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Boer War Flashcards

1
Q

When did the Boer War take place?

A

11 October 1899 to 31 May 1902

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2
Q

When did the siege of Mafeking take place and what happened?

A

• 13th October 1899, lasted 217 days

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3
Q

Siege of Mafeking numbers

A

• 1200 British led by Baden-Powell
• 6000 fewer men than the Boers, led by Piete Cronje

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4
Q

Boer tactics during the Boer War

A

• Boers dug trenches and surrounded Mafeking
• Boers shelled using the Long Tom Gun - larger and more powerful than British guns
• Bombarded and cut off supply chains

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5
Q

British tactics during siege of Mafeking

A

Baden Powell used dummy guns and fake land mines as well as moving real cannons around the perimeter to trick the Boers into thinking the British had more guns than reality

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6
Q

Baden Powell’s strength at Mafeking

A

• experienced with Boer terrain, had made his name in Ashanti and Rhodesia
• Had training and respect for organisation but also a genius in improvisation
• art of handling men - able to keep the peace in Mafeking where a dozen different nationalities were confined

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7
Q

War correspondent on Baden Powell during Mafeking

A

‘Had we been sent a general from India with a bad liver and a gruff manner he would have had the town above his ears in mutiny’

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8
Q

Importance of Mafeking as a siege town

A

• on the border of Transvaal and Cape Colony - Boers trying to British remove influence / threat on Johannesburg and Pretoria
• town a halfway house between Cape Colony and Rhodesia - an outpost for both containing large supplies of food, forage and railway materials
• town the centre of a district inhabited by nearly 250,000 natives - influenced their attitude to war

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9
Q

Ineffectiveness of Boer first bombardment

A

A chicken was the only casualty

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10
Q

What were Sundays for at Mafeking?

A

• a day of truce, a day for recreation and relaxation, usually a morning service followed by outdoor sport/entertainment

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11
Q

Lack of supplies at Mafeking

A

• Mules and dogs used to supply meat ration
• typhoid and dysentery also broke out

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12
Q

How long did the siege of Kimberly last?

A

124 days
14 October 1899 to 15 February 1900

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13
Q

Numbers at siege of Kimberley

A

• 7500 Boers
• Sir John French led the British to victory - Kimberley a garrisoned town, had 5000 men - bowed bed only had enough supplies to resist 7500 Boers

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14
Q

Why did the Boers besiege Kimberley

A

• on the border of Cape Colony and Orange Free State
• Wished to capture the diamond mines, railways and supplies - shorts further motivated by hatred of Cecil Rhodes

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15
Q

What happened at Siege of Kimberley?

A

• civilians sheltered in diamond mines
• reduced rations meant an increase in mortality, dysentery and scurvy from no veg. Horses were also eaten.
• Lord Robert’s look command of the British relief force, experienced in India, lifted siege
• concentration camps set up after Kimberley

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16
Q

When was the siege of ladysmith

A

2 November 1899 and 28 Feb 1900 (114 days)

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17
Q

Who was involved in the siege of ladysmith

A

• Led by Sir George White, 13,500 British troops, 7500 civilians trapped (2500 Indians from the British Empire who had come to build railways
• Surrounded by 35,000 Boers

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18
Q

Indecision of Sir George White

A

• took a lack of responsibility when leading at the siege of ladysmith, let most of his junior officers make defensive decisions

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19
Q

What happened at the siege of ladysmith Nov 1899

A

• despite numbers of over 35,000, there was never more than 5000 Boers in trenches
• however, British almost considered surrendering, would have lost the battle - this siege could have gone either way
• defensive perimeter created, Boers used 17 field guns but only bombarded once - didn’t take advantage of their more powerful position

20
Q

Significance of Ladysmith as a place

A

In British natal territory near the border of the orange free state, Boers trying to remove British influence. also a railway town

21
Q

How did Bullet split his forces during Black Week?

A

1) Gatacre led 3000 men to take Stormberg
2) Methuen led 10,000 men to take Kimberly and Mafeking
3) Buller led 20,000 to relieve Ladysmith

22
Q

What happened at Stormberg?

A

• Gatacre travelled to marching distance of Stormberg, a railway junction near Orange Free State border
• His attack on the 10th Dec 1899 failed - attacked at nightfall, couldn’t locate the Boers
• British infantry retreated, 500 left behind and taken prisoner

23
Q

What happened at Magersfontein

A

• 11th December 1899
• Methuen was blocked by the Boers as he tried to advance along the railway - Boers entrenched on the lower slopes of a hill rather than the top like the British expected
• the British attacked but had not scouted properly - men stepped onto wire and tin cans laid down by the Boers
• British solders were pinned down in the heat of the sun and enemy fire
• Methuen withdrew having lost 200 men

24
Q

What happened at the Battle of Colenso?

