Osprey, Men-at-Arms #301 The Boer Wars (1) 1836-1898 (1996) OCR 8.12

mm:i MILITARY

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

BOER WARS (I) 1836-189

I.\:\;

K:\;IGHT

GERRY HlBLETO:\;

301

SERIES EDITOR: LEE JOHNSON

THE BOER WARS (1) 1836·1898

TEXT BY

IAN KNIGHT COLOUR PLATES BY

GERRY EMBLETON

l:imm MILITARY

Publisher's note

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THE BOER WARS (1) 1836·1898

INTRODUCTION hhoug"h Ih~ Iii"" Etlrop~,1Il 'o(;'ulenwnt ,It ,he C;II~ or C.oo<1 Hope 011 LIlt-' e"rt'llll: 'omlwrn tip of .\lriCI lI"a~ t'~t;lbli~hed b) the Dutch Ea" IllC!iil Comp'lIl\ in Hi':-l~, the :-\trican hintt'l"land It'''Mined 1,lrK~h unl...nO\I n to th(: nUl~ide wOlle! fot a fllrtlwr tw'o cenl'l1ic~. The Dutch Iud cOllie to AfriC'1 to e,tabli~h .1 "':l\-,t.llion 10 'ervice tlwir n~el on the lonl-: haul to the more !)rofit,lble impel;al adH~I1U1res in the InelLe,. -\Ilhough the\ e.l.'lh disp];lccd Ihe fragik culture of the indil{enoll' \fl;C.lIl KIwi ilnd 5..ln group' Ihl'\ found Ihere. Ihe\ detertl11Tledh ,el their f"n' '1g.:lin:'1 culnnial exp,m~ion further into 'OIllhern \Irica, :\c\crtbclc,.~. o\er the ,pilce of two Cl'nluries, Ihe orig-inal Dutch 'elt ler~. :tuKlllelltl'd 1)\ .1 trickk of rl'ful{ec~ Irom a sLlcce,sioll of n;lig-ioll~ I\ar' in FI~lIIce and C:l'fm;IIH, Krell' into a hilr(h brel'd who con~t:tnth ri,I..L'd oAicial di,apl)IO\~11 1)\ cllhsing til(' Cumpam's boundaril's in "Carch of hunting or g"lIing land~ in the intcl;or. In time. IhC"e people c.lIlle to thin I.. of thelll't:!n.'" ;l.'i Afril..anel'S - \,hile Arnc,lIls - though Ihe\ \IL'f(' gene"llh I..no\\11 to UIll" anolher. and out:.iders. a~ 1kJn's- farme"", A skirmish berw-n B_ commando. and Xhosa warriors during the Cape Frontier War 01 1835. Boer disillusion with t~ British nand!ing of tht$ campaign was a contriblltot)' faclor in lhe Tre« InClftment. This CO$I_ is typical of the Tre« period: ~ Jackets, "intlock muskets. end po~homs attached to waist belts.

The Great Trek

HI tIll' hl'J.{illllinl{ 01 lltl: 19th Cl:lltUI'V. European settlement h;td crept 't\'adih alOllK the krtile l\I'It"nl '>CalXl:lrd of the (''';:Ipe. and had corne lip .1g;:lin~1 till' \-,mgl.lard of the TIlort.· robt.N AJric;1ll socielil'" who populated Ihe iTllt"I;nr In p,lI1i(lIl.lr. compc:tilion for till' mllin~ dO\\111and of Ihe ('A'tem (';11)1,: \\":1.-' <;() "l·\t'l"e that il I<:d to a cenlun of conflict - no Ie<\.s dl;1Il nine -.c:P.II'ltl' \\"31.... - 1~1\'een \\hitt' -.c:ulel" ,md dll' Xhosa Jx'Ople. 1 FurthenmJn.... in IHOt) hi,ton IMd I!ltroduc('d 'IIlOlhcr dl'mem 10 complicate an ,llrt"Mh t"\llJ.(1ed ,ituation:.I~ Ollt" orlhl' ,ide-t'Al'CL~ of the ~hifL~ in political .llll'Kiancl" which chamctcrised the '\',Ipoletlllic \\';11.... in Europe, the Btitish had taken mer control 01 the CII>t". \1,1Il\ AfriLlIler fannel'S on Ihl" fmnLier felt that Ihe Brili,h ,Idmini,u-;:ltion \I~b decidc.:dh UnS\1Upathdic LO thei!' nced~. Briti~h I11me' in Ihe lH20s ,md IS::w.. to OUlla\\' ,1;l\l'l"\ in iL' dominion~ stnlck .It the b..I~i, of the nll"l Afril..aner econOIlI\": m.lIl\ Boers slItlcrL'c! seve!'e financial losses in lhe 6th C;'pc Fronlil:!' War of Ht~4-5, and blaml:d ,he l~riLi~h for not protecting them more eAccLi\dl from the XhO<;
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,(";neh nl bnds which mig-hi Ix: opem:(\ up for while ~eltklllcl1\. ,l\\~l\' tnllll Hrili,h infhll;llcC. Iklll'I'I'1l IK:\/l and 1.'140 sOllie f),nOn I~ot:r, - knlll"n ,h \i/(If!,rklwfI. Iho_l' ,d1O '[rd.. to the fort:' - packed their Iklong"ill~' into their O\.-\\,I!-I"0th and 'imph rI1ig'I~lll"d imo the intt.'lior. The\' went not in ,I ,ingk \\,lg"on-tl din. bu' in gTollp' linked hI Ellnih or local ti('~. and led hI hi~hh Illdi\"idu.•li"ic, .lI1d oflen Illulualh aruag:oni!\tic. k·adcl...... Tlwit p""illl( prmol..ed deCMlt·, of \'
The .t""'9l1le lor the Interior of So!.lth Alrlo;_, 1836·18lKl.

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th~\ hJUlld iln 1lI1~\'~1l pattern of African population, JlI \()11l~ pl,lc~' fonniddblt.' n{'\\ po\\'~r-hlocJ...~ had ~rl\l:rgnl. \Ihile in otht'l-" th~ ownt'I' had ~illl~1 been forc~d to 'lhandon tlwir t~n;ton tt'lllporarih, or had bt'~n I;IlW~h \';pt'd Oil!. ,\hhough lllH,t of thl' Be.K'I..... who joined tht' Trel came frum tllt~ C11x' FI()Iltit'r. tht' Illml'llll'nt did nol ,lttl'lIlpt 10 penell,lt~ funhl'!" "I' the Co.·bt. bUl mmed inl.lIId. cro"ing the Orangt' - the boundan ofBriti,h innUl'nce - ,md p.lS.->ing w~t of tht' nt'\' BaSotho lingdolll until it C,Ullt' LO the next grell n,lIural 1>;II,.it'r. lh~ \';1.11 River, .\Iam le~ ,Idll'11II1rOU~Treller ~tToUP\ dUKe to remain ..muh of the \'a,ll, \lhiht the mort' rl·~tlt.""l> <;(llIls cr~ o\'er. and th~ Trek bq;'1Il to fra",>tnent. In AUh'llst 1836 onc of the Tr;ms\-aal f.,rroulh crrn.M-od umu". pectingh into :\dd>de tt'rriwn. and was attacked and all but wiIX'd out.

THE TREKKER-NDEBELE WAR,1836

•

E\t~r ,ince hi, bn:al wilh th~ Zulu kingdom, .\17ilil;lIi had bn'n 'lClHt:h ,t."Ihili\l' to inclll'lun, along hi, ,()uth~rn ;md ea~lern bOI'{I~r" I II: h.ld been .ltl.lckt'd '~\~"II time:\ b\ Gl'lqllll (mi....ed-race dt."cendanL' (II thl' Kiwi pcopk of th~ C.lpe, \lho h"d .Idopt~d European gun, .1IId hur,~,. ,md li\ed in 01 cultlll,,1 haH~\\orld on tilt· f,;nge, of\\hitt' ,ettlemenl) .Ind li\ed in koll' 0(;1 Zulu "lid. T.llt."11 "hack b\ Lhe llnc'l>ect~d arri\al (lllhc Trekker'>. he aU;lcled first ,md .c.,led que'Lion, I.lt~1. When the 11t'''' reacht'd lhe ,catlclt."d Boer g:rollp, on Ihc '\debde IXJnICI', tht: redoubt,lble H~ndl;k Potgeitc.·, org;:lI1i~~d ,I dden,iIL' po,ition nn lhe Rhenu'lel' Rivcr. ~l/ilil.ui pondered hi~ optiom for 11'0 month" ,md then aH.lcl~d. TIlt.' 'lIb'~qllt'lIt lighting demonstr;lled the ~Llperioril\ of \\'capon~ tt'("hnolo"" enjo,t'd h\ the: Boer'I, The Nd~bt:lc Illilitan ~\~telll wa, ,imil.lr to thc Zulu lI10del upon which it was based: it con,i~t~d 01 a TlUmbCI of fll/la[mllw, rCj{irnents rt'cruitt'd according: 10 lhe COrlUlIll1l a,L(~ of lh~ir lIlelllhcr~. who werl' arll\~d willl Zulu-style COIl-hide ~hid(h .md 'pear, d~,ig-n~d for c1o~e-(ILlartcr stabhing:, Each ibllfho (~illg'lllal' or fllllflbllfho) had a sophi~ticat~d internal tormation: cornpanie~ wert· ~TOllp~d tOg'dh~r into Willg-~. and ~ach cornpany, Willg' and ibutho had .lppOillll·d onicel'~. ~l/ilik,IJi'~ original followers formed the.: {'or~ of hi~ COlllmand. ,md '0111t' Sotho and Tswana groups had bt~en ilH::tlrpOr~lll'd to tht' l"l~tlt th,llth~ir \OUllg Illl'll wert' dr.d'ted into th~ amahlllho and I,ert' indi,til1g'ui,ll.lbk from lhcm, Tribute chiefdom' on Ihe frillge~ of :'\d~bele .luthorit\ contributed contillgt't1~ \"ho w~rc probabl\" .Innt."d ;111(1 dn',,~d in tht' Sotho l1litlllleL TIll' Boc ...... llle'lIlwhile. 1)O,~~\sed no fonnal militan inl>titutioll. During lhe I Hlh Cl·tltUn it llldhod of IOGII defence had etllt'rgc.'(! un the C.."lI)(:' Fromier. \Ihich dhlr;IClel;\cd lilt.' Boer "ppm,lch 10 milil...... activil\ until the 20th centu ..... This ~\..,t~m placed an oblif.,ralion on ,III lIlt."n bcnleCIl tilt' age\ uf 16 ..md 60 10 turn out tojoin an armt'
A Yoort........... comm...oo. TM T.... tdten __ highly individu-

