MILITAR Y OPERA TIONS IN SO UTII AFRICA 191 



positions held by the Boers just beyond, and he ordered its abandon- 

 ment, though this withdrawal was afterward adversely criticised l)y 

 Lord Roberts. If the British tried to make a flank movement, they 

 found the Boers too quick for them, and instead of a flank attack 

 they found themselves making a frontal one. 



So it will be seen that, due to the natural features, Natal is an ex- 

 tremel}^ difticult country for offensive military niovements. It is 

 open to question whether, had not a part of the Boer forces been with- 

 drawn to meet Lord Roberts' advance in the Orange Free State, Buller 

 would have been able to relieve Ladysmith at all. 



MILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE ORANGE FREE STATE 



In the western part of the theater of operations the ground is 

 principall}^ open veldt, but kopjes and ridges are found here and 

 there affording excellent positions, as was shown in the operations 

 of Lord Methuen's column for the relief of Kimberley. Here again 

 the line of advance was confined to the railroad, and Methuen felt 

 obliged to attack the Boers in the position of Magersfontein, just to the 

 east of the railroad. He was defeated with great loss, retired to the 

 Modder River, and no farther advance on that line was made until 

 Lord Rol)erts' flank movement compelled the Boers to withdraw 

 from their position at Magersfontein and raise the siege of Kimberley. 



There is verv little timber in the Boer Republics, and what there 

 is is found principally along the watercourses. As has been stated 5 

 many of the streams run through gullies, with steep banks, and 

 Avhen the rivers run dry a wide boulder-strewn ravine is left. It was 

 in such a ])lace that the Boers prepared their ambush recently for a 

 part of Broadwood's command on its march westward from Tlia- 

 banchu. With proper })recautions on the part of the British this 

 surprise woukl not have taken place ; but it is nevertheless a suc- 

 cessful utilization on the part of the Boers of the natural features of 

 the ground in a military operation. 



To conduct a successful campaign in the Boer territory witliout 

 heavy losses the British must be a))le to operate away from tlie railroad 

 in strong force, and to do this tbey must have an immense amountof 

 transi)ortation. Tbe country supplies nothing. Everytliing in tlie 

 way of suppHes must be Ijrought up from tbe coast. Tlie move- 

 ment of Lord Roberts, culminating in the capture of liloemfontein, 

 was very successful, but he spent a long time after his arrival in 

 South Africa Ijefore Ikj was prepared to make; it. it is rstima,tcd 



