Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Ulundi

Battle of Ulundi was a battle fought on 4 July 1879 at Ulundi, in what is now South Africa. It was part of the Anglo-Zulu War. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 4,200 British; 1,000 Africans; 2 Gatling guns; 10 field guns against 12,000–15,000.

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L'incendie d'Ulundi. Gravure de 1879
L'incendie d'Ulundi. Gravure de 1879. AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought4 July 1879
WhereUlundi, South Africa28.311S, 31.426E
OutcomeBritish 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 Ulundi, 1879
10 placed engagements of the Anglo-Zulu War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date4 July 1879
PlaceUlundi, South Africa
28.311S, 31.426E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength4,200 British; 1,000 Africans; 2 Gatling guns; 10 field guns12,000–15,000
Casualties and lossesubl|13–18 killed|69–89 wounded}
Commanders
  • Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford
  • Ziwedu kaMpande
Battle of UlundiBattle of UlundiBattle of ItaleniZungeni Mountain skirmishSiege of EshoweBattle of InyezaneBattle of IsandlwanaBattle of ItaleniSiege of EshoweBattle of InyezaneVryheidLadysmithVolksrustGolelaUbomba100 km28.311S, 31.426E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1879

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: ZULU ARMYDefender: BR ARMY
Strength20,0005,317
Casualties1,500 (7.5%)100 (1.9%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1038
Outcomedefender won
Duration1 day
Front width2 km1.5 km
Attacker advanced-2 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 231), 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 Ulundi 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 Q2166177, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Ulundi, revision 1384894541, 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.