Battle of Majuba Hill

In 1880 the Boers of the Transvaal rose against British rule, and in early 1881 a British force under Major-General Sir George Colley was stuck below Laing's Nek, a pass they had failed to storm. On the night of 26 February Colley led about 400 men up Majuba Hill, hoping to outflank the Boer positions. At dawn the Boers saw the troops on the skyline and climbed the hill in small parties, using rocks and cover to approach. Their marksmen shot down the exposed defenders, and the British position collapsed, with Colley among the dead. The British government then made peace and restored self-government to the Transvaal under British suzerainty.

Majuba became a powerful memory for both sides. In British opinion it was a shocking humiliation that was avenged in the Second Boer War, and 'Remember Majuba' was said to have been a Boer slogan. Gladstone's government chose a negotiated settlement rather than reinforce, a decision criticised at the time as weakness. Historians generally blame Colley's choices, including taking a mixed force up in the dark without supporting arms, but debate whether the Boers' skill or British errors counted more. The numbers on each side are approximate.