Siege of Mafeking

The Siege of Mafeking was a decisive victory for Great Britain during the Boer Wars. The battle endured for 217 days, spanning from October 16, 1899, to May 17, 1900. It took place in and around the city of Mafeking, South Africa, as British forces sought to defend the premises from a Boer invasion. The British army employed a number of deceptive strategies during the siege, which served as a turning point for Great Britain in the war.

The Boer Wars consisted of two wars: the lesser-known First Anglo-Boer War and the Second Boer War. Both wars were fought between the British Empire and Dutch settlers of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The First Anglo-Boer War was triggered, in part, by Britain's 1877 annexation of the South African Republic (not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa). After three months of combat, the British government resolved that victory would be too costly and take too long to actualize. A peace treaty was signed on March 6, 1881.

In 1886, however, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush reignited tensions between the British and the Boers, as each side sought control of the lucrative Witwatersrand gold mines. Located 30 miles south of the Boer capital, Witwatersrand contained the largest deposit of gold-bearing ore in the world. Such wealth made it financially viable for Britain to renew its imperial interests in the South African Republic, initiating the Second Boer War.

The Second Boer War began with a pre-emptive attack by the Boers on British-controlled territories in Natal and Cape Colony. Among their pre-emptive strikes was an assault on the city of Mafeking, a clash which would later become known as the Siege of Mafeking. British forces had gathered in Mafeking because of the resources and mobility supplied by its railway junction. They amassed between 1,200 and 2,000 soldiers in preparation to march south. But before they could launch an assault, approximately 6,000 Boers descended upon the town.

Boer forces began their siege of Mafeking on October 13, 1899. Realizing they largely outnumbered the British, the Boers demanded that British forces surrender. When they refused, the Boers began shelling Mafeking with payload-carrying siege mortars. Over the next seven months, the Boers continued their assault on Mafeking, culminating with a final offensive attack on May 12, 1900. The Boers lost more than 100 soldiers [Page 846]in the attack (60 dead and 108 imprisoned). In light of their losses, the Boers finally decided that Mafeking was too heavily fortified to seize; they eventually redeployed their forces elsewhere. The 217-day Siege of Mafeking was finally lifted on May 17, 1900, resulting in a British victory.

Lord Frederick Roberts steps onto the gangway upon his arrival at Cape Town, South Africa, to the relief of British troops, who are badly shaken by a succession of defeats. Roberts was instrumental in the victory of the Siege of Mafeking in May 1900, in which the British made skillful use of military deception.