The grass of the Free State hides a scar from 1836. Here, a small band of Voortrekkers sought safety behind a wall of wooden wheels and thorn branches, while King Mzilikazi sent five thousand warriors to claim their prize. It was a world of muskets and spears, where the air grew heavy with the scent of raw meat and the smoke of black powder.
Thirty-three men and seven boys braced for the storm. They were outnumbered by many to one, but they had the laager. They waited until the Matabele were no more than thirty meters away. Then, the iron spoke. For half an hour, the pincer movement of the warriors broke against the wall of fire. The defenders held their ground, though the enemy swept away fifty thousand sheep and five thousand cattle in the chaos.
Two men fell among the settlers, while about four hundred warriors perished. The survivors were left with empty pens and heavy hearts, but they had held the line. The Battle of Vegkop took place near the present day town of Heilbron.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Mutabor
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