Boer War- role of British commanders Flashcards
who were the main three commanders of the British Army in the Boer War?
Buller - start of the war
Roberts - middle of the war
Kitchener - end of the war
what experience did Buller have before 1899?
he had won the VC in the Zulu Wars in 1879
he was head of the army intelligence in Egypt
what attitude did Buller hold against the Boers?
he thought, like in all colonial conflicts, that the Boers would be overpowered by the might of the British Army
he told journalists that the war would be short
in what ways did Buller’s actions lead to early failures in SA?
limited use of recon
indecision/over-cautioussness
limited use of recon
Buller refused to use colonial horsemen (who knew the land) as scouts
failed to effectively use scouts to improve maps and intel on Boer positions
examples where limited recon led to British failure
Battle of Colenso
Battle of Spion Kop
Battle of Colenso
at the Battle of Colenso he failed to scout the Tugela River for Boer trench positions
- led to British troops crossing the river at Boer positions
- led to major British defeat
Battle of Spion Kop
at the Battle of Spion Kop, he failed to utilise efficient recon of the hills
- led to the British taking the wrong hill and providing the Boers with the higher ground advantage
- led to major British defeat
indecision and poor leadership
he was often reluctant to commit to an attack and use his numerical advantage against the Boers
examples of indecision leading to British failure
every battle during Black Week
Buller had commanded the British during one of the worst weeks in the history of the British Army
examples of poor leadership
he had ordered Sir George White to surrender to the Boers at Ladysmith
showed him to be a poor leader
in what ways was Buller a good commander?
once replaced by Roberts, he began to learn from his mistakes
he used recon more extensively to effectively track down Boer positions
he used the cavalry to outflank the attacking Boers
used the British supply lines by sea and rail to help him keep troops readily supplied
examples of Buller’s successes
Battle of Tugela Heights, which led to the relief of Ladysmith
won the Battle of Bergendal (last set-piece battle of the war)
was a military innovator
how was Buller an innovator?
- ordered men to use natural cover
- infantry attack along with creeping barrage
- use of trenches
what experience did Roberts have before 1900?
he had commanded the British Indian Army
he had commanded the victory at the Battle of Kandahar in 1880 which ended the Second Anglo-Afghan War
who was Roberts’ chief of staff in SA?
Kitchener
what showed Roberts’ methodical approach to the Boer War?
he had selected a team of military staff from India and from the Army Staff College in Britain
he had appointed Frederick Burnham as his chief scout- who knew the Africa well
what tactics did Roberts favour to defeat the Boers?
outflanking the Boers instead of frontal assaults
use of cavalry and mounted infantry to scout ahead and chase the Boers
how did Roberts use the railways to defeat the Boers?
he ordered the repair of sabotaged railway lines to allow for supplies to reach the frontlines quicker
with a faster advance, the Boers had no time to regroup and so were more vulnerable to a heavily supplied British force
when did Roberts take Bloemfontein?
13 March 1900
how did Roberts deal with a typhoid outbreak?
he stopped his advance to allow his troops to recover
shows that he was a patient and understanding leader who took care of his men
how many men died from the typhoid outbreak?
1000
how successful was Roberts?
INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL
he had relieved Mafeking, Ladysmith and Kimberley
IN ADDITION
he had also managed to take the Boer cities of Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Pretoria
thus he had forced the Boer leaders out of SA and allowed Britain to annex Transvaal and OFS
when did Roberts take J’burg?
31 May 1900
when did Roberts take Pretoria?
5 June 1900
role of Burnham for Roberts
was an incredible scout
used by Roberts to spy on the Boers
would often go behind enemy lines to observe and take note of Boer positions
even got himself caught to find more intel on the Boers, and then escaped
his intel was incredibly useful for British troops who now knew Boer positions
what had Roberts begun which Kitchener would carry forward?
scorched earth policy
when did Roberts hand over command to Kitchener?
November 1900
what was Kitchener’s role under Roberts’ command?
he was in charge of organisation and supply of British troops
what experience did Kitchener have before 1900?
he was known as Kitchener of Khartoum after defeating the Mahdists in Sudan
was known as a good organiser
what were the two ways Kitcher sought to deal with the Boers?
scorched earth policy
concentration camps
how did the British carry out the scorched earth policy?
they would systematically sweep through Boer land and destroy all food, livestock and ammunition which may be of use to the Boers
what did Kithchener’s use of scorched earth lead to?
major displacement of Boer families who now became refugees
Kitchener had to start using concentration camps to keep these refugees interned
in what ways did concentration camps used to hurt the Boers
they hoped it would persuade Boers to surrender and join up with their families
in what ways did concentration camps help the Boers
increase resistance and retribution
less to worry about at home
what were the problems with the concentration camps?
they were poorly administered
lack of sanitation led to many refugees dying of typhoid
the overcrowded nature of the camps made conditions and distribution of food more difficult
how many concentration camps by March 1901?
27
held 35,000 people
how many concentration camps by September 1901?
35
held 110,000 people
how many people died in the camps by the end of the war?
28,000
how many children die by the end of the war?
22,000
example of Kitchener being a ruthless commander
case of Harry Morant
how did Kitchener surround and control Boer movements?
through blockhouses
barbed wire
how many blockhouses were constructed?
8000
how many miles of barbed wire were used by Kitchener?
4000 miles
how were blockhouses used?
men stationed would patrol the area
blockhouses would surround Boer position and prevent their movement
