South Africa and the Transvaal War - Forgotten Books

SOUTH AFR ICA AND THE

TRANSVAAL WAR

SOUTH AFR ICAAND THE

T RANSVAAL WAR

LOU I S CR E SW ICKEAUTHOR OF OX ANE, ETC.

W ITH NUM EROUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS

IN SIX VOLUM ES

VOL . V .

—FROM THE D I S ASTER AT KOORN S PRU IT TO

LORD ROBERTS’

S ENTRY INTO PRETORIA

ED I N B URGH : T. C . 85 E . C . JACKM ANCHESTER : KENNETH M ACLENNAN

, 75 PICCAD ILLY

Pr in tedby BALLAN'

I‘

YNE,HANSON 69° C0.

At th e Bal lan tyne Press

CONTEN TS—V O L . V .

CHRONOLOG ICAL TABLECHAPTER I

PAGETH E D I SASTER AT KOORN SPRU IT I PR EPAR AT IONS FOR ACT IONTH E R ED DER SBURG M ISHAP . I 6 TH E BATTLE OF BOSHOF,ESCAPE OF PR I SONER S FROM PR E APR I L 5TOR I A

CHAPTER I IPAGEM A FEK ING , APR I L 46 AF FA IR S IN R HOD ES I A

CHAPTER I II

PAGETH E S IEGE OF WEPENER 54 THE TENTACLES AT WOR KOPER AT IONS FOR RE L IE F 68

CHAPTER IV

PAGETHE GR EAT AD VANCE FROM THABANCHU TO W INBUR G

FROM BLOEM FONTE IN , BR AND FORT, AND WE LGE LEGEN (GENER A L IANAND THE VET TO WE LGE LEGEN

,HAM I LTON ) , M AY 9

M AY 9 87 TOWARD S THE ZAND R IVER TO

KROONSTAD ,M AY 1 2

CHAPTER V

PAGEMA FEK ING, M AY 1 08 TH E RE L IE FWITH COLONE L M AHON ’S FORCE . 1 1 7 H OW TH E NEWS WAS R ECE IVEDON THE WESTER N FRONT I ER 1 3 2 BY THE BR IT ISH EMP IRE

CHAPTER VI

FROM KROONSTAD To JOHANNESBUR GCHAPTER VI I

PAGEGENER A L R UND LE ’

S M ARCH TO TH E BATTLE OF BID DULPH’

S BER G,

SENEKA L 1 54 MAY 28,2 9

THE H I GH LAND BR I GAD E 1 56 F I GHT IN G ON TH E WESTERN BORLORD METHUEN ’ S M ARCH FROM D ER , M AY 30

BOSHOP TO KROONSTAD ,M AY 2 9 1 59

CHAPTER V I I IGENER A L BU L LER ’

S AD VANCE TO NEWCASTLECHAPTER IX

PAGETHE I NTERREGNUM AT PR ETOR IA 1 79 FROM JOHANNE SBURG To PRETOR I A

APPEND I XPAGE

R E-ARR ANGEM ENT OF STA F F . 1 93 DEATH S I N ACT ION AND FROMD ISEASE

V

PAGE

PAGE

PAGE

PAGE1 84

PAGE

L IST OF ILLUSTRATIONS—VOL . V .

M AP SHOW ING TH E L INES OF AD VANCE FROM BLOEM FONTE I N To PRETOR IA A t F r on t

I . COLOURED PLATES

PAGE PAGEGENERAL AND STAFF F r om‘

z'

spzece NORTH UM BER LAND F US I L IERS AND D UR

SERGE A NT—I 8TH H U SSARS 48 HAM L IGHT I N FANTRYM OUNTED I N FANTRY 56 WEST S UR REY AND EAST S URREYSCOUT—6TH D RAGOON GUARD S 68 OFF ICERS OF THE SEAFORTH H IGHTH E ROYAL M AR INES 76 L AND ERS .

FULL-PAGE PLATES

PAGE PAGETH E D ISASTER AT KOORNSPRU ITTH E R ED D ERSBURG M ISHAPBR IT I SH PR I SONER S ON THE IR WAY TO

PRETOR IALORD R OBERTS S COLUM N CROSS ING THESAND R IVER D R I FT

TH E S URREND ER OF KROONSTADT

M A FEK I NG “ TH E WOLF THAT NEVERSLE EPS

TH E LAST ATTACK ON NAFEK ING

LORD ROB ERTS AND H I S ARMY CROSSING TH E VAAL R IVER

ROYAL H OR SE ART ILLERY CROSS INGTHEVAALGENERAL IAN H AM I LTON THANK INGTH E

3 . F ULL-PAGE PORTRAITS

PAGEL IE L

'

T.-GENERAL S IRARCH I BALD H UNTER, M AJOR-GENERAL IAN H AM I LTON

K .C . B. 32 L IEUT . -GENE RAL S I R F RED E R ICK CARCOLONEL LORD CH ESHAM 40 R I NGTON ,L IEUT . -GEN ER A L S I R H . M . LESL IE L IEUT . COLONEL BRYAN T. M AHON ,RUND LE ,

K .C. B. 64 D .S .O

M AJOR-GENERAL POLE -CAREW . 7 2 L I EUT . -COLONEL PLUMER .

4 . M APS AND ENGRAVINGS IN TH E TEX T

PAGEPLAN—KOORN SPRU IT D ISASTERM AP—D I STR ICT S . AND E . OF BLOEMFONT E I N .TH E MOD E L SCHOOL , PRETOR IANEW CAM P FOR BR IT ISH PR I SONERS ATI’ RF I OR IA

F I EL I ) GUN—ELSW ICK BATTERY'

I I I F, NA I IVE V I LLAGE OF M AFEK INGM A l-

‘ ICK ING POSTAGE STA M PSTH E D EFENCE O I: WE I’ENER

AT D EW ETS DO R I’

M AP O F M O VEM ENTS S . AN I ! I" O F BLOMKLN r (WO ITAGE, ST. I IFE I BNA

GORD ONS FOR THE IR ATTACK AT TH EBATTLE OF D OORNKOP .

TH E C ITY OF LOND ON I MPER IAL VOLUNTE ERS SU PPORT ING GENERAL H AM ILTON ’S L EFT F LAN K I N TH E ACT IONAT D OORN KOPH AU L I NG D OWN TH E TRANSVAAL F LAGAT JOHAN N ESBURGTH E GRENAD IER GUARD S AT THE BATTLE

OF BI D D ULPH’

S BERG

PU RSU ING TH E BOER S AFTER TH E FIGHTON H ELPM AKAAR H E I GHTS

SCENE I N PRETOR IA SQUAR E , J U NE 5TH E ENTRY OF LORD ROBERTS AND

STAF F INTO PR ETOR IA

LORD ROBERTS AND STAFF WATCH INGTH E BOERS

’

RETREAT FROM ZAND R IVERKROONS I ADTGENERAL BAD EN -POWELL AND OFF ICERSAT M AFEK INGMAP AND IT INERARY , COLONEL M AHON ’SM ARCH

M AP OF IxOUTE FROM N . FOR REL IEF OFM AFEK I NG

M AFEK I NG IxAI I WAY STAT ION .D EV IAT ION BR IDGE A I VE REEN IG INGJ I IG I I I AN D E RS AT TH E END OF A FORCEDM A RCH

M AP OF PORT ION OF NA I A IM AP—JOI IANNESBURG TO PRETOR IA , &c .

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE—VOL . V

MARCH 1 900.

31.—Loss of Br i t ish convoy andseven

guns at Koorn Spru i t .

APR IL 1 900.

4.—Capture of Br i t ish troops by the

Boe rs n ear R e d dersburg .5 .—Gen eralV illebois k i l le d n ear Boshop,

andparty of Boer me rcenar iescap turedby Lord Me thuen .

Gen eral C lemen ts re ce ive d th e sub

mission Of 4000 rebe l s.

Bri t ish occupat ion of R e dde rsburg .7 .

—Sk irmish n ear Warren ton .

9 .

—Co lon ial D iv ision a t tacke d at Wepe

n e r .

11 .—Gen eral Ch ermside promo tedto

comman d Th ird D iv ision ,v ice

Gene ra l Gatacre , orde re d home .

20.

—B0e r position s at tackedat D ewe ts

dorp.23 .—Gen era l Carr ington arr ivedat

Be ira.

25 .—\Vepen e r siege ra ised .Gene ral Ch e rmside occup iedD e

we tsdorp.

Bloemfon te in Waterworks recaptured.

26. Sir C. Warren appo in tedGovernorof G r iqua landWe st .

27 .—Thaban chu occup ie d .

28 .—F igh t ing n ear Thabanchu Moun

tam.

MAY 1 900.

1 .—Gen era l Hami l ton cap turedHou t

n ek .

5 .—Bri t ish occupa t ion of Bran d fort.Lord Rober ts’s furthe r advan ce to

th e Ve t R ive r.

6.—Th e Ve t R ive r passe d andSma ldeel occup ie d .

7 .—Gen e ra l Hun te r occup iedFourteen

S treams.

8 ,

—Ladybran d deserte d by the Boe rs .

9 .

—Cap ture ofWe l ge legen .

Mafek ing R e l ie f Force reache d Vryburg .10.

—Bat t le of ZandR ive r.Occupa t ion of Ven tersburg .

12.—Lord Roberts occup ie d Kroon stad

w i thou t resistan ce .

Comman dan t E lo ff at tacke d Mafe~k ing, andwas cap ture d by CO1.

Baden -Powe l l .13 .—Gene ra l Bu l ler advan ce d towards th eBiggarsberg .

14.—Occupa t ion of Dun dee .

15 .—Occupat ion of G len coe .

M afek ing R e l ie f Force de fea te d th eBoers at Kraa ipan .

16 .

—Christ iana occup ied.1 7 .

—Gen era l I an Hami l ton o ccup iedL in d ley.

Co lone l Mahon , at th e head of th ere l ie f force, en te re d Mafek ing .

Lord M e thuen en te re d H oopstad .18.—Occupat ion o f Newcast le .

20.

—Co lon e l Be thun e ’s Moun tedI n fan tryambushedn ear V ryhe id.

22.

—Gen e ral I an Hami l ton occup ie dHe i l bron after a series of engagemen ts. Th e ma in army, un derLord R oberts, p i tche d i ts t en tsat Hon ing Sp ru i t, andGene ra lFren ch crossed t h e Rh en oste r toth e north -west of th e lat te rp lace .

23 .—Rhenoster posi t ion turn ed .

24.—Br i t ish Army en te re d the Tran svaa l ,

Crossing th e Vaa l n ear Parys, unopposed .

27 .—Th e passage of th e Vaa l was com

ple tedby th e Br i t ish Army.

The Transvaal WarOrange Free S tate forma l ly ann exe dun de r th e t i t le of Orange R ive rCo lon y .

Th e Ba t t le of Biddulph ’s Be rg.

Ba t t le of Doorn kop Boe rs defea ted.

Lord Roberts arr ive d at Ge rmiston .

Kruge r fl edh is cap i ta l at midn igh tamidth e lamen tat ion s Of th e populace .

JU NE 1 900.

5 .—The Bri t ish flag ho isted in Pre tor ia.

Occupa t ion of U t rech t by Genera lH i ldyard.

Sir Char les Warren defeatedth e

en emy n ear Douglas.

Ba t ta l ion of I rishYeoman ry cap turedat L in d l ey .

Th e Bri t ish fl ag ho iste d at Johannesburg .

MAP S HOW ING THE L I NES OF ADVANCE FROM BLOEM FONTE INTO PRETOR IA .

(Tbe R andD z'

sl r z'

cl a ndt il e M'

ovemm ls ar ou /za’ P r e tor ia a r e 511020” on [Map a t p.

E D INBURGH AND LONDON ! T . C. AND E . C . jACK

SOUTH AFR ICA AND THE

TRANSVAAL WAR

CHAPTE R I

T H E I M M O R T A L H A N D F U L 1

M A FEK ING,1 8TH MAY 1 900

Shout for th e despe ra te host,Hand fu l of Br i ta in ’

s race,

H o l d ing t he lon e ly postUn de r God ’s grace

Guard in g our Englan d ’s fameOve r t he open grave ,

Sh ie l d ing th e F lag from shameShou t for th e brave

R inge d by a ru th less foe Shou t for th e g lory won ,Dared they th e n igh t a t tack, Emp ire of East andWest !Answe re d h im b low for b low, Shou t for each va l ian t sonHur l ing h im back ; N urse d at thy breast !

Chee r ing, th e charge was presse d , Fear cou l d not findthem out,More than they he l d they ho l d , Death sta lkedthere iron -shod

,

\Von bayon e t at th e breast He lp foun d them Victors—shou tShou t for th e bo ld! Praises to God!

—H AROLD BEGB IE .

D I SASTER AT KOORN SPRU ITH E last vo lume c losed w i th an accoun t of Co lone lBlume r ’s de spe ra te e ffort to re l ie ve Ma fek ing on the

3 I s t of Ma rch . On tha t unlucky day e ve n ts of a t ragi c ,i f he ro i ca l , na ture we re tak ing pla ce e lsewhe re . The sehave now to be chron i c led . On th e 1 8th of Ma rch

a force was move d out unde r t h e command Of Co lone l B roadwood to t he east of Bloemfonte i n . The troops we re se nt t ogarr ison Thaban chu , to issue proclama t ions , andto contr i bute t o

th e pac ifica t ion of th e Ou t ly i ng d istr i cts. They we re a lso to

se cure a va luable cons ignme n t of flou r from t he L e euw M i l ls .

The e nemy was prowl ing about , andtwo comma ndos hove red1 F rom Th e Handy M an

,ando ther Verses (G ran t R i ch ards) .

VOL . V.

Long, long th e days andn igh ts ;Bi t te r th e ta les that came

,

Wha t of th e d istan t fights ?R umours of shame ?

Scorn ing t he doubts that swe l l,N ursing the hope anew

,

The y d id the ir du ty we l lShou t for the t rue !

The Transvaal Warnorth of the sma l l de ta ched post a t t he m i l ls . Re i n forceme n ts we repraye d for , anda s t rong pa tro l was se n t Off for the pro te ct ion of thepost, or to cove r it s wi thdrawa l i n th e e ve n t of a tta ck . M e anwh i let he e nemy was

“ ly i ng low ,as the ph rase is . W’ he re upon Co lon e l

P i l che r pushe d on to Ladybrand , made a pr isone r of th e Llanddrost ,bu t , hea r i ng Of th e advance of an ove rwhe lm i ng numbe r of th e foe ,

re t i re d w i th all promptne ss to Thabanchu . Th e Boe rs, wi th themob i l i ty cha ra cte r ist i c of them , we re ga the r ing toge the r the i rnumbe rs , de te rm i n ing i f poss i ble to pre ve n t any onwa rd move Of

the force s, andbe n t a t all costs on se cur i ng for the i r own comfortandconve n ie nce the southe rn corne r of th e F re e S ta te , whe nce theprove nde r andfo rage Of the future m ight be e xpe cte d to come .

W i thout th is port ion of t he gra i n country to fa l l ba ck on ,th ey knew

the i r act i v i t ie s wou l d be cr ipple d i nde e d .I n conseque n ce , the re fore , of the close prox im i ty of the se F e de ra lhorde s, Co lone l B roadwood made an appl i ca t ion t o head—qua rte rsfor re i n fo rceme n ts, andde c i de d to remove from Thaban chu . OnF r iday th e 3o th he ma rche d to B loemfon te i n Wa te rworks, south oft he Modde r. H is fo rce cons iste d Of the 2ndCava l ry B rigade (l othH ussars andth e compos i te regime n t of H ouse ho l d Cava l ry ) , “ Q ,

T, andU Ba tte r ie s R . H .A . (fo rme d i n to tw o six -

gun bat te r ie s ,

Q and“ U Riming ton’

s S cou ts, Robe r t s’s H o rse , Que e nslandandBurma Mounted I n fan try . The baggage crosse d t he r i ve r, andoutspanned th e same e ve n ing . On th e fo l lowing mo rn ing a t 2 A M .

th e fo rce , hav i ng fought a re a rgua rd a ct ion th roughou t t he n ight,

a rr i ve d i n sa fe ty a t S anna’

s Post . H e re for a short t ime theyb i vouacke d

,andhe re for a mome nt le t us leave them .

At th is t ime a moun ted i n fan try pat ro l was scou r i ng the country .

They we re se e n by some Boe rs who we re scu t tl i ng a cross coun tryfrom th e Ladybrand region , andthe se promptly h id i n a co nve n ie n tspru i t , whe nce , i n th e t ime tha t rema i ne d t o them , they planne d theambush tha t was SO d isast rous t o our force s andso e xh i la ra t i ng t othem se l ve s . The re are d i ffe rence s of op i n ion rega rd ing th is s tory .

Some be l ie ve tha t t he ambush was planne d ea rl ie r by a sk i l fula rra ngem e n t i n conce rt w i th th e Boe r horde s—the horn e ts of Ladybrand, whose ne st hadbe e n d isturbed by th e i nvas ion of Co lone ll’ ilche r—who owed Co lone l B roadwood a de bt . Th ey de c la re tha t th eh id ing -p la ce was ca re fu l ly sought ou t , so tha t those She l te re d the re i nshoul d , on a give n s igna l from D e We t , ac t i n a cco rd w i th Othe rso f th e i r t r i be ,

a ndblo ckade t he passage Of th e B ri t ish , who we reknown—e ve ry th ing w as known—t o be re tu rn ing to B loemfon te i n .A cco rd ingr to Boe r re ports , th e plans for t he cu tt i ng Off andsu rround ing Of Co lone l B roadwood we re ca re ful ly made ou t , but on ly a t

t he la st mome n t , andi f, for once ,Boe r repo rts can be be l ie ve d , the

succe ss ful scheme may be looked upon a s one Of t h e fine st p ie ce s of

Disaste r at Koo rn Spru i t

s tra tegy wi th wh i ch D e We t may be a ccre d i ted . Th’

e Boe r ta le runsthus : The D utchma n on th e a8th , wi th a commando of 1400 andfour guns anda M ax im -Norde n fe ldt , was mov ing towa rds Thaban chufor t he purpose of at tack i ng Sanna ’

s Pos t, whe re h e be l ieve d a forceof 200 of th e B ri t ish to be . H e d id a ll h is t rave l l i ng by n ight , andfound h imse l f on th e e ve n i ng o f t h e 3o th at Jan S taa l

’

s fa rm , on the

Modde r R ive r, t o t he north of S anna ’

s Post . Then , i n th e ve ryn i ck Of t ime ,

he was i n forme d by a Boe r runne r tha t Co lone l B roadwood’s convoy was mov i ng from Thabanchu . Qu i ck ly a counc i l o fwar was ga the red toge the r. I t was a ma tte r of l i fe or de ath . D e

We t , wi th P ie tde We t , P ie t C ronje , We sse l , N e l l , andPour ie , pu t

the i r he ads toge the r andschemed . They we re doubtle ss ass istedby the fore ign a t taches who we re pre sen t . The re su l t of the

hu rr ied me e t i ng w as t he d iv is ion of th e Boe r force i n to th re e commandos . The Ge ne ra l h imse l f, w ith 400 me n ,

de c i ded to stra i ne ve ry ne rve to reach Kooru Spru i t ande n sconce h imse l f be fore th ea rr iva l Of the convoy . B e i ng we l l acqua i n ted wi th the topographyof the coun try, th e ra ce was poss i ble—400 p i cked horsem e n aga i nstS low -mov i ng, drowsy ca ttle . The th ing was i nv i t ing . S ucce ssr ide s but on the wings of opportun i ty a rid D e We t saw th e oppor

tun ity andgrabbed i t ! Th e re s t of t he Boe rs w e re to d isposethemse l ve s i n two ba tche s—500 o f them , wi th the a rt i l le ry , t o p lan tthemse l ve s N .N . E . o f S anna ’

s Post , wh i le the rema i nde r took up a

pos i t ion on th e le ft of the i r comrade s , andextended i n the d i re ct ionof th e Thaban chu road .I t w as wi se ly a rgue d tha t Broadwoodj s t ran sport must c ross

Koorn Spru i t , andtha t i f the Boe rs we re posted so as to she l l theB ri t ish camp a t daybreak , th e convoy wou ld be hurr ied on ,

wh i lethe bu l k Of the fo rce rema i n e d t o gua rd th e rea r .Accord i ngly , the conspi ra tors, wi th amaz i ng prompt i tude , go t

unde r way, t he four guns wi th t h e commando be i ng double -horsedandde spatched to the po i n t a rranged on th e N .N . E . Of S anna ’

s

Post , whi le th e o the r ga l lope d as de s igned . Fo rtune favoured them,

for they rea che d the i r de st i na t ions und iscove red ; andthe scheme ,

adm irable i n concept ion , w as e xe cuted w i th s igna l succe ss .

D ay hadsca rce ly dawned be fore th e Boe rs near the region ofthe wa te rwo rks appr ised the convoy of the i r ex isten ce . Th e B ri t ishke tt le s we re bo i l i ng, prepara t ion s for breakfast we re br iskly go i ngforwa rd , whe n , plump —a She l l d ropped i n the i r m idst . Conste rnat ion pre va i led . S ome th i ng must be done . The a rt i l le ry ? No ;

the B ri t ish guns we re use le ss at so long a range . As we l l haved i re cted a penny squ i r t a t a ga rde n hose ! Al l tha t w as to be

thought of was remova l—andtha t w i th all poss i ble de spa tch .S curry andturmo i l fo l lowed . M ule s fought andsquea led andk i cked , horses ca re e re d andp lunged , bu t at last t he convoy andtwo

The Transvaal Warhorse ba tte r ie s we re got unde r way , wh i le th e moun te d in fan trySpraye d ou t to scre e n the re trea t . A l l th is t ime she l ls con t i nued toburst andbang w i th a la rm i ng pe rs iste n cy . They came from acrosst he r i ve r , and

c

Con seque n t ly i t w as imagi ne d tha t e ve ry mi le ga i nedbrought th e convoy neare r t o B loemfonte i n andfa rthe r from the

e nemy . They hadsome twe n ty m i le s to go . S t i l l, the offi ce rs who

hadcharge of t h e pa rty be l ie ve d the coast to be clea r . Afte r mov i ngon abou t a mi le they approa che d a de ep spru i t—a branch Of theModde r, mo re morass than stream . I t was the re tha t D e We t andh is sma rt 400 hada rt fu l ly concea le d themse l ve s .

Th e Spru i t offe re d e ve ry fa c i l i ty for th e fo rma t ion of an i nge n ioust rap . The ground rose on on e s i de towa rd a grassy kno l l , on the

s lope s of wh i ch was a stony cave from wh i ch a h idde n foe cou l dcommand t h e dri fts . SO adm i rably concea le d was th is e nclosure a ndall tha t i t e n close d , tha t t he lead ing scouts passe d ove r the dr i ftwi thout suspe ct i ng th e pre se nce of th e e nemy . The se la t te r , t rue tothe i r ta le nt o f sl imne ss, made no S ign t i l l waggons andguns hadsa fe lye n te re d t he dri ft, andwe re ,

so to speak , i ne xtr i cably i n the i r clutche s .

The i r manoeuvre w as e nt i re ly succe ssfu l . S ome on e sa i d th ewaggons we re dr i ve n in to th e dr i ft e xactly as pa rtr idge s a re dr i ve nt o th e gun . Ano the r gave a ve rs ion of ve ry much th e same k i nd .H e sa i d , “ I t was just l ike wa l k i ng i n to a c loak - room—th e Boe rspo l i te ly took you r r i fle andaske d you k ind ly t o step on on e S i de ,andthe re was no th i ng e lse you coul ddo

f he n i ce ty of t he s i tua t ion from the Boe r po i n t of v iew wasde scr i be d by a co rre sponde n t of Té e Times :

“ The camp was about th re e mi le s from th e dr i ft , wh i ch layi n the po i n t Of a rough angle made by an embankme nt unde r construct ion andthe bush ~

g rown s lu i t wh i ch conve rged towa rds i t .Thus whe n the Boe rs we re i n pos i t ion , l i n i ng th e s lu i t andt heembankme n t, the pos i t ion be came l ike the base of a horse ’

s foo t .The B oe rs we re th e me ta l shoe , our own troops th e frog. At th epo i n t whe re the dr i ft cuts the s lu i t t h e nu l lah is broad andextens i ve .

The Boe rs sta t ione d a t th is spo t rea l ise d tha t the baggage was

mov ing wi thout an advance d gua rd . They we re equa l to th e s i tuat ion . AS e ach waggon d roppe d be low the sky

- l i ne i n to the dr i ft theteamste rs we re d i re cted to take the i r teams to righ t or le ft as the

ca se m igh t be,a ndt he guard s we re d isa rmed unde r th rea t of

v io le n ce . No shot was fi red . Each waggon i n turn was captu re da ndp la ced a long the sl u i t

,so tha t those i n rea r hadno knowledge

o f wha t was tak ing pla ce t o th e i r fron t unt i l i t be came the i r turn tosurre nde r . To a ll i n te n ts andpurpose s th e convoy was pro ce ed ingfo rward . The scrub a ndh igh ground beyond the dri ft was su ffi c ientto mask the cle ve r con tr i van ce o f t he e nemy . Thus all the waggonsexcept n i ne pa ssed in to th e hands of t he e nemy .

"

4

The Transvaal Wart ime the t roop of Robe r ts’s H o rse hadappeared on th e sce ne , andwe re ca l le d on to surre nde r . Rea l is i ng the d isas te r, they whe e le dabout, andga l lope d to repo rt andbri ng ass istance . Th is was the

s igna l for more vo l le ys from th e e nemy i n the spru i t , andt he horseme n thus spe d be twe e n two fire s—tha t of the Mause rs be low themandof the she l ls wh i ch hadcont i nue d to ha rry the t roops . N e ve rth e le ss t h e ga l lant fe l lows rode fur iously for dea r l i fe on the i rjourney . M e n dropped from the i r saddle s l i ke ri pe fru i t from a shake ntre e . S t i l l they spe d on . They must br i ng he lp a t any pri ce .

M eanwh i le the sce ne i n th e spru i t was one of horror, for the Boe rswe re swe ep i ng e ve ry nook andcorne r w i th the i r Mause rs . Cascade sof fire p laye d on t he un fo rtuna te mass the re i n e ntangled , on waggonsove rturne d andsquea l i ng mu les , on guns andhorse s hope le ss ly heapedtoge the r , on men andoxe n swea t i ng andplunging in dea th”agonyThe heav i ng, struggl i ng, horr ific p i cture was too gr i evous forde scr ipt ion . Only a pa rt of the i r te rr i ble e xpe rie nce was known by e ve nthe actors th emse lve s . Luck i ly, a me rc i fu l P rov ide nce a l lows eachhuman i nte l l ige nce to gauge only a ce rta i n amount o f th e awful i ntragi c e xpe r ie nce . The re a re some who to l d of wounde d me n ly ingblood - ba thed andhe l p less be nea th baggage tha t we ighed l i ke th e

stone of S isyphus ; of ho rses tha t u t te re d we i rd screams of agon iseddespa i r, wh i ch pe t r ified the ve i ns of he a re rs andse nt the curre n t Ofblood to the i r hea rts ; o f oxe n andmu le s tha t stampe d andk i cked,dea l i ng ugly wounds, so tha t those who migh t have crawle d out

from unde r them cou ld crawl no mo re . Some guns we re ove rturned—a hope le ss bu l k o f i ron , tha t re s iste d all e fforts a t remova lOthe rs , be re ft of the i r d r i ve rs, we re dragge d w i ld ly i n to spa ce bymadde ned teams , whose happy i nst i n ct hadcause d them to

stampede . S e e i ng t he d i sa ste r, they hadpu l le d ou t to le ft andstruggle d to ge t back to camp, ye t e ve n as they st ruggle d theywe re d isabled andthus le ft a t t he me rcy of the foe .

Major Burnham , the famous scou t , who hav i ng be e n take n a

pr isone r ea rl ie r anda t th is juncture rema i ne d powe rle ss i n thehands of the Boe rs , thus de scr i bed th e te rr i ble s igh t wh i ch h e wasfo rced to wi tne ss

One o f th e ba tte r ie s (Q ), wh i ch was upo n th e outs i de of th e

th re e banked row s of waggons , ha l ted a t the Spru i t , dashe d Off,

fo l lowing Robe rts 3 H o rse to the rea r andsou th . Ye t most of themrro t cle a r , a l though ho rse s andme n fe l l a t e ve ry s tep , andthe gunswe re be i n g dra g ged Off wi th only pa rt of the i r teams, an ima lsf Illing wounded by th e way . The n I saw the ba tte ry ,

wh e n but1 200 y i rds from the sp ru i t

,whe e l round i nto fi I ing pos i t ion , un

l imbe r, a ndf ro i n to a ct ion a t tha t range ,so as to save comrade s and

wagg on s from capture . Who gave the o rde r for tha t de ed of se l fsacr ifice ldon ’ t kn ow . I t may have be e n a se rgean t or l ieute nan t ,

6

Disaster at Koorn Spru itfor the i r command ing o ffice r hadbe e n le ft beh i nd a t the t ime . One

o f t he guns upse t i n whe e l i ng, cause d by t h e downfa l l of wounde dho rses. The re i t lay a fte rwa rds , wh i ls t th re e ste eds fo r a long t imefought madly to fre e themse l ve s from the t race s andth e pre se nceo f the i r dead s table compan ions .

”

Those Of the un fortuna te me n who we re un i njure d struggle dgrandly to save the guns, t o drag them fre e from t he sce ne of

de struct ion , but se ve ra l Of th e guns whose teams we re Sho t fe l li n to the hands of t he e nemy . S ome ga l lant fe l lows of R iming ton

’

s

S couts made a supe rb e ffort to rush through th e fire of the Fe de ra lsa ndsave them , but five guns only we re re scue d . The se we re all gunsof Q Ba t te ry ,

wh ich , whe n th e fi rst a la rm was give n , we re w i th i n 300ya rds Of th e spru i t . Whe n th e o ffi ce r who commande d th e ba tte rys t rove to whe e l about , though th e Boe rs took up a se cond pos i t iona ndpoured a heavy fire on th e ga l lop ing teams, a whe e l horse was

sho t, ove r we n t a gun , more be as ts droppe d , a waggon was re nde reduse le ss , bu t s t i l l the te ams tha t rema i ned we re ga l lope d through thec on fus ion to t he she l te r of some t i n bu i l d i ngs, pa rt of an unfin ishedra i lway sta t ion , some I I 50 ya rds from the d isastrous sce ne . H e rea new e ra began . Much to the ama zem e n t of the Boe rs, the gunsc ame i n to act ion , andcont inued, i n the fa ce Of horr i ble ca rnage , t o

make he ro i c e ffo rts a t re ta l ia t ion , the Offi ce rs themse l ves ass ist i ng i nse rv i ng th e guns t i l l o rde red to re t i re . At th is t ime Q Ba tte ry wasa ssa i le d by a te rr ific cross fire , andgradua l ly the numbe rs Of t h e

g unne rs andho rse s be came th i nned , t i l l th e ground , cove re d w i thr ide rle ss s te e ds andd ismounte d andd isabled men , pre se nte d a

p i cture of wri th ing agony ands te rn he ro ism tha t has se ldom bee ne qua l led . Bu t the sple nd id e ffo rt hadgrand re su l ts .

No soone r we re the B r i t ish guns i n act ion than the who le forcera l l ie d the s i tua t ion was saved . The H ouseho l d Cava l ry andthel o th H ussa rs we re Off i n one d i re ct ion , Riming ton

’

s S cou ts andthemounte d i n fan try i n ano the r, mak i ng for some r is i ng ground on

t he le ft whe re the i r pos i t ion wou l d be de fe ns i ble anda l i ne of

r e trea t found . M e anwh i le Q Ba tte ry from s ix t i l l noon pounde daway a t the Dut chme n , wh i le Lieu tenan t Ch este r-Maste r,found a passage fa rth e r down th e spru i t unoccup i ed by the e nemy ,

by wh i ch i t was poss i ble to e ffe ct a cross i ng. Majo r Burnham ’

s

a ccount o f t he a rt i l le ry due l l i ng a t th is t Ime ls Insp i r i t ingAs soon as th e gunn e rs mann ing th e five gun s openedwith sh rapne l,

t h e Boers h iding in Koorn S pru i t S lackenedth e i r fi re , pre fe rring to ke e p unde rc ove r as much as poss ib le . In th at w ay many othe rs escaped. Th e moun tedin fan trydeploy edandengagedth e Boe r g unn ers andS k i rmish e rs to th e eas t ,

andth e cava l ry w i th R obe r ts’

s Horsedismoun tedandra ll iedto cove r th e gun sfrom th e fi re . A small body w as a lso de spa t chedto s t r ike sou th andfigh tn o rth . My cap to rsdi re c tedth e i r atten tion to Q Bat te ry . Th ey go t th e range ,

The Transvaal War1 700 y ards, by one of t h e Boe rs fi ring at con tiguo us bare g round, un t il h e saw

by th edus t pu ffs h e h adgo t t h e dis tan ce,wh e reupon h e gave th e othe rs th e

e xac t ran ge , wh ich th ey a t on ce adopted. The gunne rs gave us near ly fortye igh t sh rapn e l , fo r th ey we re firing ve ry rap id ly , but a l though th ey h adth erange of our k raal , they on ly managedto k i ll on e horse . I n o t icedthat th eBoe rs, though they dodgedandtook e very advan tage of cove r

,fi redmost

care ful ly , a ndy e t rap idly . I t was th e same with those in th e sp ru i t as ins idet h e k raal Whe re I sa t . Thatday the Boe rs sa idto me th ey h adbut th re e me nk i l l edin th e spru it

,andon ly a half-doz e n or so wounded. Those arti lle ryme n ,

h ow I admi redandfe l t proudof th em ! andthe Boers, too, we re as ton ishedatthe i r cou rag e ande nduran ce . F i reda t from th ree s ide s

,th ey n e ve r be t ray ed

th e least a larm or h aste,bu t coo lly la idth e i r guns andwe n t th rough the i rdri l l

as if i t h adbe en a sham- figh t , andme n andhorses we re no tdropp ing on all

s ide s . Th ere was a l i t t le b i t of cove r a hundredyards or so beh indth ebatte ry , a roundth e s iding andstation bu i ldings of th e proje ctedra i lway andemban kme n t . Th i th e r th e liv ing h orse s from th e l imbe rs andg un s we ret aken

,andth e woundedwe re convey ed. Whe n

,th ree hours la te r

,the i r

ammun i t ion for the 1 2- pounders was scarce,andth e Boer rifle fi re from th e

gulch ,th e waggon s , andridge open edh eavy anddeadly , th e gunn ers would

craw l back andforwardfor powde r andsh e l l . Hadi t no t be en for thoset e rrib le cannon ,

th e Boe rs to ldme th at th ey wouldh ave ch arged, c los ing in on

all s ide s upon Broadwood’s men .

”

Whe n the orde r to re t i re was re ce i ved , Major Ph ipps H o rnbyo rde re d th e guns andthe i r l imbe rs to be run ba ck by hand to whe reth e te ams of un inj ure d horse s stood beh i nd th e sta t ion

‘

bu ilding s .

The n such gunne rs as rema i ned , ass iste d by the O ffi ce rs andme n of

t h e Burma Mounte d I n fan try ,andd i re cte d by Major Ph i pps

H ornby andCapta i n H umphreys (the so le rema i n i ng offi ce rs of the

ba tte ry ) , su cce ede d i n runn i ng ba ck fou r of th e guns unde r She l te r .I t is sa i d the guns wou l d neve r have be e n save d bu t for th e ga l lan ta ct ion o f the o ffi ce rs andme n of the Bu rma M ounte d I n fantry , who,

whe n nearly e ve ry gunne r was k i l le d , vo lunte e red , andsucce ede d ,unde r t he heav ie s t fi re , i n d ragging th e guns back by hand t o a

pla ce of sa fe ty . I t was wh i le do i ng th is that L ieu te nant P . C . G rove r,of t h e B urma Moun te d I n fan try ,

was k i l led . Though on e or two of

th e l imbe rs we re thus va l ian tly w i thdrawn unde r a pe rfe ct cyc loneof shot andshe l l , t he e xhausted me n found i t imposs i ble to dragi n the rema i n i ng l imbe rs or the fi fth gun . H uma n be i ngs fa i l ing ,t h e horse s hada lso to be r isked , andpre se n tly se ve ra l ga l lan tdr i ve rs vo lunte e re d to plunge stra ight i nto the h e l l ish vortex .They go t to work grandly ,

though horses d ropped i n dea thagony andman a fte r man ,

he ro a fte r he ro , was p i cke d off by the

une rr i ng andcop ious fire o f the D utchme n . I t is d i ffi cu l t to g e tt he name s o f a ll th e glor ious fe l lows w ho ca rr ie d the i r l i ve s i nthe i r hands o n tha t grea t bu t dread ful day ,

but Gunne r Lodgea ndDri ve r G la sock we re chose n as the repre se nta t i ve s of thosew ho i mmorta l i se d themse l ve s a nde arne d the V i c to r ia Cross . Of

8

Disaster at Koo rn Spru i tBomba rd ie r Gudgeon ’s magn ifice n t e ne rgy e nough canno t be sa i d .On e a fte r anothe r teams we re sho t , bu t h e pe rs is te d in h is work o fge tt i ng fre sh te ams . Thre e t ime s he s trove to ro l l a gun to a p laceOf sa fe ty , andon t he th i rd occas ion was wounded . The sple nd idd i sc i pl i ne o f the gunne rs was e xto l le d by e ve ry e ye

-wi tne ss, andtheway th e noble fe l lows, sur rounded w i th Boe r sha rpshoo te rs, s toodto t h e gun s was so ma rve l lous , so i nsp i r i t ing , tha t e ve n th e me n who

we re cove r i ng the re t i reme n t, a t r isk o f the i r l i ve s we re impe l ledto r i se andche e r th e spl e nd i d a ct ion of th e glor ious remnant . The

co rre sponde n t of Tag Times de cla red tha t “ Whe n th e orde r camefor the guns to re t i re , t e n me n andon e offi ce r a lone rema i ned uponthe i r fe e t , andthey we re no t all unwounded . The teams we re as

sha tte red as th e gun groups . Sol i ta ry dr i ve rs brough t up teams of

fou r—in on e case a so l i ta ry pa i r of whe e le rs was a ll tha t cou l d befound to take a p ie ce away . The last gun wasdragge d away byhand un t i l a team cou l d be pa tched up from th e horse s tha trema i ne d . As t he mut i la te d remnan t of two bat te r ie s o f H o rseArt i l le ry totte re d th rough th e l i ne of prone mounte d i n fantry cove ri ng it s wi thdrawa l , the me n cou l d no t re stra i n th e i r adm i ra t ion .Though it '

was to court dea th to show a hand , men leaped to the i rfe e t andche e re d th e gunne rs as they passed . Se ve n guns anda

baggage t ra i n we re lost , bu t the pre st ige andhonour of t he countrywe re saved . F ive guns hadbe e n e xtr i cated . The moun ted i n fan tryhadfound a l i ne of re t rea t , andto ta l d isaste r was avo i ded . But the

fight i ng w as no t ove r. Th e extr i ca t ion of a re a rgua rd i n th e fron tof a v i c tor ious ande xul tant e nemy h as be e n a d i ffi cu l t anda de l i ca tetask i n th e h istory of all war . I n th e fa ce of mode rn weapons i t isfraught w i th i n crease d d i ffi cu l t ie s . For two hours Riming ton

’

s

S cou ts , the New Z ea land Mounted I n fan try ,Robe r ts

’

s H orse , andth e 3rdRegime n t of Mounted I n fan try cove red each othe r i nre t rea t , wh i le the e nemy ga l loped forwa rd and, d ismoun t ing, e ngage dthem , o fte n a t ranges up to 300 yards .

