Boer War Operations in South Africa 1899-1901

#593 of 1000 limited edition, in slipcase which is worn at extremities and rubbed with a shadow stain to one face. Gilt titling to spine and front board of book is largely eroded and barely discernible.Photographic illustrated eps. 325pp. Other than erosion of gilt this would be a fine copy. A rare book. It contains the intelligence reports on the Second Anglo-Boer War of two American military attaches - one travelled with the Boer forces and the other with the British. The war is, therefore, seen from both sides by highly trained observers. It was originally published at the beginning of the century (1900) by the United States Government when its full title was 'Boer Operations of the British Army and Allied Operations in China and Manchuria'. The pages for this book, pertaining only to the Boer war have been extracted in facsimle form from that original. This volume contains several unique maps of battles as well as photographs. The two authors: Captain Slocum of the Eighth Cavalry accompanied the British troops and Captain Reichmann of the Seventh Infantry went with the Boers because he could speak Dutch. Slocum linked up with Generals Buller and French in Northern Natal. He gives detailed descriptions of the battles in the area, describing the tactical and military decisions taken behind the scenes as well as the strength of the British forces. He then entered the Free State with Lord Roberts. His comprehensive daily reports on how Roberts Cornered General Cronje at Paardeberg make fascinating reading. All the correspondence between Cronje and Roberts is published. Slocum also describes the relief of Kimberley, the fall of Bloemfontein and the march to Pretoria. Captain Reichmann's intelligence reports gives one of the most detailed descriptions ever published of the strength of the Boer forces. It is a masterpiece of reporting, starting with the background to the evolvement of the Boer military system. He records the finest details of the Boers' military strength in different districts in the age groups 18 to 34 years, 34 to 50, under 18 and over 50. there is even a complete breakdown of how many rifles and rounds of ammunition were available. Reichmann describes President Steyn's role in the war and was also fortunate enough to follow that master of guerilla warfare, General Christian de Wet, closely in battle. Of special interest is his following of President Kruger's train to the Mocambique border and the arduous task General Louis Botha had in providing a safe escort. The book ends with a summary of the war. Because it is a facsimile production, unevenness in print and the wrong spelling of some names will appear exactly as they did in the original edition. The book is certified by the publisher that only 1000 copies were printed and that all origination material and lithographic plates were subsequently destroyed.