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SOUTH AFRICA. 360 SOUTH AFRICAN WAR. 000 are white. For exploration and history, see Africa, Boers, Natal, Transvaal, and South African War. SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY, British. See Rhodes, Cecil; Rhodesia. SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC. A former republic of South Africa. See Transvaal. SOUTH AFRICAN WAR. The conllict for suprcniLicv in South Africa between Great Britain and the Boer republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State in the years 1899-1902. The causes that led up to the struggle and the diplo- matic negotiations that preceded its outbreak are treated under Transvaal. The following account will deal exclusively with the history of military operations and the terms of peace thai- ended the war. On the outbreak of war, October 11, 1899, the British strength in South Africa comprised a body of about twelve thousand men in Natal ; a second force ( 2500 ) at Kimberley, on the western frontier of the Orange Free State ; a third (1000) at Mafeking, on the Bechuanaland border; and about 1000 men on the Rhodesian frontier. The railway crossings on the Orange River and the northern part of Cape Colony were guarded by some 5000 men. The number of Boers mobilized on the Natal frontier in the early days of October was about 20,000. On the day following the declaration of war the forces of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State entered Natal. Laing's Nek and Ingogo Heights, in the extreme northern part of the colony, were seized, and the Boers pressed down the Durban Railway and attacked the British line extending from Ladysmith to Dundee. On October 20th the British drove a Boer force from Talana Hill, near Dundee, and on the following day they routed the Boers at Elaandslaagte, but on Octo- ber 30th they met with a serious reverse at Nicholson's Nek, and by November 2d the Boers, under Petrus Joubert (q.v.), had succeeded in completely investing Ladysmith. which was held by about 10,000 troops under Sir George White. At the same time Kimberley was besieged by a Boer force of 0000 inder Prinsloo, and 1000 British under Col. Baden-Powell were locked up in Mafeking by Cronje (q.v.) at the head of 6000 men. The unfortunate beginning of the war aroused great alarm in Great Britain, and prepa- rations were made for carrying on a struggle which it now became apparent was to be of a nature far more serious than had been anticipa- ted. Large reinforcements were dispatched to South Africa under the command of Sir Redvers Buller, who. at the head of 16,000 men, was in- trusted with the task of relieving Ladysmith, while Lord Methuen with 9500 was to make his way to Kimberley from the south, and a force of some 5000 men under General French and 4500 men under General Gatacre were sent to operate against the Boers in the north of Cape Colony. On November 23d Lord Methuen defeated the Boers at Belmont, and on the 25th he won a victory at Enslin or Graspan, but on the 28th he suffered severely in his attempt to cross the Modder River liear its junction with the Riet, and on December 11th was decisively defeated by Cronje in an attempt to storm the Boer position at Magersfontein. On December 10th General Gatacre met with a serious setback at Storm- berg .Junction, in Cape Colony. The ^nost obsti- nate fighting, however, occurred around Lady- smith, and at Colenso on December 15th the British encountered a severe reverse at the hands of the Boer riflemen. This succession of disasters spurred on the British authorities to greater exertions. In the latter part of December Lord Roberts of Kan- dahar was ordered to Africa as commanderin- ehief, with Lord Kitchener of Khartum as his chief of staff. The fighting thus far had re- vealed on the part of the British officers great ignorance of the nature of the country and of the enemy. The Boers were all excellent marks- men and many of them were mounted, thus com- bining the rapidity of cavalry with the stability of infantry. The British, on the contrary, were handicapped by the absence of cavalry, and for want of adequate transport facilities were com- pelled to cling to the lines of railway, thus nar- rowing greatly their field of operations. Before the end of January, 1900, the English forces in South Africa were estimated at about 130,000 men. Lords Roberts and Kitchener arrived at Cape Town on January 10th, and a month's time was devoted to organizing the newly landed troops and establishing the transport and train on an adequate basis. The cavalry was made an important arm and much attention was devoted to the mounted infantry, composed of volunteers from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The new plan of campaign provided for the invasion of the Orange Free State by the main army under Lord Roberts, which, after relieving Kimberley, was to advance upon Bloemfontein. At the same time three smaller forces setting out from Cape Colony were to advance northward across the Orange River and to converge on Bloemfontein. The Boer forces thus crowded up in the northern part of the Orange Free State were then to be driven across the Vaal and cooped up in the mountains of Eastern Transvaal, where the united English strength might easily crush them. No attempt was made greatly to reinforce the troops operating around Lad.vsmith, for it was thought that a successful advance on Bloemfontein and Pretoria would compel the Boers to raise the siege of that town. At L.adysmith, meanwhile, desperate fighting had taken place during the month of .January. On the 0th the Boers made a fierce assault on the redoubts to the south of the town, but were repulsed. On the 11th Sir Redvers Buller began a great flanking movement westward along the Tugela River, with the object of compelling the Boers to abandon their position on the north side of the stream and south of Ladysmith. On the 18th a division under Gen- eral Warren crossed the Tugela. and on the night of the 23d-24th stormed Spion Kop, which was considered the key of the enemy's position. While encamped on the hill, however, the British were exposed to a murderous fire from the surrounding hills, and on the evening of the 24th were com- pelled to abandon the position, with the loss of 1700 men. On the 27th General Warren recrossed the Tugela. Lord Roberts's advance on Kimberley began on February 11th. He had under him about 23,000 infantry. 11.000 mounted men, nnd 98 guns. On the 1.3th of February the cavalry un- der General French forced the passage of the Modder River, and on the 15th entered Kim- berley. Cronje, who was now in danger of