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The Van Rensburg's of Rensburg Siding, Colesberg, Cape part 1
The Anglo-Boer War Introduction part 2
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding: Boer Leaders part 3
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding Nov 1899 part 4
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding Dec 1899 part 5
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding Jan 1900 part 6
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding Feb 1900 part 7
The Anglo-Boer War in retrospect part 8
Australian units, persons and casualties part 9
MAIN MAP source http://www.mjvn.co.za/anglo-boer/mainmap1.jpg

The Anglo-Boer War: Australians capture De Wet's artillery gun at Rensburgdrift part 10

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An Introduction to the Anglo-Boer War
Continued
Alwyn P. Smit

Cecil John Rhodes and Alfred Beits

Soon afterwards history and fate took a new turn when very rich gold deposits were discovered on the Witwatersrand in 1886. Paul Kruger, for one, was not overjoyed by the news at all. After he had pondered over the “great find” for a while, the distressed president exclaimed: “Instead of rejoicing you would do better to weep, for this gold will cause our country to be soaked in blood”. Jubilating fotune-hunters from all over the world were of a different opinion and before long many thousands of them started arriving in the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek.

The following event aggravated matters, for in 1890 the diamond magnate, Cecil John Rhodes, became the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. Although having a fairly good relationship with the Boers, he immediately took advantage of the prevailing circumstances. With his self-proclaimed vision of a mighty British Empire in mind, which included Britain ruling from the Cape to Cairo, he planned carefully to get rid of Paul Kruger’s Republic. In doing so he used the grievances of the thousands of foreigners (uitlanders) as an important priority.

Cecil John Rhodes'(1853-1902) dream of Cape to Cairo domination & exploitation.
A newspaper obituary said of Rhodes that he ‘lived only for his schemes
and enjoyed life only as a cannon ball enjoys space,
travelling to its aim blindly and spreading ruin on its way’
quoted by Brian Roberts, Cecil Rhodes Flawed Colossus.

Weapons were sent to the Witwatersrand to aid a foreign uprising, and from Mafeking in north-eastern Cape Colony and Pitsani in Bechuanaland (now known as Botswana) a force was to be sent under the leadership of Dr. Leander Starr Jameson. Rhodes had already given his tacit approval to Jameson’s proposals, but unfortunately for the two friends disagreement had broken out between the uitlanders in Johannesburg. This forced Rhodes to call on Jameson to hold back his troops, but the headstrong Jameson decided to go along with the raid (known as the Jameson Raid) and on 29th December 1895 he entered Paul Kruger’s ZAR. On 2nd January 1896 he was forced to surrender at Vlakfontein, near Krugersdorp. The dreams of Rhodes had been shattered and he subsequently resigned as Cape Prime Minister. Jameson in turn, was sent to face trial in England and was sentenced to fifteen months’ imprisonment. On account of ill-health he was pardoned by the Queen in November 1896.

British Empire coloured red. The English also feared that the Boer Republics
and Germans in South West Africa will join hands. The Boers already
proclaimed little Boer Republics Goshen and Stellaland around Mafeking.
The imperialist railway line passed along this route.

The Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek and the Orange Free State now had closer ties than ever before. After several discussions between the different leaders had taken place, both Republics came to the conclusion that a war between England and the Boers seemed inevitable. Lord Alfred Milner, the governor of the Cape Colony, thought so too, and did everything possible to use the uitlander grievances, mostly invented, as a means of achieving this goal. Paul Kruger desperately made several moves to avoid the war. Conferences were held for the greatest part of three years, but for every concession Kruger and his men made, Milner stubbornly made new demands, including citizenship for the uitlanders, knowing the significant number of votes they represented.

Alfred Milner (1854 - 1925) British High Commisioner
determined to make war against the Boers

President Paul Kruger (1825-1904)

Kruger must have foreseen what the consequences would be, but on 19th August 1899 he offered Milner the franchise he so badly wanted. Milner did not agree to this and eventually on 22nd September Britain broke off all negotiations with the Boer Republic. A perturbed Paul Kruger and his colleagues finally knew that the countdown to a war between Britain and the Boers had begun. In the end Kruger wearily sighed: Dit is ons land wat hulle wil hê. (It is our land they want). He could probably have added: “and our gold”.

To complicate matters further Kruger received reports that a feverish build-up of British troops was taking place in the Cape Colony and Natal. On 25th September 1899 the headquarters of the British army was moved from Ladysmith (Natal) to Dundee, thus moving nearer to the ZAR border. On 27th September President Kruger called up his Transvaal burghers and persuaded President Marthinus Steyn to follow suit in the Orange Free State. In Britain the Government declared a special session of parliament and on 7th October the British Army Reserves were called out. By this time the Boers were also more or less sufficiently armed and their State Artilleries were ready for possible action. Still Kruger endeavoured to avoid a catastrophic war.

In Pretoria, on the afternoon of Monday, 9th October 1899, Transvaal State Secretary F.W. Reitz handed an ultimatum outlined in a final despatch to British agent William Conynham Greene. In it the ZAR government requested an assurance that all debatable points would be settled in a peaceful manner by arbitration; that all British troops would be removed from the borders of the Boer Republics; that all British troops that had entered the Cape Colony since 1st June would be sent back and that those British troops en route to the Cape Colony would be prevented from landing at the harbours. If these demands were not met, and no positive action taken by the British government, the Boers would see it as a declaration of war. The ZAR’s Government insisted on an affirmative reply not later than Wednesday, 11th October, at five o’clock in the afternoon.

The moment of truth came early during the afternoon of 11th October. Mr William Conynham Greene entered the ZAR Executive Chamber in Pretoria and after shaking hands with the members he handed the British Government’s answer to the ultimatum to the State Secretary. Kruger soon realized that her Majesty’s Government had no intention of agreeing to any settlement. Time for peace evidently had run out. In response to the ominous note, Conynham Greene was respectfully informed that this was seen as a declaration of war against the Boer Republics. On hearing this, Greene solemnly and silently bowed his head and moved towards the entrance. Soon the whole world would know that on 11th October 1899 the second Anglo-Boer War had broken out, thereby changing the future and face of South Africa.

2nd North Staffords hoisting the British flag, The Fort

A Boer woman and children arriving at a concentration camp unveil their flag

Sources:

Boeseken, A.J., Die Nuusbode.
Changuion, Louis & Jacobs, Frik & Alberts, Paul, Suffering of War.
Coetzer, Owen, Fire in the Sky.
Farwell, Byran, The Great Anglo-Boer War.
Pakenham, Thomas, The Boer War – Illustrated Edition.
Schirmer, Peter, The Concise Illustrated South African Encyclopaedia.
Smit, Alwyn P, Gedenkboek van M.J. de Jager (1872 – 1939).
Van Bart, Marthinus & Scholtz, Leopold, Vir Vryheid en vir Reg.

I wish to thank Alwyn P Smit for writing the above introduction regarding the events leading to the Anglo-Boer War of 1899 – 1902; for supplying photographs from his private collection and for obtaining suitable photographs from the War Museum of the Boer Republics at Bloemfontein; for his help and support regarding historical information needed and for his enthusiasm and encouragement in general – André van Rensburg.

andre@Rensburg.com