Battle of Blood River

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Voortrekker laager

Date	16 December 1838
Location	Blood river, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Result	Decisive Voortrekker victory

Combatants

Voortrekkers

Zulu

Commanders

Andries Pretorius

Dambuza
Ndlela kaSompisi

Strength

about 470 men

between 10,000 and 20,000 men

Casualties

3 wounded

3,000 dead

The Battle of Blood River (Afrikaans: Slag van Bloedrivier) was fought on 16 December 1838 on the banks of the Blood River (Bloedrivier) in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A group of about 470 Voortrekkers, led by Andries Pretorius, defended a laager (circle of ox wagons) against Zulu impis, ruled by King Dingane and led by Dambuza (Nzobo) and Ndlela kaSompisi, numbering 10,000-20,000.

The Voortrekkers were motivated by the fact that Dingane had killed one of their leaders, Piet Retief, after negotiating a treaty with him. Dingane's impis had also afterwards gone on a slaughtering campaign, raping and killing defenseless Voortrekker women and smashing their babies against rocks, most notably at Bloukrans.

On 15 December the Voortrekkers received word that a large Zulu force was approaching. Pretorius chose an excellent site next to the Blood river (then the Ncome river), where their ox wagons were arranged into a laager. In spite of mist settling that evening, it was clear the next day. Before the battle commenced, the Voortrekkers (led by Sarel Cilliers) made a vow to God that, should they be delivered, they would build a church and commemorate the day as a Sabbath.

The Zulus repeatedly and unsuccessfully attacked the laager, until Pretorius ordered a group of horse riders to leave the encampment and engage the Zulus. In the fighting, Pretorius was wounded in his left hand by an assegaai (Zulu spear).

Partly due to the fact that the Voortrekkers used rifles and at least one light cannon against the Zulus' spears, as well as the good location and motivation of the Voortrekkers, only three Voortrekkers were wounded and none perished; that contrasted against the more than 3,000 Zulu warriors who died.

16 December is a public holiday in South Africa; before 1994 it was known as the Day of the Vow or Day of the Covenant; but today it is the Day of Reconciliation.

In 1978 a prominent Pretoria academic Floors van Jaarsveld questioned the motivation behind the commemoration of the victory and was subsequently tarred and feathered during a public lecture by members of the Afrikaner Resistance Movement.