”

The force was surrounde d by th e e nemy on all s i de s, andthe rewa s no re sou rce bu t to fight through—th e cava l ry andmountedi n fa n try tak i ng a l i ne towa rds a dri ft on the south . Robe r ts

’

s H o rsemade a ga l lan t andde spe ra te e ffo rt to ou tflank the Dutchme n , andlos t he av i ly ; andAlde rsen ’

s Brigade , wi th magn ifice n t dash andcons i de rable sk i l l , succe ede d i n hol d i ng ba ck the host i le horde .

Th is re t i reme nt was n o easy ma t te r , for the pos i t ion take n up by t heFede ra ls was e xcept iona l ly favourable t o them . To th e north th espru i t tw iste d i n a conve n ie nt hoop, wh i ch she l te re d them ; t o the

south was t h e embankme n t of the ra i lway i n course Of con st ruc

t ion from the se po i n ts andfrom fron t andrea r the e n emy w as able ,

i n compa ra t i ve se cur i ty , to bat te r andha rass thediscomfi t edtroops .

Fortunate ly , i n the e nd, Colvile ’

s D iv is ion , wh i ch hadbe e n9

The Transvaal Warmak i ng its w ay from B loemfon te i n , a rr i ve d i n t ime to che ck t heBoe rs i n the i r jubi lan t adva nce , though some hours too la te t o pre

ve n t the e nemy from captu r i ng andremov i ng th e waggons andgunsWh i le th e re trea t was be i ng e ffe cted more va lo rous wo rk w as

go i ng o n e lsewhe re . Th e membe rs of the A rmy M e d i ca l Co rps,w i th t he coo l ne ss pe cu l ia r to them , we re e xpos i ng themse l ve s andru sh i ng to the ass is tance of th e wounded, ma ny be i ng s tr i cke ndown i n th e m ids t of the i r sple nd id labours. Robe r t s

’

s H o rse madethem se l ve s wo rthy of th e noble so ld ie r w ho godfa the re d them , andon e—a t roope r of t he name o f Tod—a prod igy of va lou r, roded e l i be ra te ly i n to th e mé/e

’

e i n se a rch of th e wounde d , andre tu rnedw i th th e dead we igh t o f a he lple ss man i n h is a rms, unde r th e fie rcefire of the foe . I f d isaste r doe s no th i ng mo re , i t bre e ds he roe s.

The me lancho ly a ffa i r o f Koorn Spru i t brought to l igh t t h e supe rbqua l i t ie s tha t lie dorman t i n many who l i ve the i r l i ve s i n the ma t te ro f fact w ay andgi ve n o S ign .

S ple nd i d a ct ions fo l lowe d on e ano the r w i th amaz i ng pe rs iste nce ,

man a fte r man a ndo ffi ce r a fte r o ffi ce r a t tempt i ng de eds of da r i ng,ea ch of wh i ch i n themse l ve s wou l d fo rm the founda t ion of an he ro i cta le . L ie u te na nt Maxwe l l of Robe rt s ’

s H o rse , from the ve ry te e th oft he e nemy dragged off a wounde d man—a ladwho ,

by th e t imehe was re scue d , hadfa i n te d . Bu t the young suba l te rn promptlygo t h im i n th e saddle , andthe pa i r sped forth from th e fie ry zonea l i ve . The Duke of Te ck a lso rushed to the su ccou r of L ieu tenan tM eade ,

who was wounded (a bu l le t cu t t i ng off h is finge r andp ie rc ingh is th igh ) , gave up to h im h is horse andremove d h im from the sce neof dange r . At the same t ime Co lone l P i l ch e r was ga l lantly re scu i ngCorpora l Pa cke r o f t he I st L i fe Gua rds . Majo r Boo th (Nor thumb e rland Fus i l ie rs ) lost h is l i fe th rough dogge dly ho ld i ng a pos i t ionwi th four o the rs , i n o rde r to cove r th e re t rea t.

\Vhe n t he Q ue e nslande rs a rr i ve d they too showed th e stuff theywe re made o f, t he be st B r i t ish thews combi ned w i th th e dought ie stB ri t ish hea rts . The y plunged in to act ion—so dash i ngly i nde ed tha tthe B oe rs ve ry ne a rly mopped them up. Bu t Co lone l H e nry wase qua l e ve n to t he sk i t t ish foe ,

andcontr i ve d to e n te rta i n the Du tchme n by lead i ng them 50 act i ve a dan ce tha t e ve ntua l ly the Co lon ia lswe re able t o figh t out the i r ow n sa l va t ion .At las t th e guns go t away andfo l lowed the l i ne of re tre a t take n

by the ca va l ry . The t roops the n conducted the i r re t i reme n t bya l te rn ate compan ie s , ea ch company tak i ng up it s dut ie s wi thou tllus te r , a ndco ve r i ng th e o the r compa ny ’

s re t i reme nt w i th grea ts tead in e ss unt i l the y re a ch e d B ushman

’

s Kop. The ma rve l lous coo ln e ss o f t he fo rce was pa rt i cu la rly amaz i ng , as e ve ry man , wi th th eIo e rs s t i l l a t h is he e l s . be l ie ve d h imse l f to be cu t Off, ye t i n sp i te o f

I O

The Transvaal WarI n fantry ,

unde r Colv ile , cam e ove r the r idge wi th e igh te e n gun s ,andw e hea rd a lo t of h eavy fi r i ng .

H e we n t on to say :“ Why w e a re a l i ve I can t say . Many of

th e bu l le ts we re e xplos i ve ,as I hea rd them burs t whe n they h i t th e

ground . Th e she l l i ng w as most try i ng, as we hadto stand qu i tes t i l l for tw e n ty m inu te s a l i v ing ta rge t .A laugh i ng ph i losophe r , a Democr i tus of t he n i n e te e nth ce ntury ,

gave to the wo rld , via) t he P a ll M a ll Gaz e/fa, h is cur ious e xpe r ience s .

Among o the r th ings h e sa i dRobe rt s

’

s H o rse was o rde re d to tro t off to th e r igh t of the convoy .

‘Oh ! those a re our men , you foo l ,’

sa i d eve rybody . Two men

came up to the Co lon e l . ‘We’ve go t you surrounded , you

’d be tte rsurre nde r, ’ say they ; a ndheads poppe d up i n t h e grass forty ya rdsfrom us. B oe rs appea re d a ll a long t he r idge a hundre d ya rdsahead . ‘ F i le s about, ga l lop !

’

ye l ls the adjutant . (They droppe dh im imme d ia te ly . )I wa s ca rry i ng a fe n ce - pos t to cook the. breakfast of my se c t ion

(of four me n ) . I turn ed my horse ; the re came a crack l i ng i n t hea i r , on th e ground , e ve rywhe re ; the who le world was cra ck l i ng , a

no ise as ofb

thorn s cra ckl i ng or the cracks of a heavy wh ip . M y

g e e-

ge e (usua l ly s low ) we n tb

we l l , s t imu la te d by the horse s round i t ,anda ctua l ly took a wa te r-jump ; I hadto ho ld my he lm e t on wi thmy r ight hand , wh i ch st i l l he l d th e fe nce -post , andI thought myknuck le s woul d sure ly ge t graze d by a bu l le t . They we re pour i ngi n a cross- fire now as we l l , andon ce or tw i ce I hea rd the 5 -5—5—5—5of t he Mause r bul l e t (the cra ckle is e xplos i ve s , you know) . I t wasve ry e xh i la ra t i ng ; the ga l lop andthe fi re made me Shou t ands i ngandwh ist le . I j ump ed a dead man

, anda lmost immed ia te ly caugh tup B. , who is one o fmy se c t ion .

The fire was s lacke n i ng , andw e we re ha l f a m i le away by the n ,a ndw e looke d round to se e whe the r anybody was fo rm ing up. The

pla i n was dotte d w i th me n andmany r ide rle ss horse s . Eve rybodywas ye l l i ng, Whe ndo we fo rm up You fe e l rathe r foo l ish whe nrunn i ng away. At about one m ile w e formed up aga i n . From therea r, a ndfrom the place w e hadcome from , andfrom the r i ve r bed,the re came a no i se a s of thousands o f Sh ipwr ights hamme r i ng .N i ne of our guns we re capture d ; the rema i n i ng th re e fi red a ti n te rva ls . M y squa dron was se nt i nto a de pre ss ion on th e le ft ofth e Ne w Z e a lande rs . H e re w e d ismoun ted (NO . 3 of each se ct ionho ld i ng the ho rse s ) , a ndwe n t up as a fi r i ng l i ne , range 1 200,

1400,

a nd1600 ya rds . Th e G e ne ra l passe d . ‘ Eve r be e n i n such a

wa rm co rne r says he t o the bugle r . ‘Oh ye s ,’

says th e l i t tlecha p , qu i te che e rful ly a ndun truth ful ly . The Ge ne ra l remarked ,la ugh ing , tha t /ze hadn 't . I fe l t so rry fo r h im ,

andhe a rd t he newsbo ys shout i ng ,

‘Ano the r B ri t ish d isa ste r ! ’ andthe Con t i ne n ta l1 2

D isaster at Kooru Spru itpape rs , ‘ N ouve l le défa i tede s Angla is ! Yah . I t was th e grea testfun out , barr i ng the loss of th e guns a ndme n . For w e we re no t

los i ng a s i tua t ion of stra tegi c importance o r any th ing o f tha t k i nd .The Boe rs hadco l la red our blanke ts andth ings

, but w e chuckleda t the thought of wha t the y would suffe r i f they e ve r s lept i n ’

em.

S e rgeant-Major Ma rt i n , who , with M ajo r Tay lo r (command ingU Ba t te ry ) , was i n c ide nta l i n wa rn ing Co lone l Roch fo rt andM ajorPh ipps H o rnby of the i r dange r , andthus ass ist ing to save QBa tte ry,

de scri be d h is expe r ience sA Boe r commande r stepped out andcon fronted the Major w i th

fixed bayone t ; all h is (th e Boe r’

s ) men s tood up i n th e spru i t readyto shoo t us down i f w e hada t tempte d to fight , orde red the Majo r tosurre nde r, anda lso th e ba tte ry . The ba t te ry hadno chan ce wha te ve r todo any th ing. As the trap was la i d , so w e fe l l i n to i t . Now ,

as th e Major was ta l k i ng to the Boe r commande r, I turn ed my horseround (I was the n thre e ya rds from h im ) andwa l ked qu ie t ly to t h e

rea r of our bat te ry . When I got the re , pu tt ing spurs to my ho rse ,

I ga l loped for a ll I was worth t o te l l t he Co lone l to stop t he o the rba tte ry , as U Ba t te ry we re all pr i sone rs . I the n looked towa rds theba tte ry ; the Boe rs we re busy d isa rm ing them . I we n t a l i t t ledistan ce i n tha t d i re ct ion t o have a last look . By th is t ime the H ouseho l d Cava l ry hadcome up, andthe 14th H ussa rs they ha l ted , soonfound ou t what hadhappe ne d , andtu rne d round to re t i re . As theyd id so th e Boe rs ope ne d fi re on us . Th e bu l le ts came l i ke ha i lstone s . I t was a te rr i ble s ight . On e gun andit s team of horse sga l loped away ; by some me ans o r othe r i t was pu l le d up. I tookposse ss ion of i t , s t i l l unde r th is h eavy fire ,

and, find ing one of our

dr i ve rs , I pu t h im i n the whe e l , anddrove th e leade rs myse l f. We

hadbe twe e n us 1 4 ho rse s . I drove i n the lead for abou t s ix m i le s ,fo l lowi ng the cava l ry , who hadgone on t o se e i f w e cou l d g e tth rough . Eve n tua l ly , a fte r se ve ra l hours, I go t i n to sa fe quarte rs .

The l ist of loss was te rr i ble

Breve t -Major A . W . C . Boo th,NorthumberlandFus i l ie rs ; L ieuten an t P.

Crowle,Robe r ts

’s Horse ; L ie u t enan t I rv in e , A rmy M edica l S e rv ice (a t tach edto

Roy al Horse Art i l le ry ) , we re k i lled. Amon g th e woundedwe re : Bre ve t -Colon e lA . N . Roch fort

,Roy al Horse Ar t i l le ry , S tafi". Q Ba t te ry R oy al Horse A r t i l

lery—Capta in G . H umph rey s, L ieuten an t E . B. A shmo re,L ieu te n an t H . R .

Peck,L ieu tenan t D . J . Murch

,L ieu te n an t J . K . Wa l ch

,Tasman ian A r t i ll e ry

(at tached) . Roy al Horse Guards—L ie u ten an t th e Hon . A . V. M eade .

Robe r ts’

s Horse—Majo r A . W . Pack Be re sfo rd, Cap ta in Carring ton Smi th ,L ie ute n an t H . A . A . Dar ley ,

Lieutenan t W . H . M . K i rkwood. Mou n tedI n fan t ry—Major D . T . Cru ickshan k , z udEssex Reg imen t ; L ie u te nan t F .

R usse ll-Brow n,Roy a l Mun s te r Fus i l ie rs ; Lieuten an t P. C. Grove r, S h ropsh i re

Ligh t I n fan try (s in cede ad) ; L ieute n an t H . C. Hal l,No r th umbe r landFu s i l ie rs .

Woundedana’ M zsszhg—Cap ta in P. D . Dray , L ieute n an t andQuar te rmaste r

Hawk in s . M issing—Lie u tenan t H . R . Horne . R oy al Horse A rti lle ry .

I 3

The Transvaal WarCapta in H . Rouse , L ieuten an t G . H . A . Wh i te

,L ie ute nan t F . H . G . S tan ton

,

L ie u te n an t F . L . C. L iv ing stone -Lea rmon th . I st Northumbe rlandFus i l ie rs .

L ieute nan t H . S . Toppin . 2ndDuke of Cornwa ll ’s L igh t I n fan try .

L ie utenan t H . T. Can tan . I s t Yorksh i re L igh t I n fan try—Capta in G .G

.

O t t ley . Roy a l We s t Ken t R eg imen t. —L ie ute n an t R . J . T . H ildy ard. Capta inW ray , R oy al H orse Arti lle ry , S taff ; Capta in Dray , Robe r ts ’

s Ho rse ; L ie ute n an t th e Hon . D . R . H . Ande rson -Pe lham

,l o th Hussars ; L ie utenan t

C. W. H . Crich ton , l oth H ussa rs .

Th e casua l t i es a ll to ld numbe re d some 350, i n clud ing 200

m iss i ng. Reports d i ffe r rega rd i ng the st re ngth of th e e nemy .

Lord Robe rts e st ima te d i t a t 8000 to wh i le D e We t

de cla re d h e hadon ly about 1400 me n .

Al l tha t rema i ne d of U Ba tte ry was on e g un ,Major Tay lo r, a

se rge an t -majo r, a shoe i ng-sm i th , anda dr ive r !I n Q Ba t te ry, Capta i n H umphreys , L ieu te nants Pe ck , Ashmore ,

Murch we re wounde d,andth e la tte r two reported m iss i ng.

The who le of the grie vous S a turday a fte rnoon was spe nt by thega l lant docto rs i n te nd i ng th e n i ne ty or more of our brave woundedwho lay he lp le ss i n th e spru i t . They we re ca rr ie d to the she l te r ofth e t i n house s, andthe work of bandagi ng ande xtra ct i ng bu l le tsw as pursue d w i thout a mome n t ’s re laxa t ion . Th e remova l of t hesuffe re rs from the ne ighbourhood of the spru i t on theday fol lowingwas a sorry task , andt h e s igh t tha t pre se nted i tse l f t o th e ambu lancepa rty w as one whi ch was t oo shock i ng to be e ve r forgo tte n . I n thespru i t i tse l f t he wre ckage Of waggon s wh i ch hadbe e n loo te d by t heBoe rs cove red most of t he sce ne ,

and, i n te rspe rse d w i th them we rehorse s andca tt le ,

ma ime d , mut i la te d , anddead . W i th the se , i nghas t ly compan ionsh i p , we re th e bod ie s of s la i n so ld ie rs andblackwaggon—dri ve rs . The l i v i ng wounde d we re conveye d from th e

d isastrous v i c i n i ty i n ambu lan ce s andwaggons brought for themunde r the cove r i ng fire of t he guns, wh i ch swe pt th e le ngth of th er i ve r andde te rre d the e nemy from a ttempt i ng t o block the pas

sage of the me lancho ly pa rty . Th e Re publ i cans, howe ve r , firedv i c ious ly from adja ce nt kopj e s, but wi thout d isturbi ng the progre ssof the Ope ra t ions .

At noon Ge ne ra l F re nch ’s cava l ry , wi th Wave l l ’s Brigade , hadl e ft B loemfonte i n to occupy a pos i t ion on th e M odde r be twe e n G le na ndS anna ’

s Post , andke e p an eye on furthe r e ncroa chme n ts of the

Bo e rs . The e nemy ,on th e fa ta l Sa tu rday n igh t , hadde st roye d the

w a te rwo rks,thus forc i ng th e i nhab i tants of B loemfonte i n to fa l l

ba ck o n some i nsan i ta ry we l ls , a s a subs t i tute for wh i ch t he wate rwo rks hadbe e n e re cte d . H e re , on the i r de parture for Ladybrand ,t he y l e ft 1 2 o ffi ce rs a nd70 me n , who hadbe e n wounded in th efray ,

andwhom the y doubtle ss con s i de red m igh t be an e n cumbrancet o the i r future moveme n ts . The se we re conve yed by ambu lance toBlo emfon te i n .

14

Disaster at Kooru Spru i tAs an i nsta nce of Boe r treache ry ,

i t wa s s ta te d tha t t h e Fre eS ta te commandan t Pre to r ius, whose fa rm ove rlooke d th e spru i twhe re i n the ambuscade was a rrange d , hadgi ve n up a rms andtake nt h e oa th to re t i re to h is fa rm . Ye t on t he day o f th e d isaste rhe ledt h e Boe rs to th e a tta ck , wh i le t he membe rs of h is fam i ly

ASERU

BETHANIESSBERG

URESMIIH o usauore

EDENBURG

OMAFETENG3

OUXVILLE

DONKERSPOOR

5 67 MB OF M/Lf e?Ml le: no t o so

MAP I LLU STRAT ING THE M I L ITARY OPERAT IONS To TH E S . AND E . OF BLOEMFONTE IN .we re prom ine n t among th e loote rs of th e wre cked waggons.

Othe rta le s of crue l ty andi l l - trea tme nt andtre a che ry on the pa rt of th eBoe rs we re we l l au the n t i ca ted . I t is use less to repea t them

, bu t the

c i rcumstance s are me re ly note d to give an explana t ion for a changeof po l i cy wh ich wa s ne ce ss i tate d by the a ct ions of the e nemy—a

change wh i ch was, un fo rtuna te ly , adopted on ly whe n many martyrshadbe en made i n the cause of fo rbea rance .

I S

The Transvaal War

THE REDDERSBURG M ISHAP

Th e Boe rs , tr iumphan t w i th the i r succe ss a t Koorn Spru i t, scur

r ied to D ewe tsdorp, d rove out the B r i t ish de ta chme nt wh i ch hadbe e n posted the re by Ge ne ra l Ga ta cre ,

andon th e 4th of Apr i lcame i n for ano the r p ie ce of luck

,for wh i ch w e hadto pay by th e

loss of thre e compan ie s of Roya l I r ish R ifle s a ndtwo compan i e s o f

th e Nor thumbe rlandFuS Ihe r sTh e u n fo rtuna te occur re nce took pla ce ne a r Re dde rsbu rg .

somewha t t o t h e east of B e than ie Ra i lway S ta t ion . A pa rty of

i n fan try, co ns is t i ng of thre e compan ie s o f Roya l I r ish R ifl e s andtwo compa n ie s of th e N o rthumbe r land Fus i l ie rs

,who hadbe e n i n

o ccupa t ion of D ewe tsdo rp , ande ngaged on a pac ifica t ion miss ion ont he eas t of t he Fre e S ta te ,

we re orde re d on the 3rdto re t i re t o

Redde rsburg, a pla ce s i tua te d some th i rty - se ve n m i le s from B loemfon te i n andfi fty mi le s from Spr i ngfonte i n , whe re Ge ne ra l Ga tacrehadtake n up h is head - qua rte rs. I n the i r re t i reme nt the t roops, i t issa i d , took a somewha t unusua l de tour

, andthus, i f they d id no t

court , ran r isk of d isa ste r . Anyway ,they hadtrave l led abou t

four m i le s to th e eas t of the i r de st i na t ion whe n , a t M ost e rt s H ok ,

they we re surpr ise d to d iscove r a s t rong force of some 2 500

Boe rs . They we re st i l l more su rpr ise d to find tha t , wh i le theythemse l ve s we re una ccompan ied by a rt i l le ry , andwe re posse sse dof l i tt le re se rve ammun i t ion

, th e Dutchme n we re prov ided w i ththree or four fo rm idable guns. Thus, th e s i tua t ion from the fi rstwa s a la rm ing . Our me n , compa ra t i ve ly de fe nce le ss saw themse l ve shedge d i n by an ove rmas te r i ng horde . They qu i ckly occup ie d a

pos i t ion on a peake d h i l l r is i ng i n the ce ntre of ground s l i ce d andseamed w i thdry nu l lahs . The se popu la r have ns of re fuge we re a t

o nce se i zed by t he Boe rs andde ftly made use of. The Du tchme n ,unde r cove r of the dongas, crept cau t iously up on all s i de s of th e

kopj e , surround i ng i t andpour i ng cascade s of r ifl e -fi re on the sma l lexposed fo rce . I n no t ime the chan ce of re t rea t was ba rre d on all

s i de s, andthe re was no re sou rce bu t t o fight th rough . But un fo r tu

na te ly ,a s B ri t i sh ammun i t ion wa s l im i ted andt he B oe rs wa r i ly

ke pt we l l ou t o f range ,all tha t could be done was to pro long hos

t ilit ie s i n t he hope tha t de lay wou ld e nable re i n fo rceme nts fromBe than i e t o come to th e re scue . Bu t the se d i d no t a rr ive . Th e

Bo e rs , gra sp i ng the S i tua t ion , ga the re d courage andapproa che dn e a re r andn e are r . W i th th e dusk coming on a ndsom e 2 500 o f

the fo e ea lading them from th re e s ide s , t h e B ri t ish pos i t ion , as

ma y be i :In Ig Ine ,dwa s n o t a hope fu l on e . N e ve rthe le ss , th e Roya l

I r ish Rifle s di sp l aye d t he na t iona l sp i r i t of da re de v i l ry—“ fough tl i ke bri cks ,

"

some o ne sa i d—ne ve r los i ng he a rt unde r th e pe rs iste n ta tta cks of sho t a ndshe l l tha t con t i nue d t i l l n ightfa l l .

16

The Transvaal War

(e ighte en guns) , on t he ma rch t o B loemfonte i n , was at Be than ie ,abou t e le ve n m i le s from Re dde rsburg, on t h e n ight of Ap r i l 3 , andgo t t h e n ews of th e above -me n t ione d i n fan try be i ng surrounde dabou t I I R M . The men imme d ia te ly saddle d up, go t unde r a rms,andrema i ne d all n ight ready to move Off i n re l ie f, bu t d i d no t

re ce i ve o rde rs t odo so un t i l 8 A.M . on Apr i l 4, andthe n we re onlype rm i tte d t o pro ce ed a t a wa l k , cons tan tly ha l t i ng to wa te r t heho rse s . The re su l t of th e de lay was tha t the co lumn a rr i ve d jus ttoo la te

,andwas the n not e ve n a l lowe d to pursue the e nemy and

re lease th e pr isone rs, wh o we re dead bea t andcou l d no t poss i blyhave be e n hurr ie d a long . The re l ie f co lumn was manoeuvre d out

s i de th e town of Re dde rsbu rg dur i ng most of theday ,andthe n was

o rde re d to re turn to B e than ie ,bu t , whe n wi th i n a few mi le s of camp,

wi th th e ho rse s andme n t i re d ou t , a comple te change of i nst ruct ionswe re issue d , andth e co lumn was whe e le d abou t andto l d t o ma rchback andtake the town of Re dde rsbu rg . The Came ron H ighlande rs, who hadjust come off a t roopsh ip from Egyp t, andwe re ,

conseque n tly , qu i te u nfi t , cou ld ha rdly move ,but all hadt o turn , for

n o appa re nt reason , andma rch to the ground they hadle ft . The

mounte d i n fan try anda rt i l le ry t ro tte d back ando ccup ie d Redde rsburg abou t dusk

,wi th on ly on e casua l ty , v i z . an offi ce r Of moun te d

i n fan try ,andth e fo rce b ivouacke d, wi th ve ry l i tt le food , jus t ou ts i de

th e town .Abou t m i dn igh t

, the orde r was give n to re tu rn t o B e than ieaga i n , andth e men ,

w ho could hardly crawl , we re awake ned , th emarch re sumed

,andB e than ie was rea ched abou t 7 A.M . on Apri l 5,

a fte r grea t andunn e ce ssary d ist re ss bo th to me n andan ima ls,wh i le

no Obj e ct w a s ga i ne d , th e who le expe d i t ion be i ng a mise rable fiasco,

d ishearte n i ng andhumi l ia t i ng to e ve ry on e pre se nt .“To whom blame is a t tr i bu table i t is d i ffi cu l t to say , as th e

o ffi ce r i n command se eme d no t to have a fre e hand , bu t to be

d i re cted by wi re s re ce i ved a t i n te rva ls, wh i ch must have take n fiveo r s ix hours to reach h im . E i the r th e re l ie f ought ne ve r to havebe e n a ttempted , or i t ought to have be e n ca rr ie d ou t e xped i t ious lya ndw i th de te rm ina t ion .Mr. Purve s , who ,

as a lance - corpo ra l w i th one of th e Ambu lanceCorps , w as i n t h e th i ck of th e fray ,

gave a graph i c de scr ipt ion of theunhappy a ffa i r

“ R e ach i ng Dewe tsdorp on the morn ing of S unday , Apri l I s t,w e first

be came awa re th at our progress was be ing wat ch edby th e Boe rs . Just as wewe re abou t to camp outs ide th e dorp, our scouts exchangeda few S hots withth ose o f th e e n emy . Bey onda temporarydisarrangeme n t of our p lan s, noth ingh appe ned, as the ma i n body o f th e e n emydidno t show at all, andth ings qu ie teddow n t i l l n igh t fa l l

,wh e n ano th e r ala rmw as causedby th e a rriva l of th e Moun ted

I n fan try (Roya l I r ish R i fle s andNorthumberlandFus i l ie rs) , who were mistakenby our people fo r Boe rs

,as th e i r arriva l was unexpe c ted

,andour presen ce in

18

The Reddersburg M ishapth e pos it ion occup iedby us was a su rprise to th em. Th e Moun tedI n fan tryac tua l lydismoun te d to pre pare for bus ine ss, whe n for tuna te ly a mutua l re cogn it ion took p lace , anda h earty g ree ting to th e brave fe llows who we re to be ar th ebrun t of the coming ac t ion was e x te ndedby our force . Cap ta in Casson

(one of the first to fa l l at Mos te r t s Hock) commandedth e n ew - come rs . Afte ra n igh t ’s res t

,w e s tartedaga in on th e march

,wh ich con tinuedwi tho ut e ven t ti l l

Tuesday , 3rd, whe n our scout s at came back with th e n ews that th ee n emy we re upon us

,mak ing for two kopje s in fron t of us . Bo th o f th e se we re

immedia te ly crown edby our l i ttle force of 440—th e above -me n tion edMoun ted

I n fan try ,with some of t h e R oya l I rish R ifle s tak ing the no r th e rn kopj e

,and

th e rema inder of th e Royal I rish R ifle s that to th e south . R ifle fi r ing openeda t on ce , andg radua lly g rew h otte r ti ll abou t 2 P.M . ,

wh en th e Boe rs ope n edwith art i l le ry , four g un s be in g brough t in to p lay in pos i t ion s that e nable d th emto swe ep our two l in e s . Fortunate ly , t he fi r ing was mos t e rra t ic, andli ttle or

nodamage wasdone by th e sh e lls. Vol ley fi re from th e Roy al I r ish R ifle ssoon put one of th e g un s out of action . We h adno ar t i l le ry , andth e won de ris tha t we he ldth e pos i t ion , e x tendedas i t was far bey on d what seemedtenab leto so smal l a force , for th e long t ime w e did. Th e beare rs of C Company ,Cape Medical S taff Corps

,hada pa rti cu la rly wa rm t ime of i t . S en t as they

we re at th e comme n cemen t of th e ac t ion r igh t on to th e figh ting l in e , they stuckt o th e i r posts till th e ve ry last without any cover, andon ly re t i redwi th th e lastl ine of strag g l ingdefende rs, who wo rkedthe i r w ay back th rough adeadly h a i lof bu lle ts

,e xp los ive andoth e rwise

,to th e i r own camp

,afte r th e Boe rs h adwon

th eday . Th e firstday ’

s fi gh t lastedti l l darkness, wh en w e triedto snatchsome re s t—a luxury that came to few . Nex t morn ing a t foundus sn ip in ga t on e ano the r prio r to th e fo re noon fire that soon kept e ve ry on e busy a t a ll

po in t s. At 8 th e art i l l e ry commen cedfi ring , andth e figh t became fie rce r t i l labout 9 , when our men on th e n or th kopje

,unab le to con te ndaga in st th e fear

ful odd s,h ois tedth e wh i te fl ag , andth e Boe rs on th at s ide r ush edth e pos i t ion

,

andwe re thus ab le to pour a murderous fi re in to th e un fortun ate Roy a l I rishR ifle s on th e south e rn he igh t

, who, wh i le th e i r a tten t ion was r ive tedon th e

en emy on th e i r fron t,w e re in ignorance of wh at was go ing on in th e i r rear for

a wh i le . When th ey turnedto reply to th e re ar a t tack,th e i r pos i t ion was

taken,andt he poor fe l lows

,accompan iedby n ine of th e s tre t ch e r- beare rs

,h ad

to run for th e hospi tal,distan t 600 ya rds, under a fe arful cross-fire . S eve ra l of

t h e R ifle s we re k i l led,bu t th e be are rs e scapedmarve llously . Th e hosp i tal

,

wh i ch was p i t che d be tween th e two kopjes,suffe redfrom th e sh e l l ing , andwas

in i tse lfdange ro us ; wh i le , to addto th e risk,a tre n ch th rown up to p ro te c t th e

s i ck was mis taken by th e Boe rs for a r ifl e - tren ch , andbe came a ma rk for th e i rspe c ial at te n t ion . On e she ll burst near th e operat ing- ten t w h i le th e su rg eon swe re at work on a woundedman

,andr iddledth e ten t

,fortunat e ly h i tting n o

one . Anoth e r bang edin to a buck waggon . A th i rdcut a mule in h a lves . Asl igh t bru ise on th e knee was th e on ly hurt suffe redby any of th e Hosp i talCorps . Ourde adnumbe redt en

,whom w e buriedon th e ba t t le -fie ld

,p lac ing

ove r th e grave a n eat lydre ssedandle t te reds tone , exe cutedby Pr ivate Bu ckland

,C Medica l S taff Corps . Two of th e woundeddiedafterwards in th e t em

porary hosp i tal at R eddersburg , andare bu r iedin th e ceme te ry th ere . Th e

wounded,th i rty - two in n umbe r

,we re sen t down from Be th an ie to one of th e

base hosp i tals,for t re atmen t in the con va lesce n t stage . En ough pra ise cannot

be g iven to th e warm- h eartedpeop le of th e Dutch v i l lage of R eddersbu rg . I tma t te rednot that w e were Bri t ish . The i r all was p lacedat ourdisposal

,and

to th e i r generos i ty much of our succe ss wi th th e woundedis to be at tr ibuted.”I 9

The Transvaal War

The casua l t ie s we re as fo l lowsK illed—Cap ta in F . G . Casson

,Northumbe rlandFus i l ie rs ; 2ndL ieut . C.

R . Ba rc lay , No r t humbe rlandFusi lie rs . D a ng er ously Wounded—Cap ta in W.

P. D imsda le,R oy al I r i sh R ifle s . Wounded—L ieu t . E . C . Bradfo rd

,

R oy al I rish R ifle s . Captu r ed—Cap ta in Ten nan t, Roy al A r t i l le ry ; 2ndL ie ut.But le r

,Durham Ligh t I nfan t ry , a ttach edto No rthumbe r landFus i lie rs ; Cap ta in

W. J . M cw h in n ie , R oy a l I rish R ifle s ; Capta in A . C. D . S pe n ce r,R oy al I rish

R ifle s ; Capta in Ke lly , R oyal I rish R ifle s ; z udL ie u t . E. H . S aunders,R oya lI r ish R ifle s ; 2mdL ieu t . Bowen -Colthurst, R oy al I rish R ifle s ; 2ndL ieut .

S out ry ,R oy a l I r i sh R ifle s, andall rema in ing ran k andfi le .

Lieut . S tacpole (Northumbe rland Fus i l ie rs) was a lso wounde don the 4 th . H e was r i d i ng for re i n fo rceme nts , andas h e approa che dRe dde rsburg, unknowing the place w as i n th e hands of the Boe rs, h ew as gree te d wi th sho ts wh i ch k i l le d h is horse , wounde d h im , andplace d h im a t t he me rcy of th e e nemy , by whom h e was captured .Th e B oe rs i n the i r re t rea t, howe ve r, le ft the i r pr isone rs beh i nd .Th e to ta l of k i l le d andwounde d numbe re d be twe e n 50 and1 50. The stre ngth of th e B r i t ish was 1 67 mounted i n fantry, 4 24i n fantry . The e nemy we re sa i d to be 3200 strong.Th e unlucky te rm ina t ion of th e affa i r comple ted th e easte rn

flank ing movemen t Of th e Boe rs , who we re now t r i ck l i ng ove r th ecountry from S anna

’

s Pos t on t he sou th to a po i n t east of J age rsfonte i n road . They soon he l d th e Fre e S ta te east of th e ra i lwaybeyond B e thu l ie , andcons i de rable numbe rs we nt sou th towardsSmithfie ldandRouxv i l le ,

the i r de te rm i na t ion , a fte r the i r re ce n tsucce sse s

,be i ng to harass t h e B r i t ish force as much as poss i ble . I t

was now be com ing e v i de n t tha t all th e pre se nt t rouble wasdue to

ove r- le n ie n cy , andi t began t o be u rge d tha t some measu re s mustbe adopted wh i ch wou l d e nsu re for th e conque rors of th e e nemy

’

s

country the re spe ct tha t was due to them . The huma n i tar ia na t t i tude of Lord Robe rts hadprodu ce d an un looke d-for re su l t . Th e

Commande r - ia -Ch ie f hada t tempte d to adm in iste r just i ce for a se ve nt e e n th - ce n tury pe ople on the e th i cs of those o f the n i ne tee n th , andthe expe rime n t hadprove d d isastrous . Th e e nemy ,

fa r from be i ngimpre ssed by the show Of magnan im i ty , was laugh i ng In h is s lee ve a t

h is immun i ty from pa i ns andpe na l t ie s . Our t roops we re fo rced nowt o move i n a coun try whe re nea rly e ve ry man was a foe or a spy ,

a ndon e w ho,more ove r, thought meanly of us for t he conce ss ions

whi ch h : Idbe e n made . As an i nstance of contrast be twe e n our own

a ndthe Du tchman ’s mode of dea l i ng w i th those cons i de red as re be ls,a n i ns truct i ve s to ry was to ld . A Fre e S ta te bu rghe r a t the outse t ofhos t i l i t ie s e I

-I te redthe I mpe r ia l se rv i ce as a conducto r of t ransport .

I t w Is a no n comb I t I n t ’s o ccupa t ion , andon e for wh i ch h e was fi tte d ,owing t o h is kn owl edge o f th e Ka ffi r andD utch language s. Th isman w a s capture d by the Boe rs , who,

de cla r i ng h im to be a re be l ,20

The Escape of Pri soners from Pretoriai n stantly sho t h im dead . We , on t he o the r hand , a ccep ted an

obso le te r ifle ,a fl in t - lock e lephant gun be longi ng to th e days of the

G re a t Trek pe rhaps, as a peace -Offe ri ng andthe n to ld t he re be l togo away andturn ove r a new lea f. H is n ew lea f re so l ved i tse l f i n tounea rth ing Mause rs andMa rt i n is, andpopping a t us from t he fi rs tconve n ie n t kopj e - if not from th e windows of h is fa rmTo th is cause may be a t tr i bu ted th e sudde n re turn of so- ca l ledi l l- luck

,wh i ch se emed e p idemi c . Apri l hadbrought w i th i t a n

a la rm ing l ist of losse s a t Sanna ’

s Post, whi ch was fo l lowed by a

gr ievous tota l o f k i l led, wounded , andmiss i ng—five compan ies lostto us—a t Re dde rsburg. We had, moreove r , d i squ ie t i ng daysa round Thaban chu , Ladybrand , andRouxv i l le , andwe re be i ngfo rcedgradua l ly ,

andno t a lways grace ful ly , to re treat . For i nstance ,

i n th e re t i reme n t from Rouxv i l le . four compan ie s of th e Roya l I r ish ,some Que e nstown andKa ffrar ian R ifle s, hadme re ly e scape d bywha t i n vu lga r phrase w e te rm “

the sk i n o f the i r te e th . I t wasme re ly owing t o t he sma rtne ss of G e ne ra l B rabant , who se n t twosquadrons of Borde r H o rse from Al iwa l No rt h to t h e re scue , tha tthe sma l l force e scaped be i ng cut Off. Th is O ffice r ’s l i t tle bandga rr ison ing Wepe ne r was meanwh i le begi nn i ng to te st the Boe r forceIn ea rne st .

TH E ESCAPE OF PR I SONERS FROM PRETOR IAAt th is t ime grea t e xc i temen t pre va i le d owing t o th e e scapefrom Pre tor ia of Capta i n H a ldane , D .S .O . (Gordon H ighlande rs) ,who was capture d a fte r t he d isaste r to t he a rmou re d tra i n a t Ch ieve ley ;of Li e utenan t Le M e su r ie r (Dubl i n Fus i l ie rs) , who was take n pr isone rw i th Co lone l Moe l le r’s force afte r the ba ttle of G le ncoe ; andofS e rgeant B rock ie , a Co lon ia l vo lunte e r . The se Offi ce rs hada moreadve nturous task than e ve n tha t of Mr . Church i l l, for s i n ce th e war

corre sponde nt ’s e scape th e Boe rs hadnatura l ly take n add i t iona lpre cau t ions, andhadmounted extra gua rd ove r the i r pr isone rs .