A

• Buller on news of the defeats tried to cross the Tugela river to get to Ladysmith on 15th Dec 1899 (rushed, no reconnaissance)
• Failed to cross the river as it was 7ft deep
• British didn’t know the terrain, ran into heavy Boer fire, Boers concealed in hidden trenches
• 1114 casualties compared to 38 Boer casualties despite British controlling Colenso

25
When was Black Week?
10th December - 17th December 1899
26
Battle of Spion Kop
•23rd December 1899 • British finally crossed the Tugela river • General Sir Charles Warren attacked the Boers at Spion Kop • British thought they had taken the hilltop but the Boers were on higher ground and fired at them • Poor communication led to some men withdrawing and others still fighting • British pulled back across the Tugela - 1,350 casualties
27
Significance of Black Week
• Showed the war couldn’t be won as easily as they had thought, causing outrage at home from media coverage • Kitchener and Roberts sent out, arrived as British were defeated at Spion Kop • Queen Victoria said defeat ‘does not exist’ for the British
28
British responses after Black week
• War finally turned in British favour due to relief of sieges • By the end of May 1900, British had overrun the Orange Free State, by October Transvaal had been annexed • British however found they only controlled the ground their columns physically occupied
29
Barbed wire and blockhouses used during the war
• divided up the land, preventing free movement for Boers on horseback in commando units • 441 Blockhouses built and stationed in strategic locations
30
Scorched earth policy during the war
Kitchener ordered Boer farms, homes and supplies to be all burnt, leaving women and children without homes
31
Concentration camps
• separate camps for the Boers and for native black people • 81% of deaths in the camps were children below age of 16 • 28,000 deaths in camps
32
Sir Redvers Buller previous experience before the Boer war
• Won the VC in 1879 during the Zulu Wars • Fought in the first Boer War and served in Egypt as head of Army Intelligence • Reluctantly accepted command of British forces in 1899 - by the time he arrived in SA the sieges had begun
33
Sir Redvers Buller tactics
• had to abandon plan of attacking in the Transvaal due to ongoing surges but confident they would be won and war would be short • columns sent north delivered poor reconnaissance - shortage of horses and cavalry soldiers also • did not communicate plans well and took to many U turns • Disaster at Spion Kop
34
Sir Redvers Buller innovation
• natural cover and creeping artillery barrage (bombarding and creating a smoke screen for infantry to attack)
35
Sir Redvers Buller weaknesses
• over cautious • Did not use colonial horsemen as scouts • Signal to Sir George White to surrender at Ladysmith was a massive error
36
Sir Redvers Buller legacy
• Replaced by Roberts, demoted to leading the campaign in Natal - Bullers was successful in Transvaal too after learning from his mistakes • Returned to Britain in 1900 - war hero but poor reputation • Minister for War St John Broderick and Robert’s wanted a scapegoat(Buller) • Oct 1900 - spoke out publicly in response to a critical article in The Times and was dismissed •Buller died in 1908
37
Kitchener as chief of staff
• Responsible for organisation and supply - unimpressed with food, artillery, and emergency rations - British army in poor health, greater importance placed on rationing after sieges
38
Kitchener Commander in Chief
• from November 1900 • Launched a war of attrition
39
Kitchener lack of humanitarian/ moral leadership
• scorched earth policy • by Sept 1901 35 calls with 100,000 people • Kitchener believed the camps to be humane - however awful conditions had a disproportionate impact on those not involved in the war • Story of Harry ‘Bleaker Morant’ Kitchener encouraged the shooting of Boer prisoners of war
40
Field Marshall Lord Roberts previous experience
• Previously successful in the Sudan • put together a team who had experience in Africa, India and the American Frontier e.g Frederick Burnham
41
Field Marshall Lord Roberts aims when taking over from Buller
• set about lifting sieges and wanted to capture Bloemfontein (taken on 13th March 1900) to take control of the railways • Wanted to outflank the enemy • Wanted cavalry and mounted infantry to scout Boer territory • believed his men were best when active (wanted to raise morale)
42
Field Marshall Lord Roberts successes
• ordered railways to be repaired quickly so Boers could not regroup • Personally led the force that relieved Kimberley 15th Feb 1900
43
Field Marshall Lord Roberts overcoming difficulties
• Despite having to halt at Bloemfontein due to a supply shortage and outbreak of typhoid that killed nearly 1000 men, forces pushed north and relieved Mafeking, taking J’burg and Pretoria • Boers continued to resist, however Kruger fled abroad - Boers no longer united under a single leader
44
Kitchener previous experience
Successful in the Sudan
45
How did the Boer war end?
• British unhumane tactics - by Sept 1900 many Boer commandos had surrendered or were captured • 31st May 1902 Treaty of Vereeniging signed

History: British Warfare (7 decks)

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