1899

Oct. 11.—Time fixed by the Boers for compliance with "ultimatum" expired at 5 p.m.
Oct. 14.—Boers march on Kimberley and Mafeking.
Oct. 15.—Kimberley isolated.
Oct. 20.—Boer position on Talana Hill captured by the British under Symons.
Oct. 21.—White moves out force under French to eject Boers from Elandslaagte. Boers routed.
Oct. 22.—Yule retires from Dundee on Ladysmith viâ Beith.
Oct. 23.—Death of General Symons at Dundee.
Oct. 30.—General sortie from Ladysmith. Naval guns silence Boer siege artillery.
Surrender of part of two battalions and a Mountain Battery at Nicholson's Nek.
Oct. 31.—General Sir Redvers Buller lands at Capetown.
Nov. 1.—Boers invade Cape Colony.
Nov. 2.—Ladysmith isolated.
Nov. 9.—General attack on Ladysmith repulsed with heavy loss to Boers.
Nov. 15.—Armoured train wrecked by Boers near Chieveley. Over 100 British troops captured.(p. 147)
Nov. 19.—Lord Methuen's column for the relief of Kimberley concentrated at Orange River.
Nov. 23.—Methuen attacks Boers at Belmont with Guards' Brigade and 9th Brigade. Boers driven from their position.
Nov. 25.—Methuen attacks Boers in position at Enslin and dislodges them.
General Sir Redvers Buller arrives in Natal.
Nov. 28.—Methuen engages 11,000 Boers at Modder River. Battle lasting all day. Boers evacuate position.
Nov. 30.—Sixth Division for South Africa notified.
Dec. 1.—Australian and Canadian Contingents leave Capetown for the front.
Dec. 10.—Gatacre attempts night attack on Stormberg, but is surprised and driven back with heavy loss.
Dec. 11.—Methuen attacks Boer position at Magersfontein and is repulsed with heavy loss. General Wauchope killed.
Dec. 15.—Buller advances from Chieveley against Boer positions near Colenso. British Force repulsed on Tugela with 1,100 casualties and loss of 12 guns.
Mobilization of 7th Division ordered.
Dec. 18.—Lord Roberts appointed Commander-in-Chief in South Africa, with Lord Kitchener as Chief of Staff.
Dec. 19.—Regulations issued for employment of Yeomanry and Volunteers in South Africa.
Dec. 20.—Formation of City of London Volunteer Corps for South Africa announced.

