BATTLE // February 27, 1881

Majuba Hill

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

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Overview

The Battle of Majuba Hill on 27 February 1881 was the final and decisive battle of the First Boer War that was a resounding victory for the Boers. The British Major General Sir George Pomeroy Colley occupied the summit of the hill on the night of 26–27 February 1881. Colley's motive for occupying Majuba Hill, near Volksrust, now in South Africa, may have been anxiety that the Boers would soon occupy it themselves, since he had witnessed their trenches being dug in the direction of the hill.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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.