Second Boer War
The Second Boer War (Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: Tweede Vryheidsoorlog or Tweede Boereoorlog) was a war following the 1886 discovery of gold by the Transvaal Republic. It lasted from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902. In the war, the British Empire fought against the Dutch-descended, Afrikaans-speaking settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic) and the Orange Free State. The British made use of concentration camps; and of attrition warfare that weakened the Boer republics.
The conflict is commonly referred to as The Boer War but it is also known as the South African War outside South Africa, the Anglo-Boer War among most South Africans, and in Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog ("Second War of Liberation" or lit. "Second Freedom War") or the Engelse oorlog (English War).[1] It is also a part of what are known as the Boer Wars, including the lesser known First Boer War that took place from December 1880 to March 1881.
Phases
The war had three phases. In the first, the Boers carried out early strikes into British-held land. The Boers won these early battles using guerrilla warfare. In the second phase, British fortunes changed when their commanding officer, General Redvers Buller, was replaced by Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener, who relieved the captured land and invaded the Boer republics commanding a 180,000 man strong force. The Boers knew they were unable to resist the force, and allowed the British to occupy both republics and their capitals.[2] The third phase was a guerrilla campaign where the Boers used hit-and-run attacks and ambushes against the British for two years.[source?]
Churchill
Winston Churchill, a newspaper reporter at the time, was captured by the Boers but escaped.[3]
Aftermath
Both republics were annexed by the British Empire. Later, both were eventually incorporated into the Union of South Africa, a dominion of the British Empire, in 1910.[source?]
Second Boer War Media
Boer victory over the British at the Battle of Majuba Hill, First Boer War, 1881
A sketch showing the arrest of Leander Starr Jameson after the failed Jameson raid, in 1896
Paul Kruger, leader of the South African Republic (Transvaal)
Mauser 1895 bolt-action rifle (at the Auckland Museum)
A British Lee–Metford rifle used by British troops during the Second Boer War
1899 German political cartoon: "War and Capitalism, or the transformation of human blood into gold"
Boers in a trench at Mafeking, 1899
War theatre in northern Natal
General Redvers Henry Buller launched an offensive against the Boers in the early phases of the war but after several defeats, culminating at the Battle of Colenso, he was replaced by Lord Roberts.
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References
- ↑ Die ontplooiing van die Engelse Oorlog 1899–1900 at Google Books
- ↑ The South African War 1899-1902 (in en). South African History Online. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ Millard, Candice. Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a daring escape, and the making of Winston Churchill (2016). New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-03-85535-73-1.