The o ffice rs most inge n iouslv contr ived to d ig a tre nch unde rnea ththe floo r of th e prison , andhe re they h i d themse l ve s. For e igh te e nlong days they rema i ne d crampe d In th is sma l l unde rground ho le , i nthe da i ly e xpe cta t ion tha t t he o the r o ffi ce rs andthe i r guards we reabout to be transfe rre d to n ew quarte rs, whe n a chance of e scapewou ld be o ffe red .Capta i n Ha ldane gave e xc i t i ng de ta i ls of h is adve nture s i n

B/aoéwood’s M ag az in e ; bu t , be fo re dea l i ng wi th them, i t is i n tere st ing t o cons i de r the pos i t ion of the vast congrega t ion of B r i t ishOffi ce rs tha t hadgradua l ly be e n co l le cted wi th i n th e confine s of th e

Mode l S choo l . Cur iously e nough , a fte r all th e fight ing,the sum

tota l of prisone rs of war on bo th s i de s was now nea rly equa l . By2 1

The Transvaal War

th e 2 3rdof Ma rch th e Boe r pr isone rs i n our hands we re 5000,

wh i le th e B r i t i sh p r isone rs i n P re to r ia numbe re d some 3466 . S i n cetha t da te , th rough va r ious un lucky a cc i de nts, t h e Boe rs hadcapture dsome 1000 more of our t roops , andthus e a rly i n Apr i l the e nemya lmost e qua l le d us i n th e mat te r of capture !

Th e Mode l S choo l sta nds i n th e ce ntre of th e town . I t iscommod ious, though de vo i d of pr i va cy (on t h e pr i nc ip le of a

boys’ dorm i tory) we l l ve nt i la te d, l ighte d w i th e le ctr i c i ty , androofe d

TH E M OD EL SCHOOL, PRETOR IA .wi th co rruga te d i ron . At the t ime o f the e scape the re was a

gymna s ium, anda lso a sca l i ng- ladde r aga i nst the wa l l,wh i ch

sugge s ted i nfin i te poss i b i l i t ie s to such me n as Capta i n H a ldane ,

who hada ll t h e e xc i t i ng h is tor ie s of La tude,

” “ J a ck She ppa rd,

”

Ind“ Monte Chris to ”

a t h is finge rs ’

e nds . Th e re we re roughscre ens to e nclos e some of th e cubi cle s , andthe wa l ls i n somecase s we re de co r ated w i th cut t i ngs from t he i l lustra te d pape rs ,o r wi th h umo rous ske tch e s made by ta le n te d ama te urs . Two of

the se we re e spe c ia lly admi red , a chase a fte r P re s i de n t S teyn pe rsona lly co nd ucte d by Lo rd Robe rts , anda ca r i ca ture of Pre s i de nt

2 2

The Escape of Prisoners from Pretor i aKruge r, wh i ch la t te r was h ighly appre c ia ted e ve n by th e Boe rswhen i t came unde r the i r no t i ce .

Th e spe c ia l nook of the Rev . Adr ian H o fmeye r, who hadmadeh imse l f i nto a ge ne ra l favour i te ,

andwas lacon i ca l ly de c la red to bea

“ regu lar bri ck,” was th e most de cora t i ve of a ll, be i ng made gayw i th va r ious scraps of co lour andde s ign t o che e r the weary eye .

By th is t ime t he reve re nd ge n tleman , hav i ng hada more try i ngexpe rie nce of i n ca rce ra t ion than most , hadgot to look upon th eMode l S choo l i n the l igh t of re s i de nt ia l chambe rs , andconso le do the rs wi th th e a ccount of h is own e xpe rie nces. H is s tory was not

an e nl i ve n i ng oneI was lodgedin th e common ja i l

,Cronj e ’s law adv iser hav ing in formed

h im i t wo uldno t be lega l to shoot me . Cronje con se quen t ly though t th e bestth ing todo wou ld be anoth e r i l lega l i ty , n ame ly , imprison a non - comba tan t andcorre sponden t . M r. Cronje h as ample time to -day in S t . H e le n a to medi tateupon th is andoth e r i lle gal acts of h is. I was lockedup in a ce ll e igh teen fee tby n in e fee t, andfor th e fi rst few day s w as a l lowedto h ave my me als at

th e hote l . S oon,howe ve r

,th is l ibe rty was taken away , for i t provedtoo

much for th e Ch ristian charity of th e Zeerust burghe rs to see a desp isedp r isone r of w ar marchedup anddown from th e ho te l to th e ja i l under pol icee scort. Othe r re str i ction s we re soon imposedalso

,andafte r a l i tt le wh i le

I w as lockedupday andn igh t,th e door Of th e unven ti latedce l l be in g open

on ly th re e t ime s a day for fi ftee n minutes at a time . NO books nor paperswe re a l lowe d me , no v is i tors , andth e few loy al friends wh o triedto supp ly mewi th lux u r ie s we re c rue l ly forb idde n to do so by th e authorit ie s . I cannoth e lp th in k ing to-day of th e strange irony of fate . Th e commande rs who praet isedth is crue lty upon me we re Cronje andS nyman . Th e one is to-day a

prison e r of war,andcan

,perhaps, put h imse lf in my p lace . H e is an old

pe rsonal acqua in tan ce,too .

The wo rthy padre w as a fte rwa rds removed , andgave a furthe rde sc r ipt ion of h is e xpe r ie nce s .

Afte r e igh t we e ks of such l ife I w as taken to Pre toria,andthere quarte red

in th e S taats Mode l S choo l with th e Bri t ish office rs . Here e ve ry th ing was

be t te r,andI qu i ck ly re coveredmy h ea lth ands tren gth . Th e bu i lding was a

magn ifice n t on e,andth e surroundings ve ry p leasan t , bu t our j a i le r, a Land

drost , andour guards, th e Zarps , n eve r forgot to remindus of th e fact th at w ewe re pri sone rs . Th e foodwe got from Gove rnme n t sufficedfor one meal ; th erest w e h adto buy , be ing cha rg edmost e xorb i tan t p r i ce s . Wh en I left , th eoffice rs

’ mess amoun tedto £ 1600 pe r mon th for 144 offi ce rs . On my arrival,I was askedby th e office rs to conduct se rv i ce for th em e ve ry Sunday , in

addi t ion to th at h e ldby an Ang lican cle rgyman . For two S unday s, therefore ,we hadtwo se rv i ces a day , andth e n W ins ton Church i l l e scaped

,andth e

fo l lowing extraordinary letter was sen t the office rs by th e Ang l ican cle rgyman

GENTLEMEN,—By th e k indcourte sy of th e Gove rnme n t

,I h ave been per

mi t tedto holdse rv i ce s for you in conn e ction with th e Ch u rch of Eng land,wh i ch serv ices I have fe l t i t a priv i l ege on my part to conduct. After what h asre cen tly occurred—viz . th e escape of Mr . Church i l l from confinemen t—I ex

2 3

The Transvaal Warceeding ly reg re t tha t , in con s ide rat ion of my duty to t h e Gove rnme n t

,I must

discon tinue s uch regu lar min is tration s, as Ides ire to ma in ta in th e honour dueto my pos i tion . Of course I sha ll alway s be g ladto min iste r to y ou in anyemerge n cy , with th e spe c ial permiss ion of th e authori t ies

,wh o wi ll

,with the i r

usual k indne ss,duly inform me .—Wi th my best wish e s, I am, gen t lemen , yours

s in ce re ly ,Out of cha r i ty , I do no t pub l ish th e re ve rendgen t leman ’

s n ame,

1 but Ican addthat ‘ th e eme rgen cy ’ re fe rredto n e ve r pre sen tedi t se lf. S iiI ce thatt ime

,I h adth e p leasu re andhonour of conducting th e serv ice s every S unday ,

andthey we re th e p leasan te st h ours I spen t in pr ison . Our sing ing was so

hearty andgood, that many of th e town sfolk st ro lledup of a S unday mo rn ingto h ear us .

As may be imagi ne d, a ll manne r of de v i ces we re i n ve n ted for th epurpose of se cu r i ng news, th e on ly i n te l l ige n ce of ou ts i de e ve ntscom i ng t o th e u nhappy pr isone rs th rough t he S i anda rdandD igg e r s

’

N ews, whi ch journa l, of course , dwe l t gloa t i ngly on B r i t ish d isaste rs .

But the autho r i t ie s we re susp i c ious . One day a ha rmon ium was

remove d , owing to the t reasonable pra ct i ce Of pe rform i ng “ Godsave the Que e n on ano the r, a che r ishe d te rr ie r w as ban ishe d , ashe was de cla re d to be a smuggle r, andcha rge d w i th the cr ime of

ca rry i ng no te s i n h is tai l ! Bu t a t last, an i nge n ious ruse was suc

ce ssfully pe rpe tra ted . A man , accompa n ie d by a dog ,came t o the

ra i l i ngs andthe re e ngage d i n a pr i va te d ia logue , wh i ch savou re d ofthe man iaca l , t i l l th e eage rly l is te n i ng Office rs d iscove re d tha t the remight be me thod i n th e s trange man ’s madne ss . A sample of the

sce ne was gi ve n by the corre sponde n t Of th e S tanda rd:“ ‘Wou ld you l i ke a swim ? ’

aske d the maste r, andth e dogwi th a wag of h is ta i l , answe re d ‘Yes.

’ ‘ Ladysmilzh is all r igh t,con t i nue d th e man , andth e ta i l wagge d asse nt . ‘We w i l l comeaga i n , ’ sa i d t he maste r, andthe dog agre e d . F or a t ime t h e

pr i sone rs thought h im mad, th is man with thedog who ta lke d i n h isbeard , andm ixe d h is dog ta l k w i th such name s as Ladysmi th ,

’

Ma fek ing, ’ ‘Cronje ,’ Robe rts .

’ The n th e t ru th dawned on them ,andth e ‘ D og M an

’ be came a he ro,whose com ing was wa tche d

wi th longing, andwhose mu tte r i ngs i n h is bea rd we re ‘

as coo lwa te rs to the th i rsty sou l , ’ or as

‘ good news from a far coun try .

’

On e day th e D og M an’

was m i ss i ng, andthe re was lam e nta t ion ,un t i l , look i ng towa rds th e house oppos i te , th e pr isone rs saw h imstand ing we l l ba ck i n th e passage ,

a t the e n trance t o wh ich two gi rlske p t wa tch . The ‘ D og M an’

was wav i ng h is ha t i n e cce n tr i cfash ion , a ndth e wav i ng was found t o be legible to those who unde rs tand s igna l l i ng . N e xt mo rn i ng a t i ny flag was subst i tu te d for th eha t , a ndcommun i ca t ion be twe e n th e o ffi ce rs andth e D i re ctor ofI e leg raphs w as e stabl ishe d by flag s igna l .

”

T he pr i sone rs e nde avou red toO

ke ep up an a ir i ocosity ,though ,

1 Th e R e v. J . God frey .24

The Escape of Prisoners from Pretoriaa s one confe ssed , the i r tempe rs we re ve ry short andi n c l i ne d to becap t ious.

” N a tura l ly the i r occupa t ions we re l im i te d , andi t was no t

unusua l to se e ga l lant commande rs e ngage d i n da rn i ng the i r socks ,or wash ing the i r c lo the s unde r the pump . The i r a t t i re , too ,

wa s not

o f the cho i ce st , some of them hav i ng be e n accommoda te d whe n s i ckw i th su i ts te chn i ca l ly known as “

s lops , purchase d fo r a low p r i cei n J ohanne sburg. H e nce on e o ffi ce r d isporte d h imse l f i n cho i cepe a

-gre en , wh i le ano the r figu red i n r i ch ye l low . The se pr ison su i tswe re sca rce ly be com ing, pa rt i cu la rly as many of the sma rte s t o f thesma rt we re growing bea rds , or , i f no t bea rds , t h e unga i n ly ch i n tu ftor

“ Cha rley ,

” wh ich de st roye d the i r mart ia l aspe ct . Some t ime sthey e ngage d i n game s, bumble puppy andthe l i ke ,

andoccas iona l lye xpande d to o the r spo rts . A le tte r from a spr ightly membe r of theband to t he E ton Colleg e C/zr on iele de scr i bed th e humorous s i de of

the i r da i ly l i fe“M OD E L SCHOOL, PRETOR IA .

“ DEAR MR . ED ITOR,—Wh i lst fo llowing th e fo rtun e s of oldEton ian s in

S outh A fr i ca,pe rhaps i t may have e scapedyour no t ice that a smal l andun

happy bandh as a l re ady re ach edPre toria . M r. R awlin s ’s House is repre sen tedby Capta in R ica rdo (Roya l Horse Gua rds) , andH . A . Chandos- Po le -G e l l(Co ldstream Gua rds) ; Mr. Carte r’s by Majo r Fos te r (R oyal Arti l le ry ) th e lateMr. Dalton ’

s,Mr. Ainge r ’s , andMr. Luxmore ’s respe ct ive ly by M . Tris tram

(1 2 th Lan ce r s) , G. Smy th -Osbourn e (De von sh ire R eg ime n t) , andG . L . Bu tler(Roy a l A rti l le ry ) ; andM r. Corn ish ’s by G . R . Wake (Nor th umbe r landFus il ie rs) . Th e h is to r ie s of th e i r se parate captu re s wou ldtake up too much of

y our val uab le space . S ome have be e n he re but a S hort t ime,some many

wee ks ; anddurin g th e i r captiv i ty th e i r though ts turn edto oldEtonday s, andth e game of five s re commendedi tse lf to th em as a mean s of pass ing some of

th e many we a ry hou rs . Th e re was n o“ pepper-box ,” or

“deadman’

s ho le ”

;b ut a room,two of whose wa l l s ma in ly cons istedof w indows

,with th e aidof

t h re e cupboards anda p ie ce of cha lk,was qu ick ly con ve rtedin to a five s court .

En t ries for a Pub l ic S choo ls’ tourn ame n t we re n ume rous,Eton sending th re e

pa i rs . Tr istram andGe ll unan imously e le c tedthemse lve s to repre se n t Eton ’

s

fi rst pa i r, close ly fo llowedby Eton I I . , R i ca rdo andOsbou rn e,Eton I I I . be ing

Wake andBu t le r. Th e fac ts that Tris t ram h adre ce n tly be e n pe r forate d wi thMause r bu l le ts,andGe ll h adspen t Ch r i s tmas andth e th re e pre ceding we e ks

in th e various ja i ls be twee n Modde r R iver andBloemfon te in ,we re n odoubt

re spon s ible for t he i r no t carry ing off th e cove tedt rophy . A las ! they we rebadly be aten in th e first roundby Ma rlborough . No t so Eton I I . andI I I . ,wh o carr iedt he Ligh t Blue successful ly in to th e se condround

,bo th h av ingdrawn by e s . Th is goodfortune couldn o t las t

, andthey fe l l h eav i ly a t th e

se condve n ture,be ing beate n by We l l ing ton andR ugby re spe c t ive ly . Th e

ul t ima te winn e rs p rovedto be We l l ington ,after a desperate e n coun te r with

Ch ar te rhou se .

“ So much for our p leasure s ; our t ro ub le s are leg ion ,bu t w e wi ll no t

burde n you wi th them. We da i ly e xpe c t to h ear of t he sharin g theh ardsh ips of th e campa ign , andcove ring th emse lve s with g lo ry to th e tune of

“ FLOREAT ETONA.

P . S .—We all hope to be a t E ton on th e 4th of J une .

F ee. 14, 1900

The Transvaal War

(Cur iously e nough, the 4th of J une brought to a c lose the deadlype r iod o f durance v i le . On tha t da te the ga l lant crew spe nt the i rlas t n igh t as pr isone rs !)

To re turn t o Capta i n H a ldane andh I s pa rtne rs i n adve n tu re .

Eve r s i n ce Mr. Chu rch i l l ’s e scape h e hadra cked h is bra i ns t o

d iscove r a means of e scape ,andhadmade mu l t i fa r ious plans, many

of wh i ch we re rej e cte d as abso lute ly hope less, wh i le many othe rsfa i le d a fte r e fforts wh i ch te st ifie d to the pe rseve rance andi nge nu i tyof the i r i nve n to rs . I t w as no easy ma t te r a fte r M r. Chu rch i l l

’

s

e xplo i t to h i t on a means of e vad i ng the wi ly andnow a le rt Boe r .Th e gua rd we re a rme d w i th r i fle s , re vo l ve rs, andwh is t le s , andasthe se cons iste d of some th i rty men ,

who furn ished n i ne se ntr ie s i nre l ie fs of four hours, the re was l i t t le hope of e scap i ng the i r v ig i lance .

Fo rtuna te ly th e pr isone rs, such as hadpla i n clo the s i n the i r posse ss ion , we re pe rm i tte d to wea r them, o the rw ise the dre am of fre e domcou l d sca rce ly have be e n i ndu lge d i n . B ri be ry was n o t to be

thought of, anda re pe t i t ion of Mr. Church i l l ’s de spe ra te dash for fre edom w as imposs i ble . I t rema i ne d , the re fo re , for Capta i n H a ldaneandh is co l league s t o i nve n t a n ew andi nge n ious me thod of bu rs t i ngthe i r bonds . An e ffo rt to cut th e e le ctr i c w i re s t o throw th e pla cei n da rkne ss wh i le they sealedth e wa l ls , prove d a sorry fa i lure ,

anda t last , hav i ng tr ie d th e roo f ando the r po i n ts of egre ss andfoundthem wan t i ng

, the compan ions h i t on t he happy i dea o f burrowi nga subte rranean pla ce of concea lme n t . H e re they thought to scrapeon andon t i l l they bored a tunne l i n to the ope n ! The d iscove ry of

a trap- door i n th e planks unde r one of th e be ds le nt impe tus to the i rde s igns, andthey arrange d to e xcava te a rou te d iagona l ly unde r thest re e t , andso pass i n to t he ga rde ns of th e ne ighbour i ng house s.

M a rve l lous Was th e pa t ie nce andpe rse ve rance wi th wh i ch they ,

a lmost too l le ss—with only scraps of b iscu i t t i ns andsc rewdr i ve rsto i led da i ly i n the accompl ishme n t of the i r plan , andpa the t i c the i rd ismay whe n the i r tunne l fin ishe d up by land ing them in se ve ra lfe e t of wa te r w i th a promise of mo re to come . But they we re i ndefa t igabl e . Capta i n Ha l dane ,

l i ke the grea t Napo leon , a rgued tha tt he wo rd imposs i ble was on ly to be found i n the d i ct iona ry of fools .

Rumours tha t th e pr isone rs we re to be removed to a new bu i ld ingi n two o r th re e days on ly contr i ve d to re nde r the consp i ra tors morede spe ra te i n the i r crav i ng t o be a t large ,

andaga i n th e trapdoo r sys tem was d iscussed . The young men de te rm i ne d on

re v ised ope ra t ions , andh i t on th e plan of l i v i ng unde rground int h e c ave the y shou ld dig ,

thus d isappea r i ng from Boe r ke n andconve y i ng th e i de a tha t they hada l ready bo l te d, le av i ng as e v ide n ceo f fl igh t th e i r th re e empty beds ! H e re they proposed t o wa i tt i l l , the hue -a nd- c ry a fte r them hav i ng cease d , andth e pr i son doorsh av ing be e n o pe n ed fo r th e remova l o f th e o the r o ffi ce rs

,they coul d

26

The Escape of Prisoners from Pre torias l i n k forth a t the i r le isure . Bu t the change of pr ison d id no t comet o pa ss as soon as expe cted . Th e emp ty be ds to l d the i r ta le ; th eplace was se a rched , t h e crouch i ng crea ture s i n the i r burrow hea rdthe t ramp of a rmed me n above them , vo i ce s i n close con fe re nce , anda fte rwa rds t h e depa rt i ng foo tsteps of thediscomfi t edBoe r de te ct i ve s .

I t was de c ide d tha t t he pr isone rs we re gone , andfurthe r repo rt,ampl ifie d by Kaffi r imagi na t ion , de cla red tha t they we re a l readyon the i r way to Ma fek i ng ! S t i l l , though sa fe from d iscove ry , th e

plo t te rs we re far from comfortable . Food i n ve ry me agre quan t i t ie swas smuggled through th e trap-doo r, t i l l a t last , famine be i ng th emothe r of re source , by a proce ss o f wha t they ca l led s ignalg rams,

the i r wan ts andi n te nt ions we re conveye d to those above . The nwhe n the appo i n te d raps gave no t i ce of th e ope n ing of the myst e r ious porta l, po tted mea ts ando the r luxur ie s we re l i be ra l ly passeddown . And he re ,

i n th is ve n t ila t ion le ss, m iry ho le ,i n darkne ss and

dank -sme l l i ng a tmosphe re , they grope d a we ary e x iste nce , dar i ngne i the r t o cough , nor sne e ze , nor wh ispe r, le st d iscove ry shou ld robthem of succe ss . The y we re unwashe d—so grimy as t o be un re cogn isable e ve n to themse lve s—they we re crampe d andcove re d w i thbru ise s, brought abou t by bump i ng the i r heads aga i nst th e dome of

th e i r low dwe l l i ng ; they we re o fte n hungry ands le e ple ss, bu t theywe re buoye d up wi th a vas t amoun t of hope andpluck .

D ay a fte rday spe d on wi th unvary i ng monotony , andgradua l lyhope began to e xude a t th e pore s . S ix days passed , andtheythought pa t ie nce hadcome to the endof he r te the r . They longe dto ho l d themse l ve s upr ight , to se e day l igh t , to ea t the i r quantum of

food, and, above all, to hea r t h e sound of the i r own vo i ces . But

st i l l they he ld on—longe r , longe r. Eve ry day they knew madethe i r chance Of e scape more se cu re ,

for th e author i t ie s i n Pre tor ia ,

assure d of the i r depa rture , hadnow ceased e ve n from the hab i tua ln i ne days of wonde rme nt rega rd i ng the i r fate . The n they begant o d ig andburrow s t i l l furthe r, th is t ime wi th the ass istance of a

bayone t anda skewe r,andfor days anddays pursued the i r s i le nt ,

se cre t work , i n hope t o d ig a channe l some th i rty fe e t long torea ch the hosp i ta l yard be yond th e Mode l S choo l . M eanwh i lethey sto re d food in prepa ra t ion for the gre a t jou rney , andl iste nedacute ly for news of the proposed trans fe r of th e prisone rs t o o the rquarte rs . At last they hadthe i r rewa rd . A no te was passeddown to say tha t th e o ffi ce rs we re to be removed on th e morrow .

The n all was e xc i temen t . The curta i n was drawing up on th e playof wh ich th e pro logue hadp romise d so much . The t rap - door was

ca re ful ly faste ned down , fa lse screws be i ng pu t i n to the screwhole s

so as to re nde r t h e h id i ng-pla ce as i n consp i cuous as poss i ble .

A t last came th e looke d - for hour. S ounds of pack i ng—up andt he shuffl i ng passage of footsteps be tokene d act i v i t ies . The com

2 7

The Transvaal Warmandan t we n t h is rounds, a ndthe n a che e ry vo i ce was he a rd tosay ,

“ A l l ’s we l l . Good bye .

” They knew tha t was a s igna l—M e

endnadcome S O In t ime t he who le pa rty of pr isone rs d isappea red ,a ndw i th them the i r custod ians ! Th e coast was c lea r . Pe ep ingforth from the i r ve n t i la to r t h e joyous h idde n tr io cou ld V i ew the

stre e t, th e mov i ng of baggage , anda ll t h e bust l i ng prepa ra t ionsfor a ge ne ra l exodus . The i r rapture knew no bounds. But e scapewas eve n the n de fe rred . S igh tse e rs andpo l i ce tramped throught he vaca te d rooms allday , mov i ng pe r i lously nea r th e t rap - ,

doo randlaugh i ng andj e st i ng , unsusp i c ious of th e pre c ious hau l tha tm ight have be e n the i rs . I t was la te In the a fte rnoon be fore the lastv is i tors depa rte d . The n

,a fte r co l le ct i ng maps of the i r proposed rou te ,

tak ing a fina l mea l , pack i ng the i r mea t loze nge s, choco la te , & c ., and

money , they dre sse d andwa i te d a nx iously for th e k i nd ly cloak ofn ight .M eanwh i le th e o the r pr isone rs we re removed to a camp fromwh ich e scape was a lmost imposs i ble . The pla ce was e nclose d wi thba rbe d w i re fe n c i ng s tand ing as h igh as a man . I t measu red abou ton e hu ndre d andfi fty ya rds i n le ngth , andi n w idth a t the e ndsmight have measure d fi fty ya rds . From th is pe n i t wa s poss i ble togaze out ove r the h i l ls to se e l i fe wi th the eye of Tan ta lus , so nea randye t so far—men andwome n pass i ng, t re e s andhoiIse s andca t tle ,

a ll giv i ng p i cture s of the fre e l i fe without, tha t i t was imposs i ble for them to Sha re . N o e fforts now to e vade t h e gua rd cou l dbe made ,

for th e e nclosu re was do t te d th i ck ly wi th e le ctr i c l igh ts ,andwas so thoroughly i l lumina te d i n e ve ry co rne r tha t the re was

no spot whe re a man cou l d not have read . The dwe l l i ng-housew as wa l le d , androo fe d w i th z i n c , ba re wi th i n andcomfortle ss, andi n th e dorm ito ry one hundred andforty co ts we re range d s i de bys i de . A few scre e ns, as i n the Mode l S choo l , we re a rranged a t

some of th e bedheads, but of pr iva cy the re w as none . The ex

change was a sorry on e ,andCapta i n H a l dane andh is compan ions,

Mr . Le M e su r ie r andMr . Brock ie ,we re wise i n mak ing a v igorous

b id t o ge t c lea r of th e fa te tha t ove rtook the i r comrade s .

Al re ady a wh i ff of coming l i be rty seeme d to reward the se con

spira to rs fo r the i r da rk days of ant i c i pa t ion . The i r mea l andthe i rpre pa ra t ion s compl e ted , they re conno i t re d andd iscove re d tha t a llw as cl e a r. Th en , joyously ,

the i n te nd ing fugi t i ve s eme rge d from the i rte rri ble la i r . W i th some d i ffi cul ty they stood uprigh t , the i r l imbsre fuse d th e i r o ffi ce ,

the y fe l t o ld, rhe uma t i c s tr i cke n , i n capable of

movem e n t . lut a t last , boo ts i n ha nd , cre e p i ng, as the F re nch say ,

o n fizz /[esdo ve lou r s,th ey dragge d th emse l ve s t o a broke n w indow ,

I nd, pass i ng th rough th e gap made by th e sha t te re d pane , ga i ne d th e

ya rd . Cl imbi ng ove r the ra i l i ngs—luck i ly unno t i ce d i n sp i te of the

28

The Escape of Pri soners from Pretoriabr i l l iant rays of t he fu l l moon—they made fo r the n ea rest roadl ead ing to the D e lagoa Bay Ra i lway . Fortuna te ly for them youngBrock ie , who w as a Co lon ia l andup t o the “ tr i cks of th e trade ,

don ned t he Transvaa l co lours round h is hat . A dde d to th is hewore h is a rm i n a s l i ng , to give the impre ss ion tha t h e was a

wounde d Boe r . Thus the y got th rough th e somewha t de se rteds tre e t t o th e outsk i rts of t he town uncha l lenge d . Once a po l i cemana lmost spoke to them , h is susp i c ion w as on th e eve of be i ng aroused ,bu t th e so l i ta ry my rm idon of th e law ,

i nqu is i t i ve ye t d iscre e t , foundh imse l f face to face wi th thre e de spe ra te men whose expre ss ion was

NEW CAMP FOR BR IT I SH PR ISONERS AT PRETOR IA.(D I aw ing by J . Sch

'

Onberg . )

not reassur ing ! H e w ise ly s lunk Off. Towa rds th e ra i lway l i n ethey n ow we nt, expe r ie nc ing a se r ie s Of ha i rbreadth ’

S cape s, forthe re we re o rde rs to shoo t any on e se e n wande r i ng on t h e ra i lwaytrack . But they dodge d i n ho le s andround co rne rs , i n rankgrass andi n d i t che s anddongas, trave rs i ng r i ve r andspru i t ,andp lodd ing a long th e h ighway , now los i ng the i r be ar ings , n ow

re trac i ng the i r s teps, e ve r str i v i ng to rea ch E lands Rive r sta t ion ,twe nty mi le s e ast of Pre to r ia .

On th e le ft of th e ra i lway l i ne ran th e r i ve r,andas they to i le d on—th e s i lve r of the st ream andthe gl in t of th e ra i lway l i ne s sh imme r

i ng i n th e ray of t he moon—they de scr ie d te nts , hea rd vo i ce s, and,worse st i l l , a dog’s bark , i nqu is i t i ve , suspi c ious . Qu i ck ly to ea rth

29

The Transvaal Warthey we nt , h i d ing anddodg ing i n t h e long grass be twee n r i ve r andl i ne . Th is, th e cr i t i ca l mome nt of the i r jou rney, forms on e of t h e

most e xc i t i ng phase s of Capta i n H a ldan e ’

s a l toge the r i n te re st i ngn arra t 1ve .

“ Afte r ly i ng i n t h e grass abou t twe nty m inu te s, for w e d i d notca re to move so long as th e dogs rema i ne d on t he a le rt, w e hea rdvo i ce s coming i n our d i re ct ion , andt h e ba rk ing of t he dogs be camemore d is t i n ct . A wh ispe re d confe re nce was he ld , andthe n w edragge d ourse l ves l i ke snake s d iagona l ly ba ck towa rds th e r i ve r .Rea ch i ng a d i tch , Le M e sur ie r , who was fo l lowi ng me ,

cam e a longs i de andaske d me i f I hadse e n B ro ck ie

,who hadbe e n fo l low ing

h im . I hadn ot,so w e wa i te d a few mome nts bu t se e i ng no th i ng

o f h im , andth e e nemy drawi ng nea r, w e crossed th e Obstac le,and

found ourse l ve s a t th e e dge o f t he s tream . Aga i n w e pause d , th ist ime for se ve ra l m i nu te s, andthe se a rche rs came i n V iew, fo l lowingour t ra ck .

The cr is is hadcome : to stay whe re w e we re me an t probablyre capture . I wh ispe re d to Le Me su r ie r to fo l low me qu ie t ly , andno t to splash . Th e ne xt m i nu te I was i n th e r i ve r, wh i ch was out

Of my de pth , andLe M e sur ie r droppe d i n be s i de me . H o l d i ng ont o th e roots of the re e ds wh i ch l i ne d t he bank , w e ca re fu l ly pu l le dourse l ve s some d istan ce down- st ream , andthe n paused . The

searche rs andthe i r dogs we re e v i de n tly now at fau l t , andshowe dno s igns Of coming our way ,

so w e con t inue d our downwa rd course ,

andu l t ima te ly swam a cross andi n to a d i tch on th e o the r s i de .

We hadbe e n a good ha l f-hour i n th e st ream , wh i ch seeme d tous i n te nse ly co ld , andour te e th we re cha tte r i ng so tha t w e cou ldsca rce ly speak . M y wr ist-wa tch hadstoppe d ; but Le M e sur ie r

’

s,

a Wa te rbury , w as s t i l l go i ng, for i t hadbe e n prov i de d by h is ca rewi th a wa te rproo f ca se . We now crept a long th e di t ch up

- stre amaga i n

,andth e n turned Off towa rds th e h i l ls i de , w h i ch w as do tte d

w i th la rge boulde rs . Coming round th e corne r of on e of the se , w e

found a te nt i n fron t of us, andno t ca r i ng to pass i t, w e t r ie d tocl imb up th e ste ep fa ce of the h i l l . Fa i l i ng a t one po i n t , w e found ak i nd o f “ ch imn ey ,

up wh i ch w e cl imbed , pu l l i ng andpush i ng e a cho the r t i l l th e top wa s ga i ned . A few minu te s’ re s t was ne ce ssa ry ,

fo r our clo the s w e re heavy W i th wa te r andthe cl imb hadmade us

bre a th le ss . Le M e su r ie r haddone wonde rs w ith h is ankle—the

co l d wa te r hadbe e n most e ffica c ious . N ext we wa l ked a long t hero cky fa ce o f the h i l l

,pa ra l le l t o th e d i re ct ion w e hadfo l lowe d be low ,

andgradua l ly de scende d t o t h e le ve l ands t ruck a pa th . B rock iew as i rre t r ie vably lost , a ndi t was use le ss to a ttempt to find h im . H e

hadw i th h im a wa te r - bo ttle andsuffi c i e n t food . andknew bo th t h eDutch a ndth e Ka ffi r language s . Fo l lowing th e pa th , we passe dse ve ra l cl umps o f bra cke n . on e o f wh i ch w e se le cte d as a su i table

30

The Transvaal War

spiracy was se t on foo t to buy some ba les of woo l , su ffi c ie n t to makea truck load, andfo rwa rd th e ba le s, p lus th e e scape d p r i sone rs, to a

firm a t Lore neo Ma rque s . Th e scheme su cce e de d , though on ly afte rsome sma rt andsympa the t i c manoeuvr i ng on the par t o f t h e newlyfound B r i t i sh fr ie nds , andmany hou rs of te rr i ble r isk andsuspe nse .

F ina l ly, to th e i n te n se joy of the two adve nturous one s,they found

themse l ve s on Po r tugue se te rr i to ry . On S unday t he I st of Apr i lthe y we re fre e me n ! From tha t t ime the i r ways we re fa i rly smoo th .They we re th e he roe s of th e hou r, for eve ry on e hadhea rd of the i rs tory andwas e xpe ct i ng them , S e rgeant B rock ie hav i ng pre cede dthem a fte r some e qua l ly e xc i t i ng expe r ie n ce s.

On th e 6th of Apr i l th e ga l lant pa i r le ft Lore ngo Ma rque s forD urban

,Cap ta i n Ay lme r H a ldane haste n i ng to rejo i n h is regime nt,

t h e 2ndBa tta l ion Go rdon H igh lande rs, at Ladysmith , andMr . LeM e su r ie r (D ubl i n Fus i l ie rs) go i ng round t o j o i n Ge ne ra l H unte r ’sD iv is ion i n t h e Fre e S ta te . Thus th e two e nte rpr is i ng o ffi ce rs , a fte re ndur i ng a lmost un equa l le d torture s of body andm ind

,found them

se l ve s fre e to re turn to du ty andfight aga i n for th e honou r andgloryof t he Emp i re .

PREPARATIONS FOR ACT IONB loemfon te i n mea nwh i le was a s trange m ixture of pastora l sim

plic ity andma rt ia l magn ifi ce n ce , andcu r ious, a lmost wonde rfu l , was

t h e v iew from a d istance of th e landscape i n the v i c i n i ty . Th e

who le e a rth , as though blossoming , se eme d t o have thrown up mushrooms far andW i de—mushrooms grey , andWh i te ,

andgre e n . Dottedamong them we re s t range forms

,l i ke th e Shapes Of an te d i luv ian

rept i les—grasshoppe rs, locusts of mammo th s i ze . Coming ne are rt he town i t was poss i ble to re cogn ise bo th mushrooms andrept i le sfor wha t they re a l ly we re ,

name ly , th e te nts andthe guns of th e

large s t a rmy tha t E ngland has put i n to on e camp S i n ce th e Crimea !I n andout andround t iabou t wande red horses andmu le s i n nume rable ,

so numbe rle ss, i nde e d , tha t t h e casua l on looke r wonde re d at t he ou t

c ry for equ i ne re i n fo rceme nts. Ye t the se we re urge nt ly ne e ded , andnone but those “ i n the know ” cou l d compreh end how much th estra tegi ca l p roblem re l ied for so lut ion on the i r a rr i va l , andhowpa ra lyse d we re t he moveme n ts o f the ge ne ra ls for wan t of them .

S ome pe opl e op i ne d tha t th e Commande r in ch ie f woul d sta rt off forPre to r ia a t e xpre ss spe ed , o the rs h i n te d tha t h is plan of campa ignwo ul d be a l te red to me e t t he compl i ca t ions tha t hada r ise n owi ngt ) t h e re n ewe d a ct i v i ty o f the Boe rs i n th e south easte rn corne ro f t h e Fre e S ta te . But Lo rd Robe rts w as unmove d by e i the r impa t i e nce o r d isa ste r. H e e v ide ntly de te rm i ned to fr i tte r h isre source s O II no ope ra t ions tha t cou l d no t be conce rted andrap idlye ffe ct i ve .

3 2

L IEU T .-GENERAL S I R ARCH I BAL D HUNTER , K .G.B.

Ph ot o by Ba ssa no , London

Preparat ions for Act ionM eanwh i le sto re s , ammun i t ion , wa rm clo th ing (for t he wintrywea the r wa s se tt i ng i n ) , andboo ts we re be i ng brought i n e normousquant i t ie s from th e Cape . The ward robe s o f the ha rd -figh t ingmu l t i tude we re i n sadne e d of repa i r, andsome wag de cla red thatce rta i n ta tte rdema l ion s cou ld only ve nture abroad a fte r da rk

, for fe arof shock i ng th e M o the r G rundys of B loemfon te i n . H orse s, too,

we re be i ng gradua l ly co l le cte d , for i t was fe l t tha t un t i l the re wasa suf fic ie ncy o f remounts , G e n e ra l F re nch ’s dash ing e vo lut ions wouldbe too cost ly t o be appre c iable . The grea t ga l lop to K imbe rleyhadcost an imme nse amoun t i n horse - fl e sh—about 1 500 ou t of

5000,sxun e s hde—and , i n conseque nce , the spknuhdcavahj

f ivas

aga i n re duced to impo te nce , jus t whe n the Boe rs, though demo ra l ise d by th e surre nde r o f Cronje , m igh t have be en pursuedandpun ished a s they de se rved . Accord ing to la te r computa t ion ,i t was de c ided tha t th e a rmy must wea r ou t a t the ra te of 5000

horse s a mon th , andthe re fore no move cou l d be se t on foot t i l l thei n coming supp ly was organ i sed to me e t the demand .

But fo r the sta te of horse s andmen the F ie ld-Ma rsha l cou ldhave s tuck to h is We ll known pri n c iple ,

one acqu i red from th e grea tNapo le on h imse l f, name ly,

ttha t a commande r in ch ie f shou ld n eve rgive re st e i the r to the v i ctor or to t h e vanqu ishe d . As i t w as

,h e

was stuck fast, andth e Boe rs we re no t s low to take advan tage of

th e opportun i ty thus give n them to re cupe I a t e .

Up t o th e t ime of t h e Koorn SpI u it andRe dde rsburg d isaste rsth i ngs se emed t o be ranging themse l ve s sa t is fa cto r i ly , but l i tt l e byl i t t le t he autho ri t ies began to d i scove r tha t th e e nt i re a t t i tude of th e

appa re ntly pac ified burghe rs wa s de c ide dly fa lse . By degre e s theyle a rnt tha t , i nstead of d isturbing a horne t ’s ne st andclea r i ng i t , the yhad, as i t we re , go t i n to the m ids t of i t themse lve s . I t be camee v i de nt tha t W i th i n th e town the re ex iste d a consp i ra cy for th e

purpose no t only of supply i ng the e nemy w ith i n fo rmat ion , bu tke e p i ng h im ready e qu i pped for host i l i ty . Unde r the mask of ne u

t rality , ce rta i n G e rmans andothe rs i n c i ted th e burghe rs who hadla i d down the i r a rm s to take them up aga i n . Th is, i n th e truese nse of t he word , fo r i t was found tha t upwa rds of som e 3000

we apons hadbe en bur ie d for use i n eme rgency . But once Ge ne ra lPre tyman obta i ne d a true grasp of th e s i tua t ion , andcou l d p rovethe duplic i t na ture of the pe rsons wi th whom h e hadto dea l , thework o f we ed ing anddeporta t ion of the obnox ious e leme nt ofBloemfon te i n soc ie ty was take n i n hand .Ea rly i n th e mon th a p romi ne n t figure was removed from

t h e fight ing scene . The dea th was announce d of Co lone l theHO II . G . H . Gough 1 a t N orva l ’s Pont . Th is d ist i ngu ishe d O ffi ce r

1 Co lone l th e Hon . George H ugh Gough commenced h is mi l i tary caree r in 187 1 , wh enh e took a commi ss ion as corn e t in th e 14111 Hussars , o f wh ich h e he l d th e adjutancy

VOL . v. 33 C

The Transvaa l War

t ill t h e t ime of h is dea th hadbe e n a ct i ng as Ass istant Adju tantGe ne ra l to G e ne ra l F re nch ’s Cava l ry D iv is ion . H is se rv i ce s hadbee n many andbr i l l ian t, andh is loss wa s de eply deplored .

