Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-23
CAN THE BOERS WIN.
Something About Their Resources and
the Possible Strength of Their Army.

the Possible Strength of Their Army.
From Lcsle's Weekly.
1t is too much to assume, as many are
doing, that in conflict at arms between
the Britons and the Beers, such as that
now in progress, ultimate victory for the
Briton is a foregone conclusion. There are
possibilities and some yet Understandable
factors in the situation which make such
a conclusion of the struggle less of a GER
tainty than might be supposed from a
superficial glance at the opposing forces.
1t is true that we have on the one side one
of the richest and most powerful nations
on the globe, with an immense standing
army and magnificent navy, both
equipped with every instrument of war that
modern science can provide; and on the
other side q small state populated with
rude and comparatively poor people, with
no standing army and no navy. Taken by
themselves and without consideration of
other elements of any kind, and 1t would
appear a manifest absurdty to predict any
thing but a speedy and complete triumph
for the British cause. But there are other
elements to be considered.
1t is well to remember, in the first place,
that the Boer and the Briton have met in
deadly array on several previous occasions,
with the result OF overwhelming and
disastrous defeat for the second party. In
the battles of l-aing's Mex, 1ngogo, Ma
juba hill, and in the Jameson raid the
Beers We're victorious, although the British
outnumbereG them in nearly every in
stance. In fact, previous to the present
war the British had never won a victory
the Beers except at BhoomphatS, in
1913. when the latter had nothing better
than fint-locks, while their foes were
equipped with heavy artillery. In the
tiict at Majuha HILL in 1850, the Beers won
against greater odds 1t is said, than have
been won by any volunteer army in mod
ern times. Their charge up the hill In the
face of an overwhelming foe has never been
SSp1 in history. Their total force
on this occasion was only 16o men, while
the British had 600 and were strongly in
trenched. Men capable of such magnih-
cent deeds-and the same Beers are in the
fighting line tOday-may bring about re-
suits that will astonish the world. The
crushing defeat of the British at Lady
smith may be only a forerunner of like
disasters to the invading army.
Fighting, they are, in their home
land, the Beers have some natural advar-
tages in their favor to count against eX-
perienced British generalship, military
science and weight Of numbers. South
Africa is country practically without
harbors or naVigable rivers. Its coast line
on both sides is almost unbroken between
the Atlantic coast and the highlands OF
the interior stretches a dreary waste of
sand-dunes and treeless, waterless plains,
while the east coast is swampy and maia-
rious to an alarming degree. The Trans
yaal republic itself Is completely land
locked Under these conditions the British
will have great difficulty in transporting
their forces to the seat of war and mass
ing them against the enemy, while their
boosted and invincible navy will have no
call for action at all unless some of the
coast countries should become involved in
the struggle. On the other hand, the
Beers can choose their own ground and
own way of lighting, have their own re-
sources at hand to draw upon. and an
enormous stretch of broken country back
of their lines into which to retire, II neees-
sary, and conduct their maneuvers in com
parative safety They are skilled in bush
lighting as past experiences have shown,
and know how to make the most OF the
natural advantages which the region offers
for defensive warfare. They will not fight
in the open If they can help it.