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BOER WAR
1899-1902
The Boer War
The Boer War refers generally to the Second Boer War, which is also called
the South African War or
the Second Anglo-Boer War. However, there
were two Boer Wars.
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Boers, by the way, is the Dutch word for
farmers and applies to Dutch settlers in what is today's South
Africa, also called Afrikaners.
What's the Difference between Boers and Afrikaners?
The terms Boers and Afrikaners both relate to Afrikaans-speaking descendants of European settlers
in South Africa but differ in scope.
The Boers were primarily farmers and descendants of early Dutch, German, and French settlers who moved
inland during the 19th-century Great Trek to escape British rule. They are historically associated
with the independent Boer republics, such as the Transvaal and Orange Free State.
Afrikaners, on the other hand, is a broader term that includes all Afrikaans-speaking people of
European descent in South Africa, including both Boers and those who remained in the Cape Colony under
British rule.
In short, all Boers are Afrikaners, but not all Afrikaners are Boers.
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The Two Boer Wars
The First Anglo-Boer War was fought December 20, 1880 - March 23, 1881.
The Boers won.
The Second Boer War started October 11, 1899, and ended May 31, 1902.
British victory.
The First Boer War 1880-1881
The First Boer War began with a series of skirmishes, culminating in a Boer victory at
the Battle of Majuba Hill.
The war ended with the Pretoria Convention, which recognized Boer
self-governance but maintained British suzerainty over the republics.
The Second Boer War 1899-1902
Great Britain vs. the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State.
The Boers had initial successes, including sieges of British-held towns like Ladysmith and Kimberley.
However, after reinforcements arrived, British forces launched a counteroffensive, capturing key
cities such as Pretoria.
The latter part of the war saw a brutal guerrilla campaign by the Boers, prompting the British to
adopt scorched earth tactics and establish concentration camps, where many civilians died from
disease and malnutrition.
The Brits won. The Boers lost their independence.
The outcome was put on record by means of
the Peace of Vereeniging, signed in May 1902.
Any Famous People Involved?
Winston Churchill
was captured during the Boer War, escaped, and was wanted "dead or alive" for the bounty of £25.
Robert Baden-Powell, the inventor of the Boy Scouts, was the hero and defender
of Mafeking against a heavy duty Boer siege that lasted seven months.
While prisoner of war, General Ben J. Viljoen, Assistant Commandant-General of the Republican
Forces, wrote
My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War
, which you can read online and for free.
Casualties of the Boer Wars
First Boer War:
Casualty figures are less documented, but the
conflict was relatively short and resulted in fewer deaths.
Second Boer War:
Approximately 22,000 British soldiers died,
with many succumbing to disease.
Boer casualties included about 6,189 combat deaths and around 27,927 civilians (mostly women and
children) who died in concentration camps due to starvation and disease. Additionally, over 20,000
native Africans interned in separate camps also perished.
And here is the map
SOUTH AFRICA FROM 1815
Click map to enlarge
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