Personal info
- Name: Edward Stevenson BROWNE
- D.O.B: 23rd Dec, 1852
- D.O.A: 29th Mar, 1879
- D.O.D: 16th Jul, 1907
- Award: Victoria Cross
- Occupation at time of action: Lieutenant, 1st Battalion 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot, detached as Officer Commanding No 1 Squadron, Mounted Infantry
- Book: The Complete History - Volume 1
Khambula, Zululand, South Africa 29 March 1879
29 March 1879
THE ZULU WAR 1879
Wood’s position at Khambula had a garrison of 2,000 men. Cetshwayo had wisely forbidden his army to attack it directly and limit itself to harassing the British and cutting their supply lines. However, the battle at Hlobane on the preceding day had made the Zulus overconfident. On 29 March they attacked in classic ‘horns of the buffalo’ formation but the left horn became bogged down in a marsh. Buller charged and fired at the right horn before withdrawing. It was during this tactical withdrawal that Lieutenant E S Browne helped Colonel J C Russell to remount and then went to assist a trooper of the 4th Regiment attached to the Mounted Infantry. As intended, Buller’s charge provoked the right horn to attack, only to be destroyed by British artillery and rifle fire. The left horn and centre of the Zulu army in due course suffered the same fate. British and colonial casualties were relatively small but possibly as many as 2,000 Zulu warriors were killed and the Zulu army never fully recovered from this battle.
Citation
For his gallant conduct, on the 29th March, 1879, when the Mounted Infantry were being driven in by the enemy at Inhlobana, in galloping back and twice assisting on his horse (under heavy fire and within a few yards of the enemy) one of the mounted men, who must otherwise have fallen into the enemy’s hands.
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