Episode 50 - The Canadians repulse an attack while Uitlanders commit a war crime

The beginning of September 1900 is characterised by small skirmishes that continue to plague Lord Robert’s army in South Africa. It’s also the start of Spring - which came as a relief for the men who’d slept under the stars with winter temperatures slipping well below zero in many parts of South Africa. But they’d forgotten what happened in mid-Summer as the blazing sun bleached the bones of the dead and powerful thunderstorms lashed the living. September and October 1900 also revealed the limitations of the political will. Remember there’s been an uprising called the Boxer Rebellion in China which has occupied the minds of the citizens, whereas this show in Africa is receding in the public consciousness. The government of John X Merriman was to face more criticism shortly. Think about contemporary wars - the UN and American campaign in Iraq and Afghanistan for example. After initial reports from imbedded journalists with their dramatic stories, then the audience begins to wane particularly if the effect of the war is not immediate. Think too of how badly the Russians fared in Afghanistan after they invaded in 1979 - the result of which accelerated the decline of the Soviet Union. Unlike the first world war where people in England could actually hear the Western Front artillery barrages at times, or were bombed by Zeppelins, and in the Second world war where tens of thousands of civilians were killed in Britain, in the Anglo-Boer war the hospital ships limped into harbours with fanfare but no direct effect was felt. So the Anglo-Boer war drifted into the background, to be manipulated by political parties as they argued back and forth about ethics, empire and cost. Something like the American experience where the left and right grapple with internal issues through the lens of distant wars. For the Boers, however, this life and death struggle was very much front and centre, as it was for all South Africans. The Transvaal’s political leaders were now compelled to retreat further eastwards, towards the Portuguese East Africa border, while the Orange Free State President Styen had joined Transvaal President Paul Kruger as they moved inexorably towards Delagoa Bay. Portuguese East Africa was neutral territory, and Delagoa Bay was a short-term bolt hole that beckoned both political leaders. Steyn had arrived at Waterval Onder in the final stages of the battle of Bergendal which we heard about last week. He wanted to confer with Ooom Paul Kruger and the remnants of the Transvaal government. Both were forced out of this town and headed further east to Nelspruit, only 85 kilometers from the Portuguese East Africa border. A meeting was held on the 28th August in Nelspruit and apparently this was a memorable occasion. A number of decisions were made including the crucial approval of the new method of war espoused by both General De Wet in the West along with General Koos de la Rey, and General Louis Botha in the East.