Buller, Sir Redvers Henry

Buller, Sir Redvers Henry

(bŭl`ər), 1839–1908, British general. His military career began in China, and he later took part in the suppression of the Red River Rebellion (1870) in Canada. In Africa he fought in the Kafir and Zulu wars (1878–79), against the Boers in the Transvaal (1881), and against the Mahdists in Sudan (1884–85). As adjutant general (1890–97), Buller reorganized the army's supply and transport services. He was made commander in chief of troops in the South African War in 1899, but his initial failure to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith led to his supersession (1899) by Lord Roberts of Kandahar.