616 



SOUTH AFRICA. 



The Boer losses were at the rate of 1..000 men 

 a month. Botha's and De Wet's attempted move- 

 ments with large bodies of men were failures be- 

 cause the British could bring immensely superior 

 forces against them. After consulting with 

 Schalk Burger and with the other commandants, 

 Gen. Botha decided to accept Lord Kitchener's 

 invitation to meet him to discuss terms of peace. 

 A return to guerrilla warfare offered to the British 

 as discouraging a prospect as their attempt to 

 resume operations with large bodies did to the 

 Boers. 



The strength of the British forces in South 

 Africa before the arrival of the fresh reenforce- 

 ments was 7,004 officers and 197,885 men, making 

 204,949 of all ranks, of whom 141,490 were British 

 regulars, 28,339 colonials, 7,995 imperial yeo- 

 manry, 7,700 volunteers, and 19,425 militia. The 

 garrison on Aug. 1, 1899, had the normal strength 

 of 9,940 of all ranks, and before the war broke 

 out on Oct. 11, 1899, it was increased by 6,643 

 from England and 5,903 from India. From then 

 till the end of July, 1900, there were despatched 

 155,535 regulars from home and the colonies and 

 1,891 from India, making 157,426, and colonial 

 contingents amounting to 11,584 were brought 

 over sea and 30,319 raised in South Africa, and 

 from Great Britain came 10,731 imperial yeo- 

 manry, 11,129 volunteers, and 21,457 militia. In 

 the latter half of 1900 and up to Feb. 1, 1901, 

 the further reenforcements were 16,099 regulars 

 and 1,148 militia, which makes the total number 

 of troops who fought in South Africa 282,379. 

 Of these, 334 officers and 3,680 men were killed 

 in action, 1,242 officers and 14,914 men were 

 wounded, 301 officers and 9,008 men died of dis- 

 ease or wounds, 299 officers and 5,231 men were 

 disbanded in South Africa, 415 officers and 13,716 

 men were in hospital on Dec. 31, 1900, and 12,323 

 of all ranks returned to England, 39,095 were sent 

 home sick or wounded, 90 went back to India, 

 and 2,130 regulars and 3,384 colonials returned 

 to the colonies. Before Lord Kitchener attempted 

 aggressive operations the British army was in- 

 creased to 250,000, making the total number of 

 troops sent out to South Africa over 320,000. 

 Those who had been through the former cam- 

 paigns were jaded and weakened by their fatigues 

 and the relaxing climate. The fresh troops sent 

 out were inferior in quality to the earlier re- 

 cruits. In Great Britain 16,000 yeomanry were 

 raised, and these were not fit to be sent into 

 the field. Some of them were sent home as phys- 

 ically incapable, and of the rest Lord Kitchener 

 complained that they could neither ride nor shoot. 

 The effective force after the arrival of reenforce- 

 ments remained about 200,000 men, with 450 guns 

 and 248,000 horses and mules. Horses were sent 

 continually at the rate of 10,000 a month, and yet 

 the British mounted troops always lacked horses, 

 although the Boers had a constant supply. Near- 

 ly 80,000 mules were purchased in the United 

 States, where the expenditure for horses, mules, 

 and commissary supplies reached 5,000,000. 

 During the first six months of 1901 there were 

 61,000 fresh troops landed in South Africa. Sup- 

 plies had to be provided for 314,000 persons di- 

 rectly or indirectly connected with the war, in- 

 cluding 70,000 refugees in the concentration 

 camps. 



Casualties in the British army in South Africa 

 in, the first year, during which regular engage- 

 ments were fought, were much more numerous 

 than in the second year, characterized by guer- 

 rilla fighting. There were 71 officers per 1,000 

 killed in the first year, and 29 died of disease, 

 whereas in the second year 22 were killed and 



15 died of disease. Among the men 20 were killedl 

 and 31 died of disease in the first year and 11 

 were killed and 20 died of disease in the second 

 year. The mortality from disease was twice as 

 great as in the Franco-Prussian War, and that 

 of the private soldiers in battle, though almost 

 as many officers fell comparatively in that war 

 as in South Africa in the first year. The ex- 

 cessive loss of officers was much reduced when 

 they discarded the insignia of rank. Compared 

 with the American war of secession the propor- 

 tion in all ranks of the killed in South Africa 

 was 25 per cent, greater during regular, but lower 

 in guerrilla operations, while deaths from disease 

 were 40 per cent, lower. The number of Boer 

 prisoners taken before March, 1901, was nearly 

 17,000, and almost all of these were transported 

 to distant British colonies. About 1,500 who sur- 

 rendered on condition that they should not be 

 transported were kept in the refugee camps, and 

 some of these joined the burgher police. About 

 1,000 surrendered to the Portuguese in the Dela- 

 goa Bay territory, and these were conveyed in 

 Portuguese transports to Portugal and confined 

 in fortresses. The German Government applied 

 to Great Britain for the release of German mis- 

 sionaries, and it was granted before punishment 

 was inflicted upon them. The United States 

 asked for the liberation of Americans who had 

 been sent to Ceylon, and on its being refused 

 made no further requests on behalf- of American 

 prisoners. The losses of the Boers in the cam- 

 paign of 1901 were about 1,000 a month, and the 

 British losses about the same. 



President Kruger sent a protest to the United 

 States Government against the shipments of 

 horses and mules to South Africa, and his agents 

 obtained a temporary injunction, but when it was 

 brought up for decision the United States courts 

 disclaimed any jurisdiction in the matter. 



The cost of the war, including provision for 

 the campaign of 1901, was about 175,000,000, 

 of which 127,000,000 were borrowed. 



Ex-President Pretorius, when he went on his 

 peace mission, was met outside the camp of 

 Gen. Botha and told that he would not be re- 

 ceived; if the British had any proposals to make 

 they should come from headquarters in writing. 

 The emissaries of the peace committee on reach- 

 ing the laager of De Wet, near Lindley, were 

 flogged and Meyer de Kock also was shot as 

 a traitor, he having circulated documents urging 

 submission among the commandoes. Comman- 

 dant-Gen. Louis Botha and Lord Kitchener met at. 

 Middelburg on Feb. 28 to discuss terms of peace. 

 Lord Kitchener sought to exclude the question 

 of independence from the discussion. Gen. Botha 

 informed him that the Boers were fighting for 

 their independence, and that the war had its ori- 

 gin in the annexation of 1877, an injustice which 

 was not wholly made good in 1881. Lord Kitch- 

 ener declined to discuss even a modified form of 

 independence, saying that the British Government 

 would never consent to the independence of the 

 two republics. A Crown colony administration 

 would replace the military guard, and it would 

 consist of a nominated executive, with an elected 

 assembly to advise the administration, to be fol- 

 lowed after a period by representative govern- 

 ment. After a complete suspension of hostilities 

 amnesty would be granted in the Transvaal and 

 Orange river territories for all bond fide acts of 

 war. Boers as well as others would be allowed 

 to keep rifles for their protection on obtaining a 

 license. The Dutch and English languages would 

 have equal rights, both of them be taught in 

 the public schools where parents desire it and 





