Identifier: truetalesoftrave00macarich (find matches)
Title: True tales of travel and adventure, valour and virtue
Year: 1884 (1880s)
Authors: Macaulay, James, 1817-1902
Subjects: Voyages and travels Adventure and adventurers
Publisher: London, Hodder and Stoughton
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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Text Appearing Before Image:
It only remains to present the official report of Lieutenant
Chard, the model of what such a report should be, in its
modest statement of his own service, and generous recognition
of that of his comrades, and affording a graphic sketch of an
event which will ever be memorable in the annals of British
heroism.

Rorke^s Drift, January 25th, 1879.

I have to report that on the 22nd inst. I was left in com-
mand at Rorke's Drift, by Major Spalding, who went to
Helpmakar in order to hurry forward a company of the
24th Regiment. I was specially ordered to protect the ponts.
At 3.15 P.M. that day I was watching at the ponts, when two
men came towards us from Zululand at a gallop. They shouted
out, and were taken across the river; and I was then informed
by one of them—Lieutenant Adendorff, of Commandant
Lonsdale's regiment, who afterwards remained to assist in the
defence—of the disaster befallen at the Isandula camp, and
that the Zulus were advancing on Rorke's Drift. The other,
a carbineer, rode on to take the news forward to Helpmakar.
Almost immediately afterwards I received a message from
Lieutenant Bromhead, Commander of the company of the
24th Regiment at the post, asking me to come up at once.
Text Appearing After Image:

GALLANT DEFENCE OF RORKE'S DRIFT. THE MORNING AFTER THE CONFLICT. [page 296.

of Rorke's Drift. 297

I gave instructions to strike tents, and to put all stores into the
waggons, while I instantly made my way to the commissariat
store, and there found a note that had been received from the
Third Column (Lord Chelmsford's), stating that the enemy
was advancing in force against our post, which we were to
strengthen and hold at all costs. Lieutenant Bromhead was
already most actively engaged loopholing and barricading the
store building and hospital, and also in connecting the defences
of the two buildings by walls, constructed with mealie bags
and waggons. I held a hurried consultation with him and
Mr. Dalton of the commissariat, who was actively superintend-
ing the work of defence, and whom I cannot sufficiently thank
for his most valuable services—and I entirely approved all his
arrangements. I then went round our position, down to the
ponts, and brought up along with their guard (one sergeant and
six men) the gear, waggons, etc

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