Black Week, 10-15th December Flashcards
What was Buller’s plan?
Buller’s response to the sieges was to split the army into 3 parts to take Boer strongholds, like, Stormberg, Colenso and Spion Kop.
Stormberg
Led by General Gatacre with 3,000 men to recapture Stormberg. They travelled by train within marching distance of Stormberg. The attack on the 10th December 1899 failed dismally, as the British infantry were vulnerable to Boer rifle fire. They retreated, but more than 500 were left behind and taken prisoner. More than 700 casualties.
Magersfontein
Led by Methuen with 10,000 men. Methuen led their army towards Magersfontein, just south of Kimberley along the railway, however they were blocks by Piet Cronje and Jacobus H. de la Rey’s Boer commandos. The British expected them to be on top of the hill, called Magersfontein, but they were entrenched at the bottom. On 11th December, the British attacked but had not scouted properly (common in Buller’s first phase). They went into cans and barbed wire. Accurate Boer fire led to a retreat with more than 900 casualties.
Colenso
Redvers Buller led 20,000 troops across the Tugela River into Colenso to reach Ladysmith. They were blocked by Louis Botha’s Boers. Buller had sent his forces into the wrong crossing points, due to lack of proper mapping and scouting, right into heavy artillery fire. Buller called off the assault.
The British lost 143 dead, 756 wounded and 220 were captured.
The Boers only lost 8 dead, and 30 wounded.
Buller had responded to this lost by sending a heliograph to General George White at Ladysmith to surrender. White refused and held out for ten and a half weeks.
Spion Kop
The British crossed the Tugela River towards the end of January 1900. Sir Charles Warren attacked the Boers at Spion Top, one of the 4 rocky hills surrounding the besieged Ladysmith. The British thought they had taken the hilltop, but by morning, mist had cleared, making it apparent that they had not, and Boers fired from higher ground. Poor communications meant some soldiers defending Spion Kop, whereas others withdrew.
The British suffered 1,350 casualties (243 dead)
Why were the boers successful?
Smokeless Mauser rifles meant that they could kill from long range (around 2,000 yards)
They had prepared defensive positions that the British encountered and were vulnerable to
They had superior marksmanship than the British army
The British were unorganised, unprepared and had poor communications and intelligence
What was the effect of Black Week on public opinion?
The war had begun in quite a positive, supportive and patriotic nature, but now the photographs of British casualties, newspapers, comments on soldiers’ letters home, and reports of British confusion and incompetence had changed the rapport of the army and the war.
Who replaced Buller after Black Week?
Lord Roberts with Lord Kitchener as Chief of Staff, after the government was convinced of Buller’s inadequacy
