Chelmsford could not move his wagons until the ground dried out, and so sent out the Natal Native Contingent to provoke the Zulus into an attack while he held a strong position.
Chelmsford kunne ikke flytte sine vogne før jorden tørrede, så han sendte Natal Native Contingent ud for at provokere zuluerne til at angribe, mens han stadig holdt sin stærke stilling på bakken.