Laager

Laager

The English word laager comes from the obsolete Afrikaans word lager (now laer), which comes from the German word Lager ("camp" or "lair") and the Dutch leger which also gives English 'leaguer' ("military camp"). The word refers to the ancient defensive formation used by travelers throughout the world in dangerous situations in which they would draw wagons into a circle and place cattle and horses on the inside to protect them from raiders or nocturnal animals. Laagers were extensively used by the Voortrekkers of the Great Trek during the 1830s. The laager was put to the ultimate test on 16 December 1838, when an army of 10,000–15,000 ZuluImpis besieged and were defeated by approximately 460 Voortrekkers in the aptly named Battle of Blood River. In 19th-century America, the same approach was used by pioneers who would "circle the wagons" in case of attack.