Major Redvers Buller
Major, Irregular Cavalry Commander
"I must tell you that you are going to a desperate place."
Biography
Redvers Buller commanded the mounted irregular cavalry in Wood's column. At Hlobane on March 28, he led the assault on the abaQulusi stronghold and conducted the catastrophic withdrawal under fire when the main Zulu army appeared. He personally rode back repeatedly under fire to rescue unhorsed troopers — pulling at least three men up behind his horse with Zulus closing around him — earning the Victoria Cross for actions any military board would have described as suicidal heroism. Buller emerged from Zululand a hero, but the war revealed both his physical courage and the command limitations that would devastate him in a later war. In 1899 he commanded the British relief force at Ladysmith during the Boer War, suffered three disastrous defeats at Colenso, Spion Kop, and Vaal Krantz before relieving the town, and was relieved of command. He remains one of the most conflicted figures in Victorian military history — genuine physical hero, operationally mediocre general.
Did you know?
Buller's statue in Exeter was the subject of a prolonged campaign to remove it after his failures in the Boer War, but it survived and still stands. He was enormously popular in Devon, where local loyalty to a native son outweighed military judgment. The contradiction — Victoria Cross holder, Boer War failure, beloved local hero — captures the ambiguities of the Victorian military record.
Key Battles
Battle of Hlobane Mountain
Zulu Kingdom victoryMarch 28, 1879 · 525 total casualties
Hlobane demonstrated that Zulu tactical capability remained intact after Isandlwana. The battle set up its own reversal — the main Zulu army attacked the fortified British camp at Kambula the following day.
Battle of Kambula
British Empire / Natal Colony Forces victoryMarch 29, 1879 · 2,083 total casualties
Kambula was the decisive battle of the war. The Zulu army that had annihilated Isandlwana was broken here. The cavalry pursuit, which extended the killing deep into the retreat, was tactically brilliant. The Zulu army never recovered its offensive capacity.
Life Journey
Timeline
December 7, 1839
🌅 Birth
Born at Downes, Devon
March 28, 1879
⚔️ Battle
Hlobane Mountain — leads assault; rescues unhorsed men under fire; earns VC
March 29, 1879
⚔️ Battle
Battle of Kambula — Wood's column defeats main Zulu army
1879
🕊️ Postwar
Returns to England — awarded Victoria Cross
December 1899
⚔️ Battle
Boer War — commands Natal Field Force; defeated at Colenso and Spion Kop
June 2, 1908
✝️ Death
Dies at Crediton, Devon