symons commanded a brigade (four infantry battalions, part of a cavalry regiment and three companies of mounted infantry, three field artillery batteries) which occupied the coal mining town of dundee. coal was strategically important to the british war effort as it was needed to power the british train locomotives. on the evening of 19 october, two boer forces from the independent south african republic, each numbering 4,000 men under general lukas meyer and general "maroela" erasmus closed in on dundee.