Playing at War: The British Military Manoeuvres of 1898

Abstract

For more than a century now the British army has been criticized for its performance in the South African War of 1899-1902. In recent years, however, this consensus has been challenged: revisionist historians have argued that criticism of the late Victorian army and its commanders has been unfairly harsh. But a detailed study of the military manoeuvres held on Salisbury Plain in September 1898 indicates that the army's critics have not been so unfair after all. The results of these exercises were decidedly mixed, and generals such as Sir Redvers Buller went on to repeat their mistakes in South Africa the following year.