The+Battle+of+Blaauwberg

The Battle of Blaauwberg, or the Battle of Cape Town, was a small battle that took place during the Napoleonic Wars. However, it was significant because it established British rule in South Africa. The battle took place near Cape Town on January 8, 1806. Britain wanted to seize the Cape Colony before the French blocked the sea route around South Africa. At the time, Cape Colony was part of the Batavian Republic, a larger French colony.

The governor and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Cape Colony was Lieutenant General Jan Willem Janssens. His army consisted of local militia and small groups of foreign hired troops. British ships were sent in July 1805 to stall the troops Napoleon sent to reinforce the Cape Colony army. The first ship reached the colony on December 24, 1805; there, they attacked two supply ships near the Cape Peninsula. The rest of the British ships reached Table Bay on January 4, 1806. Two groups of British troops led by Lieutenant General Sir David Baird got to Melkbosstrand, which is north of Cape Town, on January 6 and 7, 1806. Then, Janssens led his troops to intercept the groups. He said “victory could be considered impossible, but the honour of the fatherland demanded a fight.”

On the morning of January 8, Janssens’ troops were still on the move when the British began their march toward Cape Town. They met at the base of the Blaauwberg Mountain. Here, Janssens’ troops formed a line and the battle began with artillery at sunrise. One of Janssens’ foreign-hired units turned and ran from the field, and a British bayonet charge took out most of the right side of Janssens’ line of men. In all, Janssens lost 353 of in 2049 men, and Baird lost 212 of his 5399 men. Next, Janssens’ troops moved inland into the Hottentots Mountains. British troops approached Cape Town the next day. To save the town and its people, the commandant, Lieutenant-Colonel Hieronymus Casimir von Prophalow, surrendered. The Articles of Capitulation were signed were signed the next day. The Articles were reasonable to the people of Cape Town, outlined specifics of surrender, and declared the colony to be under British rule.