.llstle:. and their o;:_ndos h.cI 11«1. uniform .boutthem; they _ ..... ~.......ten of the tun .nd horN,

no. un.. of Ve<:h1kop, 18 OClober 1836. Despite Me¥)' num.f1cal wperiority, u.. No.beIe were unable to "nelrate In. Boer la.-gel', and were at tM mercy 01 clo.e·ra~ mu.ketry, Note the women loading firearm. for the men.

brought w;th him hi .. m\'n hOl"iC ,C; m;un men al"'l) brnughttheir own ox·drawn tl th,1I it provided ,I core of lIloti\,lIed men who fought togt:'ther a.. member... of a COmIlHII1;t\, lI..ing: \\e,Ipt:riud, the..e \\c;lpon .. "ere nintlocllllll..lcl!!<, bUI the..t' j.,'
7

•

TIle disa(h~lIIt.l~t·, of thc commando " ....tern Wt:rt· that tht:" Bot.-r.. lool..t·d upon \\OIrfan> ;~ J praniGl1 ncCt'..•....it\: lht:\ luuKllI 10 .Ichint-' limilt:"d UhJCCli\t:"" .md. "mce bt>illj.; Oil Olmmando inl....;t.tbh Illcant leaving their 1.1I1l1Iie, 10 ,un;\'(' I\;thout tlwlll on the veld. thev felt 110 .tl1cj.;iance to a concept ul militan glun. The\ were. theldl)re. unwilling to t;Ike unncce......11"I lis~. .md the local n:uure of lilt: cumm:mdos. cuupled wilh tilt.' qllar~ I"d:-ome naturt: ul Ylme of theil Il·Mlcr.. me<11lI lh.1I thcrc W;:l.'> oftcn .1 reluct.mct:" to fight in di"lI;cts .1\\01\ from humc. or ('\'cn III 'upport of comlI1.mdos led 1)\ li\~ll command.lnb. Ahhullj.;h lile n.Hm'C of the Trek di,I(JC;:uI-"d IOGII til.... the "lIiom Trekker Wllul>'- Wt'Te uftell linJ..ed IJ\. famih Ctlllllectiulh 01 lunller associ;ttion\..lIId t"ach Tn:kkt'r h'I"OIlP tllt~rcfurt' tell(k·d to IIlu'tCI it." own commandu. PCl\geiter'~ P;Irtv on the Rhello'let Ri\e! cOll,i'led 01 :10 \,"gon,. willi ill"t ;l:; Boer llle11. a nlHnber 01 women ,md childn:ll. and .1 lHunbcr 01 t\frican relainer,. rhe contribution 01 the latter i, \lltCI! o\crlookcd ill .Iccounb of Boer hattie'. but "~l' ,igniliclIH: Afric'lIl 'l·f\.lI1b. J..nowli ;1\ flgtnnm (·aftcr-ridc.....·). accomp'lHied commando' in thc fidd. leading ~1>:ll"e hor~es. huntinj.; and cooLing'.•md " ... oftcn .h not fighting .110ng'5ide them in the fidd. Indet·d. in IIMn\ GUllIMij.;n". the Boer" t''''ploilt:'d di\i"ion~ \\;thin local \lrican communilit.>,..md \\ere oflen ,upponed h\ quill' 1001'g'c African .lllnil-''': in one W;I\ or .mother. Ihe "ul~ jugottion of blacl.. \flicans to \\hile IlIle could not h.l\c been achined \\'i1hollt \frican "UPI)CII"l. or at le,,'t complicil\. I'otgeitt"f had been expectillg'.1II .ltt.lck, and Iud c;lIt"fulh drawn thc \\.lgon, into ,I Ch.lI~lcteri,tic defcnce klHI\\1l a" a /(mgn. Thc \\~lg'ons wcrc run inlO .t circlc, chained togcther. ,md Ihc golP~ hetwcl'n thcl11 ~ea1cd with thorn bu"h. ll.. 11 allv. it was lH'Ct>'Sd1'\ 10 protcct tlw li\'c"tock ~ tlw dm" oxcn and hnr~c\ - wilhin thc laaj.;cr. bllt in thi" ca"e Lhert.' I,'a" il1 .. ul~ fidel11 room. ;lIId the\ had 10 be .lh;mdol1cd to the CnC111\. A '1110111 in11cr ..heltcr for the \'Oliluled and childrcn hMI been COlcrcd with ox-hide" to I)rotcci it from thl'uwn "pear.,. Th(' ~r1dx'lc ann\.•lbollt 1.000 "trung, .lltacJ..ed on H Onoher 1836, Uoer hOl"ot'men i;(lrtied Ullt to hoHn the .1("~IIlCe. firing- fmm lhe 'iaddk .1' lhe\ I"elrt.";llcd in front of tht" ;t("~lIlcing wan;or', The :\debdt.· IlwlI rcpeatedh att.tcL.l>d the la.lger. bUI failed to force .111 entn. and wen' c\.p(l"l'd at c1o'\(' l~lIlge to a hean Boer fire from ,\'ithin. \lam Boe" fired loopns- Mn:lll boll..... uf ,hot which bUl",1 on lea\;ng lhe mllule. liJ..e;t j.;LtIll ,hol-gun. and \\hich had a de\....toning eA'cct in lhe c1o..eh-packcd Xdd>e1c r.mk:- - \\ hile the womcn rc-loadt"d to "':K:ed up the 1~lte 01 lire. After "e\'cl~ll hOlll'" fighting, lhe 1\'debde withdrew. le.l\·ing' perh"p' :;00 IIlcn dead on the ficld. for the lo,s of on Iv two Trl'kLcl'''.

TM Trettken "-d • numbei' of smllll ships' guns. moiHlI~ on lmproy;nd c.rn.e-s: this gun ~

au Grie(je - 'ok! Msrv...I> _ .nd w. . aP9llrent" u..a ag.in.t the Zulu. al Blood Ri...... ln 1838,.t Port Nabll in 1842. and may .Iill h..... been p.....~ Into .e.... le. In the 1881 Tran....aal War.

,

TM b.ttle of CongeU., 23 M.y 1"'2. Boer riflemen II". the IlUlngro....... Smith's troop. pa.. by on the beKh beyond. (Kime Cempbell Afrlc.n. Ubreryl

had fought to ,I \IOlIld.....till. T1u.,li"l·kkl·,,,, ",'e!"e inllnobili~ of lheir c.ntle ",'ilhmn \\ hich Ihe\ could nen mme lheir wagons. and Ihe repul'>t:" W'h Ihe IlHht 'eriou, \'etbo,ck IIlnicted UI) to (hat time on an :-':debde .1Illl\. The Trl·k}.,el'\,. reinfo!"ced b\ fre..h parties hUl'I'\ing up from the ,outh. were the Ii."'t to recO\er. InJ.muiln 183i a commando, commanded b\ POlKl'itl'r ,md ,lIlother of the famous Tre}., leMIeI1i. Gert Mariti'. and 'lIpponec! b\ q'\('ral hundred T,w,ma. ",ho \\t~-re }.,cen 10 'iee the m·erthro" of Ihe '\'ddx:le. ,tppro;lched :\ll.ilibzi·~ domain from the wcst. ;md stnlC}., at hi, 'l'ltlenlt.'nlS at :\lo"Cga" The ilHac}., 100}., the :-';debele t-,\ ~lIrpri'l" and Ihe: Tre}.,}.,l'I"'\ de~trmcd a large number of homesteads ,md withdre\\ \\"ith ,e\el";.11 thOUlo.lIld head of callie. For the :\dcbde, Ihi.. fre ..h di"',Slt'l \\iI' follemed illlmedi;ltch t-,\ ,ltIutlu:r. ,ince the Zulu "ing: Ding::'lllc de'IMtched .1Il ,111m to couch the '\ddx:k Off1.'1.I,1I"(1. {llul thi, .lrm\ I";.I\'II-(ed Olllhilll-( '\debde ,elllemenlS in mid-1R3i. Both

t-,\ (he

Mllj. Smith's camp el Pori Metal, f 842. Both the Iem. InalcM the

end the wqon. oubl6e, .... rlclclted wtth --.. .hot. TM aol
brought their ........ wtth Ih
~idt.'S

lo~s

•

Tht:s~

Th4> .ehoo...r Conch enle.. Port Natal Bey on 26 tu... 1842, lowIng long-tto.ts loaded with lroo~. (Local History MUMl.lm, Durban)

"ttl.

The et Zwllrtkopjes, M.,. 1845; 7th Onlgoone (left), rHplsndent in bra.. hel,.,.ta, ••CM,.. fire wittI 8011.. on the lcopJe (hili). cent,... (M......m A'Tin).

,.

Iwin blows ma\ well ha\e cncourdgt:d \IlilikMi 10 abandon the Tr.mwaal for \;lfer terlitu" Ilnl'th of the Limpopo Riwr. Tht: Boers also K'1\e him .1 findl pu~h: in Octolx:r 1837. a fresh commando - 'iOme 360 men. "ith 'K'\cn.ll hundred AfriclIl auxiliaries - ~tnlck str.tight at Ih~ hean of \flilil..a/i·~ l..ingdom in the \Iarico \'alle\. A nlllnin~ figll1 began on <1 :"memOCr. ,and lasted ~"eral cia\): me Boers. fighting from horsebacl... sl..innished in fronl of the :"debde impis (.. nnies), refusing to be dra\,'n to c1o~e~uart~rs. and breal..ing up their fonnations In concentrating their fire on the tips of their t:ncircling fonnations. E\'clllUalh the Ndebele coltlpsc::d. and ~ltilikazi's followel"'S began to stream ,1\';1\ to the nonh, han;t..d by th~ Boers, who continllalh brul..e up any .Ilwmpl to regrollp, and )lrippcd Ihem of their cattle. The fighting in the i\laricu Valley broke Ndebde pO\H'r in the Tr:lll\\~lal: 1\17i1ika/i eventually cro~scd the Limpopo dnd c~t;lblished a 1\t:W l..ingdom in modern Zimbabwe. which sllr\'i\,cd until the Mhenl of Uritid\ illlperiali~m. ill th~ ~hape nfC-ecil Rhodes. in the 189th. The TreL.l..er-:":debcle War had demOll\Udted that tht' 1)O'\t."r of the l\(x:.... rested nOI 'iO much in thdr ""uns. but in the combined usc of the Will and Ihe horw. or the glln and the \\dgon. :'\debcll' t.lctics - like those of Ihe Zulus ,Ifler them - depended for theil )lIccess on their abilit\ to mO\e large nllmbc~ of men rapidh 10 c1o)(.'-quaner contacL \\ ith the horse. the Trekkers could )1;1\ out of reach. e\en of the notolioush quid :\'debele. "hill' Ihe "~Igon-laager pro\;ded d solid homier \\hich the "I;debele had no means of m"ercoming. and which dTectheh traplJt'd them in a dO'OC-r.lI1ge killing lOne. nlis pattelll of fighting would charaClerise mam bank'S acroin. to rcalise that the ke\ to cOlIiHering Boer tactics la\ not in atL'ld., bill in defence. The defeat of the Ndd>ele opened up the central Tr,lm..I.11 to Boer sellkmen\, and the Boers declared it a new republic. "ep;I.-;lIe from the ,lfea belween the Orange and the Vaal (the Oldnge Free State).

