Семья Биггар

Семья Биггар года) были пионерски , Александр Харви Биггар (29 октября 1781 г. - 27 декабря 1838 г.) и его два сына Роберт (12 сентября 1813 г. - 17 апреля 1838 г.) и Джордж (20 февраля 1820 - 17 февраля 1838 Что должно было стать колонией Натала . После того, как к резне делегации Retief они стали вовлечены в обмен атаками между зулусами и поселенцами. Несмотря на то, что они способствовали свержению Дингана , все трое погибли в конфликтах 1838 года. Внук Александра Джон Данн стал известным пионером Натала в своем собственном праве.

Ранний период жизни

Александр родился в Кинсейле , Ирландия, в 1781 году у родителей (майора) Гарольда Роберта Биггара и Энн, урожденного Харви. 3 марта 1799 года он женился на Мэри Стратон (1781–1855) в Бречине , Шотландия. Александр впервые работал в качестве Paymaster для 85 -го полка , прежде чем сражаться в наполеоновских войнах 1803–1815 годов и войны 1812 года в Северной Америке. Его высшим рангом был капитан, но он был признан виновным в растрате 1300 фунтов стерлингов из фондов военного офиса и был уволен из службы после погашения денег. ^{[ 1 ]}

ЮАР

Он эмигрировал в Кейп -Колонию вместе с другими поселенцами 1820 года . Александр оплачивал депозиты для 13 других семей поселенцев, которые были нанесены на должность ему три года и получили 20 акров (81 000 м. ²) of land which they could cultivate on weekends, and receive title after three years. Despite their signed Article of Agreement, by July 1820 all except George Pollard had deserted him or applied for release from their contracts.^[1]

Biggar's family, which now included nine daughters and a son, Robert, departed from Portsmouth on HMS Weymouth on 20 January 1820, arriving in Algoa Bay on 15 May 1820. His younger son George was born during the voyage. The family was allotted the Woodlands farm, near Bathurst on 6 September 1826.^[2] Ten years later, in May 1836, Alexander moved to the frontier trading centre of Port Natal, in the later Colony of Natal, initially with his younger son George. Once there, he founded the Port Natal Volunteers in 1837, the first white military group of the region, though they almost immediately disbanded. Alexander had 13 children in total. This included a son by a Zulu woman, as was the practice among Englishmen in the fledgling settler community.^[3]

George dies in massacre

In February 1838 Alexander's youngest son of 18 years, George, was 120 miles (190 km) inland at the Blaauwekrans camp of the Voortrekkers. When news reached Port Natal that the Zulus had exterminated Piet Retief's delegation, Alexander sent Dick King to warn George and others at the Voortrekker camps. Dick King departed immediately on foot, accompanied by some natives. Despite covering the distance in four days by walking day and night, they arrived just after the Rensburg voortrekker camp was attacked. They reached the vicinity of the next camp, near present-day Estcourt, just as the attack on it started on 17 February 1838. Though cut off from Gerrit Maritz's laager, Dick King participated in its defence, but was unable to prevent the death of George, who was further inland.

Robert's fateful retaliation

The traders at Port Natal were determined to make a diversion in the victims' favor. Two Britons from Port Natal, George Biggar and Thomas Halstead, were among those already killed at Blaauwekrans and Dingane's kraal respectively.^[4]

Some 20 to 30 European men, including Dick King, were placed under Robert's command on 13 April 1838. With a following of 1,500 Zulus who deserted from Dingane, they crossed the Tugela river near its mouth and proceeded to uMgungundlovu. Four days later they were able to take 7,000 head of cattle from a group of Zulus who fled. The party returned with these cattle to the bay, and discovered that a spy of Dingane had been found and killed there in their absence.

