Battle of Majuba Hill - Definition and Overview

The skirmish at Majuba Hill (near Volksrust, South Africa) on 27 February, 1881 was a convincing victory for the Boers. Although small in scope, the battle is historically significant for three reasons:

• It lead to the signing of a peace treaty and later the Pretoria Convention, between the British and the newly created South African Republic, ending the first Anglo-Boer war.
• The fire and movement tactics employed by the Boers, especially Commandant Smit in his final assault on the hill, were years ahead of their time.
• Coupled with the defeats at Laingsnek and Schuinshoogte, this third crushing defeat at the hands of the Boers ratified the strength of the Boers in the minds of the British, arguably to have consequences in the second Anglo-Boer war. The Boers in turn made "Remember Majuba" their rallying cry.

Losses were:

• British: 92 killed, 134 wounded, 59 POW's.
• Boers: 2 dead. H Bekker died on the scene, and J Groenewald died of his wounds two days later.

The South African Military History Society Journal link below gives a detailed account of all phases of the battle.

References

• Volksrust Municipality (http://www.volksrust.org.za/battleofmajuba.asp). Includes a picture.
• The South African Military History Society Journal vol 5 no 2 (http://rapidttp.com/milhist/vol052gr.html). Details the battle.
• The battle of Majuba Hill (http://pw1.netcom.com/~reincke/majuba.html)
• See also the reference list at Boer war