The Guerilla War
The Anglo-Boer War has been raging for two months, and significant battles have ensued. The mostly informal Boer Army seems to have the upper hand.
The Boere are merging into a landscape they know well, while the British Army still marches in old-fashioned columns. In December 1899, the illustrious British Army suffers three defeats: Stormberg, Magersfontein, and Colenso. London papers dub this ‘Black Week’. The defeats send shockwaves through the empire.
In addition, the Boere lay siege to three towns held by the British: Ladysmith, Mafeking, and the diamond centre of Kimberley.
After the shock of Black Week, significant British reinforcements are shipped to Africa. A new commander-in-chief arrives: Lord Frederick Roberts, followed shortly by Lord Herbert Kitchener.
Meanwhile, a convoy of 5,000 Boer men and wagons, led by General Piet Cronjé, is on its way to Paardeberg in the Orange Free State. The Boere are caught off-guard by an army of British and Canadian soldiers, and a 10-day battle ensues.
When Cronjé surrenders, the course of the war changes. 4,000 Boere are taken as prisoners of war. Two weeks later, the British occupy Bloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State. Thousands of Boere lay down arms. It would not be long before Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, is occupied.
The might of the largest army in the world is undeniable. In a speech Lord Roberts reflects with satisfaction that the war is “practically over”.
A bitter, drawn-out war
Both Boer presidents, Paul Kruger of the Transvaal and Martinus Steyn of the Orange Free State, meet with senior Boer leaders and decide to change the war's course. There will be no turning back.
The Boere embark on a guerrilla campaign to prolong the conflict so that it can drain Britain’s resources. In doing this, they hope that a political backlash in Britain would lead to a political settlement with more favourable conditions for peace.
Instead of trying to stem the British advance by taking up defensive positions across a broad front, the republican forces are organised into smaller units. They concentrate on destroying the British communication lines, attack the British Army from the rear, and harass them at every opportunity, writes Prof André Wessels, historian of the University of the Free State, South Africa.
Bridges are blown up, trains are attacked, and quick, deadly attacks are carried out. The Boer commandos know the landscape and use it to their advantage. The British take a while to adapt their conventional warfare tactics.
Roberts firmly believes the war is over—both capitals are under British control—and the Boere will surrender soon. Most foreign correspondents and military attachés leave the country, believing it is only a matter of time.
Boer General Koos de le Rey is one of the leaders in the Western Transvaal who distinguishes himself at this time. He wins several battles and inflicts significant losses of men and resources, earning himself the nickname the Lion of the Western Transvaal. When visiting the War Rooms at the Story of Emily, guests experience his and his wife Nonnie’s homestead, Elandsfontein.
Kitchener needs more troops to pursue the mobile Boere across the vast theatre of War. During the war, 448,735 white soldiers serve on the side of the British, whereas about 78,000 serve on the side of the Boers, and never more than 47,000 at any given time.
But Kitchener also increases the number of black and coloured troops in the British service to as many as 140 000. In due course, at least 25,000 of these troops serve as armed blockhouse guards, writes Wessels.
The British erect some 8,000 blockhouses to guard bridges and railways and hamper the Boer movements. Tens of thousands of kilometres of barbed wire are laid across the landscape in an effort to contain their movements.
The blockhouse network does pose a hindrance to the Boer commandos to some extent. Still, on most occasions when Boer forces are pushed against a blockhouse line, the majority—if not all of the men—succeeded in crossing unscathed, including General Christiaan De Wet, who was never captured.
De Wet sometimes escapes only by the narrowest of margins from the columns that attempt to surround him. He is so popular that songs are composed about him.
The 19 armoured trains used to patrol the lines during the so-called drives to capture Boere leaders, such as De Wet, or intercept commandos, are too cumbersome to have a real effect.
One hundred and thirty-five train-wrecking incidents are recorded between December 1900 and September 1901.
Frustrations are building among British politicians. This war is proving immensely expensive. Demands escalate for a firm response to the Boer attacks.
British generals – and cabinet ministers – are becoming frustrated. This war is costly and globally humiliating. It calls for a change of plan. An uncompromising strategy. How can they bring it to an end? By striking at the root of the enemy’s survival …
What happens next (or already started during this war phase) becomes one of the greatest tragedies. It will define the history of the Anglo-Boer War.
It is already implemented in June 1901 and escalates increasingly until the end: The horrendous Scorched Earth policy followed by with the concentration camps where tens of thousands of women and children would die.
Sources
1. Boer guerrilla and British counter-guerrilla operations in South Africa, 1899 to 1902, A. Wessels. Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies / Vol. 39 No. 2 (2011)