Review: The First Boer War
Category: Wars
Author: Angry Boers
Rating: 58%
The First Boer War, otherwise known as the Transvaal War, was the first of two conflicts between two denominations of humans- the English settlers of South Africa, and the Dutch settlers of South Africa. The Dutch settlers, who got there first, were known as Boers; Boer being an Afrikaans word which translates as farmer. The war was precipitated by the Transvaal Boers who revolted against English subjugation on December 16th, 1880. The war was concluded by a truce in 1881, when England got sick of fighting and decided it didn’t want to be at war that much anyway. The Boers were therefore the winners, and they won the right to self-governance, under nominal British suzerainty.
The First Boer War is a classic war, in which the underdog wins. The might of the British Empire was repelled by an army of 3000 Boers. The scoreboard says it all: 41 Boers dead for 408 English, 47 Boers wounded for 315 English. This really is an impressive result for the Boers, who almost managed to avenge their dead tenfold. Kudos.
Clearly, this was a pretty clear-cut war- which in a way is its biggest problem. I think it definitely loses something in the duration- not even a year? That’s never going to compete with the Hundred Years War, is it? It doesn’t have the stamina to beat the competition. And actually, although the Pretoria convention wasn’t signed until August, the conflict ended on the 23rd March 1881- just 13 weeks after it began. I’m not debating that it was a pretty punchy war for its duration, but really a 3 month war just isn’t worth having.
So saying, good did triumph over evil, which is a solid selling point of any war. It’s pretty clear that anytime an empire is beaten back, this is good news. I also just can’t help coming back to those numbers; so decisive. As much as I’d like to throw the First Boer War out of the running, I just can’t do it: it’s small in stature, but big in bloodshed.
Looking at weaponry and tactics then, we’re not seeing anything special. The rifle had been the mainstay of the weaponry world since the American Civil War almost twenty years before- no tanks, no bombs, no mines. This is a really back-to-basics approach, which can be risky. Luckily the gamble pays off, as tactics save the day here: guerrilla warfare, sieges and ambushes. You get everything in one tiny, 3 month package. The sniping on the Boers’ part is also pretty impressive, as they used skills they had learned as hunters, and made every shot count. They also used only their hunting weapons, which were (surprise) mostly rifles, but I guess they do get points for working with what they have. Good improvisation.
The British forces were better armed, with bayonets giving them the advantage at close quarters; as I mentioned, however, the Boers were awesome at long range; this really had a lot of potential as a war. The empire just wasn’t belligerent enough though, and gave up after losing only 13.6% of their total force. With a bit more effort on their part, this war could have been a lot longer. As it was, there had to be a sequel to accommodate all the success, but I’m not sure this was a good move; recognition isn’t high, people get confused, think it’s all just one big war- badly managed.
With more attention to detail, this could- and should- have been the main event of the late 19th century; it should have been the supporting act for the First World War. It wasn’t, however, it got lost in its own success. If you’re looking for a good war, and you’re pressed for time, then the First Boer War is a good choice- but to be honest, it doesn’t stand up to the competition more generally, which is a shame. Sorry First Boer War, you had a lot of potential but you really let yourself down. You could’ve been fun, but you end up just being mediocre: how Boering.
