May 31, 1902: The Boer War Ends

May 31, 1902: The Boer War ends, in a British victory.

This was actually the Second Boer War. The First Boer War, also known as the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from December 16, 1880 to March 23, 1881, and resulted in a Boer victory and the eventual independence of the South African Republic.

The Second Boer War was the 2nd war to be captured on film, after the Spanish-American War the year before. It was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the 2 Boer Republics: The South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The Boers were, and are, the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the Eastern Cape Frontier in southern Africa during the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. The word "Boer" means "farmer" in Dutch and its offshoot, Afrikaans.

Following the discovery of gold in the Boer republics, there was a gold rush. These incoming "foreigners," mostly British from the Cape Colony were regarded as unwelcome visitors. The Boers protested to the British authorities in the Cape, things broke down, and war broke out on October 11, 1899.

The Boers won some early minor victories, including the Battle of Spion Kop on January 24, 1900. Spion Kop was a hill near the town of Ladysmith, and while the British fought hard to defend it, they had to retreat. The name "Spion Kop" would soon be given to steeply-graded end stands at soccer stadiums. Few of these survive, although the southwest stand at Liverpool Football Club's Anfield stadium is still known as simply "The Kop."

Soon enough, the British overwhelmed them, and occupied the republics. The Boers turned to guerrilla warfare, and that led the British to turn to scorched-earth policies, including perhaps the first concentration camps in the modern world. This ultimately led to the Boers coming to the negotiating table, and surrendering.

The Boer War was the last of the British wars of "adventure" in Africa and Asia. Tales of heroism spread throughout the Empire, including a firsthand account of a soldier, a 25-year-old son of a prominent political family, being captured by the Boers, and escaping, leading to his winning a seat in the House of Commons. The young man's name was Winston Churchill.

So when British troops went off to World War I in August 1914, the sense of adventure, the idea that war could be romantic, was still there. Soon, it was shattered forever. They should have paid more attention to the fact that it took 2 1/2 years to overcome the Boers.

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May 31, 1902 was a Saturday. In America, the only team sport in season was baseball:

* The Brooklyn Superbas swept a doubleheader from the Boston Beaneaters at Washington Park in Brooklyn. The Superbas -- managed by Ned Hanlon, so named for a famous circus troupe, Hanlon's Superbas -- won both games by a 2-1 score, with the nightcap taking 10 innings.

In 1911, the Superbas became the Dodgers. The Beaneaters would go through a few name changes, finding a keeper in 1912: The Boston Braves.

* The New York Giants lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Americans, 13-7 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston. The Americans became the Boston Red Sox in 1907.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the St. Louis Browns, 7-6 at Columbia Park in Philadelphia.

* The Cleveland Bronchos beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-3 at Oriole Park in Baltimore. At the end of the season, the Baltimore franchise was revoked, and a new one was created in New York, which would become the Yankees.

The Bronchos were renamed for their star 2nd baseman and manager, Napoleon Lajoie: The Cleveland Naps. He did not play in this game, but the winning pitcher was another Hall-of-Famer, Addie Joss. After Lajoie left in 1914, they became the Cleveland Indians. In 2022, they became the Cleveland Guardians.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Senators, 4-1 at American League Park in Washington.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-3 at Robison Field in St. Louis.

* And the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Orphans were rained out at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh. The game was made up on July 18, and the Orphans won, 2-0. Honus Wagner went 1-for-4 fort he Pirates.

"Orphans"? For 22 years, the Chicago club's 1st baseman was Adrian Constantine Anson. He became their team captain, and was known as Cap. For most of that time, their team name was the Chicago White Stockings. Eventually, Anson became their manager, and got to be so old -- he was 45 in his final season, 1897 -- that they started calling him Pop. When he left, the team became known as the Orphans, "because they missed their Pop." In 1903, because they had such a youthful roster, they changed their name to the Chicago Cubs.