BATTLE // February 27, 1881

Majuba Hill

Name: Majuba Hill
Start: 1881-02-27
End: 1881-02-27
Location: Majuba Hill

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Significance

Majuba Hill on 27 February 1881 was the final and decisive engagement of the First Boer War, ending in a resounding Boer victory. A British force of approximately 405 under Major General Sir George Pomeroy Colley occupied the summit of Majuba Hill overnight on 26–27 February, apparently driven by concern that Boer forces were already advancing trenches toward the position. The engagement resulted in 134 British casualties. As the concluding battle of the war, Majuba Hill effectively ended British attempts to reassert control over the South African Republic, and its outcome directly shaped the terms on which the conflict closed.

Tactics

Colley moved his force of approximately 405 men onto the summit of Majuba Hill during the night of 26–27 February, seizing the high ground before the Boers could do so. His motive appears to have been preemptive — Boer trenches had been observed being dug in the direction of the hill, and he moved to deny them the position.