Diamonds, Gold & War 3Diamonds, Gold & War 3

The Second Anglo-Boer War1899 - 1902

The Second Anglo-Boer War1899 - 1902

Presented at OLLI at Duke - Fall 2009Presented at OLLI at Duke - Fall 2009

Summary of last class:

Rhodes and the Rand Lords had plotted, with Chamberlain’s knowledge, to instigate an uprising in Johannesburg by the Uitlanders, supported by 1500 troops led by Jameson. This happened in Dec. 1895 and it turned into a fiasco, - nonetheless English sentiment remained against the Boers, especially after the Kaiser’s telegram.

Chamberlain believes the Boer Republics will “step down” under pressure and fulfill his ambition of a united South Africa under British rule.

Enter Sir Alfred Milner,

1st Viscount Milner KG, GCB, GCMG, PC

High Commissioner for Southern Africa

Arriving in the Cape in May 1897

Who was Alfred Milner?

He was … the key British Empire figure in the events leading up to and following the Boer War of 1898–1902 and, while serving as High Commissioner, is additionally noted for mentoring a gathering of young members of the South African Civil Service, informally known as Milner's Kindergarten who, in some cases, themselves became important figures in administering the British Empire.

Snidely Whiplash

Just a lit

tle humor!

Milner & his staffin South Africa

Note: Violet Cecil (standing)

The Fraser Meeting – 23 Dec 1898

Jan Smuts met with the acting British Agent (Ambassador) to the Transvaal, Edmund Fraser.

Although Smuts was of the opinion that although there were differences, peace was yet possible; - General Butler, CoC South Africa, had implied that “South Africa needs no surgical operations, it needs rest and peace ….

However, in the meeting Edmunds launched into an extraordinary outburst ……

The Uitlander situation was in an uproar … mass meetings were being held in many towns

A young Englishman named Edgar had been shot by a “trigger-happy” Zarp!

A colored woman had been “assaulted” in her home and lost her baby …

The Uitlanders were going to petition the British Government to intervene!

See – A Century of Wrong - Reitz

“Working up Steam”

Milner “pulled out all the plugs”, with help from FitzPatrick and others they kept up the pressure – in the press and in continued mass meetings. Rhodes and the other “gold bugs” were not happy about this – it disrupted gold production.

Chamberlain also kept working up pressure in the British Parliament. He prepared a “Blue Book” – a collection of all the “damning” evidence against the Afrikaners

The ‘Helot’ despatch

Chamberlain wanted more ‘ammunition’ for his Blue Book which he was preparing to submit to Parliament – he requested Milner to give him more information.

This is what Milner had been waiting for ….

On the 9th May Parliament met – later that day Milner received a cable;

‘The despatch is approved. We have adopted your suggestion’

However – A fortnight later Hofmeyr and Schreiner, leaders of the Cape Afrikaners, intervened with a proposal that Kruger and Milner meet to try and resolve their differences.

President Steyn offered Bloemfontein as a meeting place.

The Blue Book, and Helot despatch had not been made public much to Milner’s dismay. Nonetheless ……

Paul Kruger“Oom Paul”

Kruger Museum - Pretoria

The Bloemfontein Conference31 May – 5 June 1898

Kruger had offered concessions but Milner did all he could to poison Chamberlain and the British press against accepting them.

Eventually Milner made three demands, knowing Kruger would never accept them:

1.Immediate vote for the Uitlanders2.Use of English in the Transvaal parliament3.All laws to be vetted by British parliament

Kruger ended with “It is our country you want.”

Milner said; “This conference is absolutely at an end, and there is no obligation on either side arising from it.”

With the failure of the Bloemfontein Conference Milner was now able to turn up “the war screw!”

Milner posed three questions to London;

1.How many soldiers to send out to guard the Cape & Natal?

2.Who should be appointed to lead them?

3.How far forward to station them?

‘It is perhaps not altogether remarkable under the circumstances described [the war inside the British War Office] that no plan of campaign ever existed for operations in South Africa.’

Report of the Royal Commission on the South African War (1903)

Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne.

Field Marshal Lord Roberts

Field Marshal Lord Wolseley

General Redvers Buller

Commander in ChiefBritish Army

General George White

Kruger became convinced that Chamberlain was bent on war while Chamberlain was assured by Milner that Kruger would “climb down when faced with the mouth of a cannon.”

On Sept 1st President Steyn went to Pretoria on a last ditch effort to try to get Kruger to change his mind.But, by Sept 2nd, like Chamberlain at the same time, Kruger reached his breaking point.

‘South Africa stands on the eve of a frightful bloodbath out of which our folk shall come . . . either as hewers of wood and drawers of water for a hated race, or as victors, founders of a United South Africa, one of the great empires of the world... An Afrikaner republic in South Africa stretching from Table Bay to the Zambezi.’

Jan Smut’s secret memorandum for the Transvaal Executive, 4 September 1899

Sept 8, 1899 the British Cabinet makes decision to “Press the Button” and send 8000 reinforcements to South Africa

On Sept 22 they pressed the “second button” –the decision to send the Army Corps –

On Sept 25 spy’s reported that the British were moving north to Dundee

On the 9th of October Kruger finally gets Steyn to go along with him and the “Ultimatum” is issued

The Terms

•Agree to arbitration on all points of mutual

difference

•British troops on the borders immediately

withdrawn

•All reinforcements sent after June 1 to return

•All HM troops on the high seas will not be landed in

SA

Her Majesty’s Government to comply within 48 hrs or the South African Republic would “with great regret be compelled to regard the action as a formal declaration of war.”

And so it began ….

And ever since historian writ,And ever since a bard could sing,Doth each exalt with all his wit,

The noble art of murdering.

Thackeray, ‘The Chronicle of the Drum’.