UNITS OF THE ZULU WAR 1879
Royal Artillery
During the Zulu war the British deployed 7 and 9 pounder cannons. The army had experimented with breech loaders but the guns used were still all muzzle loaders. The gun carriages had gotten smaller at this time so they could be moved around rocky landscapes such as Afghanistan but they bounced around too much on the African plains so larger carriages were used no mater the size of the gun. At Isandlwhana the Zulus noticed how the gun crews stepped back from their guns when about to fire so learned when to duck. The guns continued to fire up until the last minute before limbering up to evacuate. One man was speared in the back as the carriages pulled away and both would be captured during the mad dash to flee. The guns would later be found at Ulundi after the war where the Zulus had tried and failed to figure out how to work them. Artillery crews wore blue coats with red collars with white belts. One thing I noticed painting the minis is that the crew on the horses had shin protectors on their right leg so they wouldn’t rub against the horse on their right.
Great scene!