Despatches from General Crealock fully demonstrate that his inability to effect a junction with the 2nd Division before the action at Ulundi was due to no want of energy or organization on his part, but solely to those causes which will impede the movements of all bodies of civilized troops in uncivilized lands. But although sickness amongst the oxen and other impediments to transport caused General Crealock to lose his share of the victory gained, his time had not been wasted, for much valuable work was done in the nature of road-making and raiding over the enemy's country, thus affording a diversion which considerably weakened Cetywayo's chances of inflicting a defeat upon the other column. The task of establishing the new base of supply at Port Durnford and the building of Fort Napoleon was thrown entirely upon the 1st Division, and naturally interfered with its rapid advance. The work, however, that fell to the coast column was fully and admirably carried out, and a pontoon and a trestle-bridge were built over the Tugela, without which no important advance could have been made along the coast. The ford over the Inyoni was rendered permanently practicable, and can, now that the descent is made easy for waggons, be passed at all seasons. The same work was effected at the Umsundusi and Amatikula rivers, whose approaches were made safe for wheels. The Umkusi and Inyezani hills and drifts were also made passable by improvement in the roads. Along the Umlatoosi valley numerous small but difficult streams had drifts made over them. From the Umlatoosi to St. Paul's Mission Station used to be a bad and most difficult road, but all the dangerous places were now levelled, and a strong and defensible position was given. Fords were secured across the Uvulu, the Entonjaneni, the Umvolosi, and the Umlalasi, and there no physical obstacle was allowed to remain to delay the march of a European column with its baggage in any part of the coast and the south of Zululand, while forts had been completed or erected at Tenedos, Pearson, Crealock, Chelmsford, Napoleon, and Durnford. The result of this was that Sir Garnet Wolseley, in taking over Lord Chelmsford's command, found a complete chain of military posts, the like of which was never before seen in South Africa, extending along the Zulu frontier from the Blood and Buffalo rivers to the Umvolosi mouth and Port Durnford, and, in fact, encompassing three out of four sides of Cetywayo's kingdom.