Th e occupa t ion o f pa c i fy i ng the d isturbe d we ste rn d istr i cts con

t inued. G e ne ra l S e tt le andh IS fo rce s hadbee n ope ra t i ng be twe e nD e Aa r , Prie ska, Ke nhardt, andUpington

,andGe ne ra l Pa rsons

hado ccup ied K e nha rdt, andi n a few days all tra ce s of re be l l ioni n t he d i str i c t be twe e n Van Wyks V le i a ndKe nhardt haddisappeared . As a ma tte r of fact, i t w as d iscove re d tha t many of th e

rebe ls we re igno rant o f w hy they we re fight i ng a t all. S ome on e

addre sse d them a ndsa i d , “Wha t a re you fight i ng for ? andtheyanswe red , “ Equa l r ights fo r a ll whi te me n i n S ou th A fr i ca The n ,sa i d th e speake r, “

go andfight Pau l K I uge r . H e a lone re fuse swh i te me n equa l r ights ! S t i l l more igno ra nt we re many of the

subs i d ise d sympa th ise rs , wh i le o the r fo re igne rs who we re force d tofight we re e v i de ntly apa the t i c rega rd i ng th e issue Of th e st ruggle .

The fo l lowi ng story w as to ld of a Po le , who was no t so rry whe ntake n pr isone r . Whe n aske d why he fought , h e sa i d , “ Va t cou ld Ido ? D e y give me muske t andbando l ie r, andsay ,

‘You mus tfight .

’

The capta i n say t o me,

‘You take tha t mounta i n ,’ a ndI ask ,

Va re sha l l I take i t ? I f t h e ta le was no t abso lu te ly accura te , i twas st i l l typ i ca l of th e non cha lance of many who we re e ngagedi n th e Transvaa l cause .

Of change s the re we re many . On the l o th , i t was announce d i nge ne ra l o rde rs tha t Major-G e ne ra l S ir H . Che rms ide hadbe e nappo i n te d t o the command of the Th i rd D iv is ion o iee Lieu te nantG e ne ra l S ir W . F . Ga ta cre “

orde red to England . ” The re was a

good de a l of sympa thy expre sse d by a ll w ho knew th e d i fficu l t i e swi th wh i ch Ge ne ra l Ga ta cre hadhadto con te nd . But

,as an old

campa i gn e r rema rke d , luck counts for as much a s me r i t i n actua lwa r fa re “ G i ve me a man w ho is lucky ,

andI a sk no th ingmo re . Luck was a t th e bo t tom o f i t a ll

,andluck is all- importan t

whe re mul t i tude s o fme n have to fo l low , he a rt i n hand , bl i ndly rushing to glory i n the foo ts teps of fa i th . Ge n e ral Ga tacre

’

s name now

for n ea rl y four yea rs un t i l 1879 , when h e was pi omo tedcap ta in . I II 1882 h e obta i n edth e breve t rank o f major, andin 1885 h e wa s pI omotedmajor andbreve t l i euten an t

andfour years la tC I h e obta i n ed h is co lon e lcy . Co lon e l Gough pa s sed th roughth e S ta ff Co l lege in 1883, a fte r se rvi ng as A . D .C. to th e L i eu tenan t -Gen era l c ommandIng t h e exped i t i ona ry force in Egypt in 1882 . Among h is s ta ff appo in tmen ts was

tha t of pI iva t e sec re ta ry to th e Commande r- ih ch i e f (Lo i d Wo l se ley ) , wh i ch be at ta inedin 1897 , a ndI rI i n i n 1898, a fte I h o ld i ng th e pos t of a s s i s tan t mi l i tary sec retary a t th eh ead qu l l

‘

l f rs of th e army . Co l one l Gough ’s wa r se icc s i ncluded th e 130m War o f188 1 , w h r n he w . I s a i de -d-c - camp to th e o ffi c e I command i ng th e ba se andth e l i n es of commun I I M 10“ t h e I g ypt ian campa i gn o f 1882 andth e Soudan Exped i t i on of 1884 85. I n

th e former h is horse w . 15 k i l led under h im a t Te l c l Ix' eb i I , a ndh e was men t ion ed i n deSp:.I t I he s . I l e rece i ved t h e o Ide I of th e M edie h (4111 cla s s) , th e b I on z e 5 1m, andth e meda lw i th I la sp. In th e S ouda n I xpedit ion , wh e re h e w a s in command of th e M oun ted I n fan t ry .Co lone l C ough w as aga i n men t i on ed in despa tch e s

,grea t ly d i s t i ngu i sh ing h imse l f a t th e

ba t t le of Abu c a,w h ere h e was wounded .

34

Preparat ions for Act ions pe l t d isaste r , andas me n hadto be ma rche d to t i ck l ish wo rk tha twanted n e rve andconfide nce of the be st, a luck ie r commande r was

c hose n . Accord ingly , a much - tr ied office r—a so ld i e r todi e ma rrow—was sa cr ificed o n th e a l ta r o f n e ce ss i ty .

An I n fan try D iv is ion from th e N a ta l s i de wa s fo rme d L nde r thecommand of S ir A rch i ba ld H unte r , andca l led t he T e n th D iv is ion ,wh i le the Ele ve n th D iv is ion w as commanded by Ge n e ra l Po le -Ca rew .

G e ne ra l Ian H ami l ton commande d a d i v is ion of mounte d i n fantry ,

t e n thousand s t rong , fo rmed o f,

Sou th A fr i can ando the r mounte dCo lon ia l con t inge n ts, andd iv ide d in to two br igade s unde r G e ne ra lsH ut ton andRidley . As th is d iv is ion came i n for a cons i de rableamount of exe rc ise i n course of Lo rd R obe r ts

’

s gre at advance,i t is

pa rt i cu larly i n te re s t i ng t o e xami ne andremembe r it s compone n tpa rts .

G e ne ra l H u tton ’s br igade compr i sed th e Canad ians, the New

Z ea lande rs , andall the Aust ra l ians except the cava l ry . The sta ffwas as fo l lows

Co lon e l M a r ty r, Ch ie f S taff Office r ; LordR osme ad,A ide -de -Camp ;

Co lon e l Hoad(Vi c toria) , Ass is tan t Adj u tan t-Gen e ral ; Major Br idge s (NewSou th Wa le s) , De puty Assis tan t Adj utan t-Ge n e ra l Majo r Car tw r igh t (Canada) ,Deputy Ass is tan t Adj u tan t -Gen e ra l ; Co lon e l Go rdon (Ade la ide ) , o ffice r on th e

l in e o f commun ica t ion ; Major R an k in (Quee n s land) , S taff Offi ce r ; MajorVande le ur (S cots Guard s) , ad van cedbase transpo r t office r ; Cap ta in Lex ,

ArmyS e rv i ce Co rps

,supply o fficer.

Th e br igade cons is ted of four co rps of moun te d i n fan try , unde rCo lone ls A lde rson

,D e Lis le , P i l che r, andH e nry .

Th e fi rst co rps con s iste d of a I st Ba t ta l ion of Canad ians,unde r

Co lone l Le ssa rd ; a 2 ndBa t ta l ion,unde r Co lone l H e r chme r ; and

S t ra th cona ’

s H o rse,unde r Co lone l S te e l .

Th e se cond co rps cons i ste d of th e New S ou th Wa l e s Moun te dI n fantry , unde r Co lone l Kn ight , andth e We st Aust ra l ians

,unde r

Cap ta i n Moor.Th e th i rd corps was forme d of th e Que e n s lande rs , unde r Co lone lR i ca rdo

,andth e New Z ea lande rs , unde r Major Rob in .

The fourth corps cons isted of th e V i c tor ians, unde r Co lone lPr i ce ; the Sou th Austra l ian s, unde r Capta i n Reade ; andthe

Tasman ians , unde r Capta i n Came ron .Each corps hada ba tta l ion of I mpe ria l M ounte d I n fan try

a tta ched to i t, except the New Sou th W’a le s Co rps . A ba t te ry

jo i ned th e d i v is ion , a s we l l a s th e Canad ian Ba tte ry anda numbe rof V i cke rs-Max ims . Th e New S ou th “(a le s Army M e d i ca l Co rps ,unde r Co lone l W i l l iams

,we re the m ed i ca l t roops of th e d iv is ion .

G e ne ra l R id ley ’

s br igade cons is ted e n t i re ly of S outh A fr i cantroops .

Lord Robe rts, a lways appre c ia t i ve of th e C o lon ia ls,orde red t h e

35

The Transvaal Warbody of Co lone l Umph e lby of th e V i c tor ian Con t inge n t , who was

k i l le d a t Drie fonte i n , to be remove d t o B loemfonte i n , the re to be

bur ied w i th honours appropr ia te t o th e d ist i n ct ion of tha t ga l lan toffi ce r ’s se rv i ce s .

Re a rrangeme nts of all k inds we re tak ing pla ce ,t he be tte r t o

me e t th e pe cu l ia r i t ie s of th e s i tua t ion . S ir Re dve rs Bu l le r was askedt o co- ope ra te by fo rc i ng Van R e e n e n

’

s Pass, andth rea te n ing thee nemy

’

s l i ne of re t re a t bu t t h e ta sk w as on e br i stl i ng w i th diffi cult i e s, as u n t i l N o rthe rn N a ta l shou l d be c lea re d of th e e nemy h econs i de red i t unsa fe to move we stwa rd . A cco rd i ngly , to me e t th en e ce ss i ty fo r st rong a ct ion i n th e e ast of th e F re e S ta te ,

i t wasde c ide d the N a ta l F ie l d A rmy shou l d con t i nue I t s work i n it s ow n

ground , m inus th e T e n th D i v is ion wh i ch shou l d bemove d by se a t o East London

, on e brigade (Ba rton ’s) to re p la ceth e E ighth D iv is ion (Rundle

’

s) d i ve rte d from K imbe rle y t o

S pr i ngfon te i n , andon e br igade (H art’s) to ope ra te i n th e ne ighbourhoodof B e thu l ie . I t must he re be no te d tha t th e coun trysouth o f a l i ne drawn from K imbe rley t o B loemfonte i n se em ed t obe a lmos t unde r contro l , bu t th e pac ifica t ion of th e angle sou th - e as tof B loemfonte i n had, as ye t , to be a ccompl ished .M eanwh i le , Pre s i de n t K ruge r made a tou r of th e pos i t ions o f

h is army , i n o rde r t o st imu la te th e Fre e S ta te rs to fu rthe r e fforts ;but ve ry many of the se began to show symptoms of unbe l i e f, andre fuse d any longe r to swa l low the asse r t ions tha t Russ ia hadtake nLondon andtha t Ame r i ca was coming to th e a idof the Boe rs , wh i chth e Pre s i de n t ando the r k i nsm e n o f Anan ias i n t h e ran svaal tookth e t rouble to repea t . Da i ly ,

va r ious Fre e S ta te rs surre nde red—someof them ge nu i ne ly ,

wh i le o the rs me re ly gave up an oldrifle for con

ven i e nce ’

sake,bury i ng some four o the rs for use i n eme rgen cy—took

t o the i r fa rms,andthe re deve lope d from fin e figh t ing -me n i n to mean

andde sp i cable sp ie s . W i th the se s l i ppe ry fish i t w as d i ffi cu l t tocope ,

andt he problem of how to manage them took some l i t tle t im et o sol ve . S t i l l

, th e task of remode l l i ng andimprov ing the a rmy con

t inued, all work i ng to br ing t he long ha l t to a conclus ion as spe ed i lya s poss i ble .

Effo rts wonde rful andsucce ssful we re made t o i n crease th e

mobi l i ty , pa rt i cu la rly of th e mounted port ion s of the t roops . One

se ct ion o f th e V i cke rs—Max im gun s (I - in ch gun s) w as a t ta che d toe a ch cava l ry brigade , andtwo se ct ion s to ea ch br igade of mountedi n fantry . To addto th e mob i l i ty of the ho rse a rt i l le ry th e waggonso f e ach ba tte ry we re reduce d to th re e ,

spa re teams be i ng a l lowe d fore a ch g un .

The li ig h th D iv i s ion (R und l e ) wh i ch , as w e know , hadbe e ndi ve rted from K imbe rle y t o S p r i ng fon te i n , andt he Th i rd D iv is ion(C a tac re

'

s . no w Che rms ide '

s ) wh i ch was conce n tra ted a t B e than ie ,

36

The Transvaal War

by M iss Frase r, th e daughte r of Mr . S t e yn’

s form e r oppone n t fort h e Pre s i de ncy . Among th e ma rke table s we re po rtra i ts of Lo rdRobe rts andMr . Kruge r . The se we re th e wo rk of some of th e

ar t ist j ourna l ists .

“ Bobs was“ knocke d down ” for a big figure

,

andbe came th e prope rty of Lo rd S tanley , a va luable t rophy tha tmay we l l be come an h is to r i ca l he i r loom . Th is conce r t was onlyon e of th e many e ffor ts a t ha rmony made by Lo rd Robe rts, who,

as d iploma t is t a nds ta te sma n as much as so l d i e r andconque ro r,fore saw a future whe re i n th e people o f th e Fre e S ta te , o r ig i na l lya ctua te d by no an imos i ty towa rds t he B r i t ish , wou l d be come re conc i le d to the be n efice n t rule of t he B r i t ish Emp i re , as con trast i ngw ith the de spot i c rule of t h e Boe r Re publ i cs, a ndl i ve s i de by s i dewi th us i n th e t rue sp i r i t of l i be rty, fra te rn i ty, andequa l i ty e njoyedby B ri t ish subj e cts .

WITH LORD METHUEN—THE BATTLE OF BOSHOFAga i nst the m isfortune s of Koorn S pru i t andRe dde rsburg w ewou l d pla ce on e br i l l ian t v i ctory—a v i ctory ga i ne d by Lo rd M e thue na t Bosho f, ma i n ly th rough th e sma rtne ss, brave ry , andunspeakablestead i ne ss of th e I mpe r ia l Yeoman ry , who we re u nde r fire for th e

fi rs t t ime ,andth e sple nd i d dash of t h e K imbe rl ey Co rps, whose

e xpe r ie nce s dur i ng th e s iege hadl i fted them a lmost to the rank ofve te rans .

I t may be remembe red tha t Lord M e thue n a t th e e ndof

F e bruary took up th e post of Admi n ist ra tor of t h e K imbe rleyd istr i ct , wh i ch e xte nds as fa r sou th as the Orange Rive r , subse

que ntly leav i ng Co lon e l Kekew ich in comma nd of th e loca l force s .

The G e ne ra l comme n ce d a ct i ve ope ra t ions on t h e we ste rn front ie r ,fo r th e purpose of c le a r i ng t h e coun try of re be l l ious obst ruct ions,andpro te ct i ng th e l i n e s of commun i ca t ion w i th the north .At B osho f the re was con ce n tra te d a compa ra t i ve ly la rge a rmy ,

composed of two ba t te r ie s of a rt i l le ry , abou t 6000 i n fan try, and1000 mounte d i n fa ntry ,

wh i ch we re mass ing toge the r to march toKroonstadt , whe re th ey e xpe c te d e ve n tua l ly to take the i r placeas th e l e ft w i ng o f t h e ma i n a rmy . The town i tse l f pre se nte da de so la te a spe ct

,all th e D utchme n be i ng abse n t on commando

unde r Comma ndan t D up le ss is, andbe i ng i n force on th e Vaa lR i ve r, some mi le s d i stant .Lo rd M e th ue n he a r i ng tha t a de ta chme n t of th e e nemy was

mov i ng a long th e ja cobsda l road , a ndth rea te n i ng h is commun ica t ions

,o rd e red Co lon e l Peakman to e ffe ct it s captu re . As a re su l t

o f th is o rde r a mo st succe ssful fight took place ,some five mi le s east:

o f Bosho f, o n th e 5th o f Apr i l .Tak i ng pa rt i n th e a ct ion we re two compan ie s of th e B ucks

38

The Battle of BoshofY e omanry , on e of the B e rks Ye omanry ,

one of t he Oxford Yeoman ry, on e company of the

S he rwood Range rs , on e o f the

Yorksh i re Ye omanry, a nda lsot he K imbe rley Moun ted Volunte e rs . \V i th the se w as the

Fourth Ba tte ry R . F .A.

Th e I mpe r ia l Ye omanryunde r Lord Che sham on th iso ccas ion hadthe i r fi rs t chanceof d ist i ngu ish ing themse l ve sandse i ze d i t, behav i ng, as

some one who looke d on sa i d ,“ l i ke ve te ran troops . The

a ffa i r bega n i n haste . AYe omanry patro l sudde nlydiscove red the e nemy andan

n oun cedh is nea r approa ch .The re was a rush . “ To horse !to horse I sang ou t the t roope rske e n for a ct ion . The i r s te eds .c

we re graz i ng, but i n le ss thanth i rty minute s e ve ry man was

ca re e r i ng off t o duty . Th e

Boe rs , some s i x ty—e ight i n n umbe r

,we re tenan t i ng a kopj e ,

andround the i r la i r the troopsd isposed themse l ve s, Lord S carborough ’s S quadron of Yeomanry to le ft , andth e K imbe rle yM oun te d Co rps t o r i gh t . The

re st of th e Ye omanry a ttacke dfrom th e front

,occupy i ng two

sma l l kopje s some fou rte e n hundre d ya rds d istan t from the

e nemy . The se promptly gre e tedt h em with a pe rs iste n t fus i l lade .

The n the r ight flank s lowlybegan to cre ep up, tak ing advantage of cove r as na ture hadprov ided , wh i le the frontmarched across t he ope n . Th isadvance of th e t roops was

ma ste rly , though no cove r was

a va i lable t i l l the base of th e kopj e occup ied by the e nemy was

39

The Transvaal Warreached . M e thod andcoo l ne ss we re d isplaye d t o a gre a t exte n t ,andt o the se qua l i t ie s w asdue the day

’

s succe ss . F o r th re e andaha l f hours th e ope ra t ions laste d , th e me n clos i ng gradua l ly i n , andfina l ly surround ing t he kopj e andsto rm ing i t . Th e surround ingproce ss, bo th by the Ye omanry a ndth e K imbe rley force , was ca rr iedon wi th amaz i ng sk i l l a ndcoo l ne ss t i l l th e mome n t came for wh i ch a llwe re pant i ng Th e Ye oman ry the n fixe d bayon e ts andcha rged .A rush

,a flash of ste e l , andthe n—surre nde r . The Boe rs ho isted

a wh i te fl ag ! bu t e ve n as they d id so the i r comrades pou re ddeadly bu l le ts on ou r advanc i ng me n . Capta i n W i l l iams of the

I mpe r ia ls ,” w ho was ga l lan tly i n advance of h is comrade s, dropped,sho t dead i n t he ve ry hou r of v i cto ry . The re was sma l l conso la t ioni n t h e fact tha t t h e murde re r was i nstan t ly s la i n by an ave nginghand .At th is t ime th e me n hadga i ne d the h i l l andwe re wi th i n se ve n ty

ya rds of th e Boe r tre nche s. Bu t the Boe rs, notw i thstand ing the i rd isplay of t he wh i te fl ag cont i nue d to blaze wi th the i r r i fle s t i l l aYe omanry o ffi ce r shou ted tha t h e wou l d con t i nue t o fire unle ss t hee nemy th rew down the i r r i fle s andpu t up the i r hands . Th is threa tbrought t he cowards to the i r se nse s . They obeye d , andthe pos it ion was ga i ne d w i th a rous i ng , r i ng ing che e r . The n came the sadpa rt of tr iumph, the co l le ct ion of t he ga l lan t dead andth e su ccou r oft he wounded . Among the fi rs t we re thre e , Capta i ns W i l l iams andBoy le , andS e rge an t Pa t r i ck Campbe l l . Th e e nemy

’

s dead andwounde d numbe re d fourte e n , whi le ou r wounde d numbe re d seve n .Capta i n Ce c i l Boy le was sho t through th e temple wi th i n e igh ty

ya rds o f the Boe r pos i t ion wh i le ga l lan t ly lead ing h is me n . H e was

a so ld ie r t o t h e co re ,one who,

me re ly from a se nse of pa tr io t i cre spons i b i l i ty ,

was among the fi rst to leap to h is coun try’

s ca l l , andwho th rew i n to h is work so much e ne rgy ,

zea l , andgrave purposethat the a tmosphe re of the camp made h im fe e l a t the e ndof a we e kas if, t o use h is own words , “ I haddone no th ing but so l d ie r i ng a llmy l i fe . H e , a t th e i nv i ta t ion of h is oldchum , Co lone l DouglasHa ig, began work a t Co le sbe rg “

to wat ch the cava l ry ope ra t ions.

”

The re he hadwha t he thought t he supreme good luck to be appo i n te d ga l lope r t o G e ne ra l F re nch . Afte r th e re l ie f of K imbe rleya ndthe capture of Cro nje h e we n t to th e Cape to me e t th e Oxfordsh i re Ye oman ry , a ndw i th them ga l lantly advanced to me e t h is fa tet he firs t Ye oman ry offi ce r i n th i s h i sto ry of ours to fa l l i n act ion .A t the close o f the figh t t h e clouds wh i ch hadbe e n lowe ri ng

o ve r th e pos i t ion l ike a pa l l of purp l e sudden ly burst . Torre n tsde sce nded , sa tura t i ng th e h e a ted troops andS IIpping the groundwhe re on l ay th e ma im e d a nds la i n . W i th thunde r be l lowing a ndligh tn i ng spl i tt i ng the s k i e s ,

wi th a n a ccompan ime n t of de luge andda rkn e ss , t h e t roops andthe i r pr i sone rs found the i r way to camp .

40

COLONEL LORD CHE S HAM , Imper ia l YeomanryPhot o by Russe ll S ons , London

The Battle o f BoshofUnde r cove r o f th e obscu ri ty some of t he la tte r made a wi ld e ndeavour t o e scape , bu t t h e Ye omanry we re too proud of the i r “ bagt o a l low a s i ngle one to g e t fre e ,

andfina l ly hadt h e sa t i sfa c t ion o f

se e i ng the i r bedraggled pri ze lodged I II ja i l .Lo i d M e thue n

D

commanded , a ndep e ssedh im se l f mu chgra t ified wi th th e success o f the ope ra t ions

,w i th the courage and

coo l ne ss andme thod w i th wh i ch a ll h is 01dc rs w e re ca rr i e d ou t .

Co lone l Pe akman , of K imbe rley f Ime who hada l ready aecomplish eda qu i te unusua l I e co rdof fight ing

,d isplayeda n imm e n se

amoun t of ta le n t i n th e fie ld , andh is co rps , i n eve ry w ay wo rthy o f

h im, cut off th e e nemy

’

s re t rea t w i th rema rkable s k i l l . S o much i nde ed ,tha t the Boe rs compla i ne d o f the s l imn e ss of th e t roops who ,

by appa re ntly re t i r i ng hurr ie dly , drew them wi th i n range o f the B ri t ish vo l leys !Our t roops we re p i t t i ng themse l ve s n ow aga i n s t n o un ruly o r un

i n i t ia ted ba rba rians, for th e host i le fo rce w as unde r th e command o fth e no table Fre nchman , Co lone lde V i l le bo is- h

’

la re u il. Th i s ga l lan to ffi ce r wa s k i l l ed by shrapne l from the 4th F ie l d Ba t te ry Roya lF ie ld Art i l le ry be fo re the d isp lay of the wh i te fl ag by the Boe rs .

H e was a ccompan ie d by many of h is compa t r io ts, who w e re take npr isone rs . Th e fo rce i nde ed was ma i n ly cosmopo l i tan . i t be ingcompose d o f H o l lande rs, Fre n chme n , Ge rmans , andRuss Ian s , th re eB oe rs on ly be long i ng to the commando. No t a man of th e e n emye scaped . E igh t we re k i lle d , s ix wounded , andfifty- fou r polI '

gcr lo t

pr isone rs , wi th s i xty horse s andth e i r baggage,we re brough t i n to

camp . Two guns we re a lso captu I ed.Th e courage anddash of th e I mpe r ia l Yeomanry was e ulogised

o n all s i de s , e ve n by th e Co lon ia ls , w ho h i th e rto hadbe e n somewha td ispose d to look down on the i r bro th e r Vo lun te e rs from ci v i l ise d andi ne xpe r ie nce d England . Th e magn ifice n t sp i r i t wh i ch i nsp i red on ea ndall

, t h e gr i t d i splayed by the wounded,andthe i r se l f—abnega t ion

we re the subj e ct o f much comme nt . A Co lon ia l t roope r, wri t inghome h is applause

,sa i d : “Whe re all behaved so we l l i t is a lmos t

i nv id ious to me nt ion an y on e i n pa rt i cula r , but as an in stance of t he

fine spi r i t w h i ch an ima ted them , I woulcl me n t ion two whose name sI have asce rta i ne d , S e rgean t-M ajOI Co le s, of th e Bucks Ye on

‘

an ry ,

a ndThrogmorton , a troope r i n the Oxfords . The se two con t i nuedi n act ion a fte r be i ng wounded , th e forme r w i th a bu l le t th rough th eshou lde r, andt h e la tte r w i th a gunsho t wound i n th e head , andsoone r tha n crowd th e ambu lance th ey rode i n a fte rwa rds , twe lvem i le s i n the da rkne ss

,th rough on e o f th e wo rst thunde r - storms i t has

be e n my lo t to wi tn e ss . Wha t they must have su ffe re d i n t h e statet hev we re i n they a lone know .

From all a ccounts th e Fre n ch co lone l I I ho fe l l I I as e nt i re ly confi

dent of succe ss . B e fore th e engageme n ts h e se n t an im i ta t ion toh is compa t r io ts to jo i n h is force . H e though t he hadd iscove red the

4 1

The Tran svaa l Warflaws in the Boe r a rmour, andwas be nt on gi v i ng t he Fede ra ls an

obj e ct le sson i n how to de fea t andsca t te r t he B r i t i sh . H e a lsoi ssue d a man i fe sto addre ssed to t h e F re nch legions

,the t ransla t ion

of whi ch ran th usTo th e Le g ion ar ies, wh o h ave known me as th e i r comrade—Office rs

,Non

commiss ion edOffice rs , andM en,—I kn ow t hat y ou h ave n o t fo rgo tten me

,and

w e un d e rs tande ach o th e r,andth e re fo re I appeal to you . The re is h e re in

fron t of th e Vaa l a peop l e whom i t isde s i redto rob of i ts r igh ts,i ts p rope r t ie s

,

andi t s l ibe rty in orde r to satis fy some cap i ta l is ts by i ts dow n fa l l . Th e b loodth at run s in the ve in s of th is pe op le is i n par t F re n ch b lood. Fran ce

,th e re

fore , owe s t o i t some str ik ing man ife s tation of h e lp . Ah,we l l ! You are th e

me n whom a soldi e r ’s tempe rame n t,apa rt from all t h e g reat ob l iga t ion s of

n at ional i ty , h as g a th e redunde r t h is people ’

s fl ag , andmay that fl ag b r ingwith i t th e be s t of for t une To me y ou are th e fin ishedtype of a troop th ata ttacks andkn ows n o t re tre at . ”

H e a lso wro te to the Pa r is iansTh e D ut ch a re sp l e ndidatde fe n ce , b ut th ey cannot follow up adefeat andcrush th e e nemy , wh ich th e Fre n ch leg ionaries wou ldbe ab le todo . Come

andI wi ll re ce ive y ou h e re ; andI p romise y ou t h at ve ry fewday s sh al l e lapsebe fore w e wi l l sh ow th e worldth e me ttle of wh ich th e Fren ch leg ionarie s a re

made .

”

Th e d isplay to unprejud i ce d on looke rs w as d ist i n ct ly poor , h owe ve r, andth e e xample o f st ra tegy se t by th e ga l lan t Gau l sca rce lyse rve d to demonst ra te a stound ing m i l i tary gen ius .

The Co lone l ’s pla n of campa i gn wa s n e ve rthe le ss mos t ca re fu l lym ade ou t , as a documen t wh i ch subseque n tly fe l l i n to LordM e thue n ’s hands se rve d to show . Ve ry drama t i c sounds th e

o rde rs for the moveme n ts on Apri l 4, as trans la te d by the cor

re sponden t of th e D a ily Teleg r apk :

To- n igh t th e de tachme n t of th e ra idwi ll at tack Boshof andfollow i tsroute

,unde r th e favour of a surp r ise andth e p re va i l ing darkn ess . For th is

purpose,th e fo l low ingdispos i tions wi l l be obse rvedTh e co lumn wi ll se t off at

fou r o’c lock in th e afte rnoon ,

with th ede tachme n t of Boers unde r F ie ld—Corne tDan ie l l

,in such a man ne r as j ust to reach Boshof by n igh t . A t a ce r ta in po in t

th e d e tachme n t w i l ldiv ide,andwi ll re ach th e i r re spe c t ive places of assemb ly to

t he e ast andw e st of th e town . Boshof is s i tua tedin a p la in,andis flankedbyce r ta i n kopj es

,of wh i ch th e impo rtan ce anddis tan ce from t he town are reported

as fo l low s : to th e n or th,two n akedkopj es, weak ly g ua rded, anda gooddistan ce from th e tow n . Be twe e n them passe s th e Hoops tadt-Boshof road. To

t h e e as t , o n th e roadto K imbe rley , wh ich i t commands,on e kopj e , wh ich is not

g ua rdedby t h e e nemy . U pon th is th e Boe rs wil l take up th e i r pos i t ion .

Fin al ly ,to the sou th - east of th e town

,ande xac tly Oppos i te to i t

,th e re is a

kopje , whe re th e En gl ish h ave an o utpos t o f fi fty me n . On th e summi t of th isis formeda sma l l pa rape t o f s tone s , abo u t ha l f th e h e igh t of a man . Th is wi llform pa r t o f t he a t tack re se rvedfo r th ede tachme n t o f th e ra id.

“ Th e I lo ops tadt andK imbe r ley roads c ross in t h e in te rio r of th e town .

Th e pl a n o f a t tack wi l l be ca rri edout unde r th e fo llowi ng condi tion s : Ate leve n o

’c lo ck in th e e ve n i ng , th e Boe rs u nde r F ie ld-Corne t Dan ie l l will be in4 2

The Transvaal WarTo fac i li tate recogn i t ion th e b r im of the h a ts wi l l be coveredwith a wh i te

h an d ke rch ie f.Th e me ag ren ess of our in forma t Iondoes no t pe rmi t of e ve n an approx i

ma te e s t ima te of t h e Eng l ish fo rce . Th e fo rce s in Boshof se em,howe ve r

,to be

be tw e e n 300 and400me n . Whate ve r happe n s,th e assa i lan ts shou ldremem

be r that th e i r moral su pe rior i ty is ove rwhe lming , ande ve n in th e e ve n t ofre t rea t , th ey can e as i ly , cove redby th edarkne ss

,rega in th e ir horse s andre ti re

from Boshof wi thout risk .”I n view of the se magn ifi ce n t pre l im i na r ie s, on e may look w i th

out van i ty a t th e ce le r i ty andcomple te ne ss of th e B r i t ish ope rat ions wh i ch we re rewarded w i th v i ctory . The Fre n chman ’s fi r og r amme makes a qua i n t con trast t o th e te rse desc r ipt ion of a

qua rte rmaste r - se rgea n t of th e Impe r ia l Ye omanry , who thus ske tche dt h e e ve n ts of t he 5th of Apr i l

We rece ivedorde rs to turn out as soon as poss ib le ; we we re soon a ll

bus tle,ca ugh t andsaddl edour horses, andoff we we n t post-h as te . One of

our patrols h adbe en shot in th e n igh t by a forag ing party of Boe rs . We

t rottedoff fo r about two hours,andthe n caugh t t hem out -spann eda t th e

bottom of a kopje . Wedismoun tedandgo t on some more kopje s close byandbegan exch ang ing sho t s . Th en w e moun tedaga in , andha l f of us we n troundto th e i r righ t andh a lf to th e le ft to cut off the i r re treat ; andour

a rti lle ry , of wh i ch th ree gun s h adfol low edus, began to sh e ll th em in fron t .Whe n w e h adgo t we l l roundth em w e dismoun tedaga in andadvan cedto th e a t tack

,tak ing cove r. Th e n , afte r a few vo l ley s, ran up about

twe nty y ards ; th en a few more vo l ley s, andup aga in un t il w e we re with inabout a hundredandfi fty y ards, wh en w e made a rush for i t with fixedbayone ts . About se ven ty y ards from th e top th e re w as a large wire fen ce .

We h adto c lambe r th rough , andthen ,wh en we we re about fifty yards away ,

th ey came ou t andsurrende red. Th ere we re t h i rteen of them k i lled,andw e

hadfi fty - four p r isone rs,amongst th em Gene ral de Vi l lebo is-Ma re u il andfour

or five more Fre n chme n . Th ey hada cart wi th th em ful l of ammun i t ion anddy nami te , so th ey we re e v iden tly on some foray to b low some bridge or othe rup. They were s ta t ion edon two kopje s . Th e on e our ow n lo t we n t aga instwas on th e righ t . Most of th e i r bu l le ts fe l l short wh i lst we we re advan c ing ,andwh en w e made our fin al rush th ey wen t ove r us . About twe n ty of th eme scapedbe fore w e re ach edth em. I t was about five o

’c lock wh en t h e figh tw as ove r

,andwe comme n ceda twe lve -mi le march to camp about

A fte r go ing abo ut two mi le s i t came on dark , andwe h ada very h eavyth unde r- storm all th e way to camp

,wh ich w e reach edabout ten o

’c lock lastn igh t , w e t to th e sk in .

”

The blow so de ft ly andqu i ckly st ruck a t the ma raud ing pa rt ie so f the Boe rs w as va luable from many po i n ts of v i ew . I t s e rved tore s to re confide nce i n Lo rd M e thue n ’s le ade rsh ip—confide n ce wh i chhadbe e n con s ide rably sha tte re d by t he d i sa ste r of M aje rsfon t e ina ndi t h e lpe d to suppre ss a te nde ncy to ra idi ng i n the we st of CapeC o lo ny . S o comp l e te a succe ss co ul d no t bu t have a sobe r inge ffe c t o n the re be l s , andgive th em pause i n the i r madca re e r ofhos t i l i ty

44

The Battle of BoshofOn the 7 th of Apr i l

,a t dawn , Lo rd M e thue n ma rched t e n mi le s

o n the H oops tadt Road to Zwa r tkopje sfon t e in Fa rm wi thout oppos it ion . On the 8th h e pro ce e de d furthe r , bu t fina l ly , by Lo rdRobe rt s

’

s o rde rs, re trace d h is s te ps to Zwa r tkopje s . On the 10th ,

a t daybreak , two fly ing co lumns s ta rte d forth—G e n e ra l Douglasto sou th - east ande a st of the camp , Co lone l M ahon (command ingK imbe rley M oun ted Co rps ) from Bosho f towa rds K imbe rley .

Co lone l Mahon ’s movem e n ts , on wh i ch th e re l i e f of Ma fe k ing w asdepe nd i ng , must be take n i n de ta i l la te r on . Lo rd M e thue nope ra te d i n th is d istr i ct t i l l th e 1 7 th of M ay , whe n he moved toH oopstadt andbrought h is force wi th i n th e zon e of the ma i nope ra t ions . On th e a 1 5 t h e pro ce e de d to K roon stadt .

I n the K imbe rley d istr i ct the F i rst D i v is ion hadbe e n re

a rranged as fo l lows :L ie u te nan t -Ge n e ra l LordMe th ue n . 9 th Brigade (Maj or-Ge ne ra l C. W . H .

Doug las) .—I st Northumbe r landFus ile ers, I st Loy al No r th Lan cash i re , 2ndNor thampton sh i re , 2ndYorksh i re L igh t I n fan t ry . 20th Brigade (Majo rGen e ra l A . H . Page t) .—Composedof M i l i t ia Bat ta l ion s

, 4th ,20th , and44 th

F ie ldBatte rie s ; 37 th Howi t z e r Batt ery . Brigade Impe r ia l Yeoman ry (Co lone lLo rdCh esh am) .—I s t Batta l ion , 3rdBattal ion , 5th Ba t talion ,

l oth Battal ion .

Cape Po l ice,D iamondFie lds Horse , Part K imbe rley L igh t Horse

,D iamond

F ie lds Ar t i l le ry .

4S

C H A P T E R I I

MAFEK I NG, APR I LN t he first Sunday i n Apr i l L ieu te nant H anbury Tra cy ,

wi th two waggons, was se n t to br i ng i n t he de ad,a fte r

the unsucce ssfu l bu t ga l lant e ffo rt made by Co lone lP lume r to e n te r the town on th e g i st of Ma rch . As

has be e n sa i d , Commandan t S nyman’

s report of th e

n umbe r of s la i n w as grea t ly e xagge ra ted , andth e wounde d h ewou l d n ot gi ve up. Capta i n C rewe , who hadd ie d of h is i nj ur ie s ,

w as burie d i n the me lancho ly l i t t le ceme te ry a t Ma fe k i ng, a l re adya sadmemor ia l of d e eds of da r i ng.

,

Of Lieu te nan t M i l l igan no th i ngde fin i te was known , andi t was be l ie ve d tha t h e w as among thosewho hadbe e n bur ie d by th e Boe rs . Captai n Ma c la re n (i 3thH ussa rs ) w a s st i l l i n t he hands of t h e e nemy—a pr isone r, andse r iously, i f no t mo rta l ly , wounded . Th e tota l casua l t ie s on Co lone lPlume r

’

s s i de we re sa i d to be se ve nty - e igh t . Two o ffi ce rs ands ixme n we re k i l led

,th re e o ffice rs andth i r ty—s ix me n we re wounded ,

andon e o ffi ce r a nde le ve n me n we re take n pr isone rs .

On th e 4th of Apr i l the re was i n te nse joy ove r the a rr i va l ofLi e u te nan t Smi th eman

,who appea re d a t Ma fe k ing ca rry i ng a

de spa tch fo r Co lone l Bade n - Powe l l from Co lone l P lume r. H is

appearance w a s na tu ra l ly a s igna l for surpr ise ande xc i teme nt , as

e ve ry crumb of news from the ou ts i de worl d was pre c ious as

pe a rls . Pre v ious t o th is v is i t on ly one wh i te man—Re n te r ’scycl ist—hadsucce e ded i n ge tt i ng th rough th e Boe r l i ne s . Mr .Smithema n wa s we l l a cqua i n ted w i th the country ,

andhaddist inguish edh imse l f a s a scout i n th e Ma tabe le campa ign . H is

la te st e xplo i t was ful l of mome nt , a ndthe re was no doubt tha t i nth us e sta bl ish ing a l i nk w i th th e ga rr iso n h is v i s i t woul d be fraugh twi th impo rta n t re sul ts whe n t he opportun i ty to a t tempt th e re l i e fo f t he ga rr ison shoul d p re se n t i tse l f. Th i s sma rt o ffice r hadmadeh is wa y i n to th e be le ag uredtown p i lo te d by a na t i ve d iv i ne r a

pe rsonage w ho cl aimed by mea ns of a rodto asce r ta i n t he w he reabo uts o f Boe rs ,

a s o th e r d iv i ne rs have de c id ed the p re se nce of

wa te r . \Vhe th e r Lie ute nan t Smith eman owedh is sa fe conduct tot he a cume n o f t h e na t i ve o r t o thedexte r i ty o f h is ow n act ions wasmuchdisputed, bu t th e re su l t wa s em in e ntly sa t isfacto ry .

