Battle of Blood River

On 6 February 1838, Voortrekker Leader Piet Retief and his party of 69 men were unexpectedly butchered to death while feasting with the Zulus at Dingane's uMgungundlovu homestead. They were celebrating the signing of a treaty granting them land to settle. The Battle of Blood River which took place on 16 December 1838, served as an opportunity for the remaining Voortrekkers to avenge their death.

Several more attacks on the Voortrekkers took place after Retief's murder at mGungundlovu. There were attacks at Weenen, Bloukrans and Moordplaas, where hundreds of men, women and children were killed. The Voortrekkers and British launched a number of retaliatory expeditions against the Zulus, which all proved to be fruitless. The Voortrekkers became very despondent until a charismatic man from Graaff Reinet, called Andries Pretorius, assumed the leadership of the group. A short time later plans for a decisive attack on Dingaan were finalised. Andries Pretorius' commando, which later became known as the Wenkommando ("Victorious commando') was made up of about 470 men.

They crossed the Buffalo River near present day Dundee and reached a tributary on Saturday 15 December 1838. The tributary has since been known as the Blood River. Boer scouts reported seeing a large Zulu force of about 12 500 warriors advancing, and Pretorius carefully selected the best strategic position to form his laager. The laager was formed between a deep pool in the river and a donga, which joined the river on the opposite side. The wagons were securely tied together, gates were provided and cannons were placed in the only two openings. The Zulus fought with shields and assegais. To be able to use their assegais effectively they had to get as close as possible to the enemy. The Voortrekkers had far superior weapons; muzzle loading rifles, flintlock muskets and cannons. At dusk, the Zulu impis were clearly visible, having gathered on the opposite bank of the river.

Two hours before dawn everybody was ready. The Voortrekkers once more recited the Covenant and made their vow with God, which stated that if God granted the Voortrekkers victory, they would for ever observe the day as a Sabbath, and build a church as a memorial for future generations.

The assault was launched at dawn the following day. The dense fog covering the ground had completely cleared at daybreak, and the first attack was driven back successfully. The following attack by the Zulus could not be beaten back until it had almost reached the wagons. When the Zulus, who had again withdrawn to about 500 yards, hesitated to launch a third attack, Pretorius sent some men to draw them out. The final attack lasted almost an hour. When the force of the attack began to weaken, Pretorius sent out a few hundred of his men, mounted on horses. Finally, the Zulus fled and Pretorius' Wenkommando gave chase for hours. Towards midday, when the pursuit was called off, more than 3 000 corpses were counted around the laager. The water in the river had turned red with blood. With only three Voortrekkers wounded, including Pretorius, the Boers had suffered no deaths, and a solemn thanksgiving service was held.

Today the area is home to the Blood River Heritage sight, and displays a number of monuments which commemorate the battle. The first monument is an ox-wagon sculptured out of grey granite by south African sculptor Coert Steynberg. Steynberg was asked to design a monument in 1928, and the jaw-bone wagon design, to be constructed from raw granite, was generally accepted. The monument was completed in 1939 but could only be unveiled in 1947 because of the Second World War. The wagon was initially placed over the stone cairn that was erected in the middle of the laager, and was later moved to its current position in 1971 when the wagon laager was erected. The wagon serves as a symbol for the home, fortress and church of the Voortrekkers.

The pyramid shaped beacon which was erected during the Voortrekker Centenary in 1938 is a "Covenant Renewal Beacon". A short distance as of the beacon are a few wagon tracks stamped in cement with the date 1938. These are the tracks of the "Johanna van der Merwe" Centenary commemoration wagon, which took part in the symbolic ox wagon trek of that year. North of the beacon the wheel tracks of the "FAK Natalia" wagon that took part in the 150-year commemoration trek in 1988, are also stamped in cement.

The stone cairn is the earliest memorial on the site. It was erected on 16 December 1866 when between 40 and 50 wagons gathered to commemorate the 1838 battle of Blood River. Each of the people present placed a stone roughly in the middle of where the initial laager had been, erecting a stone cairn as a memorial. Some of the Voortrekkers and also a Zulu warrior who took part in the battle were present. The words of the covenant as made by the Voortrekkers with God, are depicted on two commemorative plaques in both English and Afrikaans on either side of the mound.

The wagon laager at the site was erected as a replica of the original laager and was not intended to be a monument. This wagon laager was erected and unveiled on 16 December 1971, on the site of the original laager of 1838. This reconstruction of a wagon laager is thought to be the only of its kind in the world. The wagons which were constructed from wrought iron, and coated with bronze, stand on concrete foundations. Each wagon is identical and is based on the "Johanna van der Merwe" centenary commemoration wagon. The wagons in the laager without tents were used as ammunition wagons. At the monument wattle wood was used to reconstruct the palisade barriers that were used to keep the Zulu warriors out. Replica lanterns, fastened to long whip handles were placed at each wagon. The lights can be switched on on request so that overnight visitors may have a preview of what the Voortrekkers experienced on the evening before the battle.

Andries Pretorius brought this ship's cannon with him from the Cape, and it is mounted on a light undercarriage with two wheels. The cannon was placed in an easterly direction facing across the river. When loaded with shrapnel, pieces of pot iron and stones, it could fire a distance of at least 3 000 meters.

According to certain historians there were only two cannons at the battle of Blood River, however according to others there were at least three. The northern entrance of the laager served as a portal through which the Voortrekker force could go out and follow the Zulu forces. The homemade cannon known as "Grietjie" was placed here. Today the cannon stands mounted on an undercarriage of plough wheels in the cellar museum of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria. A second replica of the cannon "Grietjie" stands on the spot where the big cannon stood during the battle. It is not known what this cannon looked like.