Battle of Rorke's Drift - Aftermath

Aftermath

As dawn broke, the British could see that the Zulus were gone; all that remained were the dead and severely wounded. Patrols were dispatched to scout the battlefield, recover rifles, and look for survivors, many of whom were executed when found. At roughly 7:00 am, an Impi of Zulus suddenly appeared, and the British manned their positions again.

No attack materialized, as the Zulus 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. Soon after their appearance, the Zulus left the way they had come.

Around 8:00 am, another force appeared, and the redcoats abandoned their breakfast to man their position again; however the force turned out to be the vanguard of Lord Chelmsford's relief column.

Breakdown of British and colonial casualties:

• 1st/24th Foot: 4 killed or mortally wounded in action; 2 wounded
• 2nd/24th Foot: 9 killed or mortally wounded in action; 9 wounded
• Commissariat and Transport Department: 1 killed in action; 1 wounded
• Natal Mounted Police: 1 killed in action; 1 wounded
• 1st/3rd NNC: 1 killed in action
• 2nd/3rd NNC: 2 wounded

In addition, one member of Stevenson's 2nd/3rd NNC, Corporal William Anderson, was killed by British fire while fleeing the station just prior to the arrival of the Zulus.

Three hundred and fifty-one Zulu bodies were counted after the battle, but it has been estimated that at least 500 wounded and captured Zulus might have been massacred as well. Having witnessed the carnage at Isandlwana, the members of Chelmsford's relief force had no mercy for the captured, wounded Zulus they came across. Nor did the station's defenders. Trooper William James Clarke of the Natal Mounted Police described in his diary that "altogether we buried 375 Zulus and some wounded were thrown into the grave. Seeing the manner in which our wounded had been mutilated after being dragged from the hospital... we were very bitter and did not spare wounded Zulus".

Samuel Pitt, who served as a private in B Company during the battle, told The Western Mail in 1914 that the official enemy death toll was too low: "We reckon we had accounted for 875, but the books will tell you 400 or 500". Lieutenant Horace Smith-Dorrien, a member of Chelmsford's staff, wrote that the day after the battle an improvised gallows was used "for hanging Zulus who were supposed to have behaved treacherously".