Early in the year 1899 the differences between Mr Kruger, President of
the South African Republic, and the British Government, upon the
position of the foreign population in his territory, began to assume an
acute phase. A petition to Her Majesty, setting out their grievances
and asking for protection for her subjects in the Transvaal, was very
largely signed, and the British High Commissioner stated his opinion
that the position of the non-burgher population was intolerable, and
that this was an overwhelming case for intervention. For many weeks
negotiations were carried on between London and Pretoria, the British
Government making very little preparation for a war which it hoped to
avoid; while Mr Kruger, on the other land, proceeded to arm his
burghers and make every preparation for a war which, if he made no
concessions, he knew to be inevitable if the British Government did not
retire from the position they had taken.
At length, everything being ready on his side, on 9th October President
Kruger issued an ultimatum, demanding the withdrawal of Great Britain's
troops within forty-eight hours. This was a declaration of war. War
immediately followed, and armed Boers, previously assembled on the
frontier, poured in thousands into Natal, crossing the frontier both on
the north and on the west on the 12th of October, and gradually overran
the north of the colony, converging upon Ladysmith. The British force
in that part was small, and though in the various actions at Talana
Hill--in which the situation of Majuba Hill may be said to have been
reversed--Elandslaagte, and Rietfontein, portions of the Boer forces had
been met and defeated, it became evident that their numbers and their
mobility had been absurdly underestimated, and that when once
concentrated they far outnumbered the forces at the disposal of Sir
George White, who therefore decided to entrench and await reinforcements
at Ladysmith,--not a strong position, for it was commanded by hills on
all sides, but it had been a great depot of military stores which could
not be removed.
By 2nd November the railway and telegraph connecting Ladysmith with the
south was cut, and the strict siege began. The Boers brought into
position on the neighbouring hills guns of far greater calibre than any
of those possessed by the garrison and its defences, and kept up a heavy
bombardment out of range of their guns.
Most fortunately HMS _Powerful_, then at Durban, was armed with 4.7-inch
guns of as great range as any of the "Long Toms" of the assailants. A
land carriage for these had been designed by Captain Percy Scott, and
rapidly constructed by the ship's engineers, and the guns sent up by
rail just before the line was cut, together with a Naval Brigade of
bluejackets from the ship under the command of Captain Hon. H.
Lambton. These guns, the two 4.7-inch and four 12-pounders, were of the
greatest value to the defence, for they were the only guns capable of
equalling the big guns of the Boers, and the firing was so accurate that
during the whole of the siege they succeeded in keeping the enemy's
siege guns at a distance, with so little waste of ammunition, the supply
of which was of course limited, that when the siege was raised on 20th
February 1900 it was not yet exhausted.
On the 30th of October Lieutenant Egerton, RN, of the _Powerful_, was
struck by a shell and died of his wounds a few days after; he had been
at once promoted to commander for his services, and received
intelligence of this before his death.
The most serious fight during the siege took place on 6th January, when
the enemy made a most determined and as it proved final attempt to carry
Ladysmith by storm. Every part of the position was attacked, but the
chief assault was upon Cassar's Camp and Wagon Hill. On the former was
a detachment of the Naval Brigade with a 12-pounder gun and some Natal
Naval Volunteers, as well as the 1st Battalion Manchesters and 42
Battery, RA; and on Wagon Hill, in addition to its usual garrison, a
12-pounder gun and a 4.7-inch had arrived the day before. The fighting
was very severe and at close quarters, and the Boers were only finally
driven off after 15 hours' battle, our losses being 14 officers and 135
men killed, 31 officers and 244 wounded. The Boers lost much more
heavily, and made no further attempt.
The sufferings of the garrison and inhabitants during this memorable
siege were very severe, and the losses by disease amounted to 12
officers and 529 men.
In addition to those engaged in the defence of Ladysmith, naval brigades
with guns from various ships of war on the South African station
accompanied the various columns engaged in the movement through the
Orange Free State and the Transvaal, which republics have since become
the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal Colony.