Second Boer war: October 1899-September 1900 Flashcards
When did Sir George white arrive?
Sir George White arrived with 10K men on the 7th of October 1899, in time to prevent Boers marching unimpeded on Durban
Despite the extra 10k troops, what was the situation like?
35K boers outnumber the British forces
What was happening at Ladysmith?
White was establishing it as his main base whilst he allowed General Penn-Symons sent a brigade forwards Dundee ( site of war’s first battle)
- Boers shelled British camp on 20th October and the general counterattacked,
Due to General Penn-Symon’s counterattack, where did he push the Boers to?
Talana Hill at the cost of 446 british casualties and himself becoming fatally wounded
- White retreated to Ladysmith but the town was surrounded and bombarded with siege guns
What was the result of ‘the battle of Modderspruit’?
British disaster with 140 men dead and 1000 captured
- White was trapped in Ladysmith
What had been going on in Mafeking?
Colonel Robert Baden-Powell had raised 1200 local men at Mafeking, hoping to lead raids against the enemy
- found himself the defender when 7k Boers commanded by Piet Cronje attacked the town
- Boers besieged the place, hoping to starve it to surrender
What happened in Kimberly?
1899 Nov: 7.5k Boers laid siege to diamond mining town which was defended by 5K men ( town was well stocked with provisions
- Boers made no attempt to capture any besieged towns
By November 1899 what was the situation like in Cape Colony?
Boers crossed into Cape colony (only 7K Brits+ 10k cape Dutch joined)
- govt adopted a neutral stance
-Milner secured permission to declare martial law after much difficulty
Who arrived in Cape town that changed the balance?
General Buller arrived in Cape Town 31 Oct 1899 + first contingent of First army corps in Nov
- changed balance in Brit’s favour
What was Buller’s strategy?
Buller intended to launch an offensive straight up the railway line from Cape Colony to Pretoria
- feared political repercussions of abandoning White and losing Kimberly, Buller split his army into 3 detachments:
- General Lord Methuen with 20K men to retrieve Kimberley and Mafeking
-General Gatacre with 3k men - Buller led toe main force to Ladysmith
Results of Buller’s strategy?
Methuen won 2 small yet costly victories at Belmont and Graspan, before walking into a trap set at Modder River on 28th Nov
- lost 500 men before retreating
What was the ‘Black week’?
10-15th December 1899, series of British defeats:
- 10th= Gatacre’s attempt to take Stormberg failed, leading to 700 casualties
- 11th= Muthuen launched an ill-judged attack at Magersfontein, but it led to an ill-disciplined retreat where he lost 900 men and failed to get Kimberly
- 15th= Buller with 21k men tried to cross Tugela River to retrieve Ladysmith yet 8k Boers repelled all efforts ( 1400 died whilst only 8 Boers died)
Why did the Boers have an advantage over the British?
prepared position and were adept at sitting trenches
- superior marksmanship
- British experienced difficulties of crossing battlefields swept by smokeless magazine rifles which could fire succession of shots without reloading ( 2000 yard range)
- unimaginative British command
What happened to Buller after Colenso?
Replaced by Lord Roberts alongside Kitchener
What was the size of the army by January 1900?
180k in southern Africa
-30k volunteers in British controlled southern Africa
By 1902, 16,310 Australians, 6051 Canadians, 6416 New Zealanders
