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The first clash between afrikaaners/boers and zulus I know of occured on 16-17th feb 1838 at the Bushmans and Bloukrantz Rivers, were several boer encampents were taken completely by surprice in night attacks. This attack followed the massacre of Piet Retief and his unarmed men at emGungundhlovu on feb 6th. The zulus were lead by Ndlela kaSompisi. Nearly 500 were killed by the zulus, most of them were noncombatants (200 were black camp followers). Some boer camps were warned and managed to form their wagons in laagers which the zulus couldn't penetrate. Ndlelas warriors took lots of cattle.
On 6 april Piet Uys and Hendrick Potgeiter lead 347 boers against the Zulu capital emGungundhlovu. they were howewer trapped by a zulu ambush at the eThaleni Mauntains as they collected cattle (set out as a decoy). The boers fled leaving Uys dead. On the same day another zulu army defeated a force of natal settlers who had raised 4 000 blacks to attack zulu territory. The zulus followed up the success by raiding into Natal. Zulu raids in August on boer camps on the Bushmans River were howewer repulsed with great cost to the zulus.
In December Andries Pretorius lead a boer commando into zulu territory, camping at the Ncome River on 15 December 1838. More than 10 000 zulus under the famous Ndlela attacked the boer's wagon-laager for hours, but were unable to penetrate it. As the exhausted zulus dwindled, Pretorius sallied his men on horseback and turned the zulu retreat into a full scale rout. More than 3 000 zulu dead were counted on the field, whereas the boers had not a single dead! As the Ncome River was coloured red with zulu blood the Boers dubbed the fight "The Battle of Blood river" (Bloet river).
After the defeat of the zulu impis Pretorius captured the deserted capital, and narrowly escaped a zulu ambush on the Mfolozi River. After the zulu defeat at Blood River, many regiments revolted against king Dingande, who was defeated by his half-brother Mpande who allied himself with the boers.
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Nu guhká go mis leat meahcit, de lea mis dorvu dán eatnam alde
Ossfok i sö kringest sturwekster ö ståtliger. Summer åv kulluma i riktit finer!
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