THE BATTLE OF BLAAUWBERG

Napoleon started it all! The Great Trek, the Battle of Blood River, the Boer War and all that. It was his lust for an empire and power that set Europe in flames and sent shock waves through the civilised world – including the Cape . The Little Corporal, at the peak of his power, sought to add the prize jewel to the empire crown- Britain !

He assembled an invasion force of 200 000 men opposite the British coast as well as a massive fleet of flat-bottomed boats to transport them across. All that remained for him was to control the channel and have a strong enough fleet to provide an armed escort. He had neither. The French fleet was in a poor state of repair, morale was poor, and most of the officer class had met an untimely end on the guillotine during the revolution. To add to its woes, the Royal navy blockaded the major ports of Brest , Rochefort and Toulon where most of its ships were anchored.

The Royal Navy on the other hand was at the height of its power and it controlled the seas. It had good ships, good officers, and well-trained, disciplined men. It also had one of its finest seamen, Lord Horatio Nelson. Undaunted by these odds, Napoleon's strategy was simple: Lure the British away with a feint to the West Indies and return, reinforced with ships from his Spanish allies and commence the invasion.

One dark night in March 1805, French Admiral Villeneuve, on the orders of Napoleon, slipped out of Toulon undetected by the British blockade, and set sail for the West Indies . News of Villeneuve's escape was cause for great concern as any threat to the sea routes would greatly affect the island Kingdom's vital supplies. Nelson was given the order to find the Frenchman and destroy him. Nelson did – at Trafalgar – losing his own life in the action.

Whilst Nelson was chasing Villeneuve, another fleet of 66 ships under the command of Admiral Sir Home Popham carrying an army of 7 000 men under the command of Lieutenant General Sir David Baird sailed for the Cape . The Cape happened to be the most convenient refreshment station for ships sailing between Europe and the East and the British government was anxious to guard this important sea route, especially from the French. Baird's orders were simple and quite clear: He was to take the Cape and on its capitulation assume office of Lieutenant Governor – until His Majesties pleasure be known!

The Cape , at the time, was under the control of the Dutch, allies of the French. Governor Janssens, a brave and capable soldier and administrator was in charge of the colony and had at his command a motley force of about 2 000. Among them were some 400 German, Austrian and Hungarian mercenaries, the 5th Battalion of Waldeckers; also soldiers from the Netherlands and recruits from various other European nations, including the crews of two French ships under Colonel Gaudin Beauchene. In addition, there were 224 mounted burghers under Cavalry Captains Jacobus Linde, Petrus Human and Willem Wium; also Hottentot foot soldiers and 104 slaves from Mozambique who served in the communication lines of the artillery.

General Janssens had only 16 big guns, whereas the British invasion fleet included the Diadem, the Raisonnable and the Belliqueux, each with 64 cannon, the Diomede with 50, and the Narcissus and the Leda, each with 32. Among these were 400 conscripts who'd been sold to the Dutch as prisoners of war in Batavia . During their brief stay at the Cape , 39 of them had already committed suicide! Janssens had received news of the approaching British fleet from an American ship calling in at Table Bay for fresh provisions.

It was no surprise to him then, on January 4, 1806, that the signal guns reverberated from hill to hill as the Fleet sailed into the Bay amidst a howling gale and rough seas! Commodore Popham anchored his ships in the channel between Robben Island and Blaauwberg Strand. The rough seas prevented any troop landings, so he sent the frigate Leda and some transports close in shore at Green Point to allow the fleet to indulge in some sabre rattling. The whole of January 5 was spent looking for a suitable landing spot. Seamen from flagship Diadem managed to get some buoys down at Losperds Bay (Melkbosstrand) before rough seas caused them to stop!

Frustrated by the delay, Baird sent two ships with troops under the command of General Beresford to Saldanha with orders to seize the government post there. This feint must have caused Janssens to believe that the British intended to land at Saldanha, for he made an attempt to seize the strategic Blaauwberg Heights overlooking Losperds Bay . When the Highland Brigade under General Ferguson did land, they were met with token resistance from a couple of Dutch snipers. One man was shot through the head and three others were wounded. The heaviest casualties occurred when a boatload of heavily armed Highlanders capsized in the raging surf.

On January 8, 1806, units of the British forces clambered up to the Blaauwberg, dragging their cannon behind them. From the unoccupied position, they saw the Dutch troops lined up in battle formation on the plain below. The battle was fast and furious, with both sides giving good account of themselves. Battle action was apparently begun by grenadiers of the 24th regiment. The cannon began firing when the armies were 1 800 paces apart. Owing to a misunderstanding, firing orders were given before the enemy was within reach. To overcome this error, a fixed bayonet charge was ordered. The coloured troops, the mounted burghers, the French sailors and Malay gunners stood their ground giving fire with muskets and artillery. When the conscripted Waldecks broke, panic set in and soon Janssens' men were in full retreat.

Furious, Janssens rode up and down his lines trying to spur his men on. Above the sounds of battle, the plaintive skirl of the pipes were heard as the Highlanders charged. Further resistance was futile. The battle was over. At Rietvlei, Janssens managed to rally his men. Then, joined by men of his Simon's Town command, he marched into the Hottentots Holland mountains, prepared to carry out protracted guerrilla warfare. The next day Baird marched on Cape Town . When they reached Salt River , they were met by a flag of truce carried on behalf of the commander, Colonel von Prophalov. Von Prophalov had realised that his position was hopeless and accepted Baird's surrender conditions.

On January 10, 1806, he signed the terms of surrender at a house in Papendorp ( Woodstock ). The Treaty tree in Spring Street just off Albert Road in Woodstock is now preserved as a national monument and stood just outside this house. General Janssens regarded surrender as dishonourable and he resisted Baird's advances to negotiate. Eventually, Baird sent General Beresford and Major Deane to negotiate on his behalf. His choice of officers and terms of surrender were good and they were able to persuade Janssens to lay down his arms without further bloodshed.

On March 5, 1806, General Janssens and his men, as well as the French marines who had fought with him, were repatriated to Holland . British losses in the battle were 51 dead and 180 wounded and Dutch losses were 337 (killed, wounded, and deserted). The Second British Occupation had begun and would last for over 100 years.