."

$

Althou~h

the BOl'r, I.lid c1,li11l [0 1Il0~1 01 ,he Tr'I1l,\,.;,l .•, ClI' .h the 1.i11lpllpll. ill fact the\ nci,hcf occllpi('c! it cntird\. Ilor COilllOlkd il dTl'ctiH.'h throughout tht:' 19th (culun. The ,11"(';1 ,('tiled l)\ tht: \'c!chdl' wa~ ;lctualh comparatin'h ,mall. .mel the Trekk('I" ,noli I(lund ,hl'I11,<.'IH'\ cOlllpeting \\ilh the original Tsw;:ul.l inh.• bit.llll... who rcltlrn(,d 1101\ from their rdllgl:~ 10 reclaim II. FunhcfTllHlc. the 1',,111"\;1.• 1 Bo('~ were IUH unill'd .lmong lhclll..chc\. .mel grulIp" repealedh 'I}lit ulTra c\,.tbli,h 111'\\. 'c.·mi.indepcndenl \ctllcnH.'IlL'- aW,l\ frullllhc centrotl area". 1'1\11\ Ill(.' Tr;1I1".lal. from lii36 IIlllil perll,lp' tilt" IM7
Memben 0' the Cape Meunted Rifles securing prlsonen and removi"ll tne deed aner tlte action et ZwertkopJ••• TIte CMR troopers .... ct.erly .hown w.ering .wonts; thl. w. . unus.uiM. beee,," they ~

c... ~ and u"909\lter. end ...._tty onty carried in the regimental t,..nsports. IM....-m

Africe'

THE NATAL ADVENTURE 1837-42 011(' Trekker grotlp. leel b\ Pkt Relief. cro",ed the I)l~lkt·ll...berg looked down upolllhe rolling hill, of :'\,Ho1l.md Ihe Zulu CtHl11tl"\. Parts 01 Ihi~. 100. had beell tClllpor~lIily depopul.Hcd h\ tIn: 111/"(/111'. and ahhough the Zulli king. Dingane, cxcrci'l'd conll01 O\cr much 01 the ,m:,a south of Ilw ThllJ,.,e1:t Rivcr. he had in fact ab;mdoned it ,md mO\l~d Ihe cenlre, of hi, gO\en1ll1enlnorth. into Zulul,md proper. ,\t lhat time, th,,~ onh white... in :",H.11 wcre a ~mall group 01 pi'~llical IlIlIller~ .md 11~j{lers. mo,th I\riti..h. who had recei\'ed d lulu concl',-~iol1 to operate oul of :\alcN had defe'lIed Ding;lIw'~ ann\". and made huge - ,md impractical - claims on lulu ICHiton. a~ well as claiming .111 :\,11<11 b\ righl of conquc.. I.' In

18~i.

.\lIJLll1lain~ ;Iud

11

E\enL~ in :'-1;Hal worried thl' Ilriti~h, who rebrarded the TreHcl' a\ 1\':.I\'II':.lrd ~uhjC(,L~, hut lacl..l·d the re-.otllTes to stop their exodus. The Port :'-1at:l1 tradl'''''' had lonK lx'l,'l1 tr"inK to pass their conce~~ion at Port :'-1aLI[ over to the crown, hmH.'\l'r, and on the ~trength of thi~ the Bdtidl had dc~patchcd a g
"

Thof nn.l

_~

of ttHt battle

of 8oor"9I"~, 2Sl .........t t 848. Thof AItt. 8 ~ ~k. ttHt I•• t of

ttt. riOgn tmd by ttt. e-n, lett, who t1_ t_.rd. ttt. ri-tft, rltht, (MuMUm Afric.l

'I)()llll:"idt: the IJ
lhe bu,h, ,mel ;1111111{ the ht:orting lire lrum til(" h.1.\ ibt.. 11. I.tiled tu come into ..ctiun

•

Ikc;III'(' the I)(KII l1.Id rllll .1g'IUllIld. In lht: d.lrJ...,ws:oo .lIld confu..ion lorn' collaJhed ,lI1d Idl b..lct.. Oil Ihe Ion. ka\ing ne,. and with ,upplit"~ running I()\\. King rcachl'd Graham'IO\ln nn of JUlle. ,lIld Iloolh w<:'rc imnwdi..lteh eml>.:ut..t'IIl·I.... the Blithh tkcided to ,lllne'l: '\'.It,11 entireh. ,mel Ill,un Boer farnilie' ,Ib,mdoned the terrilor, in di')..,'1I,t. r~'ltlrtling- h.let.. Ihl' 11,1\ thel hOld C(Jnw. U\t'r the Dmh'ml>el);, to add a 11("1 pOlmlalion prl'"url' to ,he complie;ltl-cl ,il\l;llion in till' interior. Srnilh'~

II "-tion

of Boer gUM.

NoUonal1y Voortrekk.., _apons, most of these probabty post·date

1M main thrust of IIMI Trek, II pen: .....ion ......apon. did not become widely .".lIable unlll the 1840.. Note the "ariety of type_ and calibre, includi"'ll the

Imp........ hunti"'ll ""'upon Meond from the righl. (Voortrekker Museum, ,",-,enn~rgl

THE BRITISH REACTION The .'IlIlt".lIion of '\,11,11 1',1' imlicui'e of till' Hrili'h l'e'I)(Hi'{' to Ihe Tn:,t... Ill(' hOllle g-OH'rnnll'lll \',1' lIInlilling' to l'lllb..lft.. on ,I cU'lh prog-ra1ll11lt' of coloni,ll e'p,\Il'IOIl. bUI loc.11 Mln1ll1i,tr,1l0r, found tl1l'tn_che, rclllCl..tnlh (h,IJ.(j.(ed 111 the \I,It..e olll1e Trek ,md Ilele IOlced to 'ecule illlmt:didu' inlele,[\. .'\onh 01 Ihl' OI~lIlge RileI'. lhl' main thru'l 01 the Trek hild p,."ed pt:'aedulh to the \\'t',t of tl\(' B,lSotho king-dolll. but ,I' lhatlhru'l 1,Ill out 01 ,It';lm. tilt: ..lfI:;\ I{ntdudlh lilled up llith 1'>Iw:r I.lnnero; loot..ing for l..lIu!. Thi, pmh'" lOOt.. pl..ce .Il Ille ',llll{' timt: ,I' Sotho ,md T~",Hl.t inhablt.lI1b ,oug-ill 10 r('build Illt:il' Iill,:' in the aftt:rnl.llh of lhe dijrul'tllf'. Inili..llh. \lo,I1O(',ho(' wa, COIllCIlI In ..1110\\ Bot'l." to grale Ull Ihl' hinKl'" of hi, leniton. htll in due CUIII"'-l.' I~oer prt''>,'tll't· lu 'cuI<- Ihi, J.lIld I)(:c.nlle inten'l' .•md ,,~t, in direct (omlX'!ilion (If Iht, nced.. of \Iric:;m refuKcc g-roup' who conlinued 10 wet.. \lu,hoc'IlI)(:", protection. \Io'hoedllw ,lppC,lkd to 11ll' Ikili,h In inlenelle.•mel in IlH:\ the Gmertlor of 11ll' (;"lpC, Sir Georg-I' ~,Ipier, entered illlo ,I trcat\ wilh wle"ll of till' AlriC.1l1 g-roup' north 01 the Ol.mgt:. Tlw treat\ ol"h-r('(1 protection from Hoel itlctlr,iurh, bill the tcrlll" wt:re \~Ig\le and tilt.· 111I1tll,11 l'e,pClll,ihililit:, ill-ddillt:d. Boel !r'u,· tl
13

Orange Free State forces attacking Moshoeshoe's stronghold at Thaba Bostu in August 18eS. Although this picture has some anachronisms notably brtleeh.toadlng riftes 01 a type not introdueed untit the 1870s _ it doe. give a good imprtlssion 01 the difficulties faced by Boer troops when stormIng the mountain strongholds of the interior,

,.

time Ikili~h lro()P' \\t"re \t"nt llOnh ()flile OnUlf{e Ri\er in \llpP0r1 of lhe trealV. In April IH4:1 a \harp \l..ir1l1i~h 1001.. plan.. betw<:en Brili~h lroop~ - chidh the 71h Dragoons and Cape !\loulllcd Rille\ and Frt't' Stale commando., al b\'ankop;e\, and lht" Boer\ were ckfeatt"d . .\fter ZwanJ...opjt'\. tlw Brilish movcd a garri\{lIl into the Ftt"e Stale capilal. Bloemfontein. bUl it 11""\ far too \malllO conU'ol ell her lhe Iwers or the African gToulh The ,illl,llion remained lense until a.l1t"w Brili,h gon::fIlor. lhe flamboyant and ecct"lllric Sir Ilarn Smith, ra~hlv c\(>clded 10 anncx the t:lllir~ area between the 'Orange and \'aal Rivers. In Februarv IRIS it became the Orange River SovereignlY' The II((1r/(' Emif:,f1l/II(rllthe die-hards of lhe Trek - were
alienated 1\loshoeshoe and provoked the lirSI of a series of clashes I\'ith the BaSOlho.J In the llleamime. broadt:r British polin' in SOIl1h Africa had been thrown into sharp relief by the otllbreak of a fresh I\'af - the Eighth - on the Cape Fronlier. and Smith was largely di,credited. In February 1854 Britain rescinded the Orange Ri\'er Son·reigTltv. and under the Sand Ri\'er and Bloemfomein COll\"entiorls drectil"l.~lv gal'l' control of both the Free Stale and the Trans\'aalto the But:rs,

THE BOER-BASOTHO WARS The treaties of 1854 c1Teclil'Ciy abandoned Ilritain', African . the BaSOIho military system W
A southern Sotho walTlor In the traditional dress ot pre-colonial times. The distinctive winged ShIeld Is made of cow· hide; the gorget is of bril8s. The long shteld atlck, decorated with ostrich feathelll, was conlined to Important WarrlOIll, and served as a rallying standard in battle. Early BaSotho and Pedi armies tooked much like this; Tswana warnors were simitar In appearance, but their shields were more square In shape.

