Editing Jameson Raid (section)

== Jameson force and the initiation of the raid ==

[[File:SirLeanderStarrJameson.jpg|thumb|[[Leander Starr Jameson|Sir Leander Starr Jameson]]]]

As part of the planning, a force had been placed at [[Pitsani]], on the border of the Transvaal, by the order of Rhodes so as to be able to quickly offer support to the Uitlanders in the uprising. The force was placed under the control of [[Leander Starr Jameson]], the administrator general of the chartered company (of which Cecil Rhodes was the chairman) for [[Matabeleland]]. Among the other commanders was [[Raleigh Grey]]. The force was around 600 men, about 400 from the Matabeleland Mounted Police and the remainder other volunteers. It was equipped with [[rifle]]s, somewhere between eight and sixteen [[Maxim machine gun]]s, and between three and eleven light [[artillery]] pieces.<ref name="Davis-21">{{cite book|last=Davis|first=Richard Harding|title=Dr. Jameson's raiders vs. the Johannesburg reformers|publisher=R. H. Russell|location=New York| year=1897 |url=https://archive.org/stream/drjamesonsraider00davirich#page/21/mode/1up/search/maxim}}</ref><ref name="Aston-173">{{cite book| last=Aston| first=P. E.| title=The raid on the Transvaal by Dr. Jameson |publisher=Dean |location=London |year=1897|pages=173 |chapter=Chapter VI | chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/raidontransvaalb00asto#page/172/mode/2up/search/jameson}}</ref>

{{Wikisource|Reform Committee's invitation to Jameson}}

The plan was that Johannesburg would revolt and seize the Boer armoury in Pretoria. Jameson and his force would dash across the border to Johannesburg to "restore order" and with control of Johannesburg would control the gold fields.

However, while Jameson waited for the insurrection to begin, differences arose within the Reform Committee and between Johannesburg Uitlander reformers regarding the form of government to be adopted after the coup. At a point, certain reformers contacted Jameson to inform him of the difficulties and advised him to stand down. Jameson, with 600 restless men and other pressures, became frustrated by the delays and, believing that he could spur the reluctant Johannesburg reformers to act, decided to go ahead. He sent a telegram on 28 December 1895 to Rhodes warning him of his intentions – "Unless I hear definitely to the contrary, shall leave to-morrow evening" – and on the very next day sent a further message, "Shall leave to-night for the Transvaal". However, the transmission of the first telegram was delayed, so that both arrived at the same time on the morning of 29 December, and by then Jameson's men had cut the telegraph wires and there was no way of recalling him.

On 29 December 1895, Jameson's armed column crossed into the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]] and headed for [[Johannesburg]]. They hoped that this would be a three-day dash to Johannesburg before the Boer commandos could mobilise, and would trigger an uprising by the Uitlanders.

The British [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|Colonial Secretary]], [[Joseph Chamberlain]], though sympathetic to the ultimate goals of the raid, realized it would be a mistake since the uitlanders were not supportive. He immediately tried to stop it, remarking that "if this succeeds it will ruin me. I'm going up to London to crush it". He rushed back to London and ordered Sir [[Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead|Hercules Robinson]], governor of the Cape Colony, to repudiate the actions of [[Leander Starr Jameson|Jameson]] and warned Rhodes that the company's charter would be in danger if it were discovered the Cape Prime Minister was involved in the raid. Chamberlain therefore instructed local British representatives to call on British colonists not to offer any aid to the raiders.<ref name="Marsh1994">{{cite book|last=Marsh|first=Peter T. |title=Joseph Chamberlain: Entrepreneur in Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hn-qsYZl-TgC|year=1994|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-05801-7|pages=372–387}}</ref>

[[File:Leander Starr Jameson00.jpg|thumb|Arrest of Jameson after the raid – ''Petit Parisien'' 1896]]

Although Jameson's men had cut the telegraph wires to Cape Town, they had failed to cut the telegraph wires to Pretoria (cutting a fence by mistake). Accordingly, news of his incursion quickly reached Pretoria and Jameson's armed column was tracked by Transvaal forces from the moment that it crossed the border. The Jameson armed column first encountered resistance very early on 1 January when there was a very brief exchange of fire with a Boer outpost. Around noon the Jameson armed column was around twenty miles further on, at [[Krugersdorp]], where a small force of Boer soldiers had blocked the road to Johannesburg and dug in and prepared defensive positions. Jameson's force spent some hours exchanging fire with the Boers, losing several men and many horses in the skirmish. Towards evening the Jameson armed column withdrew and turned south-east attempting to flank the Boer force. The Boers tracked the move overnight and on 2 January, as the light improved, a substantial Boer force with some artillery was waiting for Jameson at [[Doornkop]]. The tired raiders initially exchanged fire with the Boers, losing around thirty men before Jameson realized the position was hopeless and surrendered to Commandant [[Piet Cronjé]].<ref name="hammond-ireland-36">{{cite book|author1=Hammond, John Hays |author2=Ireland, Alleyne |title=The truth about the Jameson raid|publisher=Marshall Jones company |location=Boston |year=1918 |pages=36 |url=https://archive.org/stream/truthaboutjames00irelgoog#page/n50/mode/1up}}</ref> The raiders were taken to [[Pretoria]] and jailed.