Publisher's Synopsis
When the Boer settlers left British-ruled Cape Colony to conquer new territories for themselves, few imagined they would find themselves fighting the British for their independence. But the discovery of gold and diamonds in the Transvaal led to a conspiracy to incorporate the Boer republics into the British Empire. No-one ? at least in London or Cape Town ? imagined these ?farmers? could oppose a modern European army. But they did. The Boers savaged a British column at Majuba Hill and an uneasy peace endured for another ten years. Full-scale war broke out again in 1899 with the Boers enjoying considerable international support. The German Kaiser telegraphed his good wishes, poisoning Anglo-German relations. The war was eventually won after a protracted guerrilla campaign: a conflict that saw the first use of armoured trains and the first concentration camps.
