Background The Boer Wars are referred to as many things such as Boer Wars, from the European perspective, the Wars for Independence or the Transvaal Wars from the Boer perspective, and also the Anglo-Boer Wars (Pretorius, 2011). The word Boer is the the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, and the Boers arose from a split that occurred between 1835-1845. This split occurred when 15,000 Dutch individuals left the British controlled Cape colony to the the middle of South Africa (Pretorius, 2011). This group moved due to their objections to British equalization of white and black citizens. This split let to the creation of the Transvaal and Orange State Republic.
The First Boer War (1880-1881)
The Boers' method of fighting in The Illustrated London News, 1881 by Unknown. Available under Public Domain
The first war began when the British decided to annex the Transvaal and Orange State Republic. The war began on December 16, 1980 after a battle between a British garrison and Boer 'commando' under General Piet Cronjé. The Boer army was a civilian army composed of nearly all white farmers ages 16-60 (Pretorius, 2011). The Boers had no uniforms and were armed with British made rifles whose range was around 600 yards. The Boer forces were unique in that they called for self- reliance, and they were not under strict orders from commanders.The British army, in contrast was composed primarily of gentry, professional middle class, and the poorest members of society. Their rifles fired up to 1,300 yards and they were very experienced fighters (Pretorius, 2011)
Majuba Hill by Bverger. Available under Public Domain
The Boers attempted to drive the British into submission by attacking British garrisons in Potchefstroom, Pretoria, Rustenburg, Standerton and Marabastad. The Boers also launched a successful effort to prevent British relief force from entering the Transvaal. This effort led to crushing defeats for the British on December 20th of 1880, January 28th of 1881 and February 8th of 1881(Pretorius, 2011). The result was that the British were driven back to their colony with many losses.Following this was the Battle of Majuba Hill that occurred on February 27th of 1881 (Pretorius, 2011). Majuba was a hill on the Transvaal border, so it was a very important location for the Boers. The British troops tried enter the Tranvaal through this border, but were defeated. This was important win for the Boers as the war was very crushing for the British as they experienced a 46% casualty rate (Pretorius, 2011).
Hostilities continued until March 6th of 1881 when an armistice was signed, and the war was ended on March 31st of that same year when a peace treaty was signed. The signing of the final peace treaty occurred at the Pretoria Convention on August 3rd of 1881 (Pretorius, 2011). At thePretoria Convention it was decided the Boers would have self-government in the Transvaal, but that eh British would have control over the Transvaal's external affairs and in return all British troops would leave (Pretorius, 2011). This peace was disrupted in 1886 when minerals were found thirty miles outside of Pretoria which re-spiked British interest in the territory. The vast amounts of minerals and gold justified the British Empires costs to engage in a second war (Pretorius, 2011).
The Second Boer War (1899-1902)
The Boers at Spion Kop in 1900 by Project Gutenberg. Available under Public Domain
The Second Boer War started on October 11th of 1889 as a result of an ultimatum by the Boers threatening the British to stop building up their troops in the area (The National Archives, n.d). The Boers refused to give rights to non-Boer settlers or Africans. While this was problematic, the bigger issue was a power struggle over who would control the Transvaal gold mines. It was very important for the British to control the mines, as their currency, the British Pound, was based on the gold standard (The National Archives, n.d.). This war was a new kind of war as it included the use of new technologies like the machine gun, explosives, and concentration camps. This war employed a guerrilla type strategy that was vastly different than the First Boer War. The Boers began the war by invading the British colonies of Natal and Cape, with the help of many Africans. The Boers were victorious in defeating the British in Ladysmith, Mafeking, and Kimberly. However, the Boer's tide began to turn in February of 1900 when the towns of Kimberley and Ladysmith received massive British reinforcements. Only months later, in May, Mafeking also received great relief. Following this both Johannesburg and Pretoria were taken in June. By October of 1990 both the Orange Free State and the Transvaal were once again formally apart of the British crown (The National Archives, n.d). This formally ended the war, but it was only the beginning of the harsh guerrilla warfare from the Boers. In February of 1901 the British Commander in South Africa, General Kitchener, offered a series of terms to the Boer generals(The National Archives, n.d). His suggestion was that all the republics would become part of the crown colonies, but that they would be able to self govern. Similarly, amnesty would be granted for those who fought- except for the African rebels, and Africans would receive the same rights as those in the Cape Colony. The Boers however, were unmoved by this proposal and refused to accept due to the denial of amnesty to the rebels. Only a year later, in May of 1902, almost identical terms were accepted by the Boers under the Peace of Vereeniging (The National Archives, n.d).
Works Cited Header photo: Skeoch, C. (1989). Boers in a trench at Mafeking. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Boer_War#/media/File:Mafikeng_Second_Boer_War.jpg. Available under Public Domain
(1881). The Boers' method of fighting in The Illustrated London News, 1881. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Boer_War#/media/File:Boers_1881.png. Available under Public Domain
Pretorius, F. (2011, March 29). BBC - History - The Boer Wars. Retrieved April 5, 2017, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml
Project Gutenberg. (1900). Boers at Spion Kop, 1900. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Boer_War#/media/File:Boers_at_Spion_Kop,_1900_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_16462.jpg. Available under Public Domain
The National Archives. (n.d.). The South African War. Retrieved March 3, 2017, from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/census/events/britain5.htm
Vberger. (2006). Majuba Hill. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Boer_War#/media/File:Majuba_Hill-01_Nov_2008.jpg. Available under Public Domain