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The Anglo-Boer War of 1881 - Wesselstroom

Index

Wesselstroom's background

What makes Wesselstroom such a great example?

Wesselstroom's background

Wesselstroom [now Wakkerstroom] was one of seven Transvaal towns where small British garrisons were besieged by the Boers throughout the First Boer War of 1880-81. Captain H.M. Saunders arrived with two companies of the 58th Regiment in December 1880, bringing the garrison to around 120 men plus local volunteers. On 30 January 1881 the garrison carried out a successful raid on a nearby Boer-occupied farm, capturing horses, cattle and supplies. The siege continued until word of peace reached the town in late March 1881; only two of the garrison were killed during the whole affair.

What makes Wesselstroom such a great example?

The Siege of Wesselstroom

Unlike the war's set-piece battles, Wesselstroom is a good example of prolonged, low-intensity endurance: months of siege with very few casualties on either side, punctuated by a single successful raid, which makes it a useful test of whether a chart can register sustained pressure rather than a single dramatic event.

The chart shown is the birth of Captain H.M. Saunders, set at midday, with transits for the siege of Wesselstroom set at midday.