15

,.

Free Stale had ,Illempted to e't.thli~h a rq..,Tul.lr anilkn unit, ilnd imported 12 field pieces from {)\e,~e;l', rnosth lighl6-pdr.... The ~rs il1\~l(It::d BaSothol.tnel lrom two poinL~, and ;"1(J.,hoe~hot.' harried them with comtant ... kirmi~hing as be fd] hac\.. on his flat-topped Illourltain retreal. Thab;1 Bo...iu. Although the liaSOIho -.cored a lllllnl){.'1 of successes - at l!ell Kloof, on 3 \pril, BaSolho warrior' trapperl ,mel \..illed 16 BocN - thC'\ wel"e. for the most ])<111., out"'h"-lIlneel and unable \() pr~s home attac\..s in lhe open, On 6 \I.n the Boe,~ re,lclu:d l.he OUl.skilb of TIlnded 1>\ r..liding into Free State lemtOI", llll<;ettling Boer, ,II the front m thre.ltening lheir f.unilil.'S and fann~ at hOllie, E\,elltuillh thc war ground to .1 IJ.lIt. .Ind both ,ide" ;lh'Teed tn British arbitration 011 the que~tinn 01 the disputed bound.lries, The peace cobbled together .It the end 01 tht· li"t w;:lr failed to ;:Iddres~ the main poinL~ or conl1ict, however, not;lhh that bOlh l30er and BaSotho societit,~ were e"enu"ll" t'xpan~ionist, lhat their populatiolh wen: growinl{, and th,lt the\ rem,tilled in compeLition for the -';lIl1e gnl/inJ.;" land. \\11ik \IO"hocsh(~ \\.IS keen to a\'oid .....:11'. he mled tllmuJ.;"h compliance rathe. than coercion, .!lld could nOI contnlilhe actions of~mne of his periplH.'ral chiefdom.., 111<111\ uf .... hom biuer!\ n:"Cnted Boer encroachment. In the edrh 186fk thc.:re I\cre a number of da~Il(.'" belween individual BaSolhn .1Ild Bot:r fanner.., .md inJunc.: 1H6.~ .....ar bro\..e Ollt ag-ain, The 'iCcond hee St..·ue-B;:ISotho W.lr ....
'Sbteen Boe... killed by SISotho,ln HelI·Kloo!', In Incident in It.. 1.t OFS,SISottlo Wlr. Thi, pic;:tu... C;:lplu••, Ih. IppelTlm:. of both ,Id. . It thl, time, Ind In ~rtlcu'lT of the Sotho Wlll'riorl, wlth their clol.... Of enimel ,kin end theW winged ~_

{M......m Atrice'

lhe IX'g'inlling' of AUg'u .. 1 lhl'\ kit conlidl"nl eTloug'h 10 mount .1 direct ,1.. ~ltIh 011 Ihl" mountain. The fil"l ,1".HIIl \\.h a failtltl'. but during' ,I "I·colld a"~lllh on 15 AUI,FtI..t. the I~K'I" bOlllbolrdl'd the "llllllllil.lI1d thl"1l tril'd to .. Iorlll the main pa~, tu lh,· lop, 111(' B;ISotho \\t'n' dri\ell OUl of two linl'" 01 brl·aSt"od.. ~. but the ,lll.ICI.. ..t.lllt'd ~fof(_' " third.•md collap""d \\hen.1 I~oer Icadt'r \\"....hOi phtllel't'd on lllltil l',ll h IHfiX \\ hen ~lo ..hot,·..hol' ..tICCl't'ded in pt'1....llading: tht: Uritiloh to interwne; a ..mall Briti..h lorCl' no.....ed the Or.IIlg'e Ri\l"r 10 re~tore or(h;r, .lIul the Boer... unwilling' to ri,k .1 direct cOllfront.ltion \\ith Brit.lin, withdrew their COllllll.ll1do-. rill" 1111:11 re"ult \I,l'" Ih.lI cumrul of tlu' ItlSolho I..ing:dom pa~'l'd 10 lilt' Ikili'ih.

THE CONQUEST OF THE TRANSVAAL

A poig..-nl photogr.ph which in syrnbol;... the lenitMe price ~id by Atric.n groups In lheir struftlle -e...., Boer 6omlNltion In ttle interior. In. c • ..,. occupied by M.....nkhotla_ in 1854 is stin littentd with skulls Ic~1 .....n)' . . . . .

cNcHft I.'.... (Mu....... Afnc.1

Thl" IMlhTIl 01 Boer duthoril\ in lhe .Iret:'ulemenb, uftt'n
17

Typical back-veld Boers 01 the middle of Ih~ century; the man on the right it carrying a per· cussion rille, the m'!n on the left II British Martini.Henry of the

1870s.

CO\'CI'Y of rni rwral n:~Ollrces in the interior - diamond!> al Kimberley. ju,t north oftllc (:ape (~olony. in IHilS. and Kold in the Tr'ln~\'aal in the IS70s - which led to an influx of wandering prospectur~ and Ihe ri~e and fiJII of the earh' gold-rush tOWIl~" Allhough rd;lIion!>hips with some AfriC:ln groups wen: good. this wa~ largel\' bccall~e the Tr'ln!>\'aal gm'ernrnellt purslied a general policy of cncourag-ing- internal di\"isions within the African COIll111lIllit}. and !>ul>porting one part} ;It the expense of ;molher. For the most pan. the in tert:'Ls of the wllile gm'ernment and Ihe African pOplllali()11 wert: essen, tially in conlliCL Not only did many African group' re,i.stlhc imposition of white authority prr Sf', but they rcsented the taxation (!<:m, lhe\" often came to resent their intrusion, and resistcd the demand for farmland which came "'ith more permanent settlement. Since contact between hl;lCk and while nallll' and r~tiding Tswana c:lnle: in the proccss thc\ d~·'tru\cd a mis, ion station belonging In O
18

The rno,t concentrated C~'ntres 01 African n:~istallce to Boer allthorilY were in the north and ea~l. Herc a great alT 01 1ll0l1nt"ins - the Soutpansberg. I.COltl and Ol";tkcnsberg - had prO\'ided secure places of refuge during the tlijnqrrllP. leaving African groups eithcr secure, or pro\'iding: an environment in which they could rcbuild Iheir authority. The Soutpansberg \\"ere seuled b)' the Lcmha and Vcnda. groups of diflicllh cultural origin who h"d milch in common with both Ihe Sotho and the Shona north of the Limpopo. while in the ,outh-I\'e,t both the Pcdi and, below them. the S\I"Mi kingdoms emerged in the IS50s. Scalten:d in bct\\'een were gTOUpS known as Ndebele: the"e \I"cre nOI I"ollo\\"ers of l\l/ilik:ui. but people who had crmsed ovcr from the seaboard gener;Ilion~ before. and had been gi\"el1 the sarne narne b~ the local Sotho inhabitanK Although some Ndebcle grOllp, retailled llwir coastal languagc". mo,t had absorbed SOlho dress and cu.-tonh. The Pedi kingdom. a confederation of Ilorthenl Sotho clans under the control of lhe dominant .\larolcng lineage. had emerged shonl)' before the difilqrr/lr, but hild been devastated by group.~ p
n"lirt'd billerh di,illu~ioned after bdl1j.{ gl\ell a dcrison ,hare of the Gmltcit'l POlj.{eiler \1':1:. shot Ihmug'h Ihe neck and killed. and a \Hung: wldCOIlll't IMmed Paul Kruger ri~kt'd i\'debele fire 10 recOler till' bod\. The '\debelt' could not escape from lht, ca\'e, howe\er, ancl their ,unerinf.,'" \,en: immense as lheir food and \\,ller ~upplies d\\indled, .\ftt'r lIearh a month of 'It.llemate. some uf the l\oers crepl into the entrance lu find lhat mO~1 of lhe ?':debcle mer 1,500 of lhem - had died of q,ln,uion. Their bolle~ littered the noor of the Gl\l' for decades ,Iftl'r, In lR5R Kmger led a plillilhl' campaign ,lWliml the ~uni\'Ors and. with the hell) of Mric'lIl Ielic~. ~t()nned ~Iapcla', ~tronghold. .\Ian\ '\debdc thrcw lhemseh'c~ ofT difT~ in their despt·r;uion In ('<;<:ape. In Ihe IH60s illlemal ri\'alrie~ between Ik>er A"roup'l ill the Tram\'aalled In till' "1II"W"'krJ~- the Boer ci\'il \I~tr, ~larthinllS Pretorill~ (Andric,' son) Mhocated do~e co-oper;.llion bet\\'een the Frce Stale and the Tr'lIuvaal, bUI his enOl't.s al union pro\'oked bitler quarrels on both ,ide~ of the Vaal. Tht· TI~IIl~\rctoria. on 5Janu;rn IRfl'1 ",hich ended \\ith the dc.uh of ~e....en men ;Ind the wounding of nearh 10. The malleI' was final!\ rl""iUht--<1 after six d,ll'" of len~e negotiation~.

The uni........1 BMr; ..... t ....n of the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), photographed.1 a reunion In the 1920', ... apparenll, urried thi. olnol.,. _apon throughout Ihat campaign, but h'- 'ppe'... ne. i. more !)1)ka1 of .n ••tller period, before flintlock mu et••nd powdM-horM I99lllCed b)' breeeh·lOlIdi"'ll rifI .

,.

A Boer commlItlOo of the period 1875-'885, when a1.,..·.ltot ~h.loIlCl.-"' Rad

cul$ioOn

~.,

w.'

"''''ed 1*"'

.nd .mmunltlon

theNf_ arried In Nn· ckMlen ... ther th.n pouches or

.....

