First Chimurenga

The First Chimurenga, also referred to as the Second Matabele War, took place from 1896 to 1897 in what would become Southern Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe). It began as a conflict between the British South Africa Company (BSAC) and the Matabele people, and later spread to include the Shona across the territory. The Matabele rose up against the BSAC in March 1896. Much of the unrest was stirred by the Mlimo (also called M'limo or Umlimo), a spiritual leader among the Matabele. He persuaded both the Matabele and the Shona that the roughly 4,000 white settlers were to blame for the drought, locust plagues, and rinderpest cattle disease that were devastating the land.

The Mlimo’s timing was shrewd. Just months earlier, the BSAC’s Administrator General for Matabeleland, Leander Starr Jameson, had sent most of his troops and weapons to fight the Transvaal Republic in the failed Jameson Raid, leaving the region nearly undefended. The BSAC rushed troops to suppress the uprising, but the fighting cost many lives on both sides. It took months before the company’s forces were strong enough to break sieges and defend major settlements, and the war continued until October 1897.

**The War in Matabeleland**

**Rebellion** The Mlimo planned to surprise Bulawayo on the night of 29 March, the first full moon, right after a ceremony called the Big Dance. Through his priests, he promised that if the Matabele went to war, settlers’ bullets would turn to water and their cannon shells would become eggs. His scheme was to kill all settlers in Bulawayo first, but spare the town itself, which would serve again as the royal kraal for the reincarnated King Lobengula. He ordered that the settlers be driven out through the Mangwe Pass on the western edge of the Matobo Hills, which was to be left open and unguarded. Once Bulawayo was cleansed, Matabele and Shona warriors would sweep the countryside, killing or driving away every settler.

But some young Matabele were too eager, and the rebellion started early. On 20 March, rebels shot and stabbed a native policeman. Over the next few days, more settlers and prospectors in outlying areas were killed. Big-game hunter Frederick Selous heard rumors of these killings but thought they were isolated. When news of the policeman’s murder reached him on 23 March, he realized a full uprising was underway. Nearly 2,000 Matabele warriors began the rebellion in earnest on 24 March. Many young native police deserted to join them. The Matabele armed themselves with Martini-Henry rifles, Winchester repeaters, Lee-Metfords, assegais, knobkerries, and battle-axes. As word spread, the Shona joined in, and settlers fled toward Bulawayo. Within a week, 141 settlers were killed in Matabeleland and another 103 in Mashonaland; hundreds of homes, ranches, and mines were burned. At the Insiza River, Mrs. Fourie and her six small children were found mutilated beyond recognition on their farm. Two young women of the Ross family nearby were killed in their new home.

**Siege of Bulawayo** With few troops to help, the settlers built a laager of sandbagged wagons in Bulawayo’s center. They added barbed wire, placed oil-soaked fagots at key spots for night attacks, and hid blasting gelatin in outlying buildings to be exploded if the enemy occupied them. Smashed glass bottles were spread in front of the wagons. Apart from hunting rifles, the town had few weapons, though it did have a few working artillery pieces and some machine guns. Rather than wait, the settlers formed patrols called the Bulawayo Field Force, led by men like Selous and Frederick Russell Burnham. These patrols rode out to rescue surviving settlers and attack the Matabele. Selous led a mounted troop of 40 men south into the Matobo Hills; Maurice Gifford took another 40 east along the Iniza River. Whenever settlers were found, they were loaded into wagons and guarded on the way to Bulawayo. In the first week, 20 Field Force men were killed and 50 wounded.

During the First Matabele War, the Matabele had seen the settlers’ Maxim guns in action, so they never launched a major assault on Bulawayo, even though more than 10,000 warriors were visible nearby. Conditions inside the town quickly worsened. By day, settlers could use homes and buildings, but at night they crowded into the smaller laager. Nearly 1,000 women and children were packed into the city, and false alarms were frequent. The Matabele made one critical mistake: they did not cut the telegraph lines linking Bulawayo to Mafeking. This gave both the relief forces and the besieged Field Force far more information than they would have had otherwise. Several relief columns were organized to break the siege, but the long journey through hostile countryside took months. The first two columns arrived late in May.