother, the other five continue playing standing up. Finally one looks around and asks, "Oh, lads, someone got's tell Angus's wife. Who will it be?" They draw straws. Mac picks the short one. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, don't make a bad situation any worse. Discreet??? I'm the most discreet Scotsman you'll ever meet. Discretion is my middle name. Leave it to me." Mac goes over to Angus's house and knocks on the door. Angus’s wife answers, and asks what he wants. Mac declares, "Your husband just lost $500, and is afraid to come home." Tell him to drop dead!", says Angus's wife. "I'll go tell him." says Mac. What to Celebrate in April April 1 April Fools Day The day we are reminded of what we are on the other 365. M. Twain ​ April 2 Good Friday April 4 EASTER April 6 NATIONAL TARTAN DAY -Treaty of Arbroath signed - Wear yours April 7 National Beer Day April 9 National Unicorn Day The official animal of Scotland April 10 National Hug Your Dog Day and maybe a biscuit or two April 13 National Scrabble Day The game not the food - that’s with a ‘P’anyway April 17 Husband Appreciation Day April 22 Earth Day April 24 National Pigs In A Blanket Day April 16 National Pretzel Day April 27 National Prime Rib Day -my favorite restaurant April 20 Arbor Day Plant -an arbor is a structure on which plants can grow or a group of trees

Just in case you’re interested; The chicken came before the egg Genesis 1:20-22 ​ ​ ​

  ​ ​ Happ​ y Easter

Remember: It’s Crackers to slip a rosser a dropsy and snide. Anyone wishing to contribute an article, news, a joke or humorous anecdote ​ or other contributions, news, suggestions for articles or genteel comments can send them to:

​ [email protected] ​ nd Do a BUDDY CHECK on the 22 o​ f Every Month. ​