Commandan t S nyman ha v i ng be e n abse n t fo r aday or two ,th e

46

Mafek ing,Apri l

commun i ty e njoyed tempo ra ry pe a ce ,but on t he oth t he tyran t was

back aga i n,a ndby way of good—morrow h is g un Cre aky blew up

t he o ffice of M ajo r Goo l d Adams . On th e 7 th , Mr . Smith eman

re turne d to Co lon e l P lume r, bea r i ng upon h im much se rv i ce ablei n fo rma t ion . A pa r ty of na t i ve wome n e ndeavoure d t o e scape to

Kanya ,but we re i n te rce p te d by th e e nemy—str ipped , sjamboked ,

a ndforce d to re turn . The re was a lso a sma rt fight be twe e n t h eBoe rs andsome F ingoe s ,

w ho hadgone on a ca ttle - ra i d inge xped i t ion . These de fe nded them se l ve s va l iantly fo r twen ty - five

TH E NAT IVE V ILLAGE or M AFEK ING.h ours, bu t on ly on e man was le ft t o te l l the ta le . Th i s man suc

c e ededi n crawl i ng to the she l te r of some re eds, andthus e scape dru nobse rved.

The fo l lowing co rre sponde nce n ow passe d be twe e n Commandan t‘

S nyman andCo lone l Bade n - Powe l l i n re fe re nce t o t he fo rme r ’sa l leged emp loyme n t of “ ba rba r ia ns by th e B ri t ish in cat tle - ra i d inge xped i t ions

M AR i co LAAGER,M OLOPO

,Apr i l 7 .

To 12s H onour Co lone l BAD EN -POWELL,Mafe k ing .

En closedI beg to se ndto y ou a copy of a pass s igned, ‘A . T . Mackenz ie,

Black Watch,

’anddatedApri l 4, wh ich is a clear p roof th a t Kaffi rs are sen t

ou t, wi th your Honour’s knowledge , natural ly , as h eadoffi ce r, to p lunder, rob,

a ndmurde r. I am very sorry to se e that ty ran ny carrie s away th e good47

The Transvaal Warna tu re of so po l i te a n a t ion as th e Eng l ish . Th ey know that th e barba r iansh ave no th ing e lse in v iew. Twe n ty Kaffi rs we re sen t las t we e k in a no r the r lyd i re ction by an En g l ish o ffi ce r , acco rding to t h e s ta teme n t o f a wounde d n at ivew ho w as taugh t a l e sson by on e of my b u rgh e rs . Th i r ty - two we re se n t ont he 4 th , acco rding to a pass foundin t he pocke ts o f one of t h e k i l le d . Th eywe re a ll sho t y es te rday . I reque s t y ou to be k inde no ugh to fe tch th e bod ies .

Pl ease se ndan ambu lan ce un d e r a R edCross flag in th e di re c t ion of Can tonKopj e

,andn o t ify me immediate ly th e waggon s h ave l e ft . I wi l l se ndsome of

my burgh e rs to po in t ou t the bat tle fi e ld—You r Hono u r ’s obe d ie n t se rvan t,

“J . P. SNYMAN.

”

M A FEK ING,Apr i l 7 .

To /zz'

s Hmzozzr Ge n e ral SNYMAN .

S ir,—I h ave th e honour to acknow l edg e y our le t ter o f to—day . In regard

to th e pass s ign edMacke n z ie,

’

th is man h adn o autho r i ty to issue a pass of

any k ind, mu ch le ss for th e purpose sta ted. I am obl ig edto y ou for b ring ingt h e case to my notice . As r eg a rds y our Honour’s stateme n t th at y our bu rgh e rsk i l ledth i r ty—two n a t ives

,I beg to in form you that I kn ow noth ing wh a te ver

about t h e se me n . Th ey we re ce r ta in ly n o t act ing under orde rs re ce ivedfrommy se l f, n or , so far as I am awa re

,from any of my officers . I wou ldpo in t out

that th ere are a n umbe r of na t ive s about th e coun t ry in ade s t i tu te condi t ionow ing to th e i r home s h av ing bee n bu rn t andth e i r cat t le s tole n by y ou r bu rgh e rs ,andi t is on ly too probab le th at they h ave taken th e law in to th e i r ow n h andst o ende avour to ob ta in food. Of th is I have warnedy our honour be fo re . For

th e i r acts I mustde c l ine to be h e ldin any w ay re spon s ib le—I have th e h onourt o be y our obedie n t servan t, R . S . S . BAD EN-POWELL ,

Co lon e l commanding H .M . t roops in Mafe k ing .

On the 10t h of Apr i l,i n th e dead of n igh t

,th e enemy

’

s fie ld-gunswe re moved to pos i t ions comple te ly surround i ng the town , andshe l lswe re poured i n w i th unpa ra l le le d pe rs iste ncy . Th i rty droppedi nto th e wome n ’s laage r—fou r i n to t h e hosp i ta l . Unde r cove r ofthe bomba rdme nt the Boe rs , who hadbe e n re i nfo rce d by a Ge rmancorps, made a n a t ta ck on Fort A brams, wh i ch they imagi ne d hadbe e n d isabled by the i r she l l - fi re . They we re somewha t amazed t ofindtha t the ga rr ison of t he fort was no t on ly a l i ve ,

but k i ck i ng .Th e corpo ra l i n cha rge , who hadca lm ly wa i te d t i l l h is assa i lants hadgot wi th i n range , sudde n ly poure d a fie rce vo l ley o n th e approa chi ng numbe rs . Re sul t : five of the e nemy we re le ft on th e fie l d , t obe re cove re d la te r unde r a R edCross fl ag . Th e e ffe cts of bom

bardme n t we re many a ndva r ious . At one t ime t he Dutch Churchwas s truck . a t ano the r some she l ls bounded on t he roadway ,

fl ew

th rough th e a ir st ra igh t a cross the town , land i ng wi th awful de tonat ions a mi le I I I I th e o the r s i de . S ome fa i le d to burst , andthe n thedu ty o f e xtra ct i ng the cha rge was a t i ck l ish on e . One man i n sodo i ng w as blown to r i bbons , p ie ce s o f h im be i ng cas t to th e windsa ndp i cked up qu i te a hundre d ya rds from th e sce ne of the d isaste r.Anoth e r ma n w a s so fo rc i bly st ruck tha t a po rt ion o f leg andbootwe re fo rce d th ro ugh th e i ron - roofed ve randah some seven ty ya rds off !

48

S ERGEANT—18th HUS SAR S

Ph oto by Gregmy Co . , London

The Transvaal War

of th e Boe rs , fo r on Good Fr iday they appl ie d the i r e ne rgie s t o th e

construct ion of n ew tre nche s andfo rt ifi ca t ions abou t fi fte e n hundre dya rds be yond the i r fo rme r pos i t ion . I n orde r not to be beh ind thet imes, t h e bre ad ra t ion o f theday was ma rke d w i th a cross , todo dutyas a

“ hot cross bun .

” On th e fo l lowingday misfortune hung ove rth e pla ce , fo r two t roope rs, Mo l loy andH asse l l, be longing to the

Fo rt Ayr ga rr ison , we re caught by a she l l andmorta l ly wounde d .On Easte r D ay the re we re sports to rev ive th e sp i r i ts of th e

ga rr ison .On th e l gth of Apr i l the Creuso t gun was wi thdrawn , andth ei nhab i tants took hea rt . To va ry the i r me nu they now e ngage d i na locus t hau l , the re su l t of wh i ch was t o supply a th i rd va r iant tothe b i l l of fa re . Lady S a rah W i lson , te legraph i ng to h e r fr ie nds,de scr i bed h e r d ie t of horse sausages, m ince d mu le , andcurr ie dlocusts ! The la t te r i nse cts we re reporte d t o be te nde r a s ch i cke nandas tas ty as prawn almondised. ” The na t i ve s hada good mea l ,andv is ibly grew fa t . On the fo l lowing day a te legram w as re

ce ivedfrom Lord Robe rts reque st i ng the ga rr ison to ho l d out t i l lthe 1 8th of M ay . I t w as d isappo i n t i ng, none cou l d de ny , bu t th e yconso le d themse l ves tha t a m e ssage showing they we re ma rkeddown i n th e programme of “ com ing e ve nts was be tte r thannoth i ng a t all. Fortuna te ly the food st i l l he ld out . Wa te r—pu rewa te r—was ra re as Ede lwe iss, andl iquor of o the r k i nd was un

obta i nable . Only money w as wha t our fr ie nds on th e S tockExchange ca l l “ t igh t . ” The ba nk was closed to the ge ne ra l publ i c ,andh e r Maj e sty ’

s prese ntme nt upon a co i n was a pr i ze t o be

che r ishe d andc lung t o t i l l—we l l, t i l l th e crack of doom shou l d maketh e e ve r-promise d andn e ve r - rea l ise d re l ie f unne ce ssa ry .

But t h e gre a t food problem we l l -n igh exhauste d all the e ne rgiesof those conce rne d w i th i t . Capta i n Ryan , D .A.A.G sat da i ly i nthe i n te r ior of h is bomb -proo f offi ce re ce i v i ng a proce ss ion of pe rsons who fi le d in to make the i r imposs i ble demands, andde l i be ra t i ngon t he cur ious fa ct tha t th e s toma ch ru le s th e world . The honourof th e B ri t ish Empi re a t tha t mome n t hung by a me re th read—itwas a que s t ion of how sle nde r a thread of nour ishme nt cou l dke e p body andsou l tacke d toge the r to repre sent th e figure of an

Engl ishman ! N e ve rthe l e ss Ma fe k ing, l i ke K imbe rley , was boundt o have its marr iage be l ls . A Du tch br i de , ignorant of Engl ish ,was ledto th e a l ta r by a pr i va te of th e B e chuana land R i fle s,ignoran t of Dutch . Ph i losophe rs pred i cted cons i de rable fe l i c i ty ,as be twe e n them th e couple hadsuffi c ie n t language for lovemak ing a ndsca rce su ffic ie n t for con trove rsy .

At th is t ime Cap ta i n Ryan made a sta teme nt rega rd i ng thesupp l ie s of th e town , wh i ch se rve s to show the p i tch to wh i chcau t ion wa s ca rri ed

50

Mafek ing,Apri l

Th e to tal number o f wh i te men is approx ima te ly 1 1 50, of wh i te women400, andof wh i te ch i l d ren 300. Th e co louredpopulation con s ists of some 2000

men 2000women ,and3000 ch i ldren .

Bo t h th e wh i te andcolouredmen o r ig inal ly re ce ivede igh t oun ce s of

bre ad. Th e a l lowan ce h as now bee n reducedto s ix,but a quart of soup is

g ive n to make up thedefic ien cy . Ha lf a ga l lon of sowan po rridge a day wi l ls us ta in l ife . Th e re c ip ien ts are of th ree c lasse s ; those w ho re ce ive i t in l ieu of

two o un ce s of bread; those w ho wish to purchase foodo ve r andabove th e

quan t i ty to wh ich th ey are e n ti tled; those wh o are abso lu te ly de sti tu te , bo thb lack andwh i te , andwho re ce ive th e po r r idge free . I t h as been sugge s tedthat th e n ative s shouldno t be ch argedfor sowan porridge , but i t is though t unwise to paupe r ise e i ther blacks o r wh i te s . If any profi t h as bee n made from th e

sale by th e endof th e s iege i t wi l l be employ edin buy ing g ra in for th e many

na t ive wome n andch i ldren in Mafe k ing who have been in vo lvedin a quarre lwh ich is no t the i rs .

“Th e horse soup is made from th e carcasses of an ima ls wh i ch h adce asedtobe se rv iceab le andthose k i l ledby t h e en emy

’s fi re

,as we l l as h orses and

donkey s purchasedfrom individua ls wh o can no long er affordto keep them.

Th is soup is un popular among th e n atives,but th is is due ra th e r to prej ud ice

than to i ts qual ity .

Th edis t r ibution of supp l ie s is en tire ly unde r Imperial con tro l . Th e ArmyS ervi ce Co rps posse sses a s laugh te r-h ouse , a bake ry , anda g rocery , a t wh ichth e au thori tie s re ce ive anddistr ibute all ve ge tab les

,andi t re ce ive s anddis tr i

bute s mi l k to th e hosp i ta l, to wome n andch i ldre n,andto men who h ave been

medical ly ce rtifiedto n eedi t .At pre sen t th e h osp i tal is supp l iedwi th wh i te bread

,andi t is h opedthat

th e supply wil l be con tin ued. H osp i tal comforts are issuedto such as ar e in

ne edof th em,bo th in andou t pa t ie n ts

,on re ce ipt of an orde r from a me d ica l

office r. For th e n urses anddoc tors,w ho wo rk day andn igh t, th e au thoritie s

e nde avou redto prov ide s l igh tly be tte r rat ion s th an those ava i lab le for th e

ge neral commun i ty . Our sources of supp ly have been ch iefly th rough Mr.We i l

,w h o h ada large stock on handfor the prov is ion ing of th e garr ison ,

un ti l th e con tract te rmin atedat th e beg in n ing of February . S in ce th e n supplie s have be e n co l le ctedfrom va r ious merchan ts,sto re keepe rs

,andprivate

pe rson s ands to redin th e Army S e rv ice Corps depot , andfrom th e orig in alArmy S e rv ice Co rps stocks,of wh ich fo rage andoats formeda grea t proportion . F re sh bee f is ob ta in edby purchase from a private indiv idual named

Wh i te,andin a lesserde gre e from th e n at ives .

Breads tufl'

s are obta in ed,l ike g roce ries, by commande e ring th e stocks of

various merchan ts andpr ivate pe rson s.

’

Lord Robe rts now commu te d the se ntence of th e court-ma rt ia lwh i ch tr ied L ie ute nan t Mu rch ison for th e murde r o f Mr . Pars lowt o one of pe na l se rv i tude for l i fe . Many of those who hadbe e n assoc ia te d w i th th is o ffi ce r d id not cons i de r h im re spons i bl efor h is a ct ions

,andwe re re l ie ve d a t t he l ighte n i ng of the pun ish

me nt of a comrade - in -a rms .

On th e 2 7 th Co lone l Bade n -Powe l l se n t the fo l lowing messaget o Lo rd Robe r tsAfte r two hundre d days ’

s iege I de s i re to br i ng to you r lordsh ip ’s not i ce th e exce pt iona l ly good sp i r i t of loya l ty tha t pe rvade s all

S I

The Transvaal Warclasse s o f th is ga rr ison . The pa t ie n ce of e ve rybody i n Ma fek ing i nmak i ng th e be s t of th i ngs unde r th e long s tra i n of anx ie ty ,

ha rdsh ip,

andpr i va t ion is beyond all pra ise ,andis a re ve la t ion t o me . The

men ,ha l f of whom a re unaccus tomed t o the use of a rms

,have

adapted themse l ve s to the i r du t ie s wi th th e grea te st zea l , read i ne ss,andpluck , andt h e de vo t ion of the wome n is rema rkable . W i thsu ch a sp ir i t our o rgan isa t ion runs l i ke clockwork, andI have e ve ryhope i t w i l l pu l l us suc ce ss fu l ly th rough .At th is t ime , the Boe rs be i ng mo re pea ce ful , th e c i t i ze ns prepa red t o ce le bra te t h e two hu ndre dth day o f th e s iege by horsed in ne rs . Var ious o the r myste r ious mea ts, whose or igi n none da re di nve st iga te , appe are d on th e b i l l of fa re . On e lady de ve lope d a

ge n ius for tre a t i ng t h e me a t ra t ions, andwe nt so fa r as to gi ve a

d inne r-party . H e r proce ss was e labora te . Th e mea t ra t ion w as

cut up andthe obj e ct ionable p ie ce s removed . I t was the n soaked

POSTAGE STAMPS I SSUED AT M AFEK ING D UR ING THE S IEGE.

i n sa l t andwa te r for th re e hou rs , andmade i n to soup th i cke ned w i thsta rch . The next course was th e be e f out of the soup

,se rve d w i th

po ta to tops, wh i ch we re found most de le ctable . Th e n came a

sowans pudd ing. S owans prove d a fa i lure whe n se rve d as po rr idgeor curry , bu t whe n t h e pre pa ra t ion was m ixe d wi th s ta rch , b i ca rbona teof soda ,

andbak i ng powde r, people we re swi ft t o pa rtake .

I n add i t ion to the usua l de l i ca c ie s , m i nce d mu le andth e a foresa i d sowan po rr idge , i n ve n te d by an i nge n ious S co t t ish cro fte r oft he name of S i ms, the re was now manu fa ctured a cu r ious brawn ofhorseh ide ,

wh i ch w as ge ne ra l ly sne e red a t but de voure d w i th a la cr i ty .

Curio hunte rs longe d to pre se rve a S lab of i t for pre se nta t ion tot h e B ri t i sh Muse um ,

but the fea t of se l f-abnega t ion was too hardto be e ndure d . B e s i de s , as som e ph i losoph e r sa i d wh i le pu tt i ngi t i n to a pla ce o f sa fe ty ,

i t wou l d be the h ighe st ho rse tha t was e ve re xh i b i ted by th e t im e i t go t the re ,

andthe bu i l d i ng woul dn ’t ho l d i t .The commun i ty w a s a lmos t e nt i re ly a tee to ta l one . We e drappie sgrew so we e as to be a l most i n v is i ble , andwhe n a case of wh iskywa s ra ffl edfo r i t fe tche d £ 107 , 10s .

52

Affairs in Rhodes iaOn t he 29 th a m il i ta ry tourname n t was he l d , whe rea t a grea td isp lay o f che e rfu l ness was a ffe cted , to cove r t he fact that fe ve r,ma la r ia l andtypho i d , was ga i n i ng ground i n th e hosp i ta ls.

AFFA IR S I N RHODES IATh e Rhode s ian troops we re n ow a t M oshwana

,B ri t ish Be chu

ana land, i n camp some th i rty m i le s from M a fek i ng . Th e sma l lfo rce wi th a s i ngle se rv i ce able gun cou l d rea l ly a ccompl ish l i tt le ,

andi t was ma rve l lous, cons i de r i ng it s e xtreme weakne ss, how i tmanage d t o ma i n ta i n th e aggress i ve a t all.

Early i n Apri l Co lone l P lume r sta rte d a p ige on post , andthefi rs t p igeon despa tched a rr i ved a t Ma fe k ing w i th i n fou r hours . The

se cond was not so fortuna te , but la te r on th e su cce ss fu l b i rd wasse nt off aga i n

, on an e duca t iona l t r i p , wi th younge r b i rds i n itswake .

On th e 2 2ndTroope r Br indal o f th e Rhode s ian Regime n tdie dof t he wounds susta i ne d i n th e a ct ion on th e 3 i s t of Ma rch . A rchdea con Upch e r andFa the r H artma n re tu rned from th e sadm iss ionof d iscove r i ng andbury i ng the rema i ns of Lieute nan t M i l l igan , whofe l l a t Rama th labama . The e nemy now we re be i ng re i n forced fromt ime to t ime by part ie s from east andsouth , andas fa r as cou ld beasce rta i ne d by Co lone l P lume r, who sen t out na t i ve runne rs to

appr ise h im of t he do i ngs of the sou the rn re l ie f co lumn , th e Boe rsa round M a fek i ng numbe re d abou t 3000.

On the 24th Ge ne ra l Ca rr i ngton ’s fo rce , cons ist i ng of 1 100

me n ,wi th mounts andt ransports

,a rr i ve d a t B e i ra , andproce e de d from

the nce to Ma rande l las , twe nty -five mi le s from S a l isbury , the cap i ta lo f Rhode s ia . The route , th e fi rs t 200 m i le s of wh i ch is th roughPortugue se te rr i to ry ,

is cove re d by ra i lway . The d istance fromB e i ra to S a l isbury is some 3 7 5 m i les . Th e B e i ra ra i lway was

carr ied i n 1898 as far as New Umta l i , whe re i t was conne cted wi thth e system of the Mashona land Ra i lway Company . A t Sa l isburyth e ra i lway ce ase s , andbe twe e n th is po i n t andBulawayo , t he t e r

minus o f the Cape Ra i lway , a spa ce of 280 m i le s needed to be

cove re d by an exte ns ion . From Bu lawayo all promise d to be pla i nsa i l i ng

,as

, owing t o the un t i r i ng e ne rgie s of Co lone l P lume r andh is sma l l force—whose va luable se rv i ce s have ne ve r be e n su ffi c ie ntlye ste eme d—th e road andra i l t o Ma fek ing hadbe e n pro te cted andp re se rve d .On the 28th

,L ieu tenan t M oorson le ft Ma fek ing andrea che d

Co lone l Plume r’

s camp a t noon of the z 9 th , convey i ng t o h im th e

late st i n te l l ige nce ,andhe lp i ng h im to fo rmu la te plans for th e b ig

proje ct of re l ie f wh i ch w i l l be de scr i be d anon .

53

CHAPT E R I I I

T H E S I E G E O F WE P E N E R

ARLY i n Apr i l a po rt ion of t he Co lon ia l D i v i s ion , composedof Cape Mounte d R i fle s, th e Roya l S co ts MountedI n fan try , Drisco l l ’s S couts, Ka ffra r ian Mounted R i fle sunde r Capta i n P r i ce , B raba nt ’s H orse , two 1 5

-pounde rs,two nava l 1 2 - pounde rs, two 7

-pounde rs , on e H o tchk iss

,andthre e M ax ims, th e who le force unde r Co lone l Da lge ty ,

crosse d th e Ca le don B r i dge a t jamme rsbe rg Dr i ft, took posse ss ion of i t as t h e most i mpo rtan t s tra tege t i ca l po i n t , andoccup ie dthe town o f Wepe n e r w i thout oppos i t ion . Th e Co lone l hadn o

soone r done so than h e was surrounde d by Du tchme n , andmadeawa re tha t he mus t prepa re to stand a S iege . A party of Boe rsaccompany i ng a Ge rman o ffi ce r , w ho we re bl i nd fo lded be fore be ingbrought in ,

now e n te re d We pe ne r be a r i ng a me ssage from th e

commandan t . H e ve ry k i n dly d emande d th e i nstant su rre nde r ofth e B ri t ish to save fur the r bloodshe d . Th e me sse nge rs re t i re dwi thout tak i ng wi th them a reply to the cons i de ra te reque st, bu task i ng whe the r some m istake hadno t be e n made ,

andi nv i t i ng the i rsurre nde r i ns tead . As th e Boe rs we re now threa te n ing an a ttackon the fo rce , S ir G . Lagde n dema nded a demonst ra t ion by t he

Basutos on t he Basuto borde r . Th i s was read i ly re sponded t o,for

the na t ion na tura l ly re se n te d any in vas ion of the i r te rr i tory by the i rhe re d i ta ry foe s and, moreove r , th e ch ie fs hadbe e n vast ly impre sse dby the big hea rt ” of t he E ngl ishm e n w i th whom they hadcomei n con ta ct , andthe i r s tubbo rn re s i s ta nce of th e Boe r a tta cks .

We pene r i tse l f was e vacua te d , bu t a camp a t jamme rsbe rg , th re emile s off, was fo rmed , e n tre n chme n ts made , andde fe nce s i nge n iouslycons tructed . Th e pos i t ion , somewha t re sembl i ng Ladysm i th , was

s i tua te d in the sauce r -shape d ho l low o f many h i l ls . I t was prac t i

ca l ly i so la te d . but th e l i ne s we re s trong, andme a t was ple nt i fu l .Co lone l Da lge ty , wh o commanded the ga l lan t l i t tle force , is an old

o ffi ce r of the Ca pe Moun te d Ri fle s , andhasas a re co rd of se rv i ce s theGa i ka a ndGa l eka e xped i t ions ,

a ndt h e ope ra t ions i n Basu to land i n1 880—8 1 . H e hadno doubt i n h is abi l i ty to ho ld ou t aga i nst th ebe s i ege rs , a l tho ug h th e fo rce wa s on ly 1 700 to 1 800 strong, andth epos i t i o n wa s re a l ly too e xte ns i ve . To p ro te ct i t prope rly requ i re da bout 4000 me n . The Ca pe Mounted R i fle s , wi th a company of

54

The S iege of WepenerRoya l S cots, we re orde red to ho ld the le ft of the pos i t ion , the we ake stpo i n t I st B rabants andsome Ka ffra r ia n R ifl e s t he front 2 ndB rabants t h e r igh t a ndKa ffra r ian R ifle s t he rea r.A st i rr i ng day

’

s work was re corde d on the 8th by an o ffi ce r ,whose e xpe r ie nce s we re publ ishe d in the Glade :

Apr z'

l 8, 7 A .M .

—AS I write,with my back aga inst the tre nch , we have

reach e d th e fi fthday of t he no isy con ce rt without any apprec iab le re sul t,e xcep t

tha t w e have e xpe ndedmost of our ammun i t ion . No t a gun has be e n dismoun ted, no t an in ch of our long l in e ofde fe n ce (ten mi le s, about) been y ie l de dto t h e e n emy ; b ut about 1 50 ga l lan t fe l lows, mos t ly g e n t leme n by b i rth , of th eCo lon ia l D iv is ion , are /ZO7’S d’e comba t

,andwe a re s t i l l look ing andlong ing

to see th e re l ief co l umns of K i tch en e r or Ga tacre appear on th e hori z on .

Wh i le s i t t in g chatting wi th Cap ta in Cholmondley , I saw across th e rav in e myown squadron

,

‘M,

’ de scending rap id ly in to th e va l ley to reoccupy th e r ifl e

p i ts wh ich R ut t ledg e h advacatedatday ligh t, ande xposedto a he avy sh rapne lfi re . I scramb leddown th e r idge andjo in edth em a t th e p i ts

,but h adscarce ly

go t my men posted, wh en Cookson w as se e n coming towa rds us at a madgal lop . My orde rs we re to le ave on e troop (Ru t tledge ’

s) in th e r ifl e - p i ts,and

take th e othe r three to Support Colon e l Dalge ty , who was hardpre ssedon our

le ft rear. I shouldh ave to cross a p la in swe pt by the Boe r fi re .

“When I h adcl imbedup th e s te ep rav in e on th e top of th e ma in r idge w e

foundall our horse s h idde n away in a foldof th e g round. To moun t was th e

work of a minu te , andth e n w e were laun ch edon our madga l lop ac ross a pla inswe pt by Boe r Max im andrifle fi re . I led

,andth e men fo l lowedmost gallan tly

in to th e ‘j aw s ofdeath . ’ No th ing but an n ih i lation seemedto awa i t us ; buton we Swept ove r that mi le anda half l ike wi ldmen

,an exc i tedAme r ican

,con

s tan t ly by my s ide andsome times aheadof me,shou t ing , In th e joy o f batt le .

’

I t was,1 th in k

,th e most e x c i t ing quar ter of an hour I h ave spen t in my adven

turons l ife . My horse was go ing a t rac ing pace , wh e n sudde n ly I came upona kran z e

,down wh i ch I leape d in fox - hun t ing sty le . I though t th is wou ldfi n ish all my badride rs ; but a ltho ugh they ta i ledoff somewh at in to a longe rl ine than the ope n orde r I h ado rdered, th ey we re sti ll in th e ruck

,andw e all

came toge the r somewhat too c lose ly at a wire fe n ce,wh ich brough t us to a

s tands t i l l . Hav ing n egotiatedth is, we came upon anothe r s imi lar on e,wh ich

w e all go t th rough somehow . All th is t ime th e li t tle co l umn s ofdust we reris ing all ro un d andcon s tan tly unde r my horse ’s be lly . Aga in we we re brough tup by adee p donga, a long wh ich we h adto turn to our righ t andsk i rt i t t i l li t w as n egot iab le , wh e re th e banks h adbeen cut down on each s ide for th e

ho rse s of the C .M .R . to cross . I made th en for a g roup of dismoun te dhorses he ldin sh e lte r beh inda S trong causeway . He re was Da lge ty , to whomI reportedmy se lf. In a few minute s t he Boe rs bro ugh t anoth er gun in to pos ition

,wh ich se n t a S he ll in to us

,k i l l ing four gun mu le s l in kedtog e th e r in th e i rharn ess

,s ix troop horse s

,on e ofmin e

,andon e n igge r, who was holding th e

mu les . They fe ll in a h e ap , andpre sen teda most gruesome appea ran ce . On e

or two me n we re also woundedby th e same sh e l l,wh i ch was th e s ignal for a

skurry for she lte r beh indh uge bou lders . Th e horse s we re sen tdown to th e

donga be fo re me n t ion ed,whe re

,though S he l teredfrom shot andsh e l l

,th ey

spe n t four mise rab leday s , un t il a t las t a h eavy ra in fi l ledth edonga, andsomeof th e horse s we re swimming . A l l h adh adth e i r saddle s on from th e fi rstday .

Some of th ese hadbee n torn off by th e horse s' fran t i c e fforts to ge t out,and

55

The Transvaal Warwe re lost in t h e mud. F inally they all go t ou t, andcove redth e pla in s unde r th eBoe r fire . Many of th em we re shot .

“ Afte r th edeadly she ll I began to coun t up my men andfindout how manywere miss ing afte r t h e charge a cross th e pla in,andth e last dose of sh rapn e l .

To my su rprise,they all an swe redto the i r n ame s excep t ing tw o . Macar thy

hadbe en s t ruc k full in th e fore h eadby a Mause r bul le t,andfe ll from h is horse

as on e dead. H e is now re cove ring . R e id,an Ame r ican

,was shot th rough

th e s ide andarm,andis also re covering . Turn e r

,my se n ior l ieu te n an t

,h ad

bee n s t ruck in th e h ip wi th a bi t of segmen t sh e ll, but s tuck most pluck i ly to

h is pos t .

”

Th e o ffi ce r we nt on to na rra te an ep isode wh i ch dese rve s t o beremembe re d among the de e ds of he ro ism wh i ch d ist i ngu ishe d th isno table pe r iod : “ Coming across from the C .M .R . l i ne s towa rdst he Kaffra r ian l i ne s was a st re tche r carr ie d by four me n w i th a

wounde d man on i t . AS soon as i t came from u nde r t he she l te r o fth e kopj e on wh i ch w e andthe C .M .R . l i ve , abou t 1 200 ya rds fromt h e r idge he l d by th e e nemy , oppos i te th e ope n e ndof th e ho rseshoe , it was re ce i ve d by a ha i l of’ bu l le ts . On we nt the ga l lan tbe are rs for abou t a hundre d ya rds, whe n they came to a sudde nstand

, put the stre t che r on t h e ground, andse emed to con su l t .F i rst on e ran about twe n ty ya rds , to fa l l , appa re nt ly Shot dead ;the n anothe r d i d th e same ,

andth e th i rd ; andth e th re e co rpse swe re ly i ng on th e ground . Th e fou rth man fe l l on h is kne e s betwe e n the stre tche r andthe e nemy . The Boe rs , the n sa t isfie d tha tthey hadd ispose d of th is lot , ceased fi r i ng a t them for the space of

some minu te s, whe n sudde n ly th e four de ad me n came to l i fe ,rushed

to th e s tre tche r, andwe n t on w ith i t a t th e double , though l i tt leco lumns of dust rose th i cke r tha n e ve r round th e de vote d bea re rs .

Whe n they hadcrosse d the fire zone andcame unde r the she l te r ofa sma l l kopj e , some th i ng ve ry l i ke a che e r rose from the th re e hundred spe cta tors of th is e xc i t i ng sce ne . Pu tt i ng the bre ach of theGe ne va Conve nt ion ou t of th e que st ion , the re cou l d no t be a be t te rex emplificat ion of the savage ry of th e Boe rs . Eve n a savage foewou l d have re spe cted such courage as the se men showe d i n th e i re fforts to save the i r wounde d comrade . The wounded man turnedou t to be Capta i n Go l dswor thy o f th e wounded i n twopla ce s, whom I a fte rwa rds saw i n hospit t e re , andthe on e who

sh ie l ded h im w i th h is own body was a young t rumpe te r i n the

w ho , I be l ieve ,wi l l g e t the V .C .

”

On t he 8th a commando some 2000st rong, wi th four guns, laage re dfi ve mil e s out i n th e d i re ct ion of D ewe tsdo rp . andon th e 9 th the

town o f We pe ne r was occupie d by th e Boe rs , who, i n numbe rfrom 5000 to 6000, spread themse l ve s cre sce n tw ise a round the

B ri t ish pos i t ion . No t long we re they i na ct i ve . The i r guns bega nto ope n on t h e camp

,a ndre ce i ve d a prompt answe r from the

56

The S iege of Wepener1 5

-pounde rs . A v igorous a rt i l le ry due l , i nvo lv i ng grea t loss t o t he

be s ieged , was the n kept up th roughout t he day .

A membe r of t he sta lwa rt band gave h is impre ss ions o f the fi rs tdays of t he fight i ng : “ Th e brave lo t of fe l lows o f the C .M . R .

we re sto rme d a t unt i l w e a lmost gave up hope tha t any humanbe i ng could s tand aga i nst i t ; but ve ry fortunate ly for us th ey d idso

,a nda l though t h e Boe rs came a lmost be h ind them ande nfiladedthe i r tre nche s , k i l l i ng andwound ing be twe e n s i x ty andse ve nty o f

t he regime n t . Goodne ss knows how many o f the Boe rs we re k i l led .The i r losse s must have be e n gre a t , no ma tte r wha t they may saya fte rwards . Towa rds day l igh t the e nemy re t i red to the i r fo rme rpos i t ion , a nda t daybre ak t he fight we n t me rr i ly on i ts way, bu t ,luck i ly ,

Sh i fted from t he poor played -ou t C.M . R . for a few hou rs.

Majo r S pre nge r, poor fe l low , was s imp ly r iddled w i th bu l le ts . Capta i n Go ldswo rthy andMajor Wa r i ng, toge the r w i th se ve ra l o the ro ffi ce rs, we re wounded , andnow th e C .M . R . a re commande d byonly a few o ffi ce rs, i n clud ing the i r most ga l lan t Co lone l Da lge ty .

Cap ta i n Cookson,anothe r of the i r o ffice rs , is a n e spe c ia l favour i te

wi th our men , as he looks a fte r them as we l l as h is own me n i nact ion . H e fea rs no dange rs , andso i nst i ls confidence i n to o the rs.

“ A l l we nt we l l w i th us unt i l th e good - n igh t She l l , wh i ch burstsove r our camp abou t s ix o

’clock e ach n igh t, a rr i ved . Cookson andI we re supe r i n te nd i ng t he se nd ing of th e food t o th e t re nche s , whe reour brave me n we re so brave ly ho ld i ng the i r own , whe n I hea rdt h e wh ist le of th e she l l andhe a rd i t burs t, ands imu l taneously wasknocked down by a shrapne l bul le t, wh i ch , fortuna te ly for yourstru ly , d id no t pe ne tra te fa r i n to my th igh . As no bon e s w e rebroke n , I hope—in fa ct , I am sure—I sha l l be able to wa l k i n adayor two from now . Lie ute nan t Duncan , a lso wounded i n the leg ,

andmyse l f we re pla ce d i n a sma l l schanze , e re cted fo r t h e purpose ,

bu t as the re w as no roof to i t,andthe ra i n poure d for hou rs duri ng

th e n ight, w e we re soaked to the bone . I t cou ld not be he lped ,the re be i ng no o the r p la ce i n wh i ch t o put us so w e d id no t com

p la i n . I t w as jus t as we l l w e d i d no t go t o th e hosp i ta l , which isa l ready ove rcrowde d—no fewe r than 1 10 wounded men the re—as

I learn tha t on e of our wounded men was ye s te rday k i l led i n i t w i tha Boe r bu l le t ; i n fa ct , the Boe rs se ve ra l t ime s fi red a t i t . \Ve now

have a waggon sa i l ove r our schanze , andfe e l n i ce andcomfo rtable .

We expe c t to be able to move about by E aste r S unday . Capta i nH amil ton has be e n ve ry k ind come s to v is i t us tw o o r th re e t ime saday , andruns a st rong chance of be i ng shot , as th e sn ipe rs Shoo ta t e ve ry one w ho show s h imse l f. H e is on ly on e of the lot ; theyare all t he same .

”

On Tue sday , the l o th ,came more due l l i ng. I n th e morn ing

w i th a rt i l le ry , i n th e a fte rnoon w i th r ifl es . The Cape Mounted57

Transvaal War

Froma

S

etch

by

A.

Festi

ng

CE

OF

WEPEN

THE

DEF

Rifle s d id good e xe cu t ion,

for the Boe rs who hadap

proach edto 2 50 ya rds of

the i r pos i t ion we re force d toremove . An offi ce r of Braban t ’s H orse spoke most e nthus ias t ically of t h e C .M .R .

H e sa id“We fough t allday a nd

a ll n ight . Th e big g un andr i fle fi re we re a lmost de a fe n ing ,

andas w e are em

t ire ly surrounde d , i t was

pou r i ng i n on all S i de s , a

condn uous hafl of sflmn andshe l l . Towa rds a fte rnoonthey d i re cte d all the i r gunfi re to on e spot, andblewU) bns t he schanze s of the

thus leav i ng thema lmost unpro te cted, andi nt he n igh t th ey a ttempte d t otake th e pos i t ion by assau l t .Although th e C.M . R . we reve ry cons i de rably outnum

be red , th e Boe rs we re unablet o a t ta i n the i r obj e ct . Theyhadno t re ckone d. on th e

oppos i t ion o f, undoubte dly ,

one of th e fine st regime n tsi n th e who le world , as t he

C .M . R . a re . We (I st Brabants ) we re unable t o se ndre i n fo rceme n ts to the ga l lan tfe l lows, as w e e xpe c te d an

a t ta ck ou rse l ves a t any mo

m e nt , a ndou r pos i t ion issuch an e xte nde d on e , tha ti t requhf xl e ve ry rnan t o

hokl i t If onhf INe hada

few hundre ds more to ho l dth e t re nche s wi th us , andanample supp ly of ammun i

t ion , w e woul d be qu i teh appyf

’

The S iege of WepenerThe sca rc i ty of ammun i t ion began t o cause anx ie ty , anda lso t h e

cond i t ion o f t he a tmosphe re . Th e a ir was a lmost u nbrea thable .

