On October 12, 1899, the Boer republics of South Africa declared war on Great Britain. So the Second Boer War officially began. As you know, Great Britain has long dreamed of establishing full control over the entire territory of South Africa. Despite the fact that the Dutch were the first to explore the territory of modern South Africa, Great Britain regarded this region as extremely important for its strategic interests. First of all, London needed control over the South African coast because the sea route to India, the largest and most important British colony, passed by it.
Back in the middle of the 17th century, the Cape Colony was founded by the Dutch. However, in 1795, when the troops of Napoleonic France occupied the Netherlands themselves, the Cape Colony, in turn, was occupied by Great Britain. Only in 1803 did the Netherlands regain control of the Cape Colony, but in 1806, under the pretext of protection from the French, it was again occupied by Great Britain. According to the decision of the Congress of Vienna in 1814, the Cape Colony was transferred to Great Britain for "perpetual use." The first time in the life of the Dutch colonists, who were called Boers, or Afrikaners, little changed, but then, in 1834, Great Britain abolished slavery in its colonies.
Since many Boers kept slaves, on whose labor prosperous farms were kept, they began to move outside the Cape Colony. Another reason for the resettlement was the flirtation of the British colonial authorities with the leaders of African tribes, which could lead to the elimination of opportunities for further seizure of land by Boer farmers. In addition, English colonists began to actively move to the Cape colony, which also did not suit the Afrikaners who had settled here earlier. The massive resettlement of the Boers went down in history as the Great Track. It was attended by over 15 thousand people. Most of them came from the eastern districts of the Cape Colony. The Boers began to move through the territories inhabited by African tribes - the Zulus, Ndebele and others. Naturally, this advance was not peaceful. We can say that the Boer statehood was born in battles with African tribes and was accompanied by heavy losses. However, in 1839 the Republic of Natal was created. However, Great Britain refused to recognize the independence of this state. As a result of several years of negotiations, the Natal authorities agreed to come under the control of Great Britain. After that, the Boers who disagreed with this decision moved further - to the areas of the Vaal and Orange rivers, where the Orange Free State was created in 1854, and in 1856 - the Republic of South Africa (Republic of Transvaal).
The Transvaal and Orange were full-fledged sovereign Boer states that had to survive in a hostile environment - on the one hand, their neighbors were warlike African tribes, on the other hand, territories under British control. British politicians hatched a plan to unite the South African lands - both British possessions and Boer territories - into a single confederation. In 1877, the British managed to annex the Transvaal, but already in 1880. An armed uprising of the Boers began, which grew into the First Anglo-Boer War, which lasted until March 1881.
Despite the clear military advantage of the British, the Boers were able to inflict a number of serious defeats on the British troops. This was due to the peculiarities of combat tactics and uniforms of the British troops. British soldiers at that time still wore bright red uniforms, which were an excellent target for Boer snipers. In addition, British units were trained to operate in formation, while the Boers were more mobile and dispersed. In the end, not wanting to suffer serious losses, the British side agreed to a truce. In fact, it was a Boer victory, since the independence of the Transvaal was restored.
Of course, the Boer leaders had to agree with such British demands as the recognition of the formal suzerainty of Great Britain and the representation of the last interests of the Transvaal in international politics, but, in turn, the British authorities pledged not to interfere in the internal affairs of the republic.
- Paul Kruger, President of the Republic of South Africa 1883-1900
However, in 1886, diamond deposits were discovered in the Boer-controlled area, after which the "diamond rush" began. Numerous prospectors and colonists began to settle in the Transvaal - representatives of various nations, primarily immigrants from Great Britain and other European countries. The diamond industry came under the control of the British, primarily De Beers, founded by Cecil Rhodes. From that moment on, the British directly engaged in the destabilization of the internal situation in the Transvaal, as they sought to finally establish control over the Boer Republic. To do this, Cecile Rhodes, the former Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, used the Oitlander - English settlers who lived in the Transvaal. They demanded equality of rights with the Boers, giving the English language the status of the state language, as well as abandoning the principle of nominating only adherents of Calvinism to government posts (the Dutch settlers were Calvinists). The British authorities demanded that the Oitlander, who lived in the Transvaal and Orange for at least 5 years, be granted suffrage. This was opposed by the Boer leaders, who were well aware that the influx of Oitlander, and even with the right to vote, would mean the end of Boer independence. The Bloemfontein conference convened on May 31, 1899 ended in failure - the Boers and the British never came to a compromise.
Nevertheless, Paul Kruger nevertheless went to meet the British - he offered to grant the Oitlander residents of the Transvaal suffrage in exchange for Britain's refusal to interfere in the internal affairs of the Republic of South Africa. However, the British authorities did not think this was enough - they demanded not only to immediately grant the Oitlander the right to vote, but also to provide them with a quarter of the seats in the Volksraad (parliament) of the republic and to recognize English as the second state language of South Africa. Additional military forces were deployed to the Cape Colony. Realizing that the war was about to begin, the Boer leaders decided to launch a preemptive strike against the British positions. On October 9, 1899, Paul Kruger demanded that the British authorities stop all military preparations on the border of the Republic of South Africa within 48 hours. The Orange Free State expressed solidarity with the Transvaal. Both republics did not have regular armed forces, but could mobilize up to 47 thousand militias, many of whom had extensive experience in warfare in South Africa, as they participated in clashes with African tribes and in the First Boer War.
