Victorious in its previous campaigns in Africa against native armies, Britain now confronted an altogether different foe. The Boers proved to be formidable opponents, masterfully compensating for inferior numbers with grim determination, resourcefulness and strong religious faith. Their mobility, expert use of cover, and knowledge of the terrain, in which they employed powerful long-range magazine rifles, gave them initial advantages. By contrast the British suffered from inadequate transport, insufficient mounted troops and poor intelligence. Despite marshalling the immense resources of their empire, the British were to be severely tested in a war which one general described as "the graveyard of many a soldier's reputation."

Includes maps of: South Africa, 1899; Principal Theaters of Operations, Battles and Sieges; Siege of Ladysmith, 29 OCT 1899-27 FEB 1900; Battle of Colenso, 15 DEC 1899; Battle of Spion Kop, 24 JAN 1900; Siege of Mafeking, 13 OCT 1899-16 MAY 1900; Robert's Advance, FEB-JUN 1900; Siege of Kimberley, 12 OCT 1899-15 FEB 1900; Blockhouse System, JUN 1901-MAY 1902; Smuts's Invasion of Cape Colony, SEP 1901-MAY 1902.

Introduction -- Chronology -- Background to war: historical roots of the conflict -- Warring sides: opposing forces -- Outbreak: spoiling for a fight -- The Fighting: Briton versus Boer -- Portrait of a soldier: Deneys Reitz -- The World around war: imperial apogee -- Portrait of a civilian: Emily Hobhouse -- How the war ended: Vereeniging -- Conclusion and consequences: cost, lesson and legacy -- Glossary.