1900

Jan. 6.—Suffolk Regiment loses heavily near Rensburg, over 100 prisoners taken.
Boer attack on Ladysmith Repulsed.
Jan. 10.—Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener arrive at Capetown.
Jan. 10.—Forward movement for relief of Ladysmith resumed.
Jan. 11.—Dundonald seizes pont on Tugela at Potgieter's Drift.
Jan. 18.—Buller makes Second Attempt to relieve Ladysmith. Dundonald having crossed Tugela engages Boers near Acton Homes.
Crossing of Tugela by Warren and Lyttelton concluded.
Jan. 21.—Warren attacks Boers' right flank.
Jan. 23-4.—Spion Kop captured and held during 24th, but evacuated on the night of Jan. 24-25. General Woodgate fatally wounded.
Jan. 26-7.—Buller's force recrosses the Tugela.
Feb. 3.—Macdonald with Highland Brigade marches out from Modder River.
Feb. 5.—Buller's Third Attempt to relieve Ladysmith commenced. Lyttelton crosses Tugela, and delivers attack on Vaal Krantz, which he captures and occupies.
Feb. 7.—Vaal Krantz evacuated and British Force withdrawn across the Tugela.
Feb. 9.—Lord Roberts arrives at Modder River.
Feb. 11.—French, having been summoned from Southern Frontier, leaves Modder River with Cavalry Division and Horse Artillery.
Feb. 13.—Lord Roberts at Dekiel's Drift.
Feb. 15.—Lord Roberts at Jacobsdal.(p. 149)
Relief of Kimberley.
Feb. 17.—Rearguard action between Kelly-Kenny and Cronje en route to Bloemfontein.
Fourth Attempt to relieve Ladysmith.
Buller presses advance on Monte Christo Hill.
Feb. 19.—Buller takes Hlangwane Hill.
Feb. 20.—Boers under Cronje, having laagered near Paardeberg, are bombarded by Lord Roberts.
Feb. 21.—Fifth Division crosses Tugela.
Feb. 23.—Buller unsuccessfully attacks Railway Hill.
Feb. 26.—Buller makes fresh passage of Tugela.
Feb. 27.—Cronje Surrenders at Paardeberg.
Pieters Hill, the main Boer position between Ladysmith and the Tugela, carried by Hildyard.
Feb. 28.—Relief of Ladysmith.
Clements occupies Colesberg.
Mar. 5.—Gatacre occupies Stormberg.
Brabant again defeats and pursues Boers.
Overtures of peace made by Boer Presidents.
Mar. 6.—Field Force arrives at Carnarvon to quell rising in North-West.
Mar. 7.—Lord Roberts routs a large force of Boers at Poplar Grove.
Mar. 10.—Lord Roberts defeats Boers at Driefontein.
Mar. 11.—Overtures of peace rejected by Lord Salisbury.
Mar. 13.—Lord Roberts, without further fighting, takes possession of Bloemfontein. Boers retire on Kroonstad.
Mar. 27.—Death of General Joubert.
Mar. 31.—Broadwood attacked at Waterworks. During retirement R.H.A. and convoy entrapped at Koorn Spruit. Six guns lost, 350 casualties.(p. 150)
April 3.—Detachment of Royal Irish Rifles and Mounted Infantry surrounded near Reddersburg.
April 7.—Colonel Dalgety isolated near Wepener.
April 15.—Chermside leaves Reddersburg to relieve Wepener.
April 25.—Dalgety relieved. Boers retreat northwards, under Botha.
May 10.—Zand River crossed, Boers rapidly retreating before Lord Roberts's advance.
May 12.—Lord Roberts enters Kroonstad without opposition, President Steyn having retired to Heilbron, which he proclaims his new capital.
Attack on Mafeking repulsed, 108 Boer prisoners, including Commandant Eloff, taken.
May 13.—Mahon with Mafeking Relief Column repulses attack at Koodoosrand.
May 15.—Buller occupies Dundee and Glencoe, having driven the Boers from the Biggarsberg.
Plumer, reinforced by Canadians and Queenslanders from Carrington's Division, joins hands with Mahon.
May 17-18.—Relief of Mafeking.
May 24.—Advance portion of Lord Roberts's force crosses the Vaal near Parys.
May 28.—Annexation of Orange Free State under name of Orange River Colony formally proclaimed at Bloemfontein.
May 30.—Flight of President Kruger from Pretoria.
May 31.—British Flag Hoisted at Johannesburg.(p. 151)
Surrender of 500 Yeomanry at Lindley.
June 2-4.—Futile negotiations between Buller and Christian Botha for armistice.
June 5.—Occupation of Pretoria.
June 8.—Hildyard takes Botha's Pass.
Surrender of 4th Derbyshires at Roodeval.
June 11.—Stubborn fight at Almond's Nek. Heavy Boer losses.
June 12.—Boers evacuate Laing's Nek.
Roberts defeats Botha at Diamond Hill, east of Pretoria.
June 14.—Boer attack on Zand River repulsed.
July 4.—Roberts and Buller join hands at Vlakfontein.
Railway to Natal clear.
July 11.—Surrender of Scots Greys and Lincolns at Uitval Nek.
July 21.—Advance eastwards towards Komati Poort begins.
July 30.—Surrender of Prinsloo and 3,000 Boers to Hunter in Brandwater basin.
Aug. 16.—Elands River garrison relieved.
Aug. 25.—Execution of Cordua for conspiracy to kidnap Lord Roberts.
Aug. 26-7.—Fighting at Dalmanutha.
Aug. 30.—British occupy Nooitgedacht and release 2,000 prisoners.
Sept. 6.—Buller occupies Lydenburg.
Sept. 11.—Kruger, flying from the Transvaal, takes refuge at Lorenzo Marques.
Sept. 13.—Proclamation issued by Roberts calling on burghers to surrender.
French occupies Barberton.
Sept. 25.—British Force occupies Komati Poort. Many Boers cross Portuguese frontier and surrender to Portuguese.(p. 152)
Oct. 9.—De Wet driven across the Vaal out of Orange River Colony.
Oct. 19.—Kruger sails from Lorenzo Marques for Marseilles on Dutch man-of-war.
Oct. 24.—Buller sails from Capetown for England.
Oct. 25.—Formal Annexation of South African Republic, to be styled Transvaal Colony.