258 
SOUTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN, 1878-9. 
Marking of 
ammunition 
boxes. 
Small-arms. 
How carried 
Range 
tables. 
Gun spikes. 
Position of 
Nos. 1 over 
rough 
ground. 
Declaration 
of war with 
the Zulus. 
Division of 
guns cross¬ 
ing a rapid 
stream. 
As these carts and wagons were often used in camp for fatigue pur¬ 
poses, the ammunition had to be off-loaded and stacked, and to prevent 
any mistake arising in re-packing, the following marking of boxes was 
adopted:— 
All belonging to the Scotch cart were marked O; all belonging to 
American wagon A ; all belonging to the ox wagon O X. 
After the disaster at Isandhlana, small-arms were issued to the 
artillery, which were carried as follows in my division :—All Nos. 1 and 
drivers carried a revolver in case slung over the shoulder. Four M.-H. 
carbines were strapped to the front of the limber boxes. All men not 
actually working numbers of the gun carried a M.-H. carbine slung 
over the shoulder. 
As the range tables issued with the 7-pr. gun were found not to hold 
good in the African climate, a new table was compiled, which, being 
written on a strip of leather, was sewn on the back of the off axletree 
box back band. In addition to this, each No. 1 had the range tables, 
both for ordinary and double shell, written inside his helmet. 
The gun spikes were removed from the axletree boxes, and carried 
by the officer in his revolver ammunition pouch. The N.C. officers and 
men were in formed of this. 
To prevent the lead horses falling into ant bear holes, or coming to 
grief in other ways, over rough ground, the Nos. 1 of each gun rode 
5 yds. in front of their respective sub-divisions. 
War having been declared against the Zulus, Wood's Column crossed 
the Blood River on the 6th January, 1879, and encamped on the Zulu 
bank. My division, then on detachment at Balte's Sprint, did not 
receive orders to advance until the 10th January, on which day we 
marched at 4 a.m., arriving on the right bank of the Blood River at 
8.15 a.m. The river was very much swollen, and there was no ford. 
Having received orders to cross as soon as possible, in order to accom¬ 
pany a flying column marching that afternoon in the direction of 
Rorke's Drift, with the object of covering the crossing of No. 3 Column 
at that point, I commenced the passage of the river at 10 a.m. 
The horses and mules, being stripped, were driven into the river. 
They were carried some way down stream by the current, and were 
secured on the opposite bank by those drivers who had been able to 
swim across previously. The barrels of a water cart, attached by a 
running line to each bank, served as a raft, on which was carried all 
ammunition, limber boxes, harness, rations, kits, and those men who 
were unable to swim. The guns, limbers, Scotch cart, and American 
wagon were dragged through the bed of the river by means of the 
divisional picket line; and at 11.20 a.m. the division marched into 
Head-Quarter Camp complete. The passage of the river was accom¬ 
plished in 1 hour and 20 minutes, without a single casualty. 
At 2 p.m. the same day, the division accompanied the flying column 
towards Rorke's Drift, halting at 7 p.m. At 1.30 a.m. the following 
morning the column continued its march, and after going 10 miles 
halted, and sent on the cavalry and two guns, under Lieut. Bigge, R.A., 
12 miles further on, where they were met by Lord Chelmsford and 
staff, who had ridden to meet them from Rorke's Drift, The lines of 
