| Burnham | Frederick Russell | | Major | BURNHAM, FREDERICK RUSSELL, Major, was born at Tivoli, Minnesota, 11 May 1861, son of the Reverend Edwin O Burnham and Rebecca Burnham (nee Russell). The family removed to Los Angeles in 1870. Fred Burnham was educated at the Clinton High School, and was successively a cowboy, scout, guide, miner, Deputy Sheriff, etc, in the West. In 1884 he married Blanche Blick, of Clinton, Iowa. In 1893 he went to South Africa, and served as a scout in the Matabele War in Rhodesia, which had broken out mainly because the subjects of Lobengula often raided Mashonaland, which the King had ceded to the British. Dr Jameson, the Administrator of Mashonaland, remonstrated with Lobengula, who expressed regret after one of these raids, saying that the chief Lomaghondi (whose territory was under British Protection) had been killed by mistake. In spite of his apologies several other raids occurred, and on 9 July 1893, the impi began to slaughter every Mashoni they could lay hands upon. Since the King thus defied the British it became necessary either to break the power of Lobengula or to evacuate the territory. The former course was decided upon, and about 1,000 or 1,200 white men, led by Dr Jameson, invaded Matabeleland. Lobengula, after being beaten in the battles of the Shangani (25 October 1891) and the Imbembezi (1 November 1891), fled from Bulawayo, and did not surrender himself. A force under Major Patrick Forbes was sent to follow and capture the King. The column could not proceed quickly, owing to bad weather, short rations and the absence of roads, so Major Forbes ordered Major Wilson and 18 men to go forward and reconnoitre. The understanding was that if the party did not return by sundown, it was to be supported by the whole column. This patrol was accompanied by Mr Burnham, the American Scout, "one of the three men who were eyewitnesses of that eventful night's work which ended so tragically at dawn". For his services in the Matabele Campaign, the Government presented Mr Burnham with the Campaign Medal and - jointly with two companions - he was given 300 square miles of land in Rhodesia, in recognition of exceptional service. Mr Burnham discovered in the granite ruins of an ancient civilization of Rhodesia a buried treasure of gold and gold ornaments, dating from before the Christian era. He led an expedition to explore Barotzeland preparatory to the building of the Cape to Cairo Railroad. In the Second Matabele War, Mr Burnham took an active part on the Staff of Sir Frederick Carrington, and was commissioned to capture or kill the Matabele 'God' Umlimo, and succeeded in entering his cave in the Matopa mountains and killing him. He operated mines in Klondyke from 1898 to 1900. In January 1900, the following message reached him: "Burnham, PO Box 62, Skagway, Alaska. Lord Roberts appoints you to his personal Staff. All expenses paid. If you accept, start shortest way Cape Town, and report yourself to him.—Captain White, Naval and Military Club, London". On his arrival in South Africa, Mr Burnham was appointed to Lord Roberta's Staff, and was made Chief of Scouts of the British Armies in the Field in South Africa. Lieutenant General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston, KCB, DSO, writes: "The address of my friend, Major Fred Burnham, DSO, the celebrated Scout, is La Cuesta (The Slope), Three Rivers, California. He is an American who came over to fight for us in the Boer War, and did invaluable work there for England. For his services he was made a Major and given the DSO". Queen Victoria showed much appreciation of Major Burnham's services to the British Empire, as will be seen from the following letters received by the famous American Scout on his arrival in London: Osborne, 24 July 1900. Dear Sir, The Queen would much like to see you if you could come here some day. But as it is understood your health has suffered by your hard work in South Africa, Her Majesty desires me first to ascertain whether you are in a condition to travel. Perhaps you might sleep at Portsmouth and come across in the morning. If you are to be in England some time, you might possibly prefer to delay your visit here. But Her Majesty only wishes to consider your convenience in the event of your being able to come. Yours very faithfully, Arthur Bigge, Private Secretary Osborne, 27 July 1900. Dear Sir, It would give the Queen much pleasure to receive you on Monday, the 6th of August, at about 6 pm, and the Prince of Wales would be very glad to see you the same day. Will you give my wife and me the pleasure of your company at Albert Cottage, which is within the grounds, for Monday night? There are boats which run from either Portsmouth or Southampton to Cowes. I will let you know later on about the hour at which the Prince of Wales would receive you. Yours very truly, Arthur Bigge. He was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 27 September 1901]: "Frederick Russell Burnham, Local Major. In recognition of services during operations in South Africa". Major Burnham was invested with the Insignia by the King 17 December 1901. Major Burnham has the following Memorandum: "Frederick Russell Burnham, Esquire, Local Major in South Africa, was made a Member of the Distinguished Service Order on the 26th day of September 1901.—St John Brodrick, The Principal Secretary of State having the Department of War for the time being". Major Burnham also received the South African Medal with five clasps. In 1902 he made surveys of the Volter River in West Africa, exploring parts of the French Nigeria Hinterland of the Gold Coast Colony, and he took an active part in native troubles of that time; commanded an exploration of magnitude from Lake Rudolph to German East Africa, covering a vast region along the Congo basin and head of the Nile, 1903-4. He discovered a lake of 49 square miles, composed almost entirely of carbonate of soda, of unknown depth. Major Burnham has been associated with the Honourable John Hays Hammond in his mining interests since 1905. He was one of the eighteen officers selected by Roosevelt to raise volunteers for service in France in 1917. The account of the killing of Umlimo by Major Burnham was published in the 'Daily Telegraph', 1896 or 1897, by permission of Earl Grey, who was then Administrator of Rhodesia, and it is on a copy of Major Burnham's reports to Earl Grey that Sir H Rider Haggard wrote a description of Wilson's last stand, in Longman's 'Real True Story Book', published in 1894. Sir H Rider Haggard, says Major Burnham, "might have a copy, but mine was destroyed by Indians in our fighting in Mexico". When Richard Raiding Davis selected six men as typical real soldiers of fortune, Major Burnham was one of them. He modestly says himself that what he did fell far short of what he might have done, but that Lord Roberts and all the men with whom he worked, whatever his shortcomings were, were still his friends, and this is the list of some of them: General Carrington, General Baden-Powell, Colonel the Honourable Maurice Gifford, Colonel Hume, General Hunter-Weston, Cecil Rhodes and the romantic soldier, Major Allan Wilson. "Yet I feel that all our little wars, sieges and combats sink into such insignificance compared with what is being done now, that, it seems a little presumptuous to have anything more than a bare mention in such a book as you are preparing".
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book) | Staff |
