Welcome to Ladysmith in the Zulu Kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa!

The Siege of Ladysmith

The world-famous 118-day siege of Ladysmith by Boer forces took place between 2 November 1899 and 28 February 1900.

As the Boer advance into the Natal Colony continued from the north, Ladysmith was directly in its path and was the primary focus of the British forces in the area. The Boers from the Orange Free State had also invaded Natal, and approached the town from the west. After a brief skirmish at Besters, some 20km from the town, the main Boer force occupied the high ground from Pepworth in the north to Umbulwane Hill in the east.

General Sir George White, commanding the British forces, decided to launch a three-pronged attack on the Boers. One, under Colonel Carlton, was to attempt to penetrate the Free Stater's position Tchrengula, and to occupy Nicholson's Nek; the second under Colonel Ian Hamilton was to take up a position on Limit Hill, and the third commanded by Colonel Grimwood was tasked with attacking the Transvaalers at Long Hill then swinging across to Pepworth, Driefontien and Tinta Nyoni.

The attacks were dismal failures. Carlton's mules with the 10th Mountain Battery stampeded, denying him any artillery support. Grimwood's force was discovered at Farquhar's farm before the attack materialised, and Hamilton's force could not be utilised. These defeats on so-called 'Mournful Monday' prompted White to decide to hold out in the town until relief arrived in the form of general Sir Redvers Buller's main army which was shortly to depart from Durban.

Ladysmith's defences were divided into four sectors:
A- Section ran from Devon's Post to Cove Redoubt - including Observation– Hill - was under the command of Colonel Knox;
B-Section ran from Observation Hill to Range Post under command of Colonel Howard;
C-Section ran from Range Post across Wagon Hill to Caesar’s Camp under command of Colonel Ian Hamilton;and
D-Section ran from the base of Caesar's Camp across the low plain of the Klip River, commanded by Colonel Royston.

The total length of the British perimeter was 24 kilometres.

General White also had at his disposal two 4.7-inch naval guns taken from the HMS Powerful, eight other naval guns, six batteries of 15-pounder guns and another 11 batteries of mixed calibres. The Boers soon had 22 guns at their disposal, including three 155mm guns better known as 'Long Toms'.

By 2 November 1899, Ladysmith was effectively besieged, and the first Long Tom shell caused much panic and alarm, many inhabitants took shelter in hollows in the banks of the Klip River, which flows through the town. Negotiations soon led to the establishment of a neutral area called Intombi Camp downstream.

Both sides made a number of sorties during the siege. On the night of 7 December 1899 a force comprising men from the Imperial Light Horse and the Natal Volunteers raided the Boer gun position below Lombard's Kop, damaging a Long Tom which subsequently had to be taken back to Pretoria for repairs.

On 9 December 1899 the Pretoria Commando attacked Observation Hill, but were beaten off by the 5th Lancers and the Rifle Brigade. On the night of 11 December 1899 regular soldiers tried to attack Boer positions on Surprise Hill, but were driven back with serious losses. Later the Boers tried to flood the town by building a sandbag wall across the Klip River, but it was washed away during heavy rains.

By mid-December the siege had begun to take its toll and severe shortages of food and other supplies were being experienced. Nonetheless, good humour still prevailed. On Christmas day the Boers fired a shelled filled with Christmas pudding into the town, with a note sending the defenders the Boers’ compliments of the season! On another occasion however, the Boers showed their displeasure at the playing of a cricket match, by firing several shells at it!

By early 1900, the Boers faced demands by some of their younger officers to attack the town. Commencing at 2:30am on the morning of 6 January 19000 a determined attack was launched by the Transvaalers and Free Staters against Caesar’s Camp and Wagon Hill respectively. The attack was detected by pickets, and Colonel Hamilton who commanded the sector called for reinforcements. The Gordon Highlanders under command of Colonel Dick-Cunyngham moved forward, Dick-Cunyngham himself being mortally wounded en route.

The Transvaalers, under Commandants Spruyt and Hattingh, secured the eastern slopes of Caesars Camp and poured a murderous fire onto the Manchesters, pinning them down until the arrival of the 53rd Battery of the Royal Field Artillery, who kept up a desultory fire from the summit of Caesars Camp throughout the engagement. At midday the Free Staters tried to dislodge the defenders of Wagon Point and a pitched battle ensued. At 4pm a vicious thunderstorm broke out, and the British defenders at Caesar’s camp, as well as the Devons who had been sent to relieve the defenders at Wagon Point, took full advantage to clear the Boers from both positions, ending a 16-hour attempt by the Boers to take the two hills.

Almost as if by tacit consent, no further attempts were made by either side to attack each other’s defences. On 28 February 1900, General Buller finally arrived with his army to break through the Boer line along the uThukela River. Ladysmith was finally relieved after a siege that had lasted 118 days.

Detailed information about the various battle sites around Ladysmith can be obtained from the Ladysmith Information Office.

Copyright © Tourism KwaZulu-Natal