Siege of Lydenburg (6 January 1880 to 30 March 1881)
Men of the Connaught Rangers were garrisoned at the fort but most of these were withdrawn on 5 December 1880. 82 men remained under Lieutenant Walker Long. The fort was strengthened by the building of walls between 8 storage huts, each 50 x 18 feet with a thatched roof. 200,000 rounds of ammunition and ample supplies of meat, flour and groceries that could sustain the garrison for many weeks were gathered. The fort measured 78 by 20 yards and was named after Lieutenant Long's wife, Fort Mary. It is interesting to note that Lieutenant Long saw his duty to be the protection of the supplies, not the local inhabitants of around 260 who remained neutral throughout.
Work continued on the fort at a fast rate. A mule and wagon was constantly employed to collect ant hills. It has been found that the material, when pulverised and mixed with water made excellent cement for walls. An ox and wagon was used to collect stones all day. These supplies enabled a second protective wall to be built on three sides of the fort, only time preventing the fourth wall from completion. Beyond the outer wall a ditch, 6 wide by 3 feet deep, was excavated. Trenches were also dug within the fort to allow safe movement. Mines were prepared, each with 50 lb of gunpowder and wire entanglements incorporating broken wheels were set to deter a rush by any attacker.
Dietrich Muller demanded the surrender of the fort on 23 December. Wishing to buy time to complete his fortifications, Long suggested a messenger be sent to Pretoria to seek guidance, a tactic which won him valuable days.
Positioning themselves astride the road to Middleburg, two miles out of town on 3 January 1881, the Boers launched the first attack three days later on 6 January. Some 200 men rode into town and proclaimed the Republic. Long again refused to surrender and was given a three hour rifle barrage from close range (250 yards). On the 8th, a cannon opened fire on the fort but did little damage as its projectiles passed over the fort. A second cannon was also brought into action on the 12 January. The two guns, thought to be 6-pounders, pierced the defences and necessitated work overnight to repair the damage. The garrison learnt to take cover whenever the muzzle flash was seen.
Conductor Parsons was notable for leading parties to disrupt the Boers when their posts ventured too close for comfort. In one excursion he threw a hand grenade into an outpost.
Mrs Long, the only woman in the fort, was notable for the care she gave to the sick and wounded.
On 9 January a terrier dog arrived from the town. Around its neck was attached a message. It told of the Boer arguments over the delay to invest the fort caused by Long's ruse and suggested that fire from the fort was aimed too high, information the garrison used to improve its accuracy.
Water began to run low on 23 January which meant that rations were reduced. On 31 January the ration was 3 pints per day and by 3 February the ration was 1 pint. Beer was offered as a substitute but was not popular. Work in the heat of the day was restricted. Deepening the existing wells helped as did the rains which fell on 8 February.
The men of the Army Service Corps managed to construct a small cannon from an old pump. It could fire a 2.5 lb projectile made out of crowbar iron encased in lead. It fired its first shot on 1 February to much excitement in the fort. It was moderately accurate and would be used whenever ammunition was available.
The flag that flew over the fort had become worn by the weather and Martini-Henry bullets. A spare Geneva flag and a blue dress supplied by Mrs Long allowed a new flag to be manufactured and was hoisted to great acclaim from the garrison.
Rifle fire and shells from the two cannon diminished towards the end of February but the constant bombardment was having an effect. At the beginning of March the hut nearest the Boer cannon gave way and fell in. On 3 March, the gun was moved to a new location. The next day the thatched roofs of the fort attracted the attention of the Boers and were set alight by combustible material fired by arrow. The fires were extinguished and the remaining thatch removed for the other huts. Approaching Boers expected the garrison to evacuate the fort but an extended rifle exchange ensured instead.
On 10 March, a letter from Alfred Aylward, the former editor of the Natal Witness who had thrown in his lot with the Boers, was delivered to the fort under a flag of truce. The letter offered inviting terms for surrender but the offer was again declined. A flag of truce was used two weeks later to deliver a copy of the Natal Mercury which contained details of the armistice. Hostilities continued for a further week until Lieutenant Baker, KRRC, arrived and confirmed the details. The siege was lifted after 84 days. The fort's casualties were 3 killed and 19 wounded.
The town fell into lawlessness after the siege ended. Several soldiers were tried for offences in Pretoria. Lieutenant Long's reaction to the peace accord was to resign his commission.