,

Thl: 186(}oi. too. \litnC''isC'd IIw coll,tp....· 01 11ll' 1Il0,t northerh sctt1ement in the Trans\t,tblished the -.l:llkmellt of Schoeman.-.dal tin lilt' \(llItht'm f,lel: of thl: Sulltpamberg 'Ioum.li'l'. II \1Ome co-oper,llion \\llh IIII' "t'I1(I.I, hUI b\ lhe 181:;0, mllch of Iht' gamc Iud becn dri\1:1l OUl of lht, rt'Kioll, ,md Ilw "t'nd,1 - mam of II hom had learned Ihe 1I ..... of firl:.trm, ill I~)('r '>t.T\'ln' - \11:1'(' kecn 10 lew"in control of the tr
20

B\ til(' middle oflhe 19th Celllllf\, Ihe Pedi l..inl{dolll II ..... Ollt· oflhe mosl pO\lerful oflhe AfriC
oj re'iistann' 10 )\oer claim'i for Ia.xalion and tribute, and \\~re prep'u ed In offer ililwir alk"giance onn' more. In IS61 Sd,W'ati had dit.'d and I)('c'n ,ucceeded b\ hi'i 1IOIl, Sd.,hukhulIe, \\ho lllaintained a 1>oliC' of dellial 1O\1,IJ'ds Bo«:r cI,liul'i of ..U/lT':lint\. Thlh, 10 the S..\R. it "Ct'llll'd th,1t ~:khl1khl1ne \1,1" ,uloptinl{ ,I Il;ird lint:. «'\l'n all exp,lIhioni,t one. ,II ,I lillll' wlll'1l the economic Ch':lllg~S \\ithin the TlOInw,lal wt:rl' inten ..il'ing: 1l01'r demand.. lor labour, land ~ll1d trihut«, .• \t that poinl the Tranwaal \Ia., t]'\'illl{ 10 I"i~l' a loan 10 linance a r'lilwav to Lorl'll/O ~Iarq\ll:' in \lol.\ ,1.11 II ~~mcd 111.11 IIIl' Pedi L.ingdom \\3.. ..1 IIMlerial hlocL. on Ihl' roild to economic'lahilil'. ~liIi"lrih. Ihl' l~l'(li ...I,ltl' \\,l'i ,imilar 10 \lo..hoe,lu.H.:\ L.ingdom. The h,l'ii'i ofiL.. pl)\\l'r was Ihe 'Ig:l'... r~g-itn~nt 'i\,11'11l: Iikl' l~aSolholand. Iht: Pl'di L.inl{dom "';1' a ('ong:lomct ah.,I\' Ihe GI."e wil h Iht: ,\frican glln t"lde. Ihe I{Illl' obtaincd werl' ll'iualh oll'!llt-tl' - BI'O\I'II Ik,'i mllske'I' of :-:apoleollic \'ill1ag~ wefe ..till being' dUlIllwd on the African 1lI,lrkt:1 into the I H6(h - .Hld often in pOOl condition. :'\l'\nllll'It-~, 1)\ 11ll' lIliddle 01 the 1~70, \\.lll;m... belonging to thl' chiddom' will. ,11h\\l'fed ,,"..L.huL.lulIll'·' (,111 prolxlbh h,1<1 ,IeCl"" IH .....·\l·I'";.11 thou.....ndlirl',lrm... including-.I ,nl.llterinl-{ ofl-{oodqualil\ rifll'f! htt.'(·ch-10
Kinsl SeIlhuilhune of the Plldl. "ated centre, photogt1lpnlld after his capture by 8ritlstl forc:es In l.t. '878. The Peel1 we,. one of the mo.t powerf1.lt African groups of the ea.tern Transvaal, and ... peatedly defied effort. by the SAR 10 control them. The men .tanding behind a,. we.ring ....eryd.y m.le cost".,... - • •al.l-hide knott" _ the hi"" _ .nd .... c.nyIng tradltionlll

_.pon•.

~r

appe.f1Ince .. typical of many Tran.vaal grovps; by the ,8&01 many Pedi . . , . armed with li,.a""•. (8ryan Maggs Collection)

21

,,

J

.....

4-pdr. Krupp RBL (Rincd Breech Loader) guns and a mi/raillnHe, a mulli-barrelled machine-gull presented to Presidellt Burgers by the French government. The milmilll'11SeWaS left behind in PrelOria, but the Krupp guns were taken into the field. together with a rocket lube. During the gradual scu..lcmcnt of the Transvaal, and the crealion of new lOwns. the commando system re-emerged in tile pauem eSL,blished on the Cape Froillier, with the commandos again being locally based. They \\"ere supported by 600 Transvaal Mricans and 2,500 \\~.trriors contributed by the SW
22

Th. arrtYal 01 the BrftI'h; hol,lIng the flag In Pretoria on the a .....n.. bIrthday, 24 May 1877. The troop, on parade are m.n of the 13th Light Infantry,

A, montage of "ommandants who '.rved in the Transvaal War of 1881, with Commandant-G.n.ral Pi.t Jo... bert ".nt,., h.tl....

IL-_ _

23

C'lsll;llties in their attacks, successfull) stormed the Mronghold, killing Dinkwanpne .md many of his foIIO\\'crs, Thc Icsson of the fight \\~IS lUlt losl on thcrn, howe\'cr, and once the baIlie was ()ver thc)' reftt,sed 10 ~erYe wilh the Boers ag
Sgt, Bradle~, 94th Regiment, who re<:eived the OeM for gallantry at the battle of Bronkhorstapruit, 20 December 1880, The maJority 01 the Brltlah troopa who foyght In the Transvaal War were wearing the same uniforms they had during the Zulu War In 1B79; Bradle~ Is wearing the dress tunic here, but the undress frock (fIve buttons, no piping down the lrontl was more popular in the Ileld. Helmet plates were seldom worn, and the helmets themselves were

usuall~

dulled down

with tea or coffee. (Ro~al Archives)

2.

Throughout the lirst half of the 19th century. the British had been rductant to entertaiu a wholehearted progl~\lllrne of coloni,ation in Soulh Africa. SlratC/-{icall}. the area ollcred lhe Brilish litlle more than it had the Dutch - <;onlluand of the sea rOlltes to India, The endemic coullict Ix.'tweeu lI'hite s<;'lLlers and f\fricau, '1'<1'1 expensive in mone} and blood, and ol1cred little in return. Yel bl' 1870. thi~ had bq.,'1.l11 10 change; the discovel)' til'Sl of diamond.'>, and thell of ,",old. offered the prospect of some return on tlw investment, cheme. The Trc, '\
.

"

,-

,

3

Voortrekken In the Trio....... 1: ~ \Ioortrell.kllf', 836-45

c.,

'attel'-rider' 3: Tsw_ warrior, 1820s-183ICM 2; Atric:an

.: Young

4Illt~ _

~

warrior, 1838

A

FORT SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS

, Briti.tI FOfCfl KlOSS the 0...,. A'-, 1845-
2

B

The a.ttIe of CongeIa, PorI Nat8l. 1842 1:~. 27th Regiment 2: G_. Royal Artillery 3: Pri....t•• 27th Reglme"t

3

c

•

Cam~n.

in 1M lnillri«, 1880s

1: Boer, Free Sun. eommando,

a.soth
18l1Os

~B,~~w~.l~~

3: T......v... w...nor,

1~-70s

-

D

The $IurmlIIh lit a............. PNtoria, 18.......,. 1.... l:~ 2:~, ....

Aegla .......

3:~.21sl~

E

If>...-

of 1ngOgo, 8 Fean-y 1881 t Mounted lnIantrymen, seth R ~

2: General SIr George Colley

3:

F

PriY~" 3I8Ol:h Rifles

The~of~.

'Z1 Ftobruery 1881 1: SumM, Ropl,..".. . . . .

......

3: Pri\rltl, t2nd ..........

•;~.92ndI""'"

G

,

'1,er.~~~r::~01 the rr-v... African, 18ro.-1.-o. "roo

.;;

~~lrJ~"

H

Staat ArtiIlerie, 1890s

1.lrgel forct' wa....t"emhled to .llIad, the Zulu kingdom: lhk tuo. f:lltc."red IMelh \\he.:n llll' Zulli OWI-r;1Il the !lrili...h GIIlII} al l",mdhl,lIl,l in Januan IM7Y. It 1001.. more than ~ix month... fOl Ihe: British. he;nih reinforced from home, 10 defeat the Zulu and breal.. up Ihdr militan ,\·'telll, -nle ]nng-lC."nn con..eC)lIencc, of thi" for Ihc' PC'di Ilere <;(.'1;011.... h(l\Il·\er. for in 'm'l'mbt'r 1879 Gl'ner;11 Silo C,lme[ \\'obc1c.:\ ,Is...e mblcd Iht' 1,lrge"! force \el ~nl .ll{'linsllhe P".,tli - ~.500 BI;ti...h troop'. ~.OOO Tran'I,l
THE 1881 TRANSVAAL WAR TIll' defeat of lhe Zulu ,lIld Pe.:di were.: in~uOicient. hOl,'e\{:I, to cOll\;nce tht., TI~lnw;lal Boel'\ e)fthe ad\'anL'lge.. of BI;ti...h I"ule. AltllllUgh thc 1~I;tish Mlmilli.. tl~llioll IMd l",t;lbli..llt."d it.'>Clf al Pretoria. \I;th g;lrri-.()ll' in Ihe imlxlrt.tlll ollth'ing IOwn,. il' \\01'1.. had becn hampered m a prololilld lacl.. of ulldcro;t.lIldillR of Bocr allilUde" and Ilt.-oed,. and m .1 ,,'ilful I,ICI. of conpc'~llion 011 the 1><11'1 of tn.lIl\ of lilt: Ikx-", Indeed, I~ltiwi than being n·conci1c.:d to Britidl mit.· bl the defc;u of thl' Zulli. malll BOl'''' fdt that. 11011 th,ll !}al'licu!;lr lhrt'al hMI bt:en remo\'ed. Ihe\ would IX' ,Ible to ll\,\ll,1gl' their own i1n~liT" J1lore ~uCCC',-,flllh, ,HI(I lhe\ wi~hed to be free of th..· Britid1. Th ... Republiclil 11l0ll'1llent cn"'t,.lli'ed arollnd th(." lif{lIre ot I),nil Krugl'!: and Il'n,illtl moullted throughout IH7R t\ llIa."l'd ralh in Dl'Cetllbel IR7R \Oll,S ...... "me
M,n 01 the 2J21st Regiment ge,rlsonlng Fort CommeUne. one of e numb" of small slone forts built on the outskirts 01 Pretoria, end defended during the T,..nsw.el The office' In the

W.,.

