Episode 2 of 3
Ambush and Annihilation of the Shangani Patrol
- When
- 4 December 1893
- Where
- Shangani River
The 37-soldier Shangani Patrol was ambushed and annihilated by over 3,000 Matabele warriors on 4 December 1893, resulting in the death of Allan Wilson and his men.
The patrol crossed the Shangani River late on 3 December 1893. Matabele accounts confirm that three white men, including Burnham, left during a lull in the battle, just after Wilson withdrew to his final position. The engagement occurred in pre-Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, during the First Matabele War.
Sources
- Shangani Patrol Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.