Dates: 1862-1919

Botha proved an effective exponent of both conventional and guerrilla tactics. His men inflicted terrible losses on the British forces fighting in South Africa.

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Born in Greytown, Natal, at the age of 22 Louis Botha settled in the New Republic Vryheid district of Zululand, which was later absorbed into the Transvaal in 1888. Botha married and entered Transvaal politics, where he was elected to the Volksraad (People’s Council) in 1897. Although in favour of reconciliation between Briton and Afrikaner, on the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899 Botha took to the field, initially with Lucas Meyer’s force in northern Natal. A fine soldier, he rapidly attained the rank of general.

Botha commanded the southern Boer army that held the line of the Tugela River against General Sir Redvers Buller, who was attempting to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith. Botha placed his men on strong defensive positions on the hills around Colenso. Buller had originally planned to outflank them, but on learning of the British defeat at Magersfontein (11 December 1899) he decided that an immediate victory was required, so on 15 December he launched a frontal assault on Botha’s positions. The attack was a disaster: the Boers ambushed the Irish Brigade on the left, inflicting heavy losses, while on the right two Royal Artillery batteries had 10 of their 12 guns captured. Having suffered over 1,100 casualties, Buller was forced to retreat to Frere. Botha meanwhile had lost only 40 men.

The following month Botha gave the British another bloody nose when they again attempted to force the line of the Tugela, this time by an outflanking manoeuvre by General Sir Charles Warren’s 5th Division. The key point of Warren’s attack was the prominent position of Spion Kop, which was secured early on the morning of 23 January 1900. The peak was shrouded in mist so the British failed to realise that the area occupied was insufficient to hold the summit and that their position was overlooked by higher features. Botha, who had been warned of the attack by the Boer picket that had been chased off the summit, opened a storm of artillery and rifle fire.

The troops on the summit were poorly entrenched and suffered heavy losses. Although reinforcements arrived, poor communication and indecision caused the British to abandon the summit. At dawn the next day Botha’s men re-occupied Spion Kop and Warren’s force trailed back across the Tugela having suffered 1,500 casualties. Botha had sustained only 335 casualties. Botha later defeated a third attempt to force the Tugela line at Vaal Krantz on 5-6 February 1900.

The following month Botha succeeded Piet Joubert as Commandant-General of the Boer armies, but following the Boer losses at Paardeberg (18-17 February 1900) and the fall of Pretoria (June 1900), he switched his attention to leading an effective guerrilla campaign in the Eastern Transvaal. Botha’s commandos raided railways and supply convoys and even mounted a renewed invasion of Natal in September 1901. After defeating British mounted infantry at Blood River Port, he was forced to withdraw after bad weather made movement difficult.

Back in the Transvaal, he continued to elude the British and carried on inflicting minor defeats. This made him the target of increasingly large and concerted drives by British forces, and eventually he had to abandon the high veldt and retreat to a narrow enclave bordering Swaziland. His campaign only ended when he ran out of men in 1902.

He then participated in the negotiations that led to the Vereeniging Peace Treaty (1902). Botha returned to politics, becoming chairman of the Het Volk Party in the Transvaal Colony. With the granting of self-government in 1907, Botha was elected prime minister. He declared his support for the British Empire and helped establish the Union of South Africa in 1910. Botha was appointed prime minister, a position he retained until his death in 1919. Along with Jan Smuts, he formed the South African Party in 1911, consisting mainly of supporters of reconciliation between the Boers and the British.

In August 1914 Botha offered immediate military assistance to Britain, a decision that sparked rebellion among a portion of the Afrikaner community. Botha led the Union forces assembled to quell the revolt, but acted with great tact by using Boer troops. By showing clemency to the leaders of the revolt, he was able to win over the majority of Afrikaners to his position. He then launched a successful invasion of German South-West Africa (Namibia) in February 1915.

With General Smuts managing the Union's military campaign on a day-to-day basis, Botha concerned himself with encouraging unity at home, a task he continued following his re-election later in 1915. He attended the Paris Peace Conference (1919) and was one of the few who urged leniency for former enemies in order to prevent further conflict. Botha’s career was remarkable: having been a brave and skilled enemy of the British, he became one of their most loyal supporters, winning the trust of both British and Afrikaners in the process.