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
