In this hard-hitting chronological account of the second Boer war, the scene is set with the sending of the Boer ultimatum from President Kruger to England, followed by a general overview of the South African republics and the key factors which led to the war, building to the opening of hostilities at Kraaipan in October 1899, and the military operations that followed. In vivid and graphic detail, with special emphasis on the actions of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Redvers Buller, George Clarke Musgrave's narrative can be commended for its clarity and comprehensiveness. The Boer sieges and the subsequent battles for the relief of Kimberley, Mafeking and Ladysmith are covered both in strategic terms and in the intimate detail that is the reality of individuals fighting, suffering and dying for their country. Our author also delivers a stinging but accurate rebuke against the treachery and back-stabbing of the self-serving cheats, liars and money-grabbers that inevitably rise from their slime in times of conflict.