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REDVERS BULLER

Sir Redvers Henry Buller was an English general. He was born in 1839 at Devonshire and died in 1908. He joined the army in 1858 and served in China in 1860, in the Red River Expedition in 1870, in the Ashanti War in 1874 and the Zulu War of 1878 - 1879 during which he was awarded the Victoria Cross, having been made lieutenant-colonel in 1878. In the Boer War of 1881 he was chief of the staff to Sir Evelyn Wood, and in the war in Egypt next year he won special distinction at Tel-el-Kebir and elsewhere. In the Soudan campaign of 1884-1885 he was chief of the staff to Lord Wolseley, and at the Battle of Abu-Klea he took command when Sir Herbert Stewart was wounded. In 1887-1990 he was quartermaster-general, in 1890-1897 adjutant-general; KOB. in 1885, lieutenant-general in 1891, GCB. in 1894. In 1899 he went to Natal as commander in the war with the Boer republics. His great task was the relief of Ladysmith, in which, however, he was foiled for a time (especially at Colenso and Spion Kop), though he was ultimately successful (after Lord Roberts had arrived to take the chief command in South Africa), and rendered valuable services in clearing the Boers out of Natal and subsequently. He held the Aldershot command (1st Army Corps) in 1901, but was relieved from this post on account of public utterances that were held to be a breach of military discipline and regulations, and retired on half-pay.
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