Managing the South African War, 1899-1902: Politicians v Generals (Royal Historical Society Studies in History New Series)

Of all the wars fought by Britain between 1815 and 1914, the South African War (1899-1902) was the most extensive and costly. A few thousand Boer farmers defied the British army for nearly three years and were only defeated following the devastation of much of South Africa. Consequently, the war shattered many illusions about the effectiveness of British imperial power. This book is the first comprehensive survey of the disputes which arose between the British government and Sir Alfred Milner, the High Commissioner for South Africa, and three of the era's most famous soldiers, Lords Wolseley, Roberts, and Kitchener, which centred on whether the politicians or generals should control the strategic management of the war; it argues that the army eventually gained control of the war, with Kitchener in particular determining both its strategy and its settlement. Of all the wars fought by Britain between 1815 and 1914, the South African War (1899-1902) was the most extensive and costly. A few thousand Boer farmers defied the British army for nearly three years and were only defeated following the devastation of much of South Africa. Consequently, the war shattered many illusions about the effectiveness of British imperial power. This book is the first comprehensive survey of the disputes which arose between the British government and Sir Alfred Milner, the High Commissioner for South Africa, and three of the era's most famous soldiers, Lords Wolseley, Roberts and Kitchener. Their quarrels centred on whether the politicians or the generals should control the strategic management of the war From the moldering elegance of a decaying Venetian palazzo to the brooding immensity of Winterwood, one of England's great country estates whose history is shrouded in shadow, a beautiful and terrified woman flees her dark, mysterious past. Lavinia Hurst is Dorothy Eden's most attractive heroine yet - a spirited, intelligent young woman who discovers that not until she has exorcised her tormenting past will she be free to meet a brightly beckoning future. Of all the wars fought by Britain between 1815 and 1914, the South African War was the most extensive and costly. This book offers a survey of the disputes which arose between the British government and the era's most famous soldiers Keith Terrance Surridge. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 190-199) And Index.