On October 12, 1899, a 5,000-strong Boer unit under the command of Peter Arnold Cronier (1836-1911) - an outstanding Boer military and statesman, a participant in the First Boer War and a number of other armed conflicts - crossed the border of British possessions in South Africa and began the siege of the city of Mafeking, which was defended by 700 British irregulars with 2 artillery pieces and 6 machine guns. Thus, October 12 can be considered the day of the beginning of hostilities of the Boer republics against Great Britain. However, in November 1899, the main part of the Boer army under the command of Cronje went to the city of Kimberley, which had also been under siege since October 15. The 10,000th 1st Infantry Division of the British Army was sent to help Kimberley, including 8 infantry battalions and a cavalry regiment, 16 artillery pieces and even one armored train.
Despite the fact that the British managed to stop the advance of the Boers, they suffered serious losses. So, in the battles at the station. Belmont and Enslin Heights, British troops lost 70 people killed and 436 people wounded, and at the Modder River - 72 people killed and 396 people wounded. In December, the British attempted to attack the Boer positions at Mugersfontein, but were defeated and lost about 1,000 personnel. In Natal, the Boers succeeded in blocking the troops of General White at Ladysmith and defeating the military group of General R. Buller that was sent to their aid. In the Cape Colony, Boer troops captured Nauport and Stormberg. In addition, their numerous compatriots, whose settlements remained on the territory of the Cape colony, went over to the side of the Boers.
The rapid success of the Boers greatly frightened the British authorities. London began the transfer of numerous military formations to South Africa. Heavy long-range naval artillery pieces taken from the cruisers of the British fleet were even delivered to Ladysmith by rail, which played a vital role in the defense of the city. By December 1899, the number of British troops in South Africa had reached 120,000. The Boers could oppose the British army with a much smaller force. As noted above, 45-47 thousand people were mobilized in the Orange Republic and the Transvaal. In addition, volunteers from all over Europe rushed to the aid of the Boer republics, who considered the actions of Great Britain in South Africa to be aggression and a violation of the sovereignty of independent states. The struggle of the Boers against British aggression aroused the sympathy of the broad masses of the European population. As the Second Boer War received media coverage, there was a stir around events in faraway South Africa. Newspapers were approached by people who wanted to volunteer and go to South Africa to help the Boers defend their independence.
The subjects of the Russian Empire were no exception. As you know, a large number of Russian volunteers took part in the Anglo-Boer War. Some studies even voiced the approximate number of Russian officers who came to fight on the side of the Boer republics - 225 people. Many of them were titled nobles - representatives of the most famous aristocratic families in the Russian Empire. For example, Prince Bagration Mukhransky and Prince Engalychev took part in the Anglo-Boer War. Fyodor Guchkov, the brother of the later famous politician Alexander Guchkov, a centurion of the Kuban Cossack army, went to South Africa as a volunteer. For several months, Alexander Guchkov himself, the future chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Empire, fought in South Africa. By the way, colleagues noted the bravery of the Guchkov brothers, who, being not so young people anymore (Alexander Guchkov was 37 years old, and his brother Fedor - 39 years old).
Perhaps the most striking figure among the Russian volunteers in South Africa was Evgeny Yakovlevich Maksimov (1849-1904) - a man of amazing and tragic fate. In the past he was an officer of the cuirassier regiment, back in 1877-1878. Maksimov took part in the Russian-Turkish war, in 1880 he went to the Akhal-Teke expedition, in which he commanded a flying detachment under General Mikhail Skobelev. In 1896 Maksimov made a trip to Abyssinia, in 1897 - to Central Asia. In addition to his military career, Maksimov was engaged in front-line journalism. In 1899, fifty-year-old Maximov went to South Africa. He joined the European Legion, staffed by volunteers from Europe and the Russian Empire as well.
When the commander of the legion, de Villebois, died, Maximov was appointed the new commander of the European Legion. The Boer command awarded him the title of "Fencing General" (Combat General). The further fate of Maksimov was tragic. Returning to Russia, in 1904 he volunteered to participate in the Russo-Japanese War, although by his age (55 years old) he could already rest in peace in retirement. Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Maksimov died in the battle on the Shakhe River. A military officer, he left with a weapon in his hands, never reaching a peaceful old age.
Despite the increased resistance of the Boers, Great Britain, which significantly increased the number of its contingent in South Africa, soon began to crowd out the armed forces of the Transvaal and Orange. Field Marshal Frederick Roberts was appointed commander of the British forces. Under his command, the British army achieved a turning point in the fighting. In February 1900, the troops of the Orange Free State were forced to surrender. On March 13, 1900, the British occupied Bloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State, and on June 5, 1900, Pretoria, the capital of the Republic of South Africa, fell. The British leadership announced the liquidation of the Orange Free State and the Republic of South Africa. Their territories were incorporated into British South Africa. By September 1900, the regular phase of the war in South Africa had ended, but the Boers continued their partisan resistance. By this time, Field Marshal Roberts, who had received the title of Earl of Pretoria, had departed from South Africa, and command of the British forces was transferred to General Horace Herbert Kitchener.
To neutralize the partisan resistance of the Boers, the British resorted to barbaric methods of warfare. They burned down Boer farms, killed civilians, including women and children, poisoned springs, stole or killed livestock. By these actions to undermine the economic infrastructure, the British command planned to get the Boers to end hostilities. In addition, the British tried such a method as the construction of concentration camps, which housed the Boers who lived in the countryside. Thus, the British wanted to thwart possible support from partisan units on their part.
In the end, the Boer leaders were forced to sign a peace treaty on May 31, 1902 in the town of Feriniching in the vicinity of Pretoria. The Orange Free State and the Republic of South Africa recognized the rule of the British crown. In response, Great Britain pledged to amnesty participants in the armed resistance, agreed to the use of the Dutch language in the judicial system and the education system, and most importantly, refused to grant voting rights to Africans until self-government was introduced in their areas of residence. In 1910, the Boer territory became part of the Union of South Africa, which in 1961 was transformed into the Republic of South Africa.
