The Northern Natal Offensive (12 October 1899 - 10 June 1900) was a military invasion of the Northern region of Natal by the Boers of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State during the Second Boer War.[1] It was part of a larger offensive by the Boers into the British colonies, with other invasions occurring in Bechuanaland and the Cape Colony. The Boers invaded on 12 October,[2] after Paul Kruger had declared war a day earlier. The Boers initially had success with this offensive, besieging Ladysmith,[3] and reaching as far south as Estcourt in November 1899.[4] However, with Redvers Buller's reinforcements arriving that same month, the Boers retreated to the Tugela River. Multiple attempts were made by Buller to relieve Ladysmith, but to no avail.[5] However, the fourth attempt in February 1900 expelled the Boers from their position at the Battle of the Pieters.[6] Scattered fighting from March-May 1900 continued, with the Boers being expelled from Natal completely at the Battle of Laing's Nek.[7] With the Boers out of Natal, the offensive ended.
| Northern Natal Offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Second Boer War | |||||||
 The Siege of Ladysmith, a key engagement in the offensive | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
 South African Republic Orange Free State | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Joseph ChamberlainLord RobertsRedvers BullerGeorge WhiteWilliam Penn SymonsIan HamiltonWalter Kitchener |
Paul KrugerPiet JoubertLouis BothaChristiaan de WetJohannes KochLucas Meyer | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
October 1899: 22,000 troops December 1899: 32,000 troops (11,000 troops besieged at Ladysmith) February 1900: 60,000 troops |
October 1899: 33,000 troops December 1899: 25,000 troops February 1900: 20,000 troops | ||||||
Background
"If Mr. Chamberlain was really playing a game of bluff, it must be confessed that he was bluffing from a very weak hand."
The British and the Boers had been building up troops at the border between their two domains.[8] Since June 1899, after the failure of the Bloemfontein Conference, Joseph Chamberlain and his aides had been gradually sending forces to Natal to reinforce the region, with a large military buildup occuring in September when reinforcements arrived from India. The hope was that the Boers would be deterred from the region due to the large military presence. The Natal Field Force, under the command of Sir George White, had been dispatched to Ladysmith if conflict broke between the Boers and the British. A garrison Force had been dispatched to Dundee under the command of Major-General Penn Symons in order to secure the railway lines.[2] Kruger moved his commandos to the border. The position of Northern Natal was defined by a series of passes and hills, which would make easy for the Boers to invade, and throw up defensive positions, as they had done in the First Boer War.[8]
The British forces in Natal numbered ~22,000, whilst the Boers held around 33,000 from both republics. De-escalation attempts were unsuccessful, and on 9 October, Kruger had sent an ultimatum to the British Government, asking them to remove all troops from Natal. The ultimatum arrived late, on 11 October, and was met with general ridicule. That same day, Kruger declared war, and President Steyn of the Orange Free State followed suit.[8][1]
| Ladysmith Garrison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Artillery | Infantry | Cavalry |
| 21st Battery | 2nd Battalion Berkshire Regiment | 5th Dragoon Guards |
| 42nd Battery | 1st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers | 9th Lancers |
| 53rd Battery | 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment | 19th Hussars |
| No. 10 Mountain Battery | 1st Battalion Liverpool Regiment | Imperial Light Horse |
| 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders | ||
| 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment | ||
| 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment | ||
| Natal Mounted Police | ||
| Natal Carbineers | ||
| Dundee Garrison | ||
| Artillery | Infantry | Cavalry |
| 13th Battery | 2nd Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps | 5th Lancers |
| 67th Battery | 2nd Battalion Dublin Fusiliers | 18th Hussars |
| 69th Battery | 1st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers | |
| 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment | ||
Early Offensive
"After a long ride we emerged into open country and there, winding across the plain ran the Buffalo River with the green hills and pleasant valleys of Natal stretching beyond."