Fume s from de ad horse s, cows, p igs , wh i ch we re s trewe d on the

su rround ing pla i ns, rose i n sunsh ine or ra i n as from a ca ld ron of

pe st i le nce . The re was no avo i d i ng them , anddea th by worse thansho t andshe l l—by s low ravaging ma la r ia , o r gre edy e pidem icse emed to be t ra ced by the finge r of expe cta t ion a cross th e fou la tmosphe re . No longe r was the re pleasure i n ga z i ng ou t a t th e

beau t i fu l gre e n h i l ls , tha t but a l i t t le wh i le ago hadbe e n spe ck ledw i th wh i te te nts anddrape d w i th the e the rea l gossame r of bluesmoke from the fi t ful flame of th e camp fire s . War hadsounded it smost d isco rdan t no te—ha rd—empha t i c . Th e te n ts we re all s tru ck .On the ground they lay prone , ba t te re d by t h e pour i ng ra i n . Campfire s we re n ow few andfar be twe e n , andthe on ly smoke to be se e ncame from the snort i ng nozz les of impleme n ts of dea th . Th e ra t tleof muske try made t he me lody ofday andn igh t . The me n ,

huddledup i n the i r t re nche s , ra i ne d on by heave n—se nt s torm ,

ra i ne d on byhe l l - S e n t shrapne l , unable to ra ise a head le st th e moveme nt wou l dbe the i r las t , st i l l rema i ned glo r ious fe l lows, che e ry, jocose , ha i l i ngth e humou rs of the i r t ragi c pos i t ion wi th shou ts of laughte r, andsk ipp ing, wi th true he ro ism , th e ghast ly andth e te rr i ble tha t th rusti tse l f be twe e n them andthe i r courage .

On e of the i r numbe r de scr i be d the tre n che s as S imply ord i naryt re nche sdug i n t he ground , wi th th e ea rth ands tone s th rown ou t ont h e fron t s i de , s tre ngthe ne d by sand -bags . Dur i ng th e fi rst day

’

s

fight ing they we re n ot ve ry good , a ndt he h eavy losse s susta i ne dwe re a tt r i butable to tha t fact . The me n improve d them dur i ng t h en igh t , howe ve r, andthey grew andgrew unt i l they we re rea l ly l i kerabbi ts burrowing i n to the ground . Dur i ng t he she l l i ng me n wou l dS it o r lie down unde r th e bank, andi t was wonde rfu l how th e

t re nche s pro te cted them . S ome o f th e t re n ches hadhundreds of

she l ls fi re d i n to them dur ing the day ,andas long as th e me n kept

we l l down , they go t off compa ra t i ve ly l igh tly . I t was a fearfu lstra i n , howe ve r, a s you m igh t be crouch i ng beh i nd a t rave rse of sandbags

,whe n thump wou ld come a sh e l l andknock the sand - bags a ll

ove r th e pla ce ,upon wh i ch you wou l d have t o sk i p in to th e t rave rse

andexpose you rse l f wh i le do i ng so to a ha i l of bu l le ts from th e Boe rsn ipe rs . As th e Boe rs we re all round us , they brough t guns to bea rfrom diffe re nt po i n ts, so as t o e nfilade th e tre nche s , so w e hadt o bu i l d t ransve rse wa l ls , sand bags, or trave rse s t o pro te ct ou rse l ve s .

The fron t Cape M ounte d Ri fle s’ tre n che s we re fea rful ly ba tte re ddur i ng th eday , andt h e t i red me n hadto pa tch them up as be s t theycou l d duri ng th e n igh t . Du r i ng th e day w e cou ld n o t Show our

heads ove r th e parape ts , as the re would immed ia te ly come a vo l leyfrom the Boe r r ifl eme n .

”

59

The Transvaal WarAl l th e t roops hadun ceas i ng wo rk , bu t most of the casua l t ies fe l l

t o th e Sha re o f those i n th e southe rn pos i t ion—th e Cape M oun te dRi fle s, Capta i n Ga rne r ’s Squadron of B rabant ’s H o rse ,

Capta inS e e l ’s Company of Roya l S co ts Moun ted I n fan try , andD r i sco l l ’se ne rge t i c scou ts . Th e Ka ffra r ians , commande d by Capta i n P r i cee lsewhe re i n fou r d i ffe re nt pos i t ions t o east andwe s t—took the i rshare of th e de fe n ce , wh i le on th e h e igh ts no rth -east andn orth—we s t ,the I st and2ndRegime nts of B raba nt’s H o rse , unde r Major H e n

de rson andCo lone l G re n fe l l re spe ct i ve ly , a lso wo rke d i nce ssantlyt o pro te ct t h e ga rr ison .

Th e obj e ct of t he conce ntra t ion of the Boe rs a round th is regio nwas suppose d t o be conne cte d w i th o ffe r i ng oppos i t ion t o Ge ne ra lB raban t ’s advance , bu t t h e Du tchme n i n the i r po l i cy we re somewha t u neasy , owing to the i r c lose prox im i ty to th e Basu to borde r.The i r a la rm was n ot wi thou t re ason , for i f the re w as a fo rce

e age r t o a t ta ck them i t was th e Basutos, andthe se we re on ly he l dba ck from rush ing i n to th e fray by t h e pe rsona l i nflue nce of S ir

Godfrey Lagde n andh is B r i t ish co l league s, wh o can n eve r suffic ie n t ly be applaude d for th e sk i l l a ndd iploma cy w ith wh i ch theymanaged to ke ep

,by i n v is i ble mo ra l coe rc ion , a fie ry horde from

rush ing ove r th e borde rs andposs i bly massa cr i ng su ch F re e S ta te rsas came i n the i r way . Th e Boe rs, howe ve r, we re not consc ious of

th is coe rc ion , andconseque n tly the i r act ion a round Wepe ne r was

somewha t cramped , andthus i t wa s tha t th e l i t t le commun i tymanaged to de fy th em . M eanwh i le d iscomforts we re many , andth e c louds o fte n empt ie d themse l ve s l i ke a vast showe r- ba th invo lv i ng douse d tre nche s, dre nche d cloth i ng, andth e suspe ns ion ofope ra t ions . On the 1 1 th a ch e e ry me ssage was re ce i ve d fromLord K i tche ne r, w ho pa i d a v is i t to Al iwa l North , andfromthe nce se nt word tha t h e hoped for an ea rly change

” i n the c i rcumstance s of the be s iege d . Sp i r i ts rose . Wha t K i tche ne r, t h e

adamant i ne, sa i d was sure t o be done . On Thursday ,

1 2 th , t h e

fourthday of fie rce figh t i ng, th e Boe rs cont i nue d the i r aggre ss ion allday . D ur i ng t h e conte st a n e n te rta i n i ng i n te rlude i n t he drama of

wa rfa re took pla ce . The e nemy was busy she l l i ng on e of the

ga rr i son ’s 1 5-pounde rs , whe n a sho t knocke d off th e le ft S ight o f

Capta i n Luk i n ’s g un . The Cap ta i n , ge ne rous i n his adm ira t ion ,j umped on t op of th e gun andmade a complime nta ry sa laam t o t h e

B o e r gunne r . La te r on , by us i ng t he re se rve s igh t on the r igh ts i de ,

h e h imse l f p lanke d a sh e l l r igh t i n to the adve rsa ry’

s gunpit ,

wh e re upo n t h e o f fice r i n cha rge ,im i ta t i ng Capta i n Luk i n ’s e xample .

p romp tl y le ap t up andbowe d h is congra tula t ionsD uri ng t h e n igh t of the 1 2 th the Dutchme n a ttempte d anothe r

a tta ck , bu t vo l l ey a fte r vo l ley wa s poure d i n to them wi th sucha n ima t ion tha t by 4 A . M . they we re glad e nough to re t i re . Fo rtu

60

The S iege of Wepener

nat e ly not a man was k i l led o r wounded , andthose who hadso we l lde fe nde d them se l ve s fe l t a somewha t na tura l sa t isfa ct ion i n se e i ngt he Boe r ambulance s a t wo rk the next mo rn i ng . S oon i t wasrumoure d tha t the Boe rs we re br i ng i ng up a no the r g un ,

andth ega rr ison , who we re begi nn i ng to g e t t i red of be i ng peppe red a t byguns big andsma l l , bega n to long for t h e a rr i va l of re i n forcements .

Fr iday th e 1 3 th , t h e fo l lowing Sa tu rday andS unday ,we re used

by t h e Boe rs for the i r Easte r de vo t ions —no t tha t they we re too

de vout to e njoy a l i tt le sn ip i ng i n t he i n te rva ls . N asa l hymns tookt he place of t he snorts of Long Tom

,but a fte r t he re i te ra t ions of

t he V i cke rs Maxim the F e de ra ls re sumed the i r bomba rdme n t w i threnewe d ze st , andOom S am, the B ri t ish howi tze r , took up th e

tune . Unfo rtuna te ly , th e Dutchme n re sorte d to expans i ve bu l le ts .

On e of th e commandants tr ied to asse rt tha t the se we re capture dfrom the B ri t ish , bu t t ruth no t be i ng th e Boe r forte , no e ffort wasmade to re fute the v i le impea chme nt .The garr ison n ext made a dash i ng sort ie andcapture d a Boe r

gun . Aggre ss i ve a ct ion was ne ce ssa ry . Re i n forceme n ts we re da i lyrea ch i ng t he be s iege rs, andhos t i le gangs we re co l le ct i ng i n thev i c i n i ty of Dewe tsdo rp . The se soon ga the re d round t h e pluckyBri t ish force

,wh i ch , to pro te ct i tse l f, launched out wi th such v igour

tha t t h e B oe rs , e spe c ia l ly th e Zast rom Commando ,w ho hadassau l ted

to a jubi la te , re t re a ted to a d i rge . The wome n wep t, andth e me n

themse l ve s grew a nx ious, fo r th e Basutos, wa rl i ke andexc i ted , w e remass i ng on t he bo rde r, anda swo rd of Damocle s

,i n t h e form o f

an e xaspe ra ted legion of na t i ve s, th rea te ned t o drop on th e Dutchme n ’s heads . They we re ge t t i ng i n to d i ffi cu l t ie s on a ll s i de s . On e

o f Ol iv ie r ’s guns was smashed , andano the r hadbe e n capture d i n th eso rt ie by t he Cape Moun ted R i fles . Bu t th e e ne rg i es of th issp rightly corps hada lso cost them dea r . Dur i ng the four days

’

fight i ng , from the 9 th t o the 1 3 th , e ightee n we re s la i n and1 3 2

wounded The men on the sou th -weste rn fr i nge fa red worse eve nthan th e o the rs . They fe a re d t o cook i n the i r t re nche s le st the yshou ld a ttract t h e Boe r fire , andme a ls brought from adja cen tshe l te rs we re co l d be fo re they cou ld rea ch them . Such rev iv ing andi nspi r i t i ng re fre shme nt as ho t t ea o r coffe e was a lmos t u nknown ,andas a natura l conseque nce ,

part i cu la rly i n such damp wea th e r,wa rmth exte rna l andi n te rna l was mos t craved fo r andve ry ge ne ra l ly missed . Wash ing was a luxury not to be thought of, i n de ed , a

ra i n bath i n a t re nch hadto se rve all purpose s . The stra i n of su chcondi t ions on th e me n was most try i ng, andt h e a ccoun t gi ve n byon e of the o ffi ce rs was far from e xagge ra te d . They hadto go i n tothe i r trench e s on the n ight of th e 8th , andfrom then t i l l th e 2 5 1h

they hadt o stay i n them , crou ch i ng i n them allday wh i le be i ngheav i ly she l led and‘

Sn iped ’

a t by t he e nemy’

s r ifl eme n . D ur i ng6 1

‘The Transvaal War

t h e n ight a couple of men from ea ch tre nch wou ld be se n t to t he

p la ce nea r t h e ce ntre of t h e pos i t ion whe re th e food was prepa re dandtake i t up t o the i r comrade s. Cook ing cou l d on ly be done a t

n ight i n donga s, andbe h ind cove r, such as wa l ls, & c . , andby the

t ime th e food go t to th e me n i t was ice co ld,so th e poor fe l lows,

or th e majo r i ty , i n th e fo rward tre n che s d id no t ge t a ny th ing ho t i nth e shape of food or dr in k for e ighte e n days . N ight was a ble sse dre l ie f, as they cou ld g e t out of t h e tre nche s ands tre tch themse l ve s,but to cap our m ise ry w e hadse ve ra l days

’ heavy ra i n , andth etre nche s go t fu l l of wa te r. The fe l lows hadt o ba le i t ou t wi thbucke ts, pa tro l t i ns, ande ve n ha ts, I be l ie ve . Those ra i ny n ightswe re awfu l , andt he me n we re ge tt i ng qu i te ‘ j umpy .

’ I rea l lythough t some of them wou l d lose the i r re ason , andwas qu i teprepare d t o find some dead from exposure i n the mo rn i ng. H ow

e ve r , t he ra i n s topped i n t ime ,o the rw ise w e wou l d have be e n i n

grea t dange r as th e men cou l d no t have stood i t . The re is a

l im i t to huma n e ndu rance .

Th e i nve stme n t hadn o showy nor p i cture sque cha racte r i st i cs i tw a s jus t a case of ste rn re s ista nce , of obdura te e ndurance ,

tha t wasi nfin i te ly more ex ige nt i n i ts demands on th e human cha ra c te r thant h e br i l l iant sou l -st i rr i ng de e ds of ope n ba t tle . Fo rtuna te ly the

Boe rs we re ge tt i ng co rre spond ingly uncomfo rtable . They hadsurrounde d We pe ne r , i t is true , bu t , w i th a na t i ve gua rd of some3000 strong a ssemble d t o pre ve n t any e ncroachme n ts on the Basu toland borde r

,they rema i ne d whe re they we re a t the i r pe r i l , and

e ve ry hour brought w i th i t t h e chance of be i ng hemme d i n on

a ll s i de s . Ye t they stu ck on,i nspi re d wi th the be l ie f tha t by

some,for them , lucky chance Co lone l Da lge ty migh t drop in to

the i r hands . M eanwh i le th e na t i ve s we re ass ist i ng the be s iegedt o t he be st of the i r powe r

,andth e re s i de nt Comm iss ione r a t

M a fe te ng w a s e xe rt i ng h imse l f t o prov i de ambu lance s andmed i ca ls tore s, i n hope of be i ng able t o forwa rd them shou ld opportun i tyo ffe r. Th e cha r i table a rrangeme nt was much appre c ia ted , for th e

s ta te of a ffa i rs was fa r from sa lubr ious . Apa rt from s i ck andwounded , many of th e Boe rs , a fte r th e n ight a t ta ck of the 1 2 th

,

hadle ft the i r comrade s unbur ie d , andthe bod ie s we re st i l l ly i ng i nt he mi l l furrow , t o th e d ist re ss of those shu t up wi th i n the na rrowconfin e s of th e camp . Th e Ca le don R i ve r now rose andadde dt o th e a la rm o f t he Fe de ra ls, who we re awa re tha t i f i t shoul dbe come i n fl ood the y wou l d undoubte dly be cu t off. A t thesame t im e tho se wi th i n t h e be s iege d a re a we re a lso begi nn ingt o g e t add i t i ona l ly conce rne d . Ammun i t ion fo r th e howi tze r wasrunn ing lo w ,

a ndt h e r i fle ammun i t ion promised to ho ld out but

fo r a ve ry l im i te d pe r iod . M e ssage s we re con t i nua l ly be i ng re ce i ve dfrom Lo rd Robe rts , who h e l iographe d m M a fe te ng congra tu la t i ng

6 2

The Transvaal Warwhe re . Any chance of th e ra i n stopp ing P N one . We sha l lhave de luge s to -morrow .

”

S o passed t h e t ime be twe e n job andh iscomforte rs .

F ight ing proce eded wea r i ly , spasmod i ca l ly . The Boe rs too

we re damp, i n sp i r i t andIn body , andt h e ca ro ls of Long Tom lostsome of the i r demon ia c m i rth . Now andthe n th e be s iege rs wou ldsma rte n themse l ve s up wi th a vo l ley , o ccas iona l ly they wou l d sn ipei n te rm i tte nt ly—a l i t tle ve nomous sp i tt i ng a t t h e obdura te , stu rdy,magn ifice nt fe l lows they hadlea rned as mu ch to re spe ct as t o de te st .S t i l l no re l ie f co lumn . H opi ng, th e men i n the i r tre nche s puzz le dando ffe re d so lut ions for themse l ve s .

“ Pe rhaps th e re l ie ve rs hadfa l le n i n to a t rap , sa i d a pe ss im ist .Oh n o ; t h e ra i n must have de laye d them ,” sa i d some on e

more chee ry .

Pe rhaps th e dr i fts are unpassabl e , vo lun te e red a th i rd .I wonde r i f any of us wi l l be le ft to re ce i ve them P que st ione d

the pe ss im is t .Poof ! only t e n pe r ce nt . of us are d isable d as ye t ! cha ffe d

t he opt im ist l igh tly .

Though they d id not know i t , Ge ne ra l Ch e rmside ,wi th t h e

Th i rd D i v is ion , hadn ow ma rche d abou t e igh t m i le s eas t of R edde rsbu rg ,

ande ncampe d i n t he loca l i ty whe re t he Roya l I r ish R ifle ssurre nde red . On th e l g th a large body of the e nemy was mov i ngon w i th t he appa re n t obj e ct of e ncoun te r i ng Ge ne ra l B raban t n earRouxv i l le

,andla te r on from t he d istance th e muffle d roa r of

muske try ga ve promise of t he re l iev i ng a ct ion . N a tura l ly, the

spi r i ts of t he ga rr ison bega n t o r ise , but the i r joy was shor tl i ve d , for soon th e Boe rs appea re d on the we st , andthe rebrought five guns to be a r on the B r i t ish force . A l l day t he

round l ips of t he n ew v is i to rs ope ne d andhoo ted andspat ! The

Ka ffrar ian Ri fle s we re t rea te d to no le ss than 1 30 sh rapne l she l ls .

B rabant ’s regime nt andthe Max im kept up an act i ve fire on th e

Boe r gunne rs ; but th e guns we re so caut iously pro te cted tha t the i re ffo rts we re crow ned w i th sma l l succe ss . Eve n the redoubtableCap ta i n Luk i n fa i le d to make h is usua l impre ss ion , for th is o ffi ce rhadnow de c i de d tha t e conomy—e conomy of ammun i t ion—must maketh e be tte r pa rt ofWe pe ne r va lour . Major Maxwe l l , a t dusk , wi thh is che e ry sappe rs

,se t to wo rk to reme dy t he ravage s of th eday ,

but

t he prospe ct of a ffa i rs was no t re nde red mo re hea rte n i ng by in forma t ion wh i ch cam e i n t o t he e ffe ct tha t O l iv ie r, D e We t , F ron eman

,

a ndo the rs we re clos i ng i n w i th the i r commandoe s andm e rce nar ie s,n umbe ri ng some 8000,

from Rouxv i l le , Smithfie ld, F i cksburg, ande ve n from Ladybrand . Th is d iscove ry cause d n o l i t t le anxie ty .

All we re awa re tha t Lo rd Robe rts could andwoul d come t o the i rre l ie f ; bu t , n e ve rthe le ss , i t was imposs i ble t o igno re t h e fact tha t

64

L IEUT .-GENERAL S IR H . M . LES L I E-RUNDLE , K.G.B.

Photo by Russe l l 8: S on s , London

The S iege of Wepenerprov is ions began to dw i nd le andthe poor trek oxe n began to go ,

a ndno s igns of a re l ie v i ng co lumn we re e v ide nt . The o ffi ce rs andmen we re now on duty all n ight In t he trenche s—me la n cho ly work ,fo r de luge s of ra i n made them sopp i ng , andse rved to damp event he be l l i cose a rdour of the mos t va lo rous .

The i r pos i t ion by day ,too ,

was pa th e t i c i n t he extreme . I t

w a s imposs i ble e ve n fo r t he most ro l l i ck ing anddauntless t o

look unmove d to r igh t or to le ft o f h im. Pe rhaps on one s i de h ew ou l d be bounde d by a

“

pal doubled up andswea t ing w i th th eagony of h is wounds, wh i le on the o the r woul d lie ,

c lay—co l d andimmobi le—w i th tha t unmistakable st i ffne ss tha t they hadlearnt t oknow too we l l a form tha t some mome n ts be fore hadbe e n v i brantw i th human i ty . I II th is en tou r ag e i t was n e ce ssa ry th roughout thelong hours t o ke ep up pe rs iste n t fire a t th e e n emy , anddodge andmanoeuvre so tha t the fa te tha t loomed la rge andun fo rge table on

e i the r hand m ight be kept at bay ! F ew i nde ed w e re i n posse ss iono f a who le sk i n i n the se t ime s—they fought , go t wounded , w e n ti n to hosp i ta l , came ou t part ia l ly hea le d andfought aga i n , only t o goback wi th fre sh ho le s for repa i r . Some t ime s they we re ca rr i ed t ot he churchya rd by comrade s of the i r corps gaun t , w ea ry ,

ach ing,

grimy fe l lows wi th la rge hearts , who grimly profe ssed t o e nvy those—many the re we re by now—who had“e ve ry n igh t i n bed!

On the e ve n ing of the 2 3rdthe re w as some jubi la t ion i njamme rsbe rg camp . Ge ne ra l B raban t he l iographed from a placesome fourte e n mi le s d istant, report i ng an e ngagemen t w i th the

e nemy , andtha t they we re re t i r i ng, though the re w as a S t rong forceon h is le ft flank . H eavy fi r i ng cont i nued to be hea rd allday ,

mos tp robably from the art i l le ry of G e ne ra ls Rundle andCh e rmside ,

who ,

a t th is t ime ,we re approa ch i ng Dewe tsdo rp from t he sou th , or of

G e ne ra ls Fre nch a ndPo le -Ca rew, who we re nea r i ng tha t de st i nat ion from th e north . The plot was th i cken i ng . The sun was

sh in ing, the guns we re go i ng , andthe re was a chance the Boe rsmight ye t be ho ist w i th the i r own pe tard , andIn e xpe ctat ion th e re o fa ve ri table th r i l l passe d th rough the camp .The n th e Boe r fire began to s lacke n pe rcept i bly , the bark i ng o f

big guns myste r iously subs i ded . Wha t was happen i ng ? Anx ie tyandsuspe nse made th e young fa ce s—face s tha t hadbe e n young a tthe comme nceme n t of the war—st i l l more drawn andhagga rd '

I t

w as fe l t tha t shou ld the Boe rs capture th e pos i t ion they wou l d g Ivel i tt le quarte r to the Co lon ia l D iv is ion , andthe se hadde te rm ine dne ve r to ho ist t he wh i te flag . The fact was, th e Boe rs we re S i lentlyprepar i ng to sneak away .

ZD

They.

hadhea rd of the conve rging of th eB ri t ish a rm ies, they we re i n re ce ipt of i n forma t ion rega rd ing a grandscheme for mopp i ng them up, anda fte r tak i ng a last

D b

sul le n de spa i ri ng lunge they took themse l ve s off.

VOL. v. 65

The Transvaal WarOn th e morn i ng of t he 2 5t h a se rpe n t ine cor tég e of waggons andca rts andr i de rs was se e n wi nd ing it s way i n th e d i re ct ion o f Ladybrand . Co lone l Da lge ty ha l f suspe cted tha t B rabant

’

s fo rce wou ldpre se ntly appea r andchase th is re t rea t i ng company , andgot h imse l fandsome 300 of h is men i n read ine ss to ass is t i n ha rass i ng thosew ho so re ce nt ly hadha rasse d h im . Bu t B raban t ’s force was ap

pa re n t ly worn ou t , andwas abou t some fou r te e n mi le s off whe n t here t i reme nt comme nced , andthough to h is sple nd id e xe rt ions th e

VVEPENER .

re trea t wasdue ,i t was e v ide nt tha t the e nemy woul d manage to sl i de

off wi thou t chast iseme nt .Thus e nded the story of a grand ach ie vement , an a lmost un ique

e xampl e i n th e way of de fence of fo rt ified pos i t ions, 1 700me n havmgfor se ve n te e n days andn igh ts i n th e t re nche s de fended se ve n mi le so f e n tre nchme n t w i thout g i v i ng up a s i ngle pos i t ion ! By the e ndthe re hadbe e n about 200 casua l t ie s , andon ly 1 500 me n we re le ft tode fe nd th e t remendous le ngth of e n tre nchme n ts . On e of the va l ian td e fe nde rs gave a graph i c summa ry o f th e con t i nuous fight ing :

We lost be twee n twen ty andth i rty k i l ledandwoundedth e firstday—not

ve ry many ,cons ide r i ng what we h adaga in st us . A t n igh t th e big guns ce ased

fi re,andth e re w as on ly a shot now andaga indur ing th e n igh t . On Tue sday

morn in g a t b re ak fas t time th e big guns startedaga in ; but the re were on ly66

The S iege of Wepenerfive guns th atday , andwe foundou t after the figh t that we hadknockedoutth ree of th e Boe r guns on th e prev iousday . Th e fi r ing on the Tue sday was

no t so b r isk , bu t a t 8 P.M . the Boe rs attackedin force a t t he C.M .R . tren che s,but our me n we re ready for t hem,

andplay e d on e o f t he Boe rs’

own game swi th them. Th ey saw th em coming , andthe Roya l S co ts l inedUp on on e s ideandth e C .M .R . on th e o t he r s ide of th e spru i t. Our me n a l lowe d them to ge trigh t in andth e n openedfi re a t fi fty y ards . Eve ry man hadh is bayon e t fixedandready , anda t th e wordth ey wen t fo r th em. In less than an hour i t wasall ove r, andth e Boers were bea te n back , leav i n g 300de ad. I t was p i t i ful toh ear th em c ry ing . Th ey h ave n o t th e he a rt of a schoo l- g i r l , andth ey canno ts tanda beating . Afte r th e Tue sday n igh t th e en emy ke p t ve ry qu ie t for a few

day s, on ly indepe n de n t firin g go ing on bo th w i th r ifle s andbig gun s . Th iswe n t on for se ve ra lday s, a t time s a l i t t le b r isk , andth en the Boe rs seemedtog e t t i redandt r iedto rush us aga in wi th 2000 me n . Th is w as on th e fifte en thday a t ten in the mo rn in g . By twe lve o

’c lock we h adth em beaten , andth ene xtday t hey le ft us andwe came on up h e re .

”

A grea t dea l of th e succe ss o f the re s istance wasdue to the

i nge nu i ty of t he e ntre nchme n ts . Th e work hadbe e n ca rr ied ou tunde r th e d i re ct ion of Co lone l Maxwe l l , R .E . , andth e spl end id s tandmade by th e be s iege d was made poss i b le a lmos t e n t i re ly by h is

ge n ius . Capta i n Luk in was a lso a towe r of s t re ngth,andbu t fo r

h is se rv i ce s w i th the guns the ga rr i son wou ld have suffe re d muchmo re than i t d id . Capta i n G rant , too , was i nva luable ,

work ing la te ande a rly , andca rry i ng out wi th imme nse ze a l th eplans of t h e ch ie f, whi le Co lone l G re n fe l l was a n unt i ri ng r ighthand man to Co lone l Da lge ty .

Ano the r of th e he roe s of th e s iege was Majo r Spre nge r,of t h e

who fe l l i n h is country’

s se rv i ce a lmost a t th e begi n n ingo f th e s iege . H e w as a bo rn so ld ie r , anda d i st i ngu ished membe rof a d i st ingu ished co rps . H e won h is comm iss ion by h is sma rtne ssandso ld ie rly qua l i t ie s, hav i ng r i se n to the rank o f sub- i nspe cto r i nthe old On the me rging of tha t co rps i n to th e

h e con t i nue d as l ieut enant , andwas awa rded the n ext ste p for gallan try i n t h e fie ld , he be i ng t h e fi rs t to moun t th e sca l i ng ladde rsi n th e s torm i ng o f M o iros i

’

s Mounta i n .G e ne ra l B raban t a fte rwards de scr i bed th e Cape M ounted R ifle s

as be i ng th e ve ry fine st co rps i n he r Maj e sty’

s se rv i ce,andre com

me nded them to th e not i ce of Lo rd Robe rts . As for th e a rt i l le ryunde r Capta i n Luk i n , the G e ne ra l sa i d he d id no t th ink the re wasa ba t te ry i n h e r Maj e s ty

’

s se rv i ce tha t cou ld e xce l i t .The casua l t ie s a t Wepe ne r from Apr i l 9 th to 18th w e re :

—Cape Moun tedR ifl es—Major S pre n ge r, Lie ute nan t E. A . Tapl in .

Braban t ’s H o rse—L ieute nan t Thars ton . S ever ely w ozmdra’ :—Cape Moun te dR ifl e s—M ajo r J . C. Warring , L ieut en an t J . He ilford

,L ie u te nan t L . Mar t in

,

Lie u tenan t R . Ay re , L ieu te nan t \V. H . N ixon ,L ie u te n an t H . G . F . Campbe l l .

Braban t ’s Horse—L ieu ten an t W . J . Ho l ford. Dr i sco l l ’s S cou ts —L ieute n an tW . VVe iner . Kaffrarian R ifl e s—L ieu te nan t C . L is te r . S hy/db} w ounded:

67

The Transvaal WarCape Moun tedR ifl e s—Capta in C . L . M . Goldsworthy . Braban t ’s HorseSurgeon -Capta in L . C . Pe rk in s (re turnedtoduty ) , L ieu tenan t Turn e r D un can

,

Lieutenan t andQua rte rmaste r P. W i l l iams. I s t R oy al S cots Moun tedI nfan try—L ieutenan t C. G . H i ll (I st Berks Reg imen t, attach ed) .The tota l losse s we re 33 k i l le d and1 3 2 wounde d—a somewha theavy b i l l for so sma l l a force

,whe n i t is remembe re d tha t many

of the wounde d d id not repor t the i r i nj ur ie s but rema i ne d on dutydur i ng t h e s iege .

I n h is d ia ry th e o ffi ce r be fore quo ted wrote :“We we re

re l ieved to -day a t last , andma rch to -morrow. We have gonethrough an awful t ime , andsome of the men look qu i te ghast lyThey dragged th e i r waste d forms from th e tre nche s to -day a t a

craw l to t he camp , wh i ch hadbe e n repit ched. I hadt o gi ve up th e

n igh t be fo re last, anda fte r v is i t ing my se n tr ie s, got back i nto the

tre nche s i n agony . At m idn igh t I reache d th e hosp i ta l,whe re they

i nj e cted mo rph i ne , and, a fte r twe n ty - four hours ly i ng on a st re tche r ,I am on my legs aga i n . S e ve n te e ndays andn ights unde r fire ,

andthe d isgust i ng pa rt of th e who le is tha t i t has be e n i n va i n .The B oe rs have s l i ppe d th rough our finge rs a fte r all.

The re l ie f of We pe ne r may be sa i d t o have take n place on th e

2 5th . To d iscove r how th is was au toma t i ca l ly accompl ishe d, i t isne ce ssa ry to fo l low Lo rd Robe r ts’s st ra tegi c plan , andto re turn tothe e ve nts of the 2 2ndof Apr i l .

OPERAT IONS FOR REL I EFAs a con t i nua l re organ isa t ion of the force s was tak i ng place ,

i tw i l l ass ist us, be fo re go i ng fu rth e r, to examine a rough table of t he

da te , as compi le d from va r ious au thor i t ie s by the M or n ing P osf

D I STR I BUT ION OF FORCES

Commanding—z’n - (bz’

ef—FIELD -MARSHAL LORD ROBERTS .

TI I IR I) D IV I S ION . 2ndBedfordsh i re .L ieutenan t-G enera l S i r H . G . C II E II II IS I I‘

I E.

2 nd0

I st Roya l I ri sh R egimen t .a 2ndBr igade (M ajo r-G en era l 1" R A l len ) .

13th Bri gade (M aj or-Genera l A . G .2ndRoya l I r Ish R Ifl e s.

2 ndEa s t Ken t .r usme ’s '

I s t Oxfordsh i re L i ght I n fan try .I st R i d i ng .

’5 ’ Ue rbysh u e .

2ndG louces te r.2 3rdBr Ig ade (M ajo r-G en e ra l G . Knox) . 7 (I t lI , 8 1 5 t , a nd82ndF i e l d Ba tter ies .

(Compos i t ion no t k now n . ) 38th Company R oya l Engi nee rs .7 4th , 7 7 th , a ndI I II F i e l d Ba t te rie s .7 ’

SEVENTH I I 1v Is 10N.

D IV I S I O N . L i eutenan t-Gene ra l (I . TUCKER .

L i eutena n t -C e n e ra l T . 14th Brigade (M aj or-Genera l J . C .

1 2 th Bri gade (M aj or-Ge n era l C lemen t s a ndN orfo lk .a nd z udL i nco l n .

68

Operat ions fo r Re l iefI st K ing’s Own Scot t i sh Borderers .2 ndH an ts.

1 5th Bri gade (M ajor -Gene ra l C . E .

2 ndChesh i re .I s t E a s t Lanca sh i re .2 ndSouth \Va les Borderers .2ndN orth S ta fford .83rd, 84th ,

and851h F ie l d Ba tte r ies .oth Compa ny Roya l Engi neers .

E IGHTH D IV I S ION .

L ieutenan t -Gen era l S ir I I . M . L. RUND LE.

16th Bri gade(M ajor-Gen era l B. B. D . Campbe l l ) .

2 ndG renad ier Gua rds.

2 ndS co ts Gua rds .2 ndEas t York s .1 7 th Bri gade (M ajor-General j . E . Boyes) .I st \Vo rce ste r.

2 ndRoya l IVe st Ken t .l st South S ta fford .2ndM anch ester.Brigade Divi s i on R oya l F i e l d Art i l l ery.5 th Compan y R oya l Engi n eers .

N I NTH D IV I S ION .

L i eu tenan t-Gen era l S ir H . E . COLVI LE .

3rdBrigadeNIa

'

or-Genera l H . A . M acD onaldJ

I st Argy l l andSutherland .I st Go rdon H i gh landers .2 ndS eaforth H i gh landers .2 ndRoya l H igh landers (Black \Va tch ) .

19th Brigade(M aj or-Genera l H . L. Smi th-Dorri en ) .(Compos i t i on not certa in ly known . )

H i gh land L i gh t I n fan try .

2ndDuke of Cornwa l l ’s L i gh t I n fan try .2ndSh rop sh i re L i gh t I n fan try .Canad ian R eg imen t .Bri gade Divi s ion Roya l F i e l d Art i l l ery.

TENTH D IV I S ION .

L i eutenan t -Genera l Sir H . H UNTER .

5th Bri gade -Gen era l A . F i tz roy H art) .2ndSomer se t L i gh t I n fan try .I st Connaugh t Rangers ,I st Roya l Dubl in Fus i l iers.

I st Border.6th Brigade (M aj or-Genera l G . Barton ) .

2ndR oyal Fus i l i ers .2ndRoya l S co t s Fus i l i ers .I st Roya l \f\'e lsh Fus i l i ers.

2ndR oya l I ri sh Fus i l i ers.

o3rd, 64th , and7 3rdF i e l d Bat teri es.

CAVALRY D IV I S ION .

L ieutenan t-Gen era l J . D . P. FR ENCH .

I st Brigade (Br igadie r~Gene ral T. C. Po rter) .6th Dragoon Guard s .6th Dragoon s .2ndDragoons.

2ndBri gade(Brigad i er-Gen era l R . G . Broadw ood) .

10th Hus sars .12 th Hussa rs .H ouseho l d Cava l ry.

3rdBrigade(Brigad i er-Genera l J . R . P. Gordon ) .

9 th Lan cers.

16th Lan cers.

1 7 th Lancers .4th Bri gade

(M aj or-Gen era l J . B. B. Dick son ) .7 th Dragoon Guards.

8th H ussars .14th H us sars .G

, J , M ,O

,P, Q , R ,

T,U Batter i e s H orse

Art i l lery .M OUNTED I NFANTRY D IV I S ION .

M ajor-Genera l LI N H AM I LTON .1st Br i gade

(M aj or-Gen era l E . T . H . Hutton ) .1st Co rps (Co lon e l E . A . H . A l derson ) .

I st Canad ian M oun ted R i fles2ndCanad ia n M oun ted R ifles.

Lo rd S tra th cona’s Corps.

One Ba tta l i on Imper ia l M oun ted I n fan t ry.2ndCorp s (Co lon e l de L i s l e) .

New South \Va les M oun t ed In fan t rv.

\Ves t Aus tra l ian M oun ted I n fan t r y .

69

E LEVENTH D IV I S ION .

L ieutenan t -Gen era l R . POLE-CA REW.

i 8th Bri gade(M aj or-Gen era l T. E . S tephen son ) .(Compos i t ion not certa in ly known . )

I st E s sex.l st Yo rk sh i re .i st \Ve lsh .

andRoya l \Varw icksh ire .

I st Bri gade(M aj or-Gen era l I n i go R . Jones) .

3rdG renad i er Guard s .1 sr Co l d s tream Guard s .2ndCo l d st ream Guards.

i st S co t s Guards.

i 8th , 62nd, 7sth F ie l d Ba t teries .

The Transvaal War3rdCorp s (Co lon e l T . D . P i l'ch e r) .Queen s land M oun ted I n fan t ry .

New Zea land M oun ted I n fan t ry .One Batta l i on Impe ria l M oun ted I n fan try .

4th Corps (Co lon e l H en ry) .V i ctor ian M oun ted I n fan try.South Austra l ian M oun ted I n fan try .Ta sman ian M oun ted I n fan try.One Ba tta l ion Imper ia l M oun ted I n fan try .

2ndBr i gade (M ajo r-G en era l R i d ley ) .S outh A fri can I rregu la rs M oun ted I n fan try .S evera l Ba t ter i es Ar t i l lery .

COLON IAL D IV I S ION .

M ajor-Gen era l BR ABANT.

Cape M oun ted R i fles .Ka ffrarian M oun ted R ifles .M on tmoren cy’s ScoutsBraban t’s H orseBorde r H orseF ron t i er M oun ted R ifles .Queen s town Vo lun teers .Cap e Garr i son Art i l le ry .Two Nava l 1 2-pounders .

OTHER TROOPS W ITHROBERTS .

LORD

2 15 t Bri gade .Ba tta l ions no t kn own .

(Br i gades not known . )

andBerksh i re .I st R oya l Sussex.I st Suffo lk .I st Came ron H i gh landers.

C . I .V . I n fan try.R obe r t s

’s H o rs e .

K i tchener’s H orse .Two Sqadron s Imperia l L i gh t Horse .7 th Ba t ta l ion Imperia l Yeoman ry .C . I .V. M oun ted I n fan try .Cey lon M oun ted I n fan try.Lumsden ’s H orse .Lo rd Loch ’s H orse .43rd, 6sth , 8oth , and87 th How i tz e r Ba t ter ies.

2nd, 5i h , 8th , oth , 1 7 th , 38th , 3oth , o8th , and88th F i e l d Ba t ter i es . (Parts of 8th , 9th ,

and1 1th D ivis i on s . )Fou r nava l - in . guns.

Part of S i ege Tra in .