Once again they set off to Dingane's kraal and reached Ndondakusuka village north of the Tugela on 17 April 1838. This kraal, built on high-lying ground, belonged to a captain of Dingane, named Zulu. Here, while questioning a captive, likely a decoy, they were closed in by a strong Zulu force under the command of Dingane's brother Mpande and his general Nongalaza. The British soon found that retreat was impossible, and blundered by dividing their force to oppose their encirclement. The Zulus made a successful dash to split the forces in two. The British force was overwhelmed in the desperate aftermath, and Robert died with his comrades. Only Dick King, Richard (or George) Duffy, Joseph Brown, Robert Joyce and about 500 Zulus escaped to the bay.

Pursued by the Zulu force, all European inhabitants of Port Natal took up refuge for nine days on the Comet, a British vessel which happened to lie on anchor in the bay. When the Zulus retired, only Alexander Biggar, Dick King and some six or seven others returned to live at the port. Alexander's daughter, Ann Dunn and her children departed with the Comet, joining the missionaries, hunters and other traders who returned to the Cape.

Alexander assists the Wenkommando

The Voortrekker commando assembled to retaliate against Dingane was named the Wenkommando (Dutch: victory commando). Alexander, having lost both sons, joined this commando led by Andries Pretorius, assisted by a hundred (some say seventy) black servants.^[5] On 16 December 1838, Alexander participated in the Battle of Blood River where no life was lost on the Voortrekker side. Their Wenkommando proceeded to uMgungundlovu, where a roll call recorded Alexander as one of those present. The commando then laagered at Mthonjaneni to the south, from where, on 27 December, Alexander joined Hans de Lange in search of Dingane's hidden cattle. The party was led down the Opathe gorge 28°27′06″S 31°19′07″E / 28.45167°S 31.31861°E / -28.45167; 31.31861 by a Zulu decoy, and could hardly escape encirclement when they were ambushed. Alexander was on his horse and it is claimed that he could have escaped, but stayed with his amaCele.^[6] He died at age 57 alongside five Voortrekkers and some of his servants.

Biggars Mountain

While travelling with the Voortrekkers, Alexander's servants overturned his cart. Due to the accident, the mountain where it happened, Heuningberg, was renamed Biggarsberg, or Biggars Mountain, as it is still known today.^[6]

References

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Tessa King, West Rand GSSA. "The 1820 Settlers". Retrieved 9 January 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ General Plan of the Eastern Part of the District of Albany (Map). Cartography by George Philip & Son, Sworn surveyor J Knobel. Longmans, Green & Co.
^ "Capt Alexander Harvey Biggar, SV/PROG". geni.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
^ Kotzé, D. J. (1950). Letters of the American Missionaries, 1835-1838. Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society. pp. 226, 236.
^ Preller, G.S. (1940). Andries Pretorius. Johannesburg. p. 35.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b du Plessis, E.J. (1973). Suid-Afrikaanse berg- en riviername. Tafelberg-uitgewers, Cape Town. p. 74. ISBN 0-624-00273-X.

External links

Biggar's descendants
Biggar genealogy, John Dunn Foundation
Cradle Days of Natal, Graham Mackeurtan
Missionary Hewitson's journal, eyewitness account of Robert Biggar's expedition
Robert Biggar, The Biggar memorial plaque
William Wood, Eye witness account, Collard & Co., 24 Heerengracht, Cape Town, 1840

[TK-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b Tessa King, West Rand GSSA. "The 1820 Settlers". Retrieved 9 January 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[Ref_-2] General Plan of the Eastern Part of the District of Albany (Map). Cartography by George Philip & Son, Sworn surveyor J Knobel. Longmans, Green & Co.

[geni-3] "Capt Alexander Harvey Biggar, SV/PROG". geni.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.

[lam-4] Kotzé, D. J. (1950). Letters of the American Missionaries, 1835-1838. Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society. pp. 226, 236.

[Preller1940-5] Preller, G.S. (1940). Andries Pretorius. Johannesburg. p. 35.

[DP-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b du Plessis, E.J. (1973). Suid-Afrikaanse berg- en riviername. Tafelberg-uitgewers, Cape Town. p. 74. ISBN 0-624-00273-X.

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