<P> The three main engagements of the war were all within about sixteen miles of each other, centred on the Battles of Laing's Nek (28 January 1881), Ingogo River (8 February 1881) and the rout at Majuba Hill (27 February 1881). These battles were the result of Colley's attempts to relieve the besieged forts . Although he had requested reinforcements, these would not reach him until mid-February . Colley was, however, convinced that the garrisons would not survive until then . Consequently, at Newcastle, near the Transvaal border, he mustered a relief column (the Natal Field Force) of available men, although this amounted to only 1,200 troops . Colley's force was further weakened in that few were mounted, a serious disadvantage in the terrain and for that type of warfare . Most Boers were mounted and good riders . Nonetheless, Colley's force set out on 24 January 1881 northward for Laing's Nek en route to relieve Wakkerstroom and Standerton, the nearest forts . </P> <P> At the battle of Laing's Nek on 28 January 1881, the Natal Field Force under Major - General Sir George Pomeroy Colley attempted with cavalry and infantry attacks to break through the Boer positions on the Drakensberg mountain range to relieve their garrisons . The British were repelled with heavy losses by the Boers under the command of Piet Joubert . Of the 480 British troops who made the charges, 150 never returned . Furthermore, sharpshooting Boers had killed or wounded many senior officers . </P> <P> At the battle of Schuinshoogte (also known as Ingogo) on 8 February 1881, another British force barely escaped destruction . General Colley had sought refuge with the Natal Field Force at Mount Prospect, three miles to the south, to await reinforcements . However, Colley was soon back in action . On 7 February, a mail escort on its way to Newcastle, had been attacked by the Boers and forced back to Mount Prospect . The next day Colley, determined to keep his supplies and communication route open, escorted the mail wagon personally and this time with a larger escort . The Boers attacked the convoy at the Ingogo River crossing, but with a stronger force of some 300 men . The firepower was evenly matched and the fight continued for several hours, but the Boer marksmen dominated the action until darkness, when a storm permitted Colley and the remainder of his troops to retreat back to Mount Prospect . In this engagement the British lost 139 officers and troops, half the original force that had set out to escort the mail convoy . </P> <P> On 14 February hostilities were suspended, awaiting the outcome of peace negotiations initiated by an offer from Paul Kruger . During this time Colley's promised reinforcements arrived with more to follow . The British government in the meantime had offered a Royal Commission investigation and possible troop withdrawal, and their attitude toward the Boers was conciliatory . Colley was critical of this stance and, whilst waiting for Kruger's final agreement, decided to attack again with a view to enabling the British government to negotiate from a position of strength . This resulted in the disaster of the Battle of Majuba Hill on 27 February 1881, the greatest humiliation for the British . </P>

Who were the boers and who did they fight