The Boers, under the command of Piet Joubert, crossed the Buffalo River at Volksrust on 12 October, officially beginning the Offensive. By nightfall, they had reached a position outside of Newcastle.[9] The British were concentrated at two positions. 4000 troops under William Penn-Symons were at Dundee, whilst the rest of the force was concentrated at Ladysmith. General White send out limited reconnaissance, but did not find the Boers. The Boers occupied Newcastle on 15 October, and they split into three main forces.[2] The first Boer column headed towards Utrecht, the second column headed south along the railway, and the third headed for Dundee. On 18 October, General White's cavalry spotted the Boers on patrol, and on the night of 19 October, they were seen approaching Dundee.
Battle of Talana Hill
A column of Boers under the command of Lucas Meyer moved towards Dundee, and occupied Impati Hill (around 6 miles northwest of Dundee). They then moved their artillery and infantry on Talana Hill, which overlooked the town of Dundee. The Boer guns now overlooked Dundee, and the British moved the 13th and 69th Batteries to fire on the hill. An artillery barrage ensues, with both sides firing on each other. At 7 AM, Penn-Symons ordered the infantry to assault the Boer position, and moved the 18th Hussars to the western side of the hill.[10][2]
The 2nd Dublin Fusiliers, 2nd Rifles, and the 2nd Irish Fusiliers made up the assaulting infantry, while the 1st Leicester Regiment remained at Dundee to guard the camp. They advanced across the open grassland and began to ascend the hill; few casualties were taken at this point. The British then came across a wood that stretched across the bottom of the hill. At this point, the advance was halted, as the Boers poured intense fire on this position.[2]
"An officer of Irish Fusiliers has narrated how, in trying to cut the straps from a fallen private, a razor lent [to] him for that purpose by a wounded sergeant was instantly shot out of his hand."
— Arthur Conan Doyle, The Great Boer War, Chapter 5 - Talana Hill
Penn-Symons, seeing the advance halt, decided to mount his horse and ride to Talana, in hopes of restarting the advance up the hill.[10] The troops began to move behind him, with the advance slowly creeping up the hill. Penn-Symons, however, would be shot in the stomach and carried back to camp. He would later die of his wounds on 23 October.[9][2] The advance restarted, and the British began making their way up Talana Hill. The 69th Battery laid down a heavy fire on the top, weakening the Boers. At this point, Meyer gave the order to retreat, and the British took the top of the hill. The 69th Battery, however, had accidentally hit British troops in the cross-fire, and therefore did not fire on the retreating Boers, for fear of once again hitting British troops. The 18th Hussars, under Col. Moller, attempted to pursue the retreating Boers, with little results.[11]
The Battle of Talana Hill, whilst a British victory, did not halt the Boer advance. The other two columns began moving south, and the British had taken heavy casualties in comparison with the Boers.[2]
Battle of Elandslaagte
Whilst Meyer's column had moved towards Dundee, another column led by General Johannes Kock moved south along the railway lines. On 19 October, his force occupied Elandslaagte railway station, and had established their camp on the hills outside the settlement. The Boers had now cutoff the British garrison at Dundee, as Elandslaagte lay in between Penn-Symon's force and White's main force at Ladysmith.[12] His force consisted of the Johannesburg Commando and the German Volunteers, under the command of Colonel Adolf Schiel.[13][14] General White decided that the Dundee garrison had to be relieved in order for them to retreat and join the main garrison at Ladysmith. On the evening 20 October, a reconnaissance force under Colonel John French scouted out the Boer position, and had returned on 21 October with a battery of the Natal artillery, five squadrons of the Imperial Horse, and half a battalion of the Manchester Regiment in an armored train.[14][15] The Boers were reinforced that day, and French's force was outgunned. French's force moved up when it came into contact with a few Boer outposts. The Imperial Light horse engaged them, and the Natal artillery fired a few rounds at the railway station[15] before retiring behind the Modder River (not to be confused with the Modder River in the O.F.S). French had decided to telegraph for reinforcements from Ladysmith.
