the Second Boer War (bw) Flashcards
when did the first British troops land in SA?
7 October 1899
how many men did White bring from India?
10,000 men
when did the First Army Corps leave Britain?
12 October
where did the First Army Corps leave from?
Southampton
when was the Battle of Modderspruit?
24 October 1899
what happened during the Battle of Modderspruit?
the Boers bombarded the city of Ladysmith which trapped White and his forces
when did the Boers besiege Mafeking and Kimberley?
14 October 1899
how many Boers besieged Mafeking?
7000
led by Cronje
when did the Boers besiege Ladysmith?
November 1899
who was in charge of British troops at Ladysmith?
Sir George White
what defensive measures did Sir George White make?
set up a defensive perimeter
BUT
he left this in charge of young officers
what had the Boers achieved by besieging Kimberley, Mafeking and Ladysmith?
nothing
they did not try to capture the towns
they simply cut off the town
when did Buller arrive in SA?
31 October 1899
when did the First Army Corps arrive in SA?
18 November 1899
what was Bullers plan to relieve the 3 towns?
split into 3 forces
what did Buller order Methuen to do?
relieve Kimberley and Mafeking
w/ 10,000 men
what was Bullers role in his plan?
he would relieve Ladysmith
2/ 20,000 men
when did the Boers attack Methuen?
28 November 1899
led by de la Rey
Battle of
when was Black Week?
10-15 December 1899
11 December 1899
Methuen was defeated at Magersfontein
lost 900 men
failed to relieve Kimberley
15 December 1899
Buller was defeated by Botha’s 8,000 men at the Tugela River
Buller lost 1,400 men
what advantage did the Boers have over the British?
- fighting on the defensive
- prepared positions
- smokeless magazine rifles
- better marksmen
who replaced Buller in December 1899?
Lord Roberts
hero of the Afghan War 1880
why was Buller replaced?
he ordered White at Ladysmith to surrender
who was Roberts’ chief of staff?
Kitchener
hero of the 1898 Sudan campaign
how many British men in SA by January 1900?
180,000
what changes did Roberts make upon arrival in 1900?
- new tactics
- insistance in recon
- avoidal of mass formations and frontal attacks
- use of cover by infantry and artillery
what was Roberts’ plan to relieve the 3 towns?
he would outflank the Boers to relieve Kimberley and then would take Bloemfontein
what was Kitchener’s role in Roberts’ plan?
used a transport system of wagons which removed the BA’s reliance on the railway
when was Spion Kop?
24 January 1900
what happened at Spion Kop?
the British led by Buller took the hill of Spion Kop
but Boers bombarded the British position
massive British disaster w/ 1350 dead
Buller = poor leader + communicator
when did Roberts lauched an offensive on Kimberley?
10 February 1900
what tactics did Roberts use to relieve Kimberley?
he doubled the number of mounted infantry
use of cavalry dash
when was Kimberley relieved?
15 February 1900
how long was the siege of Kimberley?
124 days
who led the relief of Kimberley?
John French
when did Buller attempt to relieve Ladysmith?
14 February 1900
when was Ladysmith relieved?
26 February 1900
how long was the siege of Ladysmith
118 days
how was Ladysmith relieved?
Buller committed to an all-out-attack and defeated Botha
when did Roberts capture Bloemfontein?
13 March 1900
why did Roberts delay his offensive on Mafeking for 6 weeks?
- his army was short on supplies
- outbreak of typhoid left 1000 troops dead
what had caused the pollution of the Modder River?
corpses of dead men and horses
when did Roberts relieve Mafeking?
17 May 1900
why was Baden-Powell a war hero?
he had defended against 7000 Boers for 217 days
how long was the siege of Mafeking?
217 days
when did Britain annex the Orange Free State?
28 May 1900
when did Roberts capture Johannesburg?
31 May 1900
when did Roberts capture Pretoria?
5 June 1900
where did the Boers flee to?
Drakensburg mountains led by Botha
when did Britain annex Transvaal?
3 September 1900
when was Kitchener promoted to commander-in-chief of British forces in SA?
November 1900
why was Roberts sent back to Britain in November 1900?
he took over Wolesely’s position as commander-in-chief
