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In 1877,
the British had annexed the Transvaal: against the wishes of its
largely Boer population and for almost purely economic reasons (diamonds and
gold).
Taking
advantage of Britain's involvement in the Zulu war of 1879, the Boer leaders
of the state re-declared their independence in 1880, and prepared to resist
British attempts to re-annex them.
The first action of the war occurred on 20th December 1880, when a
Lieutenant-Commander Anstruther attempted to lead a column of the 90th Foot
back from Zululand across the Transvaal towards Pretoria: then the
British seat of administration. A force of Boers informed Anstruther
that the border was closed and the Transvaal independent again. When
the British refused to turn back and prepared to fight, the Boers opened
fire onto the dense British column: mortally wounding Anstruther and
killing or wounding all his officers, forcing the column's surrender.
The British commander, High Commisioner Sir George Pomeroy-Colley, summoned
reinforcements, but realised that the many isolated garrisons of British
troops would need relief before they could arrive. He therefore
gathered some 1200 men (11 companies of infantry; about 200 cavalry and 8
guns) and, through some prodigious marching, was ready to advance from his
camp at Mount Prospect into the Transvaal by late January 1881.
The first major encounter was at Laing's Nek: where a Boer force
entrenched in a semi-circle beat off badly co-ordinated British attacks on
the centre and left of their line.
Colley retreated back over the frontier and awaited his reinforcements.
The Boers, meanwhile, held their ground, but dispatched raiding parties in
the direction of Newcastle to harry British communications.
Learning of this threat to his rear, Colley detached a small force to escort
an expected supply convoy from Newcastle, but this force was attacked at
Ingogo, and forced to retreat back to Mount Prospect. Colley had now
sustained 340 casualties out of his original strength of 1200, but the
garrisons were still holding out and preventing the Boers bringing more
strength to bear on his men.
At this point, the Boers offered to cease hostilities if a Royal Commission
was appointed to hear their case. The British government was
keen to accept, but Colley did not agree with this conciliatory
attitude: particularly as his reinforcements (two battalions of
infantry and a regiment of Hussars) had arrived, and more were on their way.
Disposing of Evelyn Wood, commanding the reinforcements, on a couple of
make-piece reconnaissance or supply missions, Colley gave the Boers an
unfeasibly short time to accept London's agreement to their proposal.
When, obviously, he didn't get an answer in the allocated time, he prepared
to resume hostilities.
His eyes fastened on Majuba Hill: a position that overlooked the Boer
strong point at Laing's Neck, and appeared undefended. On the night of
26th February 1881, Colley personally led just over 360 men to the top of
the hill, but failed to order them to dig in: saying that they were
probably "too tired" to do so. When dawn broke, the Boers
were at first surprised by this breeching of their defensive line but, as
morning went on and the British did nothing except exchange the odd pot
shot, became gradually emboldened.
Small parties of Boers ascended the slopes, using their superior shooting
ability and fieldcraft to keep the heads of the British defenders down.
Despite pleas from his officers, Colley refused to order the bayonet charges
that would have cleared the Boers before enough of them got into good firing
positions and, gradually, the British were pushed back into one corner of
the hill's plateau top.
The Boers attacked and, one by one, the British positions were overrun: with
Colley himself being shot and killed. Only 80 British soldiers
survived unwounded, fleeing down the hill back to Mount Prospect, where the
British prepared to make a stand.
The Boers did not attack, however, and, on March 6th, Evelyn Wood, now in
charge, agreed a truce as per London's original instructions, and the war
was over.
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