During the 22nd and 23rd of January 1879, 153 soldiers fought against 4000 African Zulu warriors, under the command of Lieutenant Chard of the Corps of Royal Engineers and Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th Regiment, aided by eight men of the Natal Native Contingent; three troopers of the Natal Mounted Police; five personnel of the Medical Staff; three men of the Army Commissariat; four Royal Artillerymen; a Sergeant of the General's Staff; Chard's Driver, a Royal Engineer; one member of the 3rd Regiment; one Corporal of the 90th L.I.; a Corporal from the Army Service Corps. and a Chaplain and two helpers.
These 156 men, by doing their allotted tasks, held the Zulus at bay throughout the battle that raged unceasingly over the two days..
Miraculously, only seventeen men were killed and twelve wounded against around 350 of the Zulus killed. (This was Chard's original estimate) Other claims have been of much greater numbers
