The First Boer War would be an insignificant little conflict among the thousands recorded in history if it did not have the impact it had on the prestige of the most powerful empire the world has ever known, the British.
In 1852 the Boers proceeded to establish their own state, the South African Republic. Two years later another Boer state, the Orange Free State, was founded. The British did not get involved in the affairs of these two states until the 1860s when diamonds were discovered on their lands.
Then they intervened to supposedly secure the interests of the native Griquas , whom they supported against the Boers over diamond mining rights. Finally, the British, taking advantage of the declaration of bankruptcy of the Transvaal state, annexed it to their territories, almost in a coup d'état , in 1877, when the British flag was raised in the capital Pretoria. Thus the Boers again became subjects of the British crown without wanting it at all.
The occasion
All that would change in 1880 due to overzealous and oppressive British policy. In November of this year the British authorities demanded a high tax from a Boer. But the person in question managed to prove that he owed less taxes. The British authorities accepted that he was right but while he paid the tax they imposed a fine on him so as not to appear to have given in to his claims.
When he refused to pay the fine the British confiscated his carriage. The next day, however, 100 armed Boers intervened and took back the carriage. The British responded by sending a company of troops into the tense atmosphere before the first shots were fired. A new war was beginning.
However, for the Boers the incident showed that the British considered them second class citizens who only had to fill the British coffers with wealth, without having basic rights. So they decided to gather and make decisions.
The British authorities forbade the gathering but it finally took place in December 1880. It was attended by 4,000 Boers who demanded the independence of the Transvaal and elected a triumvirate to rule them, led by Paul Kruger and members Piet Zuber and Martinus Praetorius.
The Boers named the small town of Heidelberg their capital, as Pretoria was under British control, and began preparations for conflict.
With the band playing
The declaration of independence by the Boers in December 1880 and the first conflicts woke up the British administration, but due to the small forces it had little it could do. Even the meager British forces were scattered in various cities. At Pretoria were established the headquarters of the British military commander Lieutenant-General Colley, five companies of infantry and a few cavalry, the N Artillery with four guns, 45 pioneers and some service and sanitary units.
The British, taken by surprise by the developments and without having even considered the possibility of an outbreak of war, had not drawn up any plan of action. In this way the initiative had passed to the Boers from the start who, by the end of December 1880, were loosely besieging all the isolated British garrisons.
In the meantime the staff and two companies of the British 94th Infantry Regiment (IP) under Lt. Col. Anstruther were ordered to move from Lindeburg where they were on guard duty and proceed to Pretoria. The British force began its movement on December 5. Anstruther had at his disposal 252 men of the 94th Infantry, 12 men of the Logistic Corps, a doctor and three nurses and 34 wagons with supplies for his men and for the British garrison in Pretoria. The phalanx was also accompanied by three women and two children.
Because of the many carriages, the phalanx of the 94th SP marched slowly. On 17 December Anstruther was informed by a messenger from Pretoria that a strong body of Boers was moving in the area and he was ordered to increase security on the march.
Anstruther had 4 mounted scouts. Behind the scouts he moved himself with Captain Elliott and his adjutant Lieutenant Harrison. The head of the detachment of the Logistic Corps, Lieutenant Egerton, was moving with them. Behind them were the approximately 40 men of the band of the 94th SP who played various marches during the march.
Next were 40 men of Company F of the 94th, behind whom marched the regimental standard bearer and Company A, and followed by 21 men of the camp detachment, the quartermaster officer with five men, escorting 18 unarmed unarmed enlisted men. Behind them the carriages moved in a single line with men on either side as a bodyguard, while the phalanx of more than 1,600 m was closed by a detachment of 20 men.
Immobilization or death
By 12.30pm the British phalanx had come within 3 km of a village where Anstruther intended to camp for the night. But the Boers caught up with him. On the left side of the road, on a patch of ground, among the vegetation, about 250 Boers in all were deployed. Of these, 200, led by Joubert, were deployed opposite the head of the British phalanx and the other 50 opposite its "tail".
The British continued to march unperturbed until at some point the musicians stopped playing and everyone turned to their left. Brave out of nowhere about 150 Boers appeared on the raised embankment of the road behind the tall vegetation and some small trees. Anstruther, seeing his men stop the march, galloped back and approached the carriages.
Suddenly, a man on horseback appeared from the opposite side, approaching with a white cloth in his hand. The man stopped some distance from the British. Thither hastened Egerton to whom the horseman delivered a letter. When Anstruther finally read the letter he was informed that the Transvaal had been declared an independent republic and that he was to remain where he was with his men. If he attempted to continue his movement towards Pretoria it would be considered hostile action and dealt with accordingly.
Anstruther replied stating that he had been ordered to proceed to the city and that was exactly what he intended to do. While this was happening more Boers began to flock to the left flank of the British phalanx and take up fighting positions.
The blood is flowing
As Anstruther ordered F Company to deploy in skirmish line a deadly salvo tore through the air from just 200m from the phalanx. Immediately the British fell prostrate on the ground and attempted to respond. However, uncovered as they were, they began to fall one after the other from the deadly fire of their opponents.
All but one of the British officers were killed or wounded leaving the soldiers headless in the thick of the battle. Anstruther received five fireballs in the leg. In the meantime the Boers started shooting the oxen that were pulling some of the British carriages.
Already British casualties were overwhelming with 156 men and one woman dead, or lying on the ground wounded. Anstruther, seeing the futility of slaughtering the men, ordered them to lay down their arms.
So it happened. According to the British doctor Ward who survived the average number of wounds per dead or wounded Briton was five! The Boers however allowed the also wounded Warrant Officer Egerton and Sergeant Bradley to proceed to Pretoria to seek aid for the wounded.
Indeed and despite their wounds the two men reached the town the next morning, also rescuing the flag of the 94th Infantry which Egerton cut from the mast and hid under his bloody shirt . But by the time help arrived it was too late for many of the injured.
Anstruther himself died on 26 December, despite his amputation. The Boers admitted just four casualties although the British claimed 44 of their opponents were killed. To justify the shameful defeat, the British claimed that Anstruther's force was attacked by at least 1,000 Boers, which was in no way the case.
It was the first conflict of a humiliating war for Britain.