Rorke's Drift was a mission station in Natal, South Africa, situate near a natural ford (drift) on the Buffalo River at 28°20′57″S, 30°32′3″ECoordinates: 28°20′57″S, 30°32′3″E. During the Anglo-Zulu War, the defence of Rorke's Drift (22 January-23 January 1879) immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana earlier in the day. One hundred and thirty-nine British soldiers successfully defended their garrison against an intense assault by four to five thousand Zulu warriors. The overwhelming Zulu attack on Rorke's Drift came a hair's breadth away from defeating the tiny British garrison. The successful defence of the outpost is held as one of history's finest defences.