Atlas of Battles

battle, major, nineteenth century

Battle of Isandlwana

Battle of Isandlwana was a battle fought on 22 January 1879 at Isandlwana, in what is now South Africa. It was part of the Anglo-Zulu War. The recorded result: Zulu victory.

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The Zulu War, Isandula, the Dash with the Colours, Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill cutting their Way through the Zulu Army with the Colours of the 24th Regiment. Illustration for The Graphic, 15 March
The Zulu War, Isandula, the Dash with the Colours, Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill cutting their Way through the Zulu Army with the Colours of the 24th Regiment. Illustration for The Graphic, 15 March. After John Charles Dollman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought22 January 1879
WhereIsandlwana, South Africa28.356S, 30.652E
OutcomeZulu victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandagainstZulu Kingdom
Part ofAnglo-Zulu War1879

Where it sits in the Anglo-Zulu War

Battle of Rorke's Drift, 1879Battle of Isandlwana, 1879Battle of Inyezane, 1879Siege of Eshowe, 1879Battle of Intombe, 1879Battle of Hlobane, 1879Battle of Kambula, 1879Battle of Gingindlovu, 1879Battle of Ulundi, 187918791879Battle of Isandlwana, 1879
10 placed engagements of the Anglo-Zulu War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date22 January 1879
PlaceIsandlwana, South Africa
28.356S, 30.652E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Commanders
  • Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford
  • Brevet (military)
  • Henry Pulleine
  • Anthony Durnford
Battle of IsandlwanaBattle of IsandlwanaBattle of Rorke's DriftBattle of Blood RiverZungeni Mountain skirmishBattle of Talana HillBattle of ItaleniBattle of Rorke's DriftBattle of Blood RiverBattle of Talana HillBattle of ItaleniVryheidLadysmithVolksrustGolelaUbombaMokhotlong100 km28.356S, 30.652E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Isandlwana
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Isandlwana today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-10-09. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 1,214 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 889 to 1,429 m, 540 m of relief, steep country and today it is 72% grassland, 14% shrubland, 7% cropland.

grassland: 72%shrubland: 14%cropland: 7%tree cover: 4%grassland 72%shrubland 14%cropland 7%tree cover 4%
west to east, 10.0 km1,073 to 1,219 mnorth to south, 10.0 km1,044 to 1,338 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1879

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: ZULU ARMYDefender: BR 24TH REGT. (+)
Strength20,0001,800
Casualties3,000 (15.0%)1,445 (80.3%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1093
Outcomeattacker won
Duration1 day
Front width4 km1.5 km
Attacker advanced1.8 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 230), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Isandlwana is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 92 in present-day South Africa.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q747589, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Isandlwana, revision 1385744260, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.