Voortrekker Massacres 16 – 18 February 1838

King Dingane, after ordering the execution of Piet Retief and his party at Kwa-Matiwane near uMgungundlovu in the eMakhosini Valley, on the 6 February 1838, commanded his impis to exterminate the rest of the Voortrekkers in Natal. The Zulu overran many Voortrekker encampments along the Bloukrans and Bushman rivers ( later known as Weenen) over the period of 16 to 18 February. However, the Voortrekkers managed to consolidate and ultimately drive the Zulu army away.

Adaptation of the depiction of a Zulu attack on a Boer camp in February 1838.
Adaptation of the depiction of a Zulu attack on a Boer camp in February 1838. Thomas Baines (November 1820 – 1875). Wikimedia Commons.

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