Dirkie Uys
Encyclopedia
Dirkie Uys was a Voortrekker hero
during the Great Trek
.
After the massacare of Piet Retief
and his men by Dingaan on 6 February 1838, a number of Voortrekker camps were also attacked by the Zulu impi
s. These Voortrekkers appealed to other treks, particularly those of Piet Uys
and Hendrik Potgieter in the Orange Free State
, for help. Both treks send out commando
s to help, including Uys' fifteen year old son, Dirkie. During the subsequent Battle of Italeni
, Piet Uys was mortally wounded by an assegai
while riding to the rescue of two of his cornered men. The rescue party failed.
Opinions of what happened next differ: According to the most common version (mostly told by people who had not been present at the battle), Dirkie Uys was ahead of his father with most of the party when he heard his father ordering one of his men to leave him where he had fallen. Seeing the Zulus closing in on his father, Dirkie Uys turned around his horse, shouting "I will die with my father", and charged. He shot three Zulu warriors, briefly forcing them to retreat, but they rushed at him and stabbed him off his horse. Dirkie Uys fell beside his father, where they were both stabbed to death. This version of events is depicted on one of the historical frieze
s of the Voortrekker Monument
.
The version handed down by the Uys family as well as others that were present at the battle differs - according to them Dirkie Uys and another youngster were lagging behind the rest of the fleeing rescue party when they had to cross a stream with thick patches of reeds
on its banks. While they were crossing it, a party of Zulus attacked them. The other youth escaped but Dirkie Uys's horse slipped, giving one of the Zulus an opportunity to grab his arm. Dirkie Uys was never seen alive again.
After the Battle of Blood River
, Piet Uys' remains were found by a detachment, but Dirkie Uys' never were. One account has it that the Zulus boiled his body into soup, and drank it.
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
during the Great Trek
Great Trek
The Great Trek was an eastward and north-eastward migration away from British control in the Cape Colony during the 1830s and 1840s by Boers . The migrants were descended from settlers from western mainland Europe, most notably from the Netherlands, northwest Germany and French Huguenots...
.
After the massacare of Piet Retief
Piet Retief
Pieter Mauritz Retief was a South African Boer leader. Settling in 1814 in the frontier region of the Cape Colony, he assumed command of punitive expeditions in response to raiding parties from the adjacent Xhosa territory...
and his men by Dingaan on 6 February 1838, a number of Voortrekker camps were also attacked by the Zulu impi
Impi
An Impi is an isiZulu word for any armed body of men. However, in English it is often used to refer to a Zulu regiment, which is called an ibutho in Zulu. Its beginnings lie far back in historic tribal warfare customs, where groups of armed men called impis battled...
s. These Voortrekkers appealed to other treks, particularly those of Piet Uys
Piet Uys
Petrus Lafras Uys was a Voortrekker leader during the Great Trek.He was born in Swellendam, the third son of Jacobus Johannes Uys...
and Hendrik Potgieter in the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
, for help. Both treks send out commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s to help, including Uys' fifteen year old son, Dirkie. During the subsequent Battle of Italeni
Battle of Italeni
The Battle of Italeni was a battle that took place at in what is now KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa, between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus during the period of the Great Trek.-Background:...
, Piet Uys was mortally wounded by an assegai
Assegai
An assegai or assagai is a pole weapon used for throwing or hurling, usually a light spear or javelin made of wood and pointed with iron.-Iklwa:...
while riding to the rescue of two of his cornered men. The rescue party failed.
Opinions of what happened next differ: According to the most common version (mostly told by people who had not been present at the battle), Dirkie Uys was ahead of his father with most of the party when he heard his father ordering one of his men to leave him where he had fallen. Seeing the Zulus closing in on his father, Dirkie Uys turned around his horse, shouting "I will die with my father", and charged. He shot three Zulu warriors, briefly forcing them to retreat, but they rushed at him and stabbed him off his horse. Dirkie Uys fell beside his father, where they were both stabbed to death. This version of events is depicted on one of the historical frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
s of the Voortrekker Monument
Voortrekker Monument
The Voortrekker Monument is a monument in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. The massive granite structure, built to honour the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854, was designed by the architect Gerard Moerdijk who had the idea to design a "monument that would stand a...
.
The version handed down by the Uys family as well as others that were present at the battle differs - according to them Dirkie Uys and another youngster were lagging behind the rest of the fleeing rescue party when they had to cross a stream with thick patches of reeds
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
on its banks. While they were crossing it, a party of Zulus attacked them. The other youth escaped but Dirkie Uys's horse slipped, giving one of the Zulus an opportunity to grab his arm. Dirkie Uys was never seen alive again.
After the Battle of Blood River
Battle of Blood River
The Battle of Blood River, so called due to the colour of water in the Ncome River turning red with blood, was fought between 470 Voortrekkers led by Andries Pretorius, and an estimated 10,000–15,000 Zulu attackers on the bank of the Ncome River on 16 December 1838, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal,...
, Piet Uys' remains were found by a detachment, but Dirkie Uys' never were. One account has it that the Zulus boiled his body into soup, and drank it.