The Battle of Blood River ( ) was fought on 16 December 1838 on the banks of the Blood River ( '' Bloedrivier '' ) in what is today KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa . In the aftermath of the Weenen massacre , a group of about 470 Voortrekkers , led by Andries Pretorius , defended a '' laager '' ( circle of ox wagons ) against Zulu impis , ruled by King Dingane and led by Dambuza ( Nzobo ) and Ndlela kaSompisi , numbering between 10 and 20 thousand . The Zulus repeatedly and unsuccessfully attacked the '' laager '' , until Pretorius ordered a group of horse riders to leave the encampment and engage the Zulus . Partly due to the fact that the Voortrekkers used rifles and at least one light cannon against the Zulus ' spears , as well as the good location and motivation of the Voortrekkers , only three Voortrekkers were wounded and none perished ; that contrasted against the more than 3,000 Zulu warriors who died . The Voortrekkers credited God as the reason why they had won the battle as they had made a covenant asking for protection beforehand
Weenen massacre
Weenen massacre
Military history of South Africa