Towa rds t h e e ndof Apr il the author i t ie s found tha t th e s i tuat ionwas growing i n i n te re st as i n d i ffi cul ty . I n the south- east of th eF re e S ta te Co lone l Da lge ty andh is sma l l but t rucu le nt band hadbe come the p i vo t round wh i ch B r i t ish andF re e S ta te rs we remanoeuvr i ng, andthe reddrama of war on th e no rth andwe s t of\Vepe ne r was be com ing tragi c as tha t of the region a round Ma fe k ing.D e ve lopme n ts on a la rge andcompl i ca te d sca le we re tak i ng place ,de ve lopme nts no t as m ight be imagi ne d i n the d i re ct ion of Pre to r ia ,

bu t for the purpose of ca tch ing the e n emy i n t h e northe rn andeaste rn port ion of th e Fre e S ta te ,

anddea l i ng w i th as much of

h im as poss i ble be fo re pro ce ed ing to la rge r th i ngs . The re we renow se ve ra l sepa ra te co lumns on the ma rch , each andall so a rrangedtha t, a t a gi ve n mome nt anda t a gi ve n pla ce wi th i n a ve ry sho rtt ime they cou l d con ce ntra te for purpose s of bat t le whe n ba t t leshoul d be imm i ne nt , andwith a View to mopp ing up such Boe rcommandos as m igh t chance to s tep i n be twe e n t he fangs of the

Bri t ish l ion . (We a re a l re ady awa re tha t the Boe r commandos i nth i s region we re fa r too knowi ng , andt he anx ious fangs e ve n tua l lysnapped o n no th i ng a t a ll ! S t i l l a vast mass of the foe was he l di n t he south - eas t o f the Fre e S ta te wh i le plans for th e grea tadva nce no rthwa rds we re be i ng e labo ra ted . )Lo rd Robe rts bega n th e se cond ac t o f h is campa i gn by deploy i ng

the a rmy from Ka re e S id i ng as fa r as We pe ne r , a d is tance of

some se ve n ty mi le s . I nde ed , on S unday the 2 2ndof Apri l , we fi ndtha t one po rt ion o f th e a rmy wa s a t B ushman 's Kop, south of

70

The Transvaal Wartook place , dur i ng wh i ch the Ye omanry d isplayed remarkables tead ine ss unde r fire ,

ande xe cuted the i r sha re of the moveme n tswi th th e promptne ss anddexte r i ty of seasoned—M r . Kipl i ng ca l lsi t sa l te d —t roops.

M cNe il s S cou ts (la te poo r D e Mon tmo re n cy'

s) , a lways the fi rst t obe

‘ i n i t, obse rve d a pa rty of Boe rs rac i ng for a de s i rable kopje , andobta i ned pe rm iss ion to t ry andcut them off. W i th th e party wasMr . W i ns ton Church i l l, who, th i nk i ng tha t fun was i n the a ir , put

spurs to h is ho rse andwas off with the i n t re p i d band of scouts. For

some t ime the re was an an ima ted race , the Boe rs be i ng nea re r tot he strong em in e nce than the B ri t ish , though le ss we l l mounted .Whe n i t came to c l imb i ng, i t se emed as though they m ight ge t thewors t of i t . Rush—rush—rush we n t the fi fty scouts ; scampe rscampe r—scampe r we n t the foe . I t was a lmost a ne ck -and- ne cka ffa i r, whe n sudde n ly the re came wi re , andbe fo re th is cou l d be cut

the re we re Boe rs i n possess ion of t he grea t kopj e , Boe rs bla z ingdownwa rds as fast a s muske ts wou ld a l low . The reupon Capta i nM cNe il shou te d h is orde rs :

“ Too la te ! back to t he o the r kopj e .

Ga l lop ! andall obey i ng, th e good ste eds we re off as ha rd as legscoul d carry them . And now happe ne d the e pisode wh i ch s i ngle sout t he re conna issance from nume rous m i l i ta ry unde rtak ings of th e

sam e k i nd, for i t brought i n to not i ce ano the r o f t he he roe s of t h e

wa r,whose courageous ac t wi l l no t eas i ly be forgotte n . As be fore

sa i d , Mr. W i nston Chu rch i l l , th e corre sponde n t of th e M or n ingPosf, who ,

i t may be remembe re d , e scaped from the Pre tor ia pr ison ,was a ccompa ny i ng M cNe il

’

s S couts i n the i r exc i t i ng e xped i t ion .No soone r was t h e orde r g i ve n to “ ga l lop ,” than M r. Church i l lmade a bound for h is saddle . I t tw isted , th e ho rse ,

a la rme d byt h e fire , bo l ted , andthe young man found h imse l f on foo t anda lone ,wi th the B oe rs a se cond t ime w i th i n an ace of h im . A ho rri ble

v is ion , grown l i fe l i ke i n a mome n t , as the v is ion of h is past be forea drown ing man

,now flashe d be fore h im ; t he wa l ls of the dreade d

Mode l S choo l se emed to close in—ne are r—nea re r. But the Boe rs ,he de c ided , shou ld no t ge t h im aga i n w i thout a struggle . Th i s t imeh e hadh is pisto l

,he cou l d not aga i n be hunte d down una rmed i n

th e ope n . H e shouted at de spa i r i ng roa r—to the scou ts , who we refle e injr a ll unconsc ious of th e a cc ide nt tha t hadbe f i lle n h im . The no ne

,turn i ng as i de ,

he a rd , s toppe d 111 h is rush for l i fe , whe e led abou t ,g raspe d t h e d ismoun te d man

,andan i n stan t la te r , wi th Church i l l a t

t he b ack o f h is s tddle ,was off aga i n . The n the 1 ifle s above ,

a t

a range o f only fo r ty ya rds , r ippled ou t a deadly tune ,as the fly i ng

hoo fs o f th e ho rse ,wounded , a ndl e av i ng be h ind h im a t ra ck o f

blood , flung up the turf andsod. Ye t,from t he sl1ow e 1s of lead and

dust th e y cam e out a l i ve , a ndMr . Church i l l l i ved to te l l the ta le o f

h is mi ra culo us re scue . Cur io us ly e nough , th e ga l lan t scout whose

MAJOR -GENERAL POLE-CAREW

Photo by Gr eg ory 8: Cc . , London

The Transvaal Warpos i t ion , began to play upon it—h idde n though i t was by h igh tre e sa ndshrubbe r ie s—w ith such a ccura cy andv igou r tha t t he e nemyre trea te d to some d istant kopj e s , whe nce the y pl ie d the i r V i cke rsMax ims andMause rs wi th a wi l l . S he l ls buzze d andbounde damong them , bu t our me n ne ve r fl in ch ed. The y pursue d the i r waymore andmore to the le ft, i n o rde r to surround the o ffe nd ing kopj e s .

Th e Wa rw i cks i n th e ce n tre , th e E sse x on t he r igh t, th e W

'

e lsh ont he le ft . mov i ng i n e che lon , advance d . By

-and- by Ge ne ra l D i ckson ’s cava l ry , from it s d istan t pos i t ion , a t tempte d to e ngage i n theflank i ng moveme n t

,a ndt o su rround the h i l ls ifpossible wi th moun te d

me n dur i ng th e de ve lopme n t o f the i n fantry a ttack . Th e ope ra t ionswe re sudde n ly ove rtake n by an appa l l i ng da rkne ss, wh ich turne dout to be a fl ight of locusts tha t came andwe n t , leav i ng th e landmo re ba re than i t was be fo re . Th e i n fantry now we re pour ingvo l leys on th e kopj e , whe n ce they we re aga i n a ttacked w i th suchwa rmth tha t they hadto “ lie low .

” The i r pos i t ion a t th is t imewas an une nviable on e , i t be i ng too e xpose d fo r advance , andt ooadvance d for re t i reme n t. At last the Esse x made a glo r ious dashon th e we ste rn s lope s, wh i le the Wa rw i ck andWe lsh regime n ts,wi ldly chee r i ng , c lambe re d ahead of them on th e no rthe rn he igh ts .

The Boe rs fi re d ha l f-hea rtedly for a t ime , but we re subseque n tlysee n ca ree r i ng down th e easte rn s lope s, the i r so le ca re be i ng to savethemse lve s . Unfo rtuna te ly i n th is ga l lan t assau l t , Capta i n Pro the ro ,

We lsh Regime n t, wa s mo r ta l ly wounde d .The Gua rds

,mea nwh i le ,

hadexte nded on th e r ight , wh i le t he

Mounte d I n fan try , cons ist i ng of on e ba t ta l ion Impe r ia l Moun te dI n fantry , I st and2ndCanad ian Moun ted R i fle s , andS t ra th cona ’

s

H o rse (on the i r r ight) came i n for so de vasta t i ng a we l come fromthe Cre uso t gun wh i ch t he e nemy hadposted on a ne ighbour i ngh i l l , tha t they we re fo rced t o re t i re . But the a rt i l le ry came to th e

re scue , andthe Boe rs remove d the i r g un . Th e Du tchme n now

found the i r numbe rs too me agre to ho l d the i r l i ne o f de fe nce ,

wh ich cove red a semic i rcula r cha i n o f kopj e s on th e e ast, andi nthe mo rn i ng of the 2 3rdall the e nemy w ho he ld Leeuw Kop we red iscove re d to have trekked eas twa rd . The pos i t ion was ours .

Q uant i t ie s o f ammun i t ion andr ifle s we re se i zed , andGe ne ra l F re nchhadcomme nce d a n an ima te d chase to th e sou th , though h is cava l rywe re unable to find the Boe rs i n any s trong pos i t ion i n the v i c i n i ty .

A no t i ce able fe a ture of the day'

s e xpe rie nce s was the e xh i b i t ion oft he wh i te flag o n the fa rmhouse ,

whe nce the Boe rs fi re d on the

Canad ians . Th e se ga l la n t fe l lows came sa fe ly out o f the trea che rousdownpo ur , but lo st t wo ho rse s .

On the same day (the 2 2nd) , wh i le the o the r te n ta cle s of the

g rea t octopus , th e Br i t ish a rmy ,we re tw is t i ng as shown

,G e ne ra l

Ia n I Iamilto n wi th h is Moun te d I n fan try D iv i s ion was mov i ng on74

Ope rat ions for Re l ieftowards S anna ’

s Post t o take posse ss ion of the wa te rwo rks the re .

As t he e nemy i n some st re ngth was ho ld i ng the ne ighbour i ng h i l ls,

i t was found ne ce ssa ry to de spa tch the N i n th D i v is ion , cons ist i ng o fSmi th -Dor ie n ’s andM acD ona ld’s Br igade s , to the suppo rt ofG e ne ra lIan H ami l ton . W' i th the se moveme nts w e must dea l anon . As

S anna ’

s Post is s i tua te d some twe n ty m i le s from Twe e de G e luk(whe re the E le ve nth D iv is ion was ope ra t i ng), andtwe nty -five fromthe road to Dewe tsdo rp , nea r whe re we have le ft Ge ne ra l Rundle ,

the n ice ty of the d ispos i t ion of the t roops i n the i r re la t ion to ea cho the r may be appre c ia ted .Mov i ng a lmos t a t the same t ime , was Maxwe l l ’s (la te Che rm

s i de ’

s) Brigade (S eve nth D iv is ion ) , wh i ch ma rche d eastwa rd andse i zed the h i l ls cove r i ng t he waggon- br idge ove r the M odde r R ive ra t Kranz Kraa l—the br idge whose ut i l i ty to the Boe rs has be e nde scr i be d .M e anwh i le Ge ne ra l B raban t w i th h is Mounte d D iv is ion and

Ge ne ra l Hart ’s B rigade from Rouxv i l le ,hadreache d th e v i c i n i ty of

Bushman ’s Kop, some fourte e n m i le s from We pe ne r . Th e bu lk oft he B oe r force hadopposed themse l ve s to th is advance , anddur ingth is t ime th e stra i n on Co lone l Da lge ty a t Wepe ne r hadna tura l lybe e n re laxed . By Monday , the 2 3rd, the Co lon ia l D iv is ion , supporte d by H a rt

’

s B rigade ,hadturne d th e Boe r pos i t ion , a fte r

hav i ng kept up a runn ing fight all day. Th e casua l t ie s of th e

fight we re twe nty -five wounded . Some of the se we re remove d toBasuto land , unde r a rrangeme nt w i th th e re s i den t Commiss ione r a tMa fe te ng. Ge ne ra l B rabant was mov ing i n a no rth - easte rlydire ct ion , ke ep ing Basuto land on h is righ t flank , h is ope rat ions be i ngwa tched w i th amaz ing i n te re st by the na t i ves i n th is region . H e

was now some e igh t m i le s from We pe ne r ands i x ty from Bloemfonte i n , andi n he l iograph i c commun i ca t ion w i th Da lge ty , a c i rcumstance wh i ch caused the Boe rs round Wepe ne r to grow uneasyas to the i r pos i t ions.

To re turn to G e ne ra l Po le -Ca rew . On the morn ing of Monday ,

th e 2 3rd, the Boe rs, as we know , we re found to have e va cua te dthe i r ma i n pos i t ion a t Le euw Kop, andth e M ounted I n fantry tookposse ss ion o f the h i l l from wh i ch the e nemy hadbe e n route d byt he i n fa ntry . Ge ne ra l F re nch by the n hadmove d on i ndepe nden tlyof h is tra nsport . Boe rs we re known t o be i n th e southe rn fri nge sof the Lee uw Kop pos i t ion , but , w i thou t e ngagi ng them ,

G e ne ra lFre nch pushe d on , pos t i ng the l oth Lance rs to ke ep an eye on h is

flank , t i l l they shou l d be re l ie ved by the moun ted troops w h i ch we refo l lowing . Meanwh i le

,slowly i n the rea r, sc re e e n edby th e 4th

Mounted I n fantry , G e ne ra l Po le -Ca rew advance d h is d iv is ion andbaggage tra i n , andse n t Robe r t s'

s H o rse to re l ie ve the l oth Lance rson the h i l l the y we re ho l d i ng. The re l ie ve rs came i n for nasty

7 5

The Transvaal War

MI P ow> 03 q u

3

o wn -4 a (q

-

I “( J ozsaa odpoo h l t q s

A

B

C

D

M

N

C

H

a tte nt ions from a Max im .but i n spi te of th is theybehave d wi th gre a t ga l lantry,made for t h e kopj e 011

wh i ch the Boe rs we re e n

sconced , andfina l ly c lea re dth e summi t . But th is was

n o t accompl ished w i thou t lame n table loss. Major B raz ie rC reagh , oth B e nga l Lance rs,who bu t re ce ntly hadsuc

ce ededto the command of

th e regime nt, was mo rta l lywounded . P rese ntly, to the

ass istance of Robe r t s ’

s H orsecame the 14th H ussa rs ,squadrons of wh i ch regime nt d istr i bute d themse l ve si n hope of cutt i ng off th e

e nemy i n re t rea t , but th e

D ut chme n , wi th all sma rtne ss, pl ie d the irgun s t i l l it wasde eme d be st to re t i re , leavi ng th e 2ndCo lds treams i nt he o r igi na l pos i t ion ga i ned .

The cava l ry soon be

came e ngaged . The Boe rswe re e sp ie d i n a long, lowkopj e to th e east andwe s tof t he D ewe tsdorp Road , thew ide , fla t r idge of wh i chG e ne ra l F re nch mean t tose i ze . The oth Lance rsadvanced to se cure i t, butt he Boe rs i nstantly race dfor the most advan tageouspos i t ion , wi th the re su l t tha twh i le th e troope rs plante dthemse l ve s on one e dge of

t he pla teau t he Boe rs d idl ikewise 011 the o the r. Anan ima ted comba t e nsued,the Lan ce rs fight i ng mostp luck i ly . The B oe rs offe redd e te rm in ed re s istance ,

whe re

Operations for Re l ief011 a pom

-

pom was orde re d to t he re scue o f the Lance rs , who we relos i ng he av i ly . Th is we apon d isturbe d the e ffo rts of the Dutchmen to swe ep onwa rds , andsoon they we re put to fl igh t, t he pom

poms of t he Bri t ish ha rry i ng them in the i r re t rea t . Th e cava l rye ngageme n t was a pre tty a ffa i r but co stly , the dash ing Lance rs ,e nfiladedwi th a crue l fire , los i ng on e o ffi ce r , Capta i n De nny,

th re e wounde d , andth i r ty—two me n k i l le d andwounded .The wounded o ffi ce rs we re Cap ta i n H . F . W . S tan ley, oth Lan ce rs,Lieu te nant V . R . B rooke , oth Lan ce rs, andL ieutenan t the H on . A .

W . J . C . S ke ffing ton , 1 7 th Lance rs .

G e ne ra l Po le -Ca rew , whose obj e ct was to e stabl ish commun ica t ions wi th Ge ne ra l Rundle , andfor tha t purpose was advanc ingh is d iv is ion , with baggage t ra i n , as qu i ck ly as poss i ble , now appea redi n the d i re ct ion of the ma i n kopj e , whe re th e Boe rs for some dayshadbe e n h id i ng. H e re Robe r t s

’

s H orse came i n to a ct ion ; theyloca ted th e pos i t ion , wh i ch was she lledw ith grea t v igou r, wh i le a t

th e base was a con ta i n i ng l i ne of th e VVa rw icksh ire Regime nt, wh i che nable d the Ge ne ra l to pass wi th d iv is ion andbaggage ,

a lmost unde rth e nose of the e nemy ,

i n pe rfe ct sa fe ty . Th e Boe rs made a

struggle to a rre st the passage of the co lumn ,bu t i t was a fe e ble

one. They ope ne d fi re from th e r i dge whe re they hadfi rst ensconce d themse l ve s, andpast wh i ch Ge ne ra l Po le - Carew hadt oma rch , but th e guns o f th e 85th Ba tte ry made the i r a cqua i ntan cewi th such scan t ce remony andso much wa rmth tha t the re was a

stampede . Afte r a few shots hadburst i nto some groups of Boe rsthey all spe ed i ly got out of range , tak i ng w i th them the i r baggageandguns.

Ge ne ra l Rundle ,who as w e know was wa i t i ng to ma rch 011

D ewe tsdo rp , now commun i ca te d by he l iograph tha t the re we re some7000 of th e e nemy i n h is v i c i n i ty ,

anda lso tha t t h e country i n frontwas crowde d w i th low h i l ls i n wh i ch they migh t be h idde n ; bu tG e ne ra l Po le -Ca rew proce ede d bo l d ly to advance

,andi n h is

advance made some ve ry ne ce ssary repr i sa ls on such farm e rs,who ,

pre fe rr i ng cove rt -gu i le to ope n wa r , hadbe e n found a i d i ng th e

e nemy a fte r re ce i v i ng len ie nt trea tme n t a t our hands . H e hadpre v ious ly se t fi re to a fa rmhouse whe nce , wi th a wh i te flag fly i ngove r i t, t he Boe rs 011 S unday hadfi re d on ou r me n . Th e fa rme rswe re to l d they cou l d no longe r p lay the i r double game s, a ct i ng as theyd id a t one mome nt th e s l im wa rr ior , andthe nex t t he pas to ra l i n noce n t .M eanwh i le Ge ne ra l Rundle wi th some 2 500 B oe rs i n fron t o fh im was wa i t i ng t i l l he shou ld ge t i n to touch w i th Ge ne ra l Po leCa rew . H e was wa rne d by he l iograph of the approach of the 4thCava l ry Br igade andof G en e ra l F re nch , andth roughout the a3rdthe re was l i t t le done save runn i ng t he gantle t of she l ls wh i ch theBoe rs pe rs iste ntly fi re d but w i thout do i ng se r ious damage . The

77

The Transvaal WarYeomanry ,

who a l ready hadshown rema rkable “ gr i t, re ce i ved cons ide rable a t te nt ion from th e Creuso ts ”

of the e nemy , who we rea ppa re nt ly ho l d i ng on to all the i r easte rn pos i t ions rega rd le ss of th e

fa c t tha t the gigant i c prongs of th e ste e l t rap wh i ch was be i ngp repa re d for them we re sho rt ly about t o c lose . All t he fo rce s we ren ow gradua l ly ge tt i ng i n tou ch w i th e a ch o the r, andt he D u t chme n

’

s

days we re numbe red . So i t w as thought on the n igh t of the 23rd.The 24th broke qu ie t ly . No shot was fi red . Rundle ’

s fo rce swungt o the le ft , p i vo te d on Ch e rms ide , who rema i ned i n de fe nce of the

pos i t ion , wh i le the mounte d br igade pro te cte d th e ou te r flank . I n th isGe ne ra l F re nch , now a rr i ve d from th e north , a lso ass isted , andproce ededto turn th e e nemy

’

s le ft . The B ri t ish moveme n ts we reconducte d w i thdue s i le nce andse cre cy , they be i ng de te rm i ne d toproduce a surpr i se for the Boe rs . Th e surpri se came off,

”

as th e

say i ng is , bu t i t was 011 the wrong s i de . Whe n th e me n cre e p ingup the stony kopj e came to pe e r for th e enemy i n the t re nche s theyfound—m e re ly t re nche s . No t a bloomin ’ Boe r anywhe re ,

cr ied ad i sgusted Tommy , k i ck i ng t he qu ie t boulde rs wi th a d i lap ida te dboo t ! The D ut chme n we re ga l lop i ng t o Ladybrand . The magn ifi ce n t web tha t hadbee n prepa re d for them was empty .

An o ffi ce r i n th e Roya l S co ts gave some i n te re st i ng de ta i lsrega rd i ng the pa rt take n by th e Th i rd D iv is ion i n th is somewha tcomple x moveme n t

At th is time we h eardrumours t hat one of our moun tedcompan ies, th eone commandedby Capta in Mo ly n eux- S ee l, was, toge th e r wi th th e Co lon ialD iv i s ion

,bes iegeda t We pene r . Th is provedto be co rre ct. A t A .M .

on 1 2 th Apr il we go t orde rs to march at 9 A .M . ,unde r Gene ral Ch e rm

s ide,w ho h adtaken ove r th e commandof th e Th i rdD iv is ion from

G ene ra l Ga tacre,towards Dewe tsdorp andWe pe n e r

,to the re l ief of th e

co lumn a t We pe ne r. We reachedR edde rsburg that afte rnoon . Th e ra incame on late th at e ve n ing , andl i te rally floodedus out . Eve ry office r andman was up from midn igh t, runn ing about try ing to keep warm. We hadbee n without ten ts s ince 3 I s t March , andare sti ll without th em (17 th May ) .On 14th Apri l we movedforwa rdaga in andreach edRosendal , the scene of

th e re ce n t disaster to th e th re e compan ie s of th e Royal I rish R ifles andMo u n te d Company of the Northumbe rlandFus i l ie rs . Grave s , sh e lls

,cart

r id ge s , & c .,he re showedth e tough wo rk th ey hadh ad. We rema ineda t

Rose nda l wa i t ing for t h e Eigh th D iv is ion to come up un ti l l g th , andh ada

ve ry we t t ime of i t . We marchedaga in 011 l g th towards Dewe tsdorp, aboutte n mi le s

,w h e n w e we n t in to b ivouac . On 20th we movedoff a t 6 A . M .

,and

a fte r march in g some s ix o r se ve n mi l e s w e foundth e e nemy in a pos i tion of

ve ry g re a t s t re n g th cove r in g Dewe tsdo rp . Our moun tedin fan t ry anda r t i l lerydrove in t h e ad van cedpos ts,andwe e s tablish edourse lve s 011 th e Wakke r

s t room I l ills , in fron t of th e e n emy’

s pos i t ion . I t was the n qu itedark . We

cook e d ou r d i nn e rs as be s t we cou ld,andlaydown ands le pt the s leep of th e

jus t . I fo rgo t to say that w e foundi t ve ry di fficu l t to put out our ou tpostp ick e ts in th e da rk

,andon e un fo rtunate par ty , be long ing to th e Worceste rsh i re

Re g imen t , ac tua l ly walkedin to th e e n emy’

s l ine s andwe re captured.”78

The Transvaal Warta ct i ca l bungl i ng, bu t ce r ta i n i t was tha t t he Boe rs hadsupe r io radva ntage s, for they we re mov i ng i n a country e nt i re ly fr ie nd ly to

them ,we re we l l i n fo rme d o f all our i n te n t ions andmoveme n ts

,and

we re ass i sted i n a ll the i r scheme s by so - ca l led fa rme rs who , subtleandsh i fty ,

hadcomfo rtably surre nde re d the be tte r to e ngage i ncove r t ope ra t ions whi ch , wh i le reple n i sh ing the i r pocke ts, d id no t

impe r i l the i r sk i ns ! Mo re ove r they e scaped sco t fre e,be cause Lord

Robe rts was not i n cl i ne d to fr i t te r more of h is t roops on s i de issue swh i le th e grea t obj e ct o f the campa ign , the se i zure of Pre to r ia andt he cr ippl i ng of th e Boe rs for pro longed m i l i tary ope ra t ions, waso ccupy i ng h is e n t i re a t te n t ion . The capture o f D e VVe t

’

s force s,or a pa rt o f them ,

was of se conda ry importance i n compa r ison to th e

pro te ct ion of ra i lway commun i ca t ion w i th the sea base , andD e

\Ve t ’s minor succe sse s, e ve n whe n the d isaste rs of Koorn Spru i tandRe dde rsburg we re counte d among them

,we re not s uffi c ie n t

t o fr igh te n the Ch ie f i n to a change of h is la rge r st ra tegi ca l de s ign .Pursu i t be i ng u se le ss, G e ne ra l F re n ch sen t Ge ne ra l B rabazon to

th e re l ie f of We pe ne r (wh i ch was a l ready fre e ), andhe h imse l foccup ied Dewe tsdorp . On th e 2 s th , howeve r , he re ce i ved o rde rsfrom B loem fon te i n to chase th e Boe rs to Thabanchu

,wh i ch

,at

dawn,he proce ede d todo , fo l lowe d la te r by Ge ne ra l Rundle andthe

E ighth D i v is ion . M e anwh i le part of t h e Thi rd D iv is ion unde rChe rmside kept the Un ion J ack floa t i ng i n Dewe tsdorp andwa tche dove r the out ly i ng d i st r i cts. Ge ne ra l Po le -Ca rew , h is work i n th e sou thdone , starte d fo r B loemfon te i n to prepa re for th e ma i n advance .

The n fo l lowed a glor ious ma rch i n to Wepe ne r . Ge ne ra ls H a rta ndB raban t r i d i ng to Jamme rsbe rg Dri ft we re che e red w i th enthusiasm, andt he forme r Ge ne ra l congra tu la te d the de fe nde rs on

the i r dogge d pluck , andde cla red tha t the cred i t of the re l ie f wasdue to G e ne ra l B raban t , “ wi th whom i t was an honour to se rve .

Ge ne ra l B rabant , on h is s i de ,was loud in pra ise of th e ga l lan t

Co lon ia ls,ando f the a ss istance give n h im by t he Cape F ie ld

A rt i l le ry ,de cla r ing tha t the ve ry fi rst t ime they came i n to act ion

they save d h im a t a cr i t i ca l mome nt . H is sto ry me r i ts repe t i t ion .H e was ad vanc i ng to th e re l ie f o fWepe ne r , andhadto take B e ste r ’sKop,

a ve ry d i fficu l t pos i t ion i nde ed , andhe hadto turn the pos i t iona ndle ave h is i n fan try suppo rts a long way be h ind h im andmake a

wide sw e e p ro und . I n do i ng so h is fo rce came sudde n ly upon a

body o f the e n emy wi th i n 190 ya rds of them . Fo r a few minute st he e nemy made i t ve ry wa rm . The G e ne ra l ca l le d up two gun sunde r Li e ute nant J a n isch . H e knew , he sa i d , tha t L ieute nan tJa n isch

'

s gunn e rs hadn e ve r be e n in a c t ion be fo re , andi n the c i rcums ta n ce s h e w a s a l i t tle doubtfu l as to how the y wou l d behave .

But wha t d id L ie ute nan t J an ischdo ? H e a t once se t to work , and80

NORTHUM BE R LAND FUS IL IER S D URHAM L IGHT INFANTRY(Corpora l) (L an ce -Corpora l)

Ph oto by Gregory 8: Co. , London

The Transvaal Wardo rp . The T ran svaa le rs, on th e othe r hand, at th e i ns tance o f Pre

s iden t Kruge r, we re t re kk i ng towa rds the north i n orde r to save the i re ne rgie s for coming op e ra t ions a cross t he Vaa l , but they took goodca re be fore leav i ng to make themse l ve s as obnox ious a s poss i ble to

such fa rme rs as hadsurre nde red to th e B r i t ish Gove rnme nt .

ASERU

G(ouom3 can?)

ERHON

oMAFETtNG3

OUXVILLE

5 ! ALE OF M /Lf a?

H/Iu no t o so soM ica.

TH E TENTACLES AT WORKWe l e ft Ge n e ra l Ian H am i l ton 011 Apri l 2 2 nd, sta rt i ng fromB loemfon te i n t o take posse ss ion of th e wa te rwo rks a t S anna ’

s Post .H is fo rce was composed of about 2000 Light H o rse , Aust ra l ians and

82

The Tentacles at WorkM oun ted I n fan try , andon e ba tte ry of H o rse A rt i l le ry but fo l lowingh im close ly ,

as has be e n sa i d , came the N i n th D iv is ion,cons ist i ng of

Smith - D orr ie n’

s andM acD onald’s Br igade s . O11 rea ch i ng the wa te rworks th e Ge n e ra l de c ide d , a fte r re conno i tr i ng , tha t the y we re but

weakly he ld , a ndproce eded to a t ta ck the e nemy , dr i ve h im i n to t he

d istan t h i l ls, andre capture t he wa te rwo rks andth e d ri ft ove r ther i ve r . The e nemy hadremoved t he e ccen tr i cs from th e wate rworks,th i nk i ng to pa ra lyse Br i t ish ope ra t ions for a month or two , but i tsoon be came e v i de n t tha t th e me chan is ts i n B loemfon te i n we re prepa red to manufa cture n ew ones a t short no t i ce . The dri ft was occu

p ie d on the 24th ,andth e e nemy , for rea sons above men t ioned , made

h is way to a fo rm idable pos i t ion beh ind Thaban chu , wh i the r i t w as

de c ided he mus t be chased , andspe e d i ly .

On the same day 800 Boe rs we re found a t I sra e l ’s Poort ,some se ve n mi le s from Thaban chu . The i r demeanour was agg re s

~

s i ve . The y we re pos te d on a semic i rcle of sma l l kopje s, ca re fu l lye ntre nche d andp rote cte d by two guns andba rbed -wi re e n tanglemen ts. Ge ne ra l Ian H ami l ton de c ide d tha t th e Dutchme n must beremove d , andremoved they we re , ma i n ly by the ga l lan try of th e

Canad ians andthe Sh ropsh i re s , suppo rted by t h e G rahamstownH o rse . W i th rema rkable ce le r i ty th e h i l ls we re clea red andth eB oe rs dr ive n off. Th e Canad ians, commanded by Co lone l Otte r ,approached by cle ve r succe ss i ve rush e s to th e foo t of t he kopj e sbe fo re t he Boe rs ope ne d fire . The n , i n th e m idst of a sha rp vo l leyfrom the e n emy they came on th e ba rbed -wi re e n tangl emen ts, but ,undaunte d , cut o r cle are d them , andwi th a ga l lan t rush asce nde d th eh i l l . W i th grea t i nge nu i ty they took whate ve r cove r they cou l d ,wh i le from above ,

t h e storm from th e host i le Mause rs—wh ich dur i ngthe e ngageme n t haddoubled i n numbe r—grew ho tte r andhot te r .Co lone l Otte r was struck i n the ne ck , but pursued h is way ,

che e r i ngon h is ga l lant men . Pre se n tly anothe r bu l le t found h im ou t ; torefrom h is shoulde r its badge , bu t d id no furthe r damage . S t i l l up th eya ll we n t , wi th a glor ious, an i nsp i r i t i ng ye l l , wh i ch appa re ntly se n t th eF e de ra ls scudd i ng into spa ce . Th e cre st of the h i l l was now t he

prope rty of th e Canad ians andth e G rahamstown Vo lunte e rs,w ho un

fortuna te ly lost a va luable office r—Capta i n Ge th in . The Canad ianlosse s we re not so he avy as m ight have be e n expe cted , ow ing t othe sk i l l w i th wh i ch the i r advance was a rrange d andca rr ie d out ;but the sp le nd id turn i ng moveme nt was n ot wi thou t cost to o the rs .

Duri ng the fight Major Ma rsha l l (G rahamstown M ounted R ifl e s )was se ve re ly wounded , anda lso Lie u te nants M urray ,

VVinn e ry .

Ba rry , H i l l , andRawa l . Co lone l O tte r (Canadian Regime n t) , as

has be e n sa i d , was on ly sl igh tly i njured . The same n igh t G e n e ra lH amil ton o ccup ie d Thabanchu .

On t he 2 3th Gene ra l F re n ch , as w e know , hadre ce i ved83

The Transvaal War

orde rs from he ad- qua rte rs t o pu rsue t h e e nemy i n h is re trea tnorthwa rds to Thaban chu . H e re th e cava l ry , cove r ing Rundle ’

s

advance , a rr i ved a t m idday on Friday t h e 2 7 th to find G e n e ra lIan H ami l ton e ngage d w i th a horde of Boe rs tempo ra r i ly rou ted ,bu t ho ld ing a th rea te n i ng pos i t ion to th e eas t of th e place .

An e ffort was made to d is lodge the D utchme n e n t i re ly . Cava l ryandMounte d I n fa ntry we re se n t to e i the r flank

,wh i le th e i n fantry

advance d i n fron t . But the moun te d fo rce was sma l l,andmo reovc r

dreadfu l ly fa t igue d (they hav i ng e ndure d cons i de rable ha rdsh ipsha l f- ra t ions among them—in th e hurr ie d ma rch t o Thaban chu) , wh i let he Boe r pos i t ion , as usua l , wa s e xte ns i ve , andthe re fore the cava l rywa s re ca l le d . The Boe rs fo l lowe d up the re t i reme n t w i th grea tsk i l l , pre ss i ng so c lose ly on the t roops as to cause cons i de rableanx ie ty , part i cu la r ly for th e sa fe ty of K i tche n e r ’s H o rse

,wh i ch d i d

no t ge t c lea r away t i l l m idn ight . I t was e v ide n t tha t the foe was

be nt on mak i ng va l iant andde spa i r i ng e fforts to a rre st th e progre ssof t he troops towa rds the east . From th is part of the Orange F re eS ta te , i n the ne i ghbou rhood of Ladybrand andF i cksburg, they drew '

the i r co rn ando the r suppl ie s , andthe se they we re de te rm in e d no t

t o re l i nqu i sh w i thou t a s truggle .

D ur i ng th e day ’

s e ngageme n t L ieu te nan t Geary ,H ampsh i re

Reg ime n t , w as k i l le d , andCapta i n Wa rre n , of K itche ne r ’s H orse ,

was se ve re ly wounded .M eanwh i le Ge ne ra l Rundle wi th the E igh th D iv i s ion hada rr i ve dfrom D ewe tsdorp . The advance of Ge ne ra ls Rundle andChe rms i de towa rds the no rth hadhadthe e ffe ct of a vas t swe e p i ng mach in e .

The coun try sou th a nde as t hadgradua l ly be e n scou red of the e nemy ,

wi th th e resul t tha t he was ga the re d—andve ry c leve rly ga the re d lia a he ap i n th e h i l ls a round Thaban chu . S ome of t he Tran svaale rs, howe ve r, we re re turn i ng to the i r fa rms, wh i le o the rs w e 1 e

scu t tl i ng across coun try , re t i r i ng “the be t te r to j ump , as th e

Fre nch wou l d say .

G e ne ra l Po le -Carew’

s ma rch andprompt measure s we re a lsoproduc i ng exce l le n t e ffe cts, andhe l p i ng to corre ct the misunde rstand i ngs c re a te d i n th e igno ran t m ind by Br i t ish le n i en cy . T i l lnow th e Boe rs hadno t be e n taught tha t the re wa s ne ce ss i ty fo r

honour e ve n among foe s , but now the G e ne ra l took drast i c measure sto show burghe rs 011 whose fa rms he found ri fle s tha t B ri t ish“ magnan im i ty

”

was no t w i thou t it s l im i ts. Whe re ve r the se turncoa ts we re fo und the i r ho rse s andca tt le we re captured, the i r me a la ndp rov is ions de s t ro ye d o r ca rr i ed off. I n th is w ay the de l i nquen tswe re pun ish ed , andth e Fe de ra l Army was cr i pple d in the ma t te ro f supp l i e s G e n e ra ls Po l e Ca rew andS te ph e n son , i n conj un ct ionwi th G e ne ra l Rundle s advance ,

a nda ct i ng 011 i n fo rma t ion fromt he I n te l l igen ce De pa rtme n t, hadmade a round of ce rta i n fa rms

84

The Tran svaal War

ou t d i v is ion he l d th e fron t of the e nemy’

s pos i t ion . The Boe r le ftwas so s t rong tha t G e ne ra l Gordon hadto con te n t h imse l f w i thme re ly hamme r i ng a t i t, bu t th e B oe r r igh t c rumble d away be foreG e ne ra l H am i l ton ’s advance ,

andope ned a road for G e ne ra l D i ckson ’ s Cava l ry Br igade , wh i ch , on ce hav i ng dashe d th rough , sen tth e Boe rs scampe r i ng l i ke goa ts from ridge to r idge . I n a few

mome nts i t se eme d tha t, w i th t he B r i t i sh i n the rea r of the i r h i l l ,the Du t chme n wou l d be e nclose d . Qu i ck ly came G e ne ra l Hamil tonwi th such troops as h e cou l d muste r to e ffe ct th i s de s i re d con summat ion ; but mo re qu i ck ly st i l l , andwi th surpr is i ng regu la r i ty and

KENT COTTAGE, CRONJE’S QUARTERS IN ST. HELENA .pre c is ion

, th e Boe r ho rde s ,mov i ng w i th such d isc ipl i ne as t o be

mistake n for a B r i t ish mounte d br igade , ma rche d off t o the northe ast, wh i le o the rs o f the i r huge numbe rs re tu rne d i n fo rce , ha rassedGe ne ra l D i ckson ’s le ft andrea r , andfo rced h im i n h is turn qu i cklyto re t i re . Thus e nded a laudabl e e ffort .

Th e ope ra t ions a round Thaban chu andLadybrand hadthe re fo reto be briskly co n t i nue d , fo r a t th is t ime Ge ne ra l Rundle s tood i nhourly dange r o f be i ng i nve sted , andG e ne ra l F re nch wi th h is fly i ngwa rr io rs i n a re g ion o f h i l l andda le was somewha t hand i cappe d i nh is abi l i ty to he lph im . S t i l l h e ke p t a magne t i c e ye 011 th e e n emywh ich se rvedt o ho l d h im .

wh i le G e ne ra l Ian H amil ton , mov ing onthe l e ft , pre pa red i f poss i bl e to pro ce ed fo rwa rds a ndjo i n th e ma inadvan ce .

C H A P T E R I V

THE GREAT ADVANCE 1

H E ev i l e ffe cts of Bri t ish le n ie ncy be came st i l l more ev i

de nt . A host i le soc ie ty hadbe e n organ ise d in Bloemfonte i n for the purpose of commun i ca t i ng w i th the e nemy .

andarm ing surrept i t iously a t the ne ighbour i ng fa rms . S p iesca rr ie d n ews of t he B r i t ish moveme n ts, andmessenge rs

came i n andout unde r pre text of br i ngi ng the i r goods t o ma rke t .I n short, i t was d iscove red tha t the out ly i ng fa rme rs we re deve lop i ngi n to se cre t-se rv i ce age n ts, andwe re , mo reove r, le nd i ng themse l ve s tothe a t roc ious pract i ce of fly i ng wh i te flags for th e purpose of fi ri nga t short range s a t unwa ry pa t ro ls . I t was found ne ce ssa ry to me e tsuch dup l i c i ty wi th ste rn repr isa ls, andfo l lowing the example se t byMo l tke i n ’

7 1 , whe n i t was i n cumben t on h im to pro te ct h is commun icat ions from f r anc- t z

’

r emfs, i t was de c i ded tha t s tronge st measure s

must be re so rte d to to pre ve n t abuse o f confide nce i n the fu ture .

