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Pretorius received reports that the Zulu army was on its way to meet him and he chose a strongpoint with a deep 'donga' (erosion channel/arroyo) 14ft deep, on the one side and the Ncome river, into which the donga flowed, on the other.
The river was high and could be forded in two places. On the remaining two sides was open plain that could be easily enfiladed. The position was very strong.
Pretorius sent out a patrol to entice the 15,000 strong Zulu army to attack but they retired, hoping to lure Pretorius into an ambush. Pretorius declined and the Zulus then had to attack.
Dingane`s vastly experienced induna (commander) Ndlela planned to follow the Boer horsemen, cross the river and attack them that night but the distance was longer than he had anticipated and the regiments kept getting lost in the mist.
Although many of the Zulus had reached the laager during the night, dawn came and saw most of the Zulu army still trying to cross the Ncome river.
This mistake on the morning of Sunday December 16th 1838 might be considered to be the critical turning point in the whole of the Great Trek.
The Zulu army could have laid siege to the laager, or have waited until the remaining two thirds crossed the Ncome river. Instead, the warriors who had crossed attacked impulsively, being cut down, charge after charge. In the laager was a herd of cattle that, because of the smoke and the din of the guns, threatened to stampede through the laager into the donga. Men were dispatched to that side and out of the laager the few yards to the donga where the Zulus were packed solidly. Every one was shot dead.
The Zulus now attacked with even greater ferocity and were crossing the Ncome river in numbers. Moreover, the ammunition was running low so Pretorius chanced sending out men on horseback. Two charges brought little result but a third, of 300 horsemen split the Zulu army and it started to falter.
The Boer horsemen were able to pick off the Zulu warriors lining the banks of the river that ran red with their blood and was henceforth called Blood River. A late charge by the Zulu crack corps was to no avail as they became entangled with the retreating warriors.
An estimated three thousand Zulu warriors were killed on the veld, in the donga and in the river. Not a single Boer was killed. Despite incredible bravery, the Zulus were no match against a strong defensive position.
The parallel with the previous events on the highveld is strong - each encounter starting with a massacre and ending in revenge.
In the ultimate of ironies, on that very day, the British had run up the Union Jack in Durban. The trekkers' greatest enemy had arrived.
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The Zulu Army Makes a Great Mistake
The Course of the Battle
The Zulu Army is Routed
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