It. eom llne. RE; ell tI'M men, eom.... l1 Included, e,.. _ering undl'e. . lToeks, end newe tH-swined I'Mime'U. The 21st _,.. _u....1 Ion INlt they fO~l'OIInd is

,..telned their distincu... g"""'" he+met bedge in the fJeld. (Ron Sheel,y CoIlec:tionl

33

'I,md,lrd' c1i'ipl.nl'c1 h\ nl.lll\ Briti~h !LillI-. wilh Pll'\ iOB ,h 1111 hii'm i,lll'd ,enlce ft'ford,. To mel'l Ihe g:nl\ling: (Ti~i~. ,oml' of IIw Iroop'i in Ilw Ulllh-ing: jf
34

While thl' "itUHth Regiment ,md 3 60th RiOt" had remaim'd on gl)IIIe.' iO 1I11'11. Illo"th ,\IOllntl'd Infantr\' ollht' :li'lth wilh ,I "m;ll1ering:of I "I Dra~oun GlI,ml" ,md ,\S<. (.-\nm $t'n'ice Corp") personnel): fuur 9P(Ir .. 11"0111 :'\ :. ;lnd 10 7 Itmerie..: .md IWO 7·,xlr. ","Ills manned b\ --([.Hch (fe"" frmll the 601h. Culle\ ,11-.<) had Iht, "('n'ict,,, of a coloni.11 1II1ll, thl' '
Members of the Pretorl. g.rrlllOn with. 4-pdr, Krupp R8L gun; the gun

Is m.nnecl by woIunteers. In the bKkground .nd

The men

the offlc-er lsecond from right) .... from the Hth .nd the offlc-er on lhe •• t ... m. tight Is fTom the 2/2ht. (8ry.n Maggs Collection)

M.m"rs 01 the AI1IIY S.,...Ic. COr'J)a lbl... uniforma with whit. IKinga) during the aieg. 01

""'toria, 188t. (Bryan CoflKtion)

M~

Colll'\ '.. lir..t 1ll0\t' \\a~ to 11"\ " Irontal a~...1tl1t on Ihe IXwr line: ,1(Tn.... L1II1J(" 'd,. On 2HJ;IIU1,II'\ IH.~I hl' ',ohl'lll'(lllp till' lkK:-r Ix,..itium I\ith an '1I1illt,1'\ ,mel roel..t't b to con"iell'r hi .. 1)C),ilion. Ellcollr.tgc..'d, patlit" of IX)('r.. hq.r;1I1 10 lonl\ into '\,11<11. h\-p.l"illJ.:" \1011111 Pro,pl'e1, and thre.It('ninJ.:" Colle\'" lint' 01 cOmlllllllic.llioll wilh Ihl' ne,tr("t lown, :\'e\I('
35

Membenl of the Pretorill Rtn..,

unit formed from clYlM8n votunt-. 8ymlNlthetk: to the 8ritIah ~ during the Tr8nnul W•• Ap8rt fnMn the

8

,...,.., otncer,

right, they . . .

weMfng chiK8tl cHtume. (8fy8n . . . . . CoOectlonj

3.

Collt" dcplmed in a '>('mi-circle i1croo;s the road \\hil~tthe U(X'I... beg-d.ll to ,kinni~h to\\~d.rd~ him, Ililling bc'·l\\('t.'ll the protecl!on afToJ"(lt'd m the numerous bouldel.... Colle\'~ mell \\ere \\e1I-plan..'Cralch-built gum Ill..ldt, b\ a Ruslenburg- blacl'llllilh. \Ialhinus Rot, Funhennorl'. all Iht' time Colle\ "-d.S lIIlt;'llion gained mor,ll nU)Il1l'nlum. Although rt.·inlclrn·mt'llt", were on

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e.

T1'MI HO

and _

of the 2nd

COfnINI"Y. RE. who _ _ M

Pretort.

~

tn.

1881

with LI. UtttM.1e cantre M1lj. ~ M. .....,...... cenn,

~.

lett,

and Lt. Com....n.,. cent,. righl. Both offic&rI lIlnd men lIlnl w.aring und..... fToch (scariel wlth blue facing. and gold Of' ,..lIow braid} and .talned helmets. (Ron Sheeley Collection)

morL'llh. The bauJe had demonstrated Boer fighting lechniques 011 their best; \\-hat thc\ lacked in discipline the\ more than made up for in fieldcr.Lft. initi,lti\C. and good shooting, \Jthollgh the ,apparent foll\ of fighting such an enenl\ whilst we;uing <>earlet unifOl1ns was \\ideh com· mented upon
3.

THE FINAL SUBJUGATION OF THE TRANSVAAL

o.-ve

Sir Colley, ...no "om· m.o6ed lhe H.b11 Fi.'d F~. during the Tr.n....UI W.r, .nd wa.. killed .1 M'ljuba. Thl. photQl;lr1lph w•• during the A....nt. ".mp.lgn In W... Afrlc., 1813-14. (Roy•• A~hlv."1

',".n

40

The British \\;thdrdwal opt.'lll·d the door to a period of consolidation for the South African Republic. Bol~tered b\ t,l:\ reH."nUeS fmm the ~rnwing mining- indusu... - e~peciopulation on lheir f.;nge~, ,md 10 explo. t:' the possibilit, of expanding north. or building the long-drl'amcd-of railwOl' to \lo/...l mbique. Thi'l was illlen~Hied m gmwing ri\'aln ,,;th the British. \\ho attempted to isoble the Tr.IIl"'"al m securing control of the AfriCdn k.ingdolll~ on its border;. The republican gtwemmelll ,llso ul>ed sollie of its revenue;; 10 bolsler iL~ milit;u1 forces; although theSt: n:lllained ba~d on the commando s)"tem, I;u'ge llUmber;; of lircanns wt:I"{' imported central!, and distributed lot' l'ach campaign. nOiabh the dlicielll I~ritish ~ing1c....hot ~larlini-llenn rille. The Ikllle.... DinWMll \\~d-'1 t'ecollstilllll·d ,IS Ihe St.l:ll:. t\l1.il1erie in IAA2, ,.Ilhough lhl" remained ,Inned \\;th ob'il.,lete Kmpp gUlls until 1897, \\hen fOllr ';'in. C"eusot gum ,lIld eight Krupp quid-firing guns \\ere introdllced. In HIDcI. a mo\ e \\'b made to\\ilnls establishing ,I lInifonned. scmi-pelllMnent force. and l\\'u \'olunteer units - tht." Pretoria and Johannesburg \hwil1ige C.orps - \'l're fonned. Th~ Pedi and tht:ir forTTl~r tribule chidc.lolll, ~I,lbogh()'" :"d/llndla Ndebde. fen carl)' victims to thi~ lIew spiril of dCll·ll11ination. Sckhukhulle, afte!' hi~ defeat bv the Ikilish. had bel'n kept ,I pri~oner in Pretoria. bUI after the retroce,sion he \\"as rcJe;I~(-,d. and ,.Ilowed to relllrn to Pedi lelTito.....·. whel'e his brother ~Ialllpliru had ruled in his absence. For sc,er.ll months $ekhllkhune and \1,lInpunl jocken:-d for p()~ilion. until in August 1882 ~lalllPliru a5sas~in.tled $elhlllhulle. The S.\R intenened, ,md ~Iampum fled to s..mClllan among ~I,lbogho's :"dllllld/a :'o:debele, no\\ n.led m ~\'abcla. Recmiting a lar/o;c anm of Pedi followers from among faclions oppo:-.ed 10 ~1,llnpuru. COlllltt:mdanl-Gener.11 Joubert led a commando into :-':debcle ten;to!") in October. The Ndebcle retreated to their moun lain StrollJ.:llUlds, and once again lhe Boer~ were faced wilh the pro~pecl of winkling thel11 oul. Sc\er.ll months of ~kinllishing followed. with thl' Iklt'rs emploving their usual lactics of besieging thc strongholds and de'ltrO\;ng African croP'l and huts. On thi~ OCGlSion the\ also made cXlCn~i\"t" use of dvnalllite (0 blo\\ lip the entrallccs to the caVt."'1 in which thc :\'debcle sheltered. lr.lpping the defenders within. Six months of lhese allM!..:> gr.ldualh reduced the :\'dcbc1e will to resi~t. and in JlIh 1883 lhe :\'debcle chief :\',abcl
M.mbers of the 31eoth Rlfl••• photograpneet In Egypt In t 882; th4o. . men had fought In Zululand In 1879 and In th40

Trans... aa1 War ion the same unlfonn of "'Y dart!. green c:Jottl with scarlet braid and black leather equipment. (Royal Archl.....j

knding- support in l)('c,I...;nnal and lIIulll to forcl' Ihe Tlou 10 p.1\ tiLXC.,: lilt' I,LX 1"'--"lIl' '"h nOI jlL"1 10 r.li'i(' rl'Iel1l1C, but a IIll·'IIl'" (II lorcing ,\lric.1Il o,,::fOUP" 10jnin Ihc GI ...h ('OlllOIllI. Thi~. cOllp1l:d I,'ith a !:x-p,onal (ktl'nniniltion 011 Ihl' pan of COlllIU.l1ul.lIll.(:(:ner<11 J\)ubl'r1, It·d 10 a \\,I\'C 01 collllpaig-n .. in Ihl' IH90~. I\hich 1111alh Ieduced the hl...t Ali'ic;tn rl',i~tan(;c 10 w!lilt' rille. \lakHuha's di"'ili...t;IClion broke inlo 0l)l'n \"iolence in \'.llh 1894 \\hen Ihl' nOli "Hacked olHhing "hitl' "l'ltkml'IlL", ,md thcn n'lrl',lIed to Ihl' dt'n"t.'h-fol'csled Il'rllilp", ;")00 warrior., - ,md armcd priI1l.1rih with "lkar" and .Iluiquated g-un", hut lhel w,lgL't1 .1 ~l..illul guerrilla \\<11 I,hich .,oon dishcilrll·Ilt'd lhe Boer comtll.mdo.... T,viealh, Jnllht'r\ rai"l"d a band of Sw,t/i ,md "lh,lIlgane auxili,uil'''. ,md ,*,llllhem inlo Ill(' \"allcI~ whil... lhe Boer~ huilt a ..tring 01 ,mall forlS 10 elllu,lin thl' Tlou. rhl'S(' hilI" IH'n: g
Un~tifled privllte of the 58tt1 R-elment, seMng with the Moyntecl Infantry, Natal campaign, t881, The MI rstalned the tunics or frocks of Ihelr perent unit., with brown cord riding breeches and bandolier•• The splendid brass helmet Ilttlng., worn for the photograph, would lui.... pro... ed fatal In action In t88t, (Ron Sheeley Collection)