Lord Robe rts hadtr ied magnan im i ty andi t hadfa i led . H e nowdet e rminedtha t a se ve re cou rse must be adopte d by wh ich offe nde rsi n future might be made to suffe r for a cts of dupl i c i ty i n prope rty andi n pe rson . Acco rd ingly , no one was pe rm i tted to pass i n andou t ofB loemfonte i n , the e nemy was depr i ved of the i r horses i n o rde rtha t the i r act i v i ty i n de spa tch r i d ing m ight be l im i ted , andthediscove ry of h idde n ca rtr idge s or susp i c ious docume nts we re i n futureto be looke d upon as suffic ie nt to conv i ct . Var ious re s i de nts i n thetown we re tr ied on cha rge s o f concea l i ng a rms andammun i t ion , andse nte nce d to a yea r

’

s impr isonme nt re spe ct i ve ly , wh i le the i r prope rtywas confisca te d . The se example s we re product i ve of a lmost i nstant ane ous good re su l t, for unpre ce de n te d suppl ie s we re pour i ng i n toBloemfonte i n . Gen e ra l Po le -Ca rew, who re turned to the cap i ta l onth e 29 th of Apri l

,haddone wonde rfu l wo rk i n corre ct ing the abuse s

tha t ea rly le n ie ncy hadbrought abou t . Whe re ve r fa rme rs who hadmade the i r subm iss ion we re d iscove re d to be aga i n fight ing, the i rprope rty hadbe e n confisca te d . Forage hadbe e n take n andre ce i ptsgive n as a ru le ,

thus pre ve n t i ng t he surround ing fa rms from be comi ng de pots for th e e nemy . S uch pre cau t ions adopte d

.

ea rl ie r wou l dhave ave rte d many bloody tuss le s andmuch i n conven i e nce andlossof t ime , fo r san s forage the ra i d i ng capab i l i t ie s of the var ious commandos would have be e n sore ly hand i capped .

1 Se e map a t fron t.87

The Transvaal WarH owe ve r, e ve n ch ie fta i ns may l i ve andlea rn

,andLord Robe rts

appl ied h imse l f qu i ckly to th e le sson tha t was fo rce d on h im by the ingra t i tude of th e conque re d . A t t he same t ime th e last s troke s we rebe i ng pu t to th e prepa ra t ions for t he grea t onwa rd ma rch . Theregime n ts we re e xchanging the i r ta t te re d andba tte re d co t ton khak ifor woo l le n su i ts , whe rewi th to me e t the change of season

, andthe i rso le le ss boo ts we re be i ng repla ce d by n ew one s . All th is transmog r ifica t ion was not to be a ccompl ishe d i n haste , for th e samereason t ha t ' made i t imposs i ble to br i ng up ne ce ssar ie s for th e

hosp i ta l . The l i ne of ra i l was groan i ng w i th the e no rmous bulkof prov is ions ne edfu l to susta i n th e ba re l i fe of the force , andconseque ntly su ch ma t te rs as ra ime nt andequ i pme nt hadto take a

se conda ry pla ce among the urge n t needs of t h e mome nt . G e ne ra lPo le -Carew

’

s D iv is ion , a fte r a hard bout of fight i ng,no soone r

re turne d than i t made ready to engage i n th e pe nd i ng ope ra t ions.

Th e day be i ng S unday (th e 29 th ) , th e F ie l d-Ma rsha l , aecompan iedby Lady Robe rts andthe i r daughte r , a tte nded d i v i ne se rv i cea t the Ca the dra l , a last fami ly re un ion pre v ious to se tt i ng off on

t he unknown—the grea t ma rch to Pre tor ia . At tha t t ime nonecou l d gue ss wha t form of re s istance t he burghe rs of J ohanne sburgandPre to r ia m igh t take i t i n to the i r heads to o ffe r, andfea rfu lthre a ts to s tagge r human i ty by blowing up th e mine s andcommi tt i ng va r ious o the r a cts of barba r ism we re bru i ted abroad .F e ve r s t i l l rage d i n the town , andas many as 3000 pa t ie ntswe re sa i d to be i n hosp i ta l . The outbu rst of s i ckne ss, due i nth e fi rs t i nstan ce t o th e po l luted cond i t ions su rround ing C ronj e ’

s

camp a t Paa rdebe rg ,w as a cce le ra ted by t he lack of wa te r a fte r

t he a ffa i r a t Koo rn S pru i t , whe n the t r iumphant Boe rs captured andd isabled t h e wa te rworks anddepr i ved th e town of pure wa te r,leav i ng th e popula t ion depe nde nt for dr i nk i ng—wa te r on we l ls wh i ch ,in many case s, we re me re ly s i nks of abom ina t ion .N e ve rthe le ss , th e redbus i ne ss of war hadto be pursue d a t

all costs,andM ay D ay was kept i n ma r t ia l manne r . W i th dawn

came the mus i c of bands i n nume rable andi nsp i r i t i ng , andth e

migh ty clangour of a rme d me n ,of clamping ste eds , of ro l l i ng

waggons . Po le -Ca rew andh is d i v i s ion we re sta rt i ng for Ka re eS i d i ng , en mule for th e grea t , i t was hoped , th e fina l move ! I n th ema rke t - squa re , to wa tch the ma rch pa st o f the br igade of goodlyG ua rdsm en , o f s ta lwa rt We l sh , W arw i ck , E ssex , andYork regime n ts , s tood Lo rd Ro be rts , Lady Robe rts , a ndth e i r daughte r . I t

was a gra nd tho ugh wo rkmanly spe cta cle , the bea rded ve te rans i nthe i r wo o l le n khak i be i ng lade n wi th bla nke ts , ma c in toshe s , have rsa cks , a ndi n some ca se s , coun t ryme n

’

s b anda nna bundle s stockedw i th good th i ngs . Though th i s may be lo oke d 011 as th e beginn i ngo f the ge n e ra l e xodus , the Ch ie f h imse l f d i d n o t move t i l l la te r .

88

The Great AdvanceB e fore sta rt i ng off Lord Robe rts made e labora te a rrangemen ts

for s imul taneous moveme n t i n o the r parts of the thea t re of war .

\Vepe ne r re l ie ved , H art’

s B rigade was se n t to jo i n Barton ’s a t

K imbe rley . At tha t p la ce the re was the re fo re the comple teTe nth D iv i s ion unde r G e ne ra l H unte r, andLo rd M e thue n ’s re

d ist r i buted d iv i s ion compris i ng t he brigade s unde r Ge ne ra lsDouglas andPage t . E lsewhe re , whee l was a rrange d to movewi th i n whe e l .Lo rd Robe r t s’s programme se eme d s imple e nough—on pape r .

H e , wi th a port ion of h is a rmy , the S e ve n th andEle ve nth D iv is ions,i n te nded to advance wi th spe e d andon the broade s t fron t poss i ble ,

huggi ng the ra i l way l i ne (ast r i de wh i ch th e Boe r pos i t ions we resure t o be found ) , t i l l he shoul d have rea che d th e cap i ta l of th eTransvaa l andstruck a blow wh i ch should de stroy the arrogan thope s of Pre s i de n t Kruge r anddemonstra te to the Boe rs the

fut i l i ty of furthe r re s istance . At th e same t ime ,on th e east of th e

l i ne ,a st rong de ta chme n t was to ke e p an eye on th e hove r i ng ho rde s

of Dutchme n wh i ch s t i l l l i nge red the re ,wh i le furthe r st i l l , S ir

Re dve rs B ul le r was to advance a long the ra i lway from Ladysmith ,andi f poss i ble to jo i n hands wi th th e ma i n a rmy la te r on dur i ng theope ra t ions. S imu l taneous ly , on the we st, th e re l ie f o f Ma fe k ingwas t o be a t tempte d by a fly i ng co lumn , wh i le bo th H un te r

’

s andMe thue n ’s d iv is ions i n suppo rt a cted i n con ce rt , andfurthe r he l dthemse l ve s 111 re ad i ne ss to advance andjo i n i n the ge ne ra l ope ra t ionsshou l d occas ion demand .

The ma i n a rmy ,cons ist i ng of the S eve nth andE l eve n th D iv i

s ions , was to march , as sa i d , on the broade st poss i ble fron t ; the le ftw i ng—the cava l ry unde r Ge ne ra l F re n ch—to pro ce ed i n advanceove r th e ope n country ; wh i le t h e r ight wing, a l so 1n advance , com

mandedby Ge ne ra l Ian H ami l ton , was to pe r fo rm a swe ep ing moveme n t th roughout th e Boe r-haunte d regions a long th e \Vinburg ,

Ve nte rsburg, andKroonstadt roads , andth rea te n i n turn the defe ns i ve pos i t ion s of th e foe , forc i ng them e ve rywhe re t o choosebe twe en i nve stmen t or re t reat .The t roops a ct i ng i n conce rt w i th Lord Robe rts i n h is se condgrea t advan ce we re d i str i bute d as fo l lows

Commandz’zzg - z

’

zz-c/zz’

ef—F IELD -MARSHAL LORD ROBERTS .

SEVENTH D IV I S ION1 5th Brigade (M ajor-Genera l A . G . \Vave ll) .

L1eutenan t-Gen era l G . TUCK ER .

2ndChesh i re .14th Brigade (M aj or-Gen era l J . G . M axw e l l ) . I st Ea s t Lan cash i re .2ndN orfo lk . andSouth Wa l es Borderers.

2ndL i n co ln . z udN orth S tafford .I st K ing’ s Own Sco tt i sh Borderers . 18th ,

62nd, 7 5th F i e l d Ba tter ies.

2ndH an ts . 9 th Compan y R oya l E ngin eers .

The Transvaal WarN I NTH D IV I S ION .

L i eutenan t-Genera l S ir H . E . COLV I L LE .

(Temporar i ly broken up . )3rdBr i gade

(M ajor- Gen era l H . A . M acD onald) .I st Argy l l andSuth erland .2ndS ea forth H i gh landers .2ndR oya l H i gh landers (B lack Wa tch ) .

ELEVENTH D IV I S ION .

L ieutenan t -Gen e ra l R . POLE -CAR EW.

I st Brigade (M aj or-Gen era l I n i go R . Jon es) .3rdG renad ier Guard s .i st Co l d s tream Guard s .z adCo l d s tream Guards .I S t Sco ts Guard s .

18th Bri gade(M ajor- Gen era l T. E . S tephenson ) .

1st E ssex.I st York sh i re .I s t \Ve lsh .

2ndR oya l \Va rw icksh ire .

83rd, 84th , and83th F i e l d Batter ie s .CAVALRY D IV I S ION .

L i eutenan t-Genera l J . D . P. F R ENCH .

I st Bri gade(Bri gad i er-Gen era l T. C . Porte r) .

6th Dragoon Guard s .6th Dragoon s .a ndDragoon s .

2ndBri gade(Bri gad i e r-G en e ra l R . G . Broadwood) .

I o th H us sa rs.

1 2th Lan cers .H ouseho l d Cava l ry .

3rdBrigade(Bri gad i e r-Gen era l J . R . P. Gordon ) .

9 th Lance rs .i 6th Lan ce rs .1 7 th Lance rs .

4th Bri gade(M aj or-Gen e ra l J . B. B. Dickson ) .

7 i h Dragoon Gua rd s .8 th I lussa rs .

14th l lussa rs .

G, J , O ,

P, Q , R , T , U Ba t te ri es H orse

A rt i l lery .M OUN

'

I‘

I-Zl) I N FANTRY D IV I S ION .

L i eutenan t -Genera l IAN HAM I LTON .i s t Brigade (M ajor-G ene ra l E . T . H . Hu t ton ) .

i st Co rp s (Co lon e l E . A . l l . A l de rson ) .I s t Ca nad ian M oun ted R i fle s .2ndCa nad ia n M oun ted R i fl es .Lo rd S t ra thco na ’s Corps .O ne Ba t ta l i on Impe r ia l M oun ted I n fan try

T I I I R I ) D IV I S ION .

L i eutenan t -Gene ra l S ir H . G . CHERM S I D E .

2ndBrigade (M aj or-Gen era l R . E . A l len ) .2ndRoya l I ri sh R ifles .2ndN orthumbe rland Fus i l i e rs.I st Roya l S cots .2ndBe rk sh i re .

2ndCorps (Co lon e l de L isle) .New South Wa les M oun ted I n fan t ry.West Aus tra l ian M oun ted I n fan try .

3rdCorps (Co lon e l T. D . P i lche r) .Queen s land M oun ted I n fan try .New Zea lan d M oun ted I n fan try.One Ba t ta l i on Imper ia l M oun ted I n fan t ry.

4th Corp s (Co l on e l H en ry) .V i cto rian M oun ted I n fan t ry .South Aus tra l ian M oun ted I n fan try .Ta sman ian M oun ted I n fan try .One Ba tta l ion Impe r ia l M oun ted I n fan try.

2ndBri gade (M aj or-Gen era l R i d ley) .South Afr i can I rregu lars M oun ted I n fan t ry.Severa l Ba tter ies Art i l l ery .

I N FANTRY D IV I S ION .

(Temporar i ly a t tached to M oun ted I n fan t ryD ivi s ion . )M aj o r-Gen era l H . L. SM ITH -DORR IEN .

19111 Bri gade (Co lon e l J . Spen s) .a ndDuk e of Cornwa l l ’s L i gh t I n fan try .a ndShropsh i re L i ght I n fan try .I st Gordon H i gh landers .Canad ian R eg imen t .

2 i st Bri gade(M aj or-Gen era l Bruce H ami l ton ) .

I st Derbysh i re .I st Roya l Sussex.I st Cameron H i gh landers.

C i ty Imperia l Vo lun teers .E I GHTH D IV I S ION .

L i eutenan t-Gen era l S ir H . M . L . RUND LE .

16th Br igade(M ajor-Genera l B . B. D . Campbe l l ) .

2ndG renad i er Guards.

2ndSco ts Guard s .a ndE a s t York s .I S t Le in s ter.1 7 th Bri gade (M ajor-Genera l J . E . Boyes) .I st Worces te r.2ndRoya l Wes t Ken t .l st S outh S tafford .2ndM an ch es ter.Bri gade Divi s i on R oya l F i e l d A rt i l le ry .sth Company R oya l E ng in ee rs .

The Transvaal War

owe s it s importance to the fa ct tha t i t is s i tua te d on th e d i re ct roadt o Kroon stadt .

A re conna issance was made the re some four days pre v ious to theadva nce ,

whe n a gr ie vous though he ro i ca l i n c i de n t took pla ce , wh i chcanno t be o ve rlooke d , as i t se rve s to show t he stuff of wh i ch the me n

of Lumsde n ’s H o rse we re made . Some twe nty -five of t h e B eha r S e ct ion , who we re ho l d i ng a de ta che d kopj e dur i ng th e re conna issance ,

we re surrounde d a ndfire d on i n the i r iso la te d pos i t ion by some 200

Boe rs . The o ffice r command ing (Lieu te nan t Crane ) was a lmosti nstantly wounde d , so a lso was S e rge ant -M ajo r Ma rsham . Two

ga l lan t troope rs, Case andF i rth , though we l l awa re tha t they we reoutnumbe re d andtha t surre nde r i n t he c i rcumsta nce s wou l d bejust ifiable , re fuse d to de se rt the i r o ffice r, though orde red by h im to

do so,a ndcon t i nue d va l iantly to fi re t i l l they themse l ve s droppe d

dead , a sacr ifice to the i r own ga l lantry . Nor we re the re st of t heband le ss remarkable for “ gr i t, ” for out of th e sma l l numbe r ho l d i ngt h e kopj e n i ne we re wounde d andfive k i l le d ! I t was hope d on th e

a rr ival of th e a rmy a t B randfort tha t th e wounde d pr isone rs m ightbe re cove red , but i t was a fte rwa rds found tha t the Boe rs hadremove d them .

To re turn to the ma i n advance . The town was occup ied wi thou tse r ious oppos i t ion , as t he Du tch hosts, some 4000 of them , who hadde c la red the i r i n te n t ion of fight i ng to th e b i tte r e nd, s imply me l te daway unde r pre ssure of th e cle ve rly combine d moveme nt . Th e

force hadbe e n pre ce de d ove rn ight by two ba t ta l ions of Gua rds, whowe re deputed to ho l d a me na c i ng kopj e ,

wh i ch mounte d gua rd ove ra spru i t, known t o be a favourable ha rbou rage for the e nemy . As a

na tura l conseque nce of th is sk i l fu l p repa ra t ion , th e Boe rs we re forcedt o re s ign th e i r com fortable h id i ng-pla ce , andth e a rmy was e nabledt o advance i n safe ty. The I s t B rigade of Moun te d I nfan try (H u tton )cove re d th e le ft flank

,and14 th B rigade o f th e S eventh D iv i s ion

(Maxw e l l ) suppo rte d by th e i 5 th B rigade (Wave l l ) cove re d the r igh ttla nk . G e ne ra l Po le -Ca rew

’

s D i v is ion ma rch ed i n the ce ntre , Ge ne ra lI n igo J on e s 011 th e r igh t , andGe ne ra l S tephe nson on t he le ft .G e ne ra l M axwe l l e ncounte red the e n emy ,

who, poste d i n a goodpos i t ion , a ttacke d h im w i th two guns , wh i ch e ve n tua l ly we re s i len cedby t h e B ri t ish a rt i l le ry . H e the n succe eded i n se nd ing th e who le of

the e aste rn fo rce scudd ing towa rds the no rth , wh i le G e ne ra l H ut tono n h is s i de ,

m ak i ng an unusua l de tour, andass is ted by No . 9 F ie l dfla t te ry a ndC o l one l Alde rson wi th h is sma rt Co lo n ia ls, prepa re d al i tt le su rpr ise

,a ndcon tr i ve d so to pound a ndha rass the e n emy on

t he h i l l commandi ng t he town,tha t th e i r va lour, cha ste ned bydis

c re t ion a ndsh ra pne l,subs i d e d , a ndth e y scurr ie d away a cross th e

p la i n s , thus l e a v i ng t h e coa st c le a r . S e ve ra l p r isone rs we re capt u red, among th em the commandan t o f the town , wh o hadre turned

9 2

The Great Advancethe re for the purpose o f de s t roy i ng t he i nstrume nts a t the te legrapho ffi ce . Among th e de fe nd ing force was th e I r ish Ame r i can Cont i ngen t

,a r io tous crew, who ,

a cco rd ing to the townsfo lk , mu s t havebe e n t o t h e Boe rs mo re bo the r tha n they we re wo rth . D ur i ng t hee ngageme n t Capta i n W i l l iams (2ndH ampsh i re Reg im e n t) was

wounded .O11 t he 4th , th e Moun te d I n fa ntry ,

unde r G e ne ra l H u tton , cove ri ng a fron t of t e n mi le s , proce eded 011 the i r way, re conno i t re d up t o

t he Ve t Rive r, andmeanwh i le clea re d the ra i l of su ch Boe r s traggle rsas happe ned t o be hangi ng about , as fa r as E e nsge vonde n

,whe re

they b ivoua cked . They we re fo l lowed t h e ne xtday by th e re s t oft he force , all branche s of wh i ch hadbe e n i n commun ica t ion byhe l iograph .At dawn 011 t he 5th , the r i ve r was found by the We st Aus tra l ian s

to be he ld by the e nemy . Th e guns advan ce d , anda fie rce a rt i lle ry due l fo l lowe d , i n wh i ch th e 84th and85 th Ba tte r ie s hadsomee xc i t i ng expe r ie nce s

,ande scape d as by a m ira c le wi thou t i nj ury .

La te r on , two nava l 1 2 -pounde rs ass i sted them , andthe re w as wa rmwo rk t i l l sunse t , t he B oe rs 011 th e oppos i te ban k figh t ing w i th ra reobst i na cy , andon ly de s ist ing occas iona l ly t he be t te r to leap to t he

a t tack . M eanwh i le on t he le ft, the sound of G e ne ra l H utton ’sfurthe r ope ra t ions . cou ld be hea rd . H av i ng e nde avoure d t o find adri ft to t he we s t , th is offi ce r e ncoun te re d t h e e n emy i n posse ss ion ,andwas gre e te d by a due t from a host i le Max im a nda pom pom.

Th is pre se ntly de ve lope d i nto a qua rte t, the B r i t ish ga l lop ing Max imanda pom pom tak ing so prom i ne n t a pa rt tha t p re se ntly t he Boe rs,concea le d i n the bedof the r i ve r, began to fe e l uncomfortable .

News hadcome i n to the Ch ie f a t mid -day tha t the e nemy me an t t oho l d t he Ve t R ive r

,andwa s the re loca te d w i th th e n e ce ssa ry equ ip

m en t of fie ld-guns andMause rs, andtha t he was a l ready i n touchw i th H utton ’s B rigade on the le ft . The a rmy ,

tak i ng advan tage of

such day l igh t as rema i ned , move d 011 , andpre se n tly , a cross th e r i ve r,andon the d istant h i l ls

,blue -grey smoke i n pant i ng pu ffs be spoke

the a ct i v i t ie s of the Co lon ia ls . To the i r ass istance we n t nava l guns,grea t andsma l l

,ca rry i ng me ssage s of fum ing gre e n ho rror t o t he

o the r s i de of the wa te r . Wh i le th is was taking place the Canad iansa ndTasman ians we re grandly fight i ng the i r way a cross the r i ve r ,andth e ga l lan t New Z e a lande rs, tak ing the i r sha re ,

plunge d in toth e midst of th e Boe rs a ndsca tte red them from a kopj e they we reho ld i ng, themse l ve s pay i ng de a rly t he pe na l ty of tr iumph . The ywe re a fte rwa rds suppo rte d by tw o compan ie s of t he Gua rds . The

Dutchme n e ve ntua l ly we re rou ted from the i r pos i t ions sou th of ther i ve r, andGe n e ra l H u tton succe e ded in tu rn i ng the e nemy

’

s r igh t ,ande stabl i sh ing h imse l f th e ne xtday on th e no rth bank . The on lyo ffice r wounde d i n G e ne ra l Po le -Carew

’

s D iv is ion was Lie ute nan t93

The Transvaal War

the H on . M . Pa rke r, G re nad ie r Gua rds. Ge ne ra l H ut ton ’s ope rat ion s hadbe e n e nt i re ly succe ssfu l , some fo rty Boe rs hadbe e n putout of a ct ion

,twe l ve prisone rs anda M ax im we re captu red w i th

compa ra t i ve ly sma l l loss to the e n t i re fo rce . Th e Boe r horde , wh i chhadle ft its pos i t ion by th e r i ve r, n ow congrega ted some t en m i le soff, wi th a v iew to th e pro te ct ion of th e ma i n body of the foe , who

we re fa l l i ng ba ck on K roonstadt .

The turn i ng moveme nt was de cla red t o be an adm i rable fea t ,e xe cute d adm i rably by the Canad ians, New S outh Wa le s , New Zea

land R ifle s,andthe Que e ns land M ounte d I n fant ry , whose dash and

da ri ng we re much e u logise d . Th e fi rst phase of th e ge ne ra l advancewas promis i ng we l l . Lo rd Robe rts , a ccord i ng to h is plan , hadc lea redande ngaged t he sou th- easte rn d i str i cts wi th such ce le r i ty tha t th ee nemy hadnot be e n g i ve n brea th ing t ime to conce ntra te i n front ofth e advanc i ng fo rce . On th e 6th th e B r i t ish Army crossed the Ve tR i ve r ande ncamped a t Sma l de e l J unct ion , wh e re many of the

Dutchme n , con fe ss i ng themse l ve s s i ck of th e war , su rre nde re d . The

re st o f the e nemy wa s i n swi ft re t rea t i n th e d i re ct ion o andRive randKroon stadt , whe re i t w as thought they wou l d make a fina l stand .They took ca re ,

howeve r, t o damage th e ra i l . Racka rock,placed a t

i n te rva ls on th e l i n e , was d iscove re d by a VVe s t ra lian Mounte d

I n fan tryman . Th e fo rce captu re d a M ax im gun andtwe nty -five

p r isone rs . M eanwh i le , Ge ne ra l Ian H ami l ton hadoccup ied W inburg . But of h is ma rch anon . Th e fo l lowi ng days , th e 7 th and8th , the re was a ha l t for two days . Th e obj e ct of t h e ha l t was t o

e nable th e cava l ry t o re turn from B loemfon te i n , andtake it s placei n the o r ig i na l combine d scheme of ope ra t ions as de scr i bed , anda lsot o a l low of th e comple t ion of ce rta i n ne ce ssa ry work on t he ra i lway .

On the 8th , Gen e ra l F ren ch w i th h is cava l ry, form i ng th e le ftw ing of th e advanc ing a rmy ,

reached Sma l de e l . I t was doubtfulwhe the r t he Fe de ra ls i n te nded to d ispu te th e passage of the ZandR ive r, but H u tton to r igh t andB roadwood t o le ft re conno i tre d , andi t was found tha t both D e larey andBotha ,

wi th some s i x te e n gunsbe twe e n them

,we re poste d on the north bank i n the d i re ct l i ne of

the ma i n advance,andthe re fore the B ri t ish troops m igh t pre pare

for s t i ff wo rk .Re ports now came i n tha t th e e nemy was hurry i ng ba ck from

the Z and to the Vaa l though som e of th e burghe rs, t he F re e S ta teo n es , rema i n ed andde l i ve re d up r i fle s andho rse s to the B ri t isha utho ri t ie s . The y hadde c i ded t o bre ak w i th the T ransvaa le rs 011the bo rde r o f the i r te rr i to ry . Wh i le the ha l t was tak i ng pla ce ,

th e re w as a ct i v i ty e l sewhe re . A s trong force from Che rmside ’

s

D i v is ion , 011 the grdhadga rr isone d We pe ne r unde r Lo rd Cast letown , wh o w as appomt edComm iss ione r fo r th e We pe ne r d is tr i ct ,a ndG e n e ra l B raban t ’s Co lon ia l D i v i s ion hadmoved to Thabanchu,

94

The Transvaal Warh im

,andthus depr i v i ng h e r Maje sty ’

s S e rv i ce of on e of its noble s to rname nts.

Bu t the grea t work was a ccompl ishe d—andth e summ it of th eh i l l was ga i ne d andkept . Th e Dutchme n e lsewhe re ,

i n vastmasse s, we re fight i ng ha rd w i th gun s andpom-poms, anda t closeofday hadassume d so threa te n i ng an a t t i tude tha t Ge ne ra l F re nchwas te legraphed fo r , andt h e troops we re o rde red t o s le e p on the

ground they hadga i ned , andprepa re t o re new the a tta ck a t dawn .

G e ne ra l F re nch a rr i ve d from Thaban chu th e same n igh t, andne xtmorn i ng (th e I s t of M ay ) host i l i t ie s we re re sumed .Aga i n t he e nemy ,

ledby Botha ,fought doggedly, e ve n bri l

lian t ly ,but th e t roops, a fte r some wa rm fight i ng

, succe e ded inrout i ng h im andfo rc i ng a passage to t h e north . I n t he ope ra t ionsG e ne ra l H am i l ton w as ass iste d by Broadwood’s br igade of cava l rya ndt he 8t h H ussa rs unde r Co lone l C lowe s , whose ga l lan try he lpe dto ha rass th e e nemy

’

s rea r andforce d them e ve ntua l ly to e va cua tethe i r pos i t ion . B ruce H ami l ton ’s brigade of i n fantry a lso d id e xce lle nt wo rk . The fina l s troke to the e nemy

’

s rout was e ffe cte d by th e

Gordons andCanad ians, andtwo compan ie s of th e S hropsh i re L ightI n fantry . The se came wi th i n 200 ya rds of th e foe

,andwi th a

r i ngi ng che e r laun che d themse l ve s bo l dly a t the D ut chme n’

s fron tso bo ld ly , so dash i ngly i nde e d, tha t a t the she e r h i n t of the comingco l l is ion the Boe rs hadscampe red . Promptly th e 8th Hussa rscha rge d i n to th e fly i ng fugi t i ve s, andfo rty pr ison e rs we re “ bagged .Guns we re the n ga l lope d on t he e vacuate d pos i t ion andshe l ls we rese n t a fte r th e d ispe rs i ng horde s .

The e nemy los t twe l ve k i l le d andfo rty wounded . Among t h eforme r was a G e rma n o ffi ce r andtwo F re nchme n ,

andamong th ela t te r a Russ ian who commande d th e Fore ign Legion . Th e B r i t ishwounded we re Capta i n Lo rd K e ns i ngton , H ouse ho ld Cava l ryMajo r H . A le xande r, l o th H ussa rs ; Capta i n A . H a rt , I S t Ea s tS urre y Regime n t Capta i n Buckle , 2ndRoya l We st Ke nt . Capta i nChe yne ,

K itche ne r’s H orse ,w as m iss i ng.

On the 2 nd,a fte r t he dash ing assaul t of the Thaba pla teau and

d e fe a t o f t h e Boe rs , a day’

s ha l t was orde re d a t Jacobsrust , as

G e ne ra l H ami l ton ’

s fo rce hadbe e n i n ce ssan tly fight i ng for ove r t e nda ys . Lo rd Robe r t s ’

s plan i n t he Fre e S ta te w as now nea rly com

ple te . H is pro pos i t ion was to ho l d w i th a n adequa te fo rce th e who l eo f t h e fron t from l e ft to r igh t—from Ka re e S i d i ng, Krantz K raa l ,Spri ngfie ld

,t he Wa te rwo rks

,Thaban chu ,

Le euw R ive r M i l ls, a ndLadybra nd—thus p re s s i ng t he Bo e rs ste ad i ly up andup, t i l l res istan ce shoul d be push ed to th e na rrowe st l im i ts. F igh t ing he re andthe n ; con t i nued, bu t t he swe e p i ng p ro ce ss pre pa ra to ry to th e gre a tfo rwa rd move was be i ng ve ry tho roughly a ccomp l ished . Re i n fo rceme n ts n ow a rr i ved , a ndG e ne ra l H ami l ton ’s force , wh ich i n re fe r

96

EAS T S URREYVJ E ST S URREV

(S e rg e an t -M ajor )(Adju tan t )

Ph oto by Gi egory Co London

The Transvaal Wara t 7 A .M .

,andcon t inuedfor two or th ree h ours

,Naval guns, Armstrongs,Howi t z ers , Max im-Norde n fe ldts, & c . & c .,

all booming toge th e r. We h eardth e r ifl e -fi ring qu i te distin c t ly . About t e n o

’c lock th e Boe rs began to g ivew ay , andarr ivedh e re , about 1000 of them, with s ix cannon . We suppliedth em with wate r andmi lk, &c .

,andthan kedGodto h ear th em say th eydid

n o t in tendmak ing a stand. Ac ross th e rive r they movedth rough th e driftve ry sw i ft ly—g uns , waggon s, t ran sport, men , horse s—all in fa i r ly goodorde r.Just as they go t th rough , th e Boe rs up on th e Brandfort dire ction beganto g ive way , andsh e l ls from th e Br i t ish cann on burst repe atedly among th em.

Th is wen t on for abo u t on e hour,whe n a g randstampede se t in

,andt h e fl igh t

andcon fus ion andbursting she l ls was a s igh t n e ve r to be fo rgot ten . In th e

fl igh t th edrift go t jammedup. On e cannon upse t in th edrift andb lockedth etraffic. Th en t hey tore up he re past th e house , andgo t th rough a t th e topdr ift. How they all go t th rough is s ti ll a myste ry to me . Sudden ly a sh e llfrom th e large naval gun burstdown at th e mi l l. I t made a t e rr ific exp los ion ,

andshook both house andstore . Th e British h adme an time workedround,

andgot some can non up to my camp (th e Kaffi rs ’ hut s) , andbegan she l l ing th e

fly ing Boe rs,as my camp commands th e roadfor mi les . Th e cannon -fi r ing

was s imp ly awful,andnearlydeafenedth e lot of us ; even th ings in s ide th e

house shook .”

By-and-by whe n th e fir e S lacke ne d

,to the de l igh t of the B r i t ish

pa rty , some 500 of the 1 7 th Lance rs we re se e n approa ch i ng,the i r

scouts i n advance . Qu i ckly they we re assure d tha t they we re r id i ngi nto th e a rms of fr ie nds . The S co tsman moun te d t o t h e roo f ofh is house ,

andthe re , wi th th e wh i te p i na fore of on e of h is ba i rns i nhand , h e wave d a fra nt i c we l come . Th e s igna l was re tu rne d , andjoy andre l ie f a lmost ove rcame h im . The n fo l lowe d some pleasan te xpe r ie n ce s, for th e Co lon ist p layed the host to a d ist i ngu ishe dmu l t i tude . H e sa i d

On th e arr i val of th e Lance rs w e suppl iedth em with wate r andtea,bu t

th ey push edon,andth e officer in charge askedme to go with h im to Gen e ral

Broadwood. Th is I did, anda fter sat isfy ing h im as to th e roads,& c .

,h e

th an kedme andaskedme for th e use of th e house for Gen e ral Hami l ton ands taff

,wh ich I sa idI wou ldg ive . As I return edto the house on foot a wou nded

offi cer rode up to me . Th is was Colon e l th e Ea r l of A i r l ie , in commandof th ei 7 th (1 2 th ? ) Lan ce rs, woundedin e lbow . He stay edwith us un t i l

,nex tday , and

a fin e r andmo re home ly man I have n e ve r me t . Notw i th standing h is wo und, h ein s is tedon h e lp ing to put Tommy to bed

,and

,a lthough th e house was soon full

o f lords,ge ne ra l s

,& c .

,andth e staffs of two div i s ions, h e h e lpedFlo rrie (thehos t ’s wi fe ) in e ve ry way h e cou ld. Lady A i rl ie is in Bloemfon te in

,andh e

re t u rn edth i the r . He gave us h is K i rriemu i r Castle addre ss,andins ists on us

comin g to se e h im. Abo u t su ndown th e Ge n e ral ands tafl’

arrived,among

th em Major Cou n t G le i ch e n,Smi th - Do r r ie n

,D uke of M arlborough , anda lot

o f o the rs . W i n s ton Ch u rch i l l a lso w as wi th them. Th e sce n e that n igh t a tWe l kom wi l l n e ve r be fo rgotte n by us . Fourte e n th ousandme n b ivou ackedo n th e farm

,camp fire s fo r mi le s a round. About se ve n o

’c lock th e H igh landBr igade a rr i vedin t hedis tan ce

,p ipe s p l ay i n g. I t is q u i teda r k h e re a t 6 P.M . ,

so y ou can p ic tu re to y ourse l f the sce ne . W i th th e arr iva l of MacDonald’s H ig hlanders the to tal a rmy on We lkom was be twe en and me n . Th e

98

From Thabanchu to Winburgh ouse h e re was in great b r i l l ian cy . Th e Un ion Jack was p lan te d in fron t, ando ffi ce rs we re ar iving e ve ry few minu te s with despatch es. A te legraph l ine isla idby th e troops as they move on , so we hada di rect wire from th e househ ere to Bloemfon te in .

De l igh t ful w as i t t o th e S cotsman to find h imse l f spe c ia l ly i n t roducedto Ge n e ra l H e cto r M acD onald,andse e the braw company of

H ighlande rs ma rch past h is house . But the i r appea rance was far

from spruce ,i nde e d th e who le a rmy was begr ime d w i th dust and

wea r andtear , honourable fi l th on the i r bronze d andswea t i ng face s,for wh i ch a Wa lt VVh itman—hadsuch be e n the re—woul d have fe l timpe l led to hug them . Th e sadpar t was th e dea th of Capta inE rne s t Rose (Roya l Ho rse Gua rds) who hadbe e n wounde d in th epre v ious fight i ng. Th e Co lon is t, wri t i ng of the a ffa i r narra te d :Whe n the news was brought to th e G e ne ra l andsta ff a t n i ne

o’clock a t n ight tha t Rose hadd ied of h is wounds they we re a ll

fea rfu l ly cut up. H e was bu r ie d a t midn ight , just a t th e ba ck oft h e house he re on th e o the r s i de of road

,abou t 100 yards from

whe re I now sit . Th e Ge ne ra l aske d me t o prom ise h im t o haveth e grave bu i l t i n andto look a fte r i t , as i t wou l d be a fea rfu l blowt o th e office r ’s fa the r, Lo rd Rose . H e hadonly two sons, andtheo the r on e d ie d of fe ve r las t month i n B loemfonte i n . H e we n t ont o say :

“ Th e gre a t bu l k of t he t roops hadgone forwa rd , onlyM acD onaldandth e H ighland B r igade rema i ne d beh i nd , andtheywe re e ncampe d ove r a t t he stat ion , so the re a re st i l l abou t 5000me n i n town . I found M ajo r Coun t G le i che n , who hadstayed th en igh t a t We lkom , was provost ma rsha l , andL ieu te nant Rymand,i n te l l ige nce o ffi ce r .At dawn on th e 6th th e ma rch to W i nbu rg was con t i nue d , and

t h e troops prepare d themse l ve s aga i n to me e t w i th stout re s istan cefrom the horde s wh ich hadbe e n pre sse d a cross the dr i ft. Bu t

w he n th e ma i n a rmy nea re d t he outsk i rts of th e pla ce they we renowhe re t o be se en . Th e fa ct was tha t t he 7 th Mounted I nfan t ry andthe H ampsh i re s haddone a sma rt p ie ce of work , “

off

the i r own bat ”

as i t we re , andforce d th e congrega t i ng Fe de ra ls toth i nk be tte r of any plan of re s istance t o th e e n try i n to W i nburgwh i ch they hadmade . Th e l i t t le a ffa i r was conc ise ly de scr i bed byan o ffice r who took part i n i t :

Th e office r commanding th e Mo untedI n fan try Corps orderedth e 7 thBat tal ion Moun tedI n fan try (wh ich w as leading th e advan ce on th e r igh t) torace with th e en emy for th e occupation of th e big h i l l

,about 3000

fe e t h igh,ove rlook ing W in burg , wh ich l ie s betwee n th e approach e s to th e

town from the south andfrom th e e ast,bo th of wh ich i t e n t i re ly commands .

The Boe rs we re approach ing th is h i ll from th e nor th andth e e as t,andh adthey

succe ededin occupy ing i t , w e shouldhave h adg re atdiffi cu l ty indr iv ing th emoff i t andcaptu ring W in burg . But th e Moun tedI n fan try go t the re befo re t hem.

As soon as th ey re ce ivedth e orde r to t ry andoccupy i t, th e 7 th Battalion99

The Transvaal V Var

Moun tedI n fan try (hav ing e x tricatedth emse lve s from th edeep rav ines near th eri ve r) racedfor th e h i l l , th e H ampsh ire squadron mak ing fo r th e po in t ove rlook ing W in b urg , th e Borde re rs andL in co ln s suppo rting them on th e rig h t .Whe n ha l f-w ay up th e h i l l t hey j umpedoff th e i r horse s andscramb l edto th etop, and, mee t ing wi th n o oppos i t ion ,

made th e ir w ay ac ross th e Ope n s ummi tto th e rocky edg e ove r look ing W in burg . Th e re a wonde rful s igh t me tthe i r v iew . Th e w ho le Boe r force , abou t 5000 or 6000 s trong , andseve ralmile s in leng th , w as se e n tre kk ing slowly past W in burg in a n orthe rlydi re c t ion . Th e roadth ey were mov ing by passedwi th in about 2000 y ardsof th is po in t of the h i ll, so th e Hampsh i re s (wh o we re a t fi rst on ly tw e lves trong , t h e rema inde r hav ing beende lay edcross ing th e rav in e s) open edfi re forall th ey we re wo rth to make th e e n emy th in k th at th e bill was strong ly occu

p ied. Th is con s ide rab ly h astenedth e e n emy’

s