At around midday, another force under the command of Ian Hamilton arrived from Ladysmith[12], comprising the 1st Devonshire Regiment, 2nd Gordon Highlanders, two squadrons of the 5th Lancers, the 5th Dragoon Guards, the 21st & 42nd R.F.A batteries. The British then decided to assault at around 1 o'clock, with the infantry assaulting both in the front and on the right flank.[15] The Devons were to advance at 3 yards apart from each man, and companies to advance in wide order, as per the command of Hamilton.[14] General White and his staff rode down from Ladysmith to view the action, but did not take away command from French. [15]At this point, the Manchesters and the Gordons had begun flanking from the right, whilst the Devons advanced from the front. Once the Devons reached the base of the hills, they took cover and waited for the flanking attack to succeed. At around 4 o'clock, a rainstorm came over the battlefield, darkening it significantly whilst also halting the British advance.[14] Eventually, the Gordons resumed their advance, along with the Manchesters. The Devons followed suit, and quickly charged at the Boer positions on the hilltop.
"Scotchman, Englishman, and British Africander keeping pace in that race of death. And now at last they began to see their enemy."
— Arthur Conan Doyle, The Great Boer War, Chapter 6 - Elandslaagte
The Boers began to retreat further back, trying to take positions further on the hills, but to no avail. General Koch tried to lead a counterattack against the British forces, which almost succeeded[12], were it not for Ian Hamilton riding to the position of the Gordons and rallying them to advance.[14] The Gordons launched an assault, with the rest of the infantry following, pushing the Boers off the hills. The cavalry then finished the job, with the 5th Lancers and 5th Dragoons encircling the retreating Boers.[15] Elandslaagte was cleared of the Boers, and a pathway was open for the British at Dundee to retreat to Ladysmith.[14]
General White then stationed a body of troops at Elandslaagte in order to secure the railway line from Dundee to Ladysmith. General Yule, who took command from Penn-Symons in Dundee after he was mortally wounded. However, it was discovered on 22 October that the Boers had occupied a position further south of Elandslaagte, threatening Ladysmith. White panicked, and hastily retreated back to Ladysmith. Yule and the Dundee garrison were forced to march south to Ladysmith without much cover.[15]
Battle of Rietfontein
Besieging of Ladysmith
"It was a grave thing to leave the town in order to give battle, for the mobile enemy might swing round and seize it behind us. Nevertheless White determined to make the venture."
Battle of Ladysmith
Siege of Ladysmith
First Battle of Colenso
Battle of Chieveley
Battle of Willow Grange
Buller's Reinforcements Arrive
Defense of the Tugela
Second Battle of Colenso
Battle of Wagon Hill
Battle of Spion Kop
Battle of Vaal Krantz
Repulse from Ladysmith
Battle of Pieters Hill
Clearing of Natal
Aftermath
References
- ^ a b "Boer War | National Army Museum". www.nam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Conan Doyle, Arthur (September 1902). "The Great Boer War - Chapter 5". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Spencer Churchill, Winston (May 5, 1900). "London to Ladysmith via Pretoria - Chapter 2". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Conan Doyle, Arthur (September 1902). "The Great Boer War - Chapter 13". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ "Siege of Ladysmith". www.britishbattles.com. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Spencer Churchill, Winston. "London to Ladysmith via Pretoria - Chapter 25". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Conan Doyle, Arthur. "The Great Boer War - Chapter 25". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ a b c d Conan Doyle, Arthur. "The Great Boer War - Chapter 4". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ a b Reitz, Deneys (1929). "Commando - Chapter 4 "We Invade Natal"". www.angloboerwar.com. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
- ^ a b "Battle of Talana". www.britishbattles.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Battle of Talana - Talana Museum". 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c Biggins, David. "Boer Fight for Freedom - Chapter 13". www.angloboerwar.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "South African Military History Society - German Volunteers in the Boer War (1899-1902)". samilitaryhistory.org. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ a b c d e f "Battle of Elandslaagte". www.britishbattles.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ a b c d e f Conan Doyle, Arthur (September 1902). "The Great Boer War - Chapter 6". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2024-11-21.