41

The bllttl. of ulfl9's Nek, 28 .llInullty 1881. Colley (right) dlracts his lIrtlllery to support the lIttllck 01 the 58th, which Is taklfl9 place In the right distance, (Rill Efl9ll1nd Collection)

The lIflannlltn of Schuinshoogte, witn the bones of de.cI lIrtlllery teams In tIM fOA1iJround, lind the pellk of Miliube just vislbl. on the skyllrte, (Brylln Maggs Collecllon)

42

funlu:r ill10 the hll,h, hut W'" lwr,ed ,ullong BOl'!' lanners. Amon' ,eriOlI' ('onlliet t)("(U1Tt'd al !Ill' l\t."tern end or the SOlltp,lII,herg .\loulll,tin,_ when' ,Ill i"lll;lIed 'pur of the main ..mge. thc BlolllX'I'K_ ri'le" neilrh i,OOO fe(·t 011I of the 1I1ldlll,ning bu,h. Thi" wa.. the 'lrunghold or lht: Ggo, h,ld 'h,,tdI.L'ilh rl,ru'('(IIO acl..nO\\k'dg(· European ,Hllhurit\. \Inl.llebogo h,ld h('('n ,IITc'ted h\ till' Briti,h during their o(("lIp,lLion for rdll~ing to IM\ t,I\.I": he had h(,t.'1l rdea..ed, ami had nUl beCIl c.ll1ed llpon to do ..o ,inn', In ,\pril IR91 ~1tl1alehogll l\il' ordel"l'd 10 ,uhmit 10 Ihe SAR's authotit\, ,Itld pal t;\xe~, lie reftl'l'd, and retired willl hi" follO\H'r~ to the I~louht'r").~. .\Iam oj hi, people Ilww:d north 10 e,cape the impending ni,i,. Sin('(' it \\a, Iwlil'\'ed thl' .\Irndleoogo conllnanded mer 2,()(}() warri(lr~, \Iell arllll'd with Elln'lx'onal command 01 Joubert, \I ho called upon \Imalebogu IU "IIITt'nele!. bllt n·fll"ed to K"ar.Ullee hi, .'kIlt' treatment, \Imalebogo had ereclt:-d ,I Ilumber of defellCt'.. on lhe Im\l't 1>lopes Or the mOUlH.lin. while hi" capitOlI ne,tled <;{'cureh ,ullung: the rod.\ uulcro!>' (Ill Ihe lOp, nil' Boers ~uccessfllih cilrried sOllie of the 10\\1'1' ~1(),x'1>, but IIll' Gan,I\\,1 f('lirt.'d rurther up lhe Jl1oUlll
11.1It:r. The G,lll,l\I,t IIf:'n.' forcf:'d 10 run Ihe of BOt'r ()llll)(l't~ (0 re.leh .1 nearbl 'Irealll each niKllI, On 2il Juh Ihe Boel-'; inter(l'pll'd one slIch fOroll. and \Imale~() called 0111 in .1 Joud loice Ilhich 'IXll..e for generaliun) of \(rie,lIh dispo'SSt·'i'l.·d hI Ilhile 'it-·t1lt·lllenl: ·you 11.11t: 1,lken from Ill"" ml Ilomen ,md ehildl"l'n, n1\ l,lltit' .lIld m\ conl: Ill\ \·illage.. \Oll ha\(' hUrlwd. ,"011 IOU lI'ill nol It,t me t:ven haH' a drink of 1It'lf \\.b lillalh ~tar\l'd i11lu \ubmi..,ion, and Cilllle OUI wilh Ihl' Iputl' bdorl' rhe \'ellCla l>.tramoullin pit~.'>t'd Itl :'Iakhado\ .... m. ~Iphephll. \lphcpIJll, d .... ,pi.t' OI1Cl' having l)(.'l'l1 .1 migl'llli Il1Irl..t'l in Killllx:rkl. In,tin rained hi, Ell ht'l " 1c,i,rancl' 10 Tr:lll\\ c1o'l' 10 lilt.' \emla 'Irnnghold 01 "wllngll/wi \IoutH,lin, and tine of Ihe fir,,1 c1a...he, 1001.. p1.lce on 21 OClobl'r, \ );11"1\ of\"end.1 conce,lled Ihelll'i('ht" in lit.... bll..h .md .lpprO.\R had little UPI)()rtllllin to t'njm Ihe fmiL' of it, 'iclon, ho\\ ....'el. lor alrt'ad\ lar mort' <;eriOI" cOllnich wen'" brewing. \\'ilhin d 1(',lr. Soulh Alrica\ \\hile commllnidl" would fall oul 'll11ong thell1'l'hl'" pu... ing a I,ll K' ....all'l" lhreal to Iht., BUl'r ,,",II 01 life lhan ;Il1Ylhing \\'hiclt had j.\'01ll' hdore. ~,Itlntlel

Majul>lo, photographed fnKn O'Neill's Farm on the Brfttlh tide, (Bryan Maggs CcMlectlonj

The battlefield 01 Majuba todlt~, ptKIlographed from the Boer Iide, There was no growth 01

I.... In 188 t; ttll. photogr.ph

enow. tome of !tMI t.fTKe. wtlleh ..... sked the Boer .PClf08Ch

to !tMI summit.

--

.-.

... ,If" ....

43

THE PLATES

AeOVE The climu of the battl. of Majube; men of the SSlt1 artd lil2nd defendl"9 the crest·line. Althouth this pict...... gi...... d,..met>c: Impr...ion of the 0........ K_. it

.,.ag-

genlt.. the strenglt1 of Colley" w..... la. more dispersed.

and horses. and fought 10 their evetyday cloU''teS_ thIS man IS a fronts farmer or tuller In the typical short jaCket of the 1830s; hIS heavy-ealibre doubIe-barTelIed "'"'lock fTKJskellS of the type favoured by huntet'S TypICally. the early Boers

B: BRITISH FORCES ACROSS THE ORANGE RIVER, 1845-48 81: Private, 7th Dragoon Guards, battle of Zwartkopjes, t845 The 7th weot IOtO actlOO on thiS 0CC8SI00 weanng thetr ful o-ess helmets. wlllch must have been extremely uncom~

earned thetr powderhoms attached to a waJstbe!t. A2: African agterryer - 'after-rider' Boer commandos were dependent 00 the support 01 lafge numbel's of Afncan Sf!fV3nts. who led spare horses. perlormed chores in camp. and on occasion fought aloogsKle their masters. A3: Tswana warrior, 1820s-1830s The traditional wamor costume of the African peoples of the interior was broadly similar among both the Tswana and Sotho - a hide knotted around the wals\, a cloak of animal skin - leopard. for Important men - and a shield. thiS man. a Tswana ftghtll'lQ WIth the Voortrekkers. IS carrying the sqoared-off shteld lyptCal 01 hIS people; Sotho wamors eamed shields with more pronounced Wings. The taU stllekl SlICk. decorated with ostoch feathers. was the SIgn of a person 01 rank. and served

as a rallylng

poIrlt

III battle.

A4: Young Ndebele warrior, 1836 The Nclebele were an off-

44

c~.

A: THE VOORTREKKERS IN THE TRANSVAAL A1: Boer Voortrekker, c.l836-45 The Boer commandos were essentially a civlllaJl mallla who pttMded thesr own guns

shoot 01 the ZiAI Iungdom. and thelf wamor.; maJI'ltamed something of the ZlAu appearance. although they began to evolve a dlstlOCt NdebeIe look doong MZJ~kazJ's stay 10 the Trans\'aal The headdress shown here. depicted 10 canteroJXlf8I'Y sketches. COOSISted OllOflaled anmal bladders lied in the haw WIth a SIl19Ie black ostnch feather over the SIde of the face, and was probably the dlStlnglJllSl'wng urnfOl'TJl of a partocular lbutho

In fact. his men

fortable In the heat. They also earned Brunswock nfles. temporarily on loan from the 60th Rilles; when the regiment subsequently moved to the Cape Frontier. both Items were abandoned. and they fought In forage caps and wIth cavalry carbines. 82: Officer, Cape Mounted Rifles The CMR was raised as a Bntlsh army unit. recruited within the Cape Colony. Officers were white. and although wIl,tes were recrUited Into the other ranks. the maionty of these were of Khoi ('Hottentot') Of ml)(ed race descent. The first CMR uniform was based on Bntlsh light Dragoon patterns, but In the 1830s It was changed to a Rifle regunent style, The differences were largely apparent In the regIment's dress uniform; the undress unrform 01 forage cap and slable-)3Cket was worn WIth Irttle modrfocatJOfl unlij black fac.-.gs WeflI Introduced In 1848. B3: Troopet", Cape Mounted Rifles. ftekl service uniform, c.1846 The leather overalls. known as 'crackers' because of the I'IOISe they made when wa/kwlg. were popUar. berog both comfortable and hard weanng: some men carefully embrodered the seams. The CMR were eXlenswely used 10 the vanous campaIQl'lS of the 1830s. 405 and 50s. and the other ranks enpoyed a good reputatl()l'l for thetr skill and deterrmnahon In bush-fightlflQ.

ABOVE Th. Boer ....utt on Mlljuba. Th• •rti.t h. . tel..coped ...... ral incident. from the campaign, Including the mounted thalli' at Laing's Nek (right), and h.. Includ.d portraltl 01 Paul Kruger (left) and PI.I Joubert (pointing), but the picture does gl.... a good Impre..lon 01 the way the Boefll sklrmlstted up the .I~. (Mu••um Afric.)

