On 15 December 1899, the Battle of Colenso was fought between the British under Redvers Buller and the Boers under Louis Botha during the Second Boer War.
Why did it happen?
Founded in the 1850s, the republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State were founded by the Dutch-speaking Boers, who had first settled in South Africa in the seventeenth century. Although initially recognised by the British, the discovery of gold and diamonds in 1877 caused the First Boer War between Britain and the Boer republics. The war ended in 1881 with a Boer victory, but the European scramble for Africa increased pressure on Transvaal, with President Paul Kruger withholding votes from foreigners, which led Cecil Rhodes to organise the Jameson Raid in 1895. This poisoned relations between Transvaal and Britain, and in October 1899, the Second Boer War began with the Boers besieging Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mafeking. This prompted Sir Redvers Buller to organise 30,000 British soldiers in three columns bound for those three cities. The first two columns were defeated at Stormberg and Magersfontein on 9 and 11 December, while the third column faced a Boer army under Loius Botha at Colenso.
Who was involved?
The British army at Colenso numbered 18,000 infantry, 2,600 cavalry and 36 artillery. The British army was divided into several columns, with Fitzroy Hart leading the left wing, Henry J.T. Hildyard leading the centre, and Lord Dundonald leading the cavalry on the right wing. In overall command was Redvers Buller, who planned for Dundonald’s cavalry to occupy Hlangwani Hill while Hart forded the Tugela River to the west of Colenso and Hildyard assaulted the Colenso railway bridge. The Boer army at Colenso numbered 6,500 commandos and 11 artillery. Despite having fewer men, the Boers knew the land well and had dug in deep along the river. In addition, their commando units were skilled and mounted marksmen who had learnt their skills from hunting in the grasslands of South Africa. The Boers planned to entrench themselves and not return fire with the British until they had crossed the Tugela River. They would then detonate the charges under the Colenso bridge, trapping a large portion of the British army across the river and forcing them to surrender.
What happened?
As the British under Henry J.T. Hidyard advanced towards the village of Colenso, Boer artillery and rifle fire cut through the British ranks. Some British soldiers managed to make it into Colenso and across the Tugela River, with the latter running into Boer defensive positions and subsequently being driven back. At the same time, the British left wing under Fitzroy Hart attempted to cross the loop in the river to attack the Boer right flank, only to be met by rifle fire on three sides from Boer commandos, which forced him to halt his forces. On the British right wing, their artillery advanced beyond the support of the infantry but managed to reveal concealed Boers on Hlangwani Hill. Lord Dundonald charged the Boer positions with his cavalry to avoid a counterattack. Redvers Buller subsequently called off the attack to avoid further slaughter and withdrew his army. British casualties numbered 143 killed, 756 wounded, and 220 men and 10 artillery pieces captured. In contrast, the Boers lost only 50 men killed or wounded.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Colenso was a Boer victory. After this string of defeats, dubbed “the Black Week” of the British army, Buller was replaced by Field Marshal Viscount Roberts and General Herbert Kitchener, who rapidly reorganised British forces to counter Boer mobility. Despite being defeated at the Battle of Spion Kop in January 1900, the British managed to relieve Ladysmith and Kimberley in February, and subsequently, Roberts decided to strike at the Boer capitals. Bloemfontein was captured on 13 March, Mafeking was relieved on 17 May, and Johannesburg and Pretoria on 31 May and 5 June, respectively. Having all but lost the war, the Boers turned to guerrilla tactics, sabotaging rail communications, attacking isolated outposts and ambushing British troops. The British responded by burning farms and moving civilians to concentration camps, which forced the Boers to surrender in 1902. In the Treaty of Vereeniging, the Transvaal and Orange Free State accepted British sovereignty and $3 million was given for restocking and repairing their farms. Both Boer republics eventually joined with Cape Colony and Natal to become part of the Union of South Africa in 1910.
Bibliography
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Mackenzie, John. “Battle of Colenso.” British Battles. Accessed December 23, 2021. www.britishbattles.com/great-boer-war/battle-of-colenso/