Rorke's Drift...

Interesting...I would imagine that the theory being the gentry were used to being in command of their people on the estates and such and, therefore, were natural leaders? This was the case in medieval times I believe...

We're (Americans) hung up on the belief that education somehow makes a man a leader, even down to the NCOs...odd, nonetheless, history proves this untrue and, since the degradation of the institutions of higher learning, which started in the early 60's here, some of the dumbest people I have ever met have degrees...

There were other magnificent feats of battle during the Zulu Wars, the Xhosa Campaign, as well as in other parts of the British Empire.
When I was teaching in the Eastern Cape I spent quite a bit of time in Grahamstown, with it's period streets and buildings...



site of a famous siege:



.... In 1819, a famous fierce young chief, Makana, led an attack on Grahamstown with 10 000 Xhosa warriors that nearly destroyed the town.  Against all odds, only 200 British soldiers, under Colonel Willshire, managed to defeat this massive army,.

One of the enduring legends of the Battle of Grahamstown is the story of Elizabeth Salt, one of the soldiers’ wives living in the settlement. The Xhosa, loath to harm women in battle, apparently allowed her to walk through their ranks carrying a keg of gunpowder hidden beneath her skirts,  to the troops besieged in the barracks.

The main battle lasted no more than an hour, leaving at least 1 000 Xhosa and 3 British soldiers dead. Makana later surrendered to the British and was imprisoned on Robben Island.
On Christmas Day of that year (1819), he tried to escape but drowned when his boat capsized.

After the battle, the British Administration called for settlers to come and stabilise the area under British rule. The following year, the 1820 Settlers arrived and Grahamstown once again became the centre of business for many of these settlers, and became the first place that all four main ethnic groups of South Africa came into contact with each other. At its peak, during these early years, there were 174 ivory traders and even more animal skin traders based in Grahamstown.

Great thread on a group of heroes