84: Private, Rifle Brigade, Zwartkopjes, 1845 The Cape FronhElf saw the first gradual moves towards a more pmctlCal field dfess among BntJsh troops; shakos were generally replaced by forage caps, and worn and tom Items of ul'llform were made good WIth klcal replacements. The RJfIe 8ngade seem to have retamed thetr dress coatees. but thcs man IS weanng locally procured cMllan trousers and comfOf1ab1e Boer veld-shoen shoes. He IS armed WIth the BrunsWICk

mosl Boers abandoned the old powder-horns In favour of cartouche pouches and belts With cap-pouches Clolhlng styles remall'led similar. although jaCkets WIth full·sklrts began to replace the old short jaCkets of the Voortrekkers. Ul1Iformlty was negllg.bIe. although some distrICt c0mmandos dIStinguished lhemseIYes WIth coloured puggteeS, orange being a popular coklur iiWTlClOg Free Staters. 02: Basotho warrior, 182Os160s Thrs senIOr wamor IS weanng tradltlOOal Sotho war dress la~ SIl'Tlllar to Tswana s~, the more angular shape of the shield marks Iwn down as a Sotho. The !tat metal. worn from a thong around the neck. IS also characteostlC of the southern Sotho. By the 18505, Iatge numbers of Moshoeshoe's Basotho fought from horseback. 03: Trans ...aal warrior, 1650s-70s Desplte Boer allempls to centro/the gun trade. Alncans of the Intenor soon became familiar With European firearms as contact between the races Increased. Some groups. such as the Pe
BELOW The fin.1 Britl.h conapse .1 Majuba; Boafll lin. the Ik)'li_ to fire .1 the remei .... of Colley" command •• tl>ey fl. . down the slopes.

nne.

C: THE BATTLE OF CONGELLA, PORT NATAL, 1842 Cl: OffICer, 27th Regiment The 27th fOfmed the bulk of MaJOf Smith's command at Port Natal; contemporary sketches show offICers weanng blue frock coals and both officers and men In coatees and shakos - nevertheless. the order of dress shown here, shell JOCket and forage cap. was the most practical and comfortable dress for offICers. C2: Gunner, Royal Artillery Like the Inlanlry. the RA preferred to wear undress in the field in South Alrica - the forage cap and shell jacket shown here. Sketches of gunners en the Cape Frontier suggest thai civilian trousers and hats were adopted as Issued Ilems wore out; this may also have been the case dunng the Port Natal expedltl()fl. C3: Pri... ate, 27th Regiment thIS ftglKe demonstrates some of the practICal adaptatIOnS whICh were pemutled In the field III South Afnc:a; the addl!lon of a home-made leather peak to the forage cap, a cMlLan-style waISt bell and c.vtouche bell. and klcaly procured trousers, PercuSSlOl'l muskets were ossued WI the BrnISh army from 1838, although It IS possible that flintlocks remalnEld lfl seMCe WI some coIcnat postW'lgS for some years afterwards. D: CAMPAIGNS IN THE INTERIOR, 18150. 01: Boer, Free State commando, Basotho Wars, 18605 With the Ifltroductl()fl of pert:USSlOI'l weapons 111 the 1B40s,

4.

F: THE BATTLE OF INGOGO, 8 FEBRUARY 1881 F1: Mounted infantryman, 58th Regiment The Mounted Infantry formed the bulk of Colley's cavalry force: they were drawn from infantry battalions, and relalned lhe frocks of thetr parent Units With buff or brown cord ndlng breeches and bandoliers, and earned Martlm-Henry carbtnes. F2: General Sir George Colley Colley's personal uniform, depicted in a number of conternporay engavngs, ¥ld In a water-eolour of Ingogo by the war artlSl Charles Fnpp, seems to have COf1SlS1ed of a patrol I8Cket and helmet WIIh c0nspicuous puggree ¥ld the spike retanect 0uMg the assault on Ma!Uba Coley wore lennIS shoes for comfort c1Jnng the cIint:l. F3: Private, 3I6Oth Rifles The 60th wore nfle green uruforms _ the dye at this peood was so dartc. lhat 11 appeared almost black - and black equtpment. They seem to have retained the black 'Maltese cross' regmental badge 00 !hew helmets.

Boers dutroying Mmal
homogeoeous, as charac1llflSliC Items, such as shields. earned less frequenlly Into battle.

•6

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E: THE SKIRMISH AT ELANDSFONTEIN, PRETORIA, 16 JANUARY 1881 E1: Volunteer Dunng the Transvaal War, the Bntlsh raISed a number of small volunteer units In PrelDna from among the civilian populahon sympathehc 10 lhelr cause Although these gave themselves Impressive titles - the Pretona Carbmeers. Pretona Rifles. Nourse's Horse - they were oot untfOflTled. and wore cIvIlian costume. sometimes With lhe additIOn of a coloured puggree. Nourse's Horse - depicted here - wore blue puggrees. while the Pretoria Carbloeers wore red ones. These uMs were ISSued With Martin-Henry rifles and bandoliers. E2: Private, 94th Regiment At the start of the Transvaal War. most of the available British troops had been in garrison in the region since the Zulu War, and were wearing the Uniforms of that campaign: for mfantry, thiS was the fivebuttoned frock With regimental facings, dyed foreign service pattern helmet, blue trousers With a red welt, and Valise pattern equipment. South African serviCe was notoriously hard on uniforms, however. and many troops in the Transvaal garrisons had had to patch their Jackets. or replace helmets, trousers and boots With civilian Items. E3: Lieutenant, 21 st Regiment Unlike most Infantry regIments. the 21 st retained their grenade helmet badge in the field. although Ihe white helmets were dyed a neutral brown With tea. coffee or vegetable dyes. The undress frock shown here - or blue patrol j8cket bemg partlcularty popular In the field; the offICers' undress frock for the 21 st seems to have had either a smgle tWist of gold braid on the shoulders or a red shoulder strap WIth embrotdered numerals and white P'PIr'IQ Among troops statlOl"led In South Africa It was stll common for offICers to carry revolvers on shoulder straps. rather than on lhe Sam Browne belt. which was popular In Inclla

G: THE AFTERMATH OF MAJUBA, 27 FEBRUARY 1881 G1: Seaman, Royal Naval Brigade Colley's assault force I"lCIuded a number of sailors. who wore Navy tnform wlth IlfantJy-styte ammurlltl()l"l bells and accoutrements. Although Navy \andIngs usualy wore slraw 'serne!' hats. aU contemporary sketches of the MlJIUb8 aclJOn show them weanng IlfantJy-style foretgr'l S6MCtl helmelS. G2: Boer commandant The appearance of lhe Boers had not SlgMicantty all8f8d sn::e the 1860s. although the advent of metal eartndges meanl lhat looped bandohers had largety replaced the older eartouche bells. Although the Boers were armed WIth a number 01 dIfferent types 01 nfles - from Snider breech·1oacters to Bntlsh Martlm-Henrys - lhe WestleyRIChards failIng-block nfle was partlCularfy popular at this penod. G3: Private, 92nd Highlanders The 92nd. fresh from Lord Roberts' successful campaign In Afghanistan, wore the khaki-dyed frocks whICh were popular In India. but not generally worn elsewhere. TheIr eqUipment. however. ConSisted of the old pre-Valise pouch and cartouche-belt. G4: Officer, 92nd Highlanders Officers of the Indian contlngoot wore vanatlons of the Sam Browne belt. which had been popular in Afghanistan. After the battle. the Boers were an.ious to acquire SQUVoolrs, and the sporrans and officers' broadswords of the 92nd atlracted their particular atlentlon. H: THE FINAL CONQUEST OF THE TRANSVAAL H1: Transvaal Alrican, 1870s-18905 Although traditional dress conllnued until the end of the 19th century. most Afncan groups - especially those wllo had been drawn Into lhe white economy - look to the field In a ml)(ture of European and Afncan clothes. By the 18705, firearms were common in Afncan arml6S: the appearance of thiS man woukl have been SImilar 10 groups as different as the Pedl, Transvaal Ndebele and Venda H2: Swazi warrior, 18705 For Ihree of lour decades in the middle of the 19th coolury. the SWazi kingdom allied Itself 10 the SAA. and supplied COf1tll'lQentS 10 support Boer commandos agaInst common eneml8S, such as the Pedl. Photographs and sketches confirm lhat the Swazi wore much of lhelr ceremomal costume lnto actl()l"l: IhlS was generally SImIlar 10 Zulu style. but with partICUlar differences•

GLOSSARY Afrikaner - Irterally. white Afncan: European settler of South AI"", agterryers - literally, after·nders, AfrICan servants who worked for the Boers amabutho (Sing. ,butho) - Zulu regiments I'llCf\llted accordlflQ to the age of members BaSotho - Sotho adhereflts of Chief Moshoeshoe Boer - Illernlly. larmer Burgerkryg • Boer CIVIl war, 1862-64 commando· Boer armed militia (Afnkaans: kommando) difaqane - see mfecane Ganawa - a Sotho group defeated at Blouberg rI 1894 Griqua - mIXed-race descendants of the Khor people of the

Cape Harde Emigranten - reaclJOn3lY Boer SUMYOrS of the Great

r"",

impi - body of armed men (r1 some nstances. also rllE!MS 'wM') Kgatla - Afncan group settled In lhe Soutpansbefg

Moun."",

ABOVE Chloe' MlOWIleboeo 01 tlte Ganawa, photographed after his sumrndet' at Bloube'll, t894. He is _aring a brOWl'l o;:orduroy suit, lndlutl..e of lite eItenl 10 wNo;:h European o;:ulture had penetraled groups hostile to white authority by the t89Oa. {Mu m ...'rio;:a'

Khat - Atncan people of the Cape area laager - defensive wagon CIrCle Lemba • Afncan group of the Soutpansberg Mount3lf1S looper - small bag of shot Malabele - see NdebeIe mfecane - the CrushIng. the upheaval amoog Afncan peoples rI the early 19th centUfY Ndebele - name glV8rl to groups from the coast who had settled In the Inteoor Pedi - powerful Sotho Iongdom rI the eastern Transvaal Shona • Afncan group north of the t..npopo Alvei" Tswana - The western branch of the Sotho people Yenda - Alncan selliers of the Soutpansbefg Mountains Yolksraad - Transvaal parll3lTlenl vooriooper • dnvel" of an oJ(·team

such as the leather types in the headdress. and the kilt around the waist (thiS man has a red trade blanket wrapped around him). SWazi weapons were also similar to Zulu types. although their shields tended to be rounder. H3: Gunner, Transvaal Slaat ArtiUerie, 1890$ The Staats Millerie were one of the few Uniformed units raised by the SAR, and they fought In several of the campaigns of the 1BBOs and 90s. They wore a light coloured uniform With pale blue piping. although many men preferred to wear civilian hats and trousers. The Transvaal Imported large numbers of MartIni-Henrys in the 1B90s, and these were issued to both the regular Units, and some commandos.

RIGHT MemberlI 01 tlte short·lived Johannesbu'll Vrijwillige Corps dfImobili"ng al tlte end of lhe Venda campaign of 1898. This Mm!·pro'nslonal body wu part of the S"'R" attempts 10 c ...te a ~nent army; lite _lforms were of light corduroy with black braiding.

47

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