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Military History – South Africa – Europe – England 19th Century
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who fled at once, Kruger included. De Wet wrote: “A panic had seized my men. Before the
English had even got near enough to shell our positions to any purpose, the wild flight began. Soon
every position was evacuated. There was not even an attempt to hold them. . .”. De Wet attributed this
reaction to the effect of Cronjé’s surrender on Boer morale.
See also:
Driefontein, Battle of; Paardeberg, Battle of.
Reference:
Baker, Anthony, Battles and Battlefields of the Anglo-Boer War 1899–1902 (Milton Keynes, The
Military Press, 1999); De Wet, Christiaan, Three Years War (London, Archibald Constable,
1902).
Portuguese East Africa
Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique) was the only outlet to the sea not controlled by the British
in September 1899. The railway from Pretoria to the port of Lourenço Marques on Delagoa Bay was
completed in 1895 and was the route for the massive importation of armaments undertaken by the
Boers prior to the conflict. Within three days of the outbreak of the war the British concluded a secret
treaty with the Portuguese to prevent continuing trade in munitions. The British drove the Boers east
from Pretoria to Komatipoort on the border with the Transvaal by September 1900 and President
Kruger left for Europe that month from Delagoa Bay.
Pretoria
The capital city of the South African Republic (Transvaal). Pretoria was surrounded with forts which
Major Piet Erasmus and Lieutenant-colonel H. P. J. Pretorius had a hand in designing in accordance
with the proposals of the former French artillery officer, Leon Grunberg. Far from being at the cutting
edge of modern design, they were, according to the American Military Attaché, Captain C.
Reichmann, “. . .simply a bluff ”. The plan was to arm the forts with 155mm Creusot guns, but these
“Long Toms” were, in the event, used in the field. When, on 4 June 1900, the British attacked the
south-western defences, Schanz Kop Fort was quickly put out of action and the city was surrendered
the following day.
British prisoners-of-war, including Winston Churchill, had been held in camps here and about
3,000 were still held at Waterval, on the northern outskirts, when Pretoria fell to the British. Later in
the war the British set up a white concentration camp at Meintjie’s Kop (Arcadia) and a black one at
Reitfontein West.
See also:
Bergendal, Battle of; Diamond Hill, Battle of.
Reference:
Hall, Darrell, ed. Fransjohan Pretorius and Gilbert Torlage, The Hall Handbook of the Anglo-Boer
War (Pietermaritzburg, University of Natal Press, 1999); Jones, Huw M. and Meurig G. M.
Jones, A Gazetteer of the Second Anglo-Boer War 1899–1902 (Milton Keynes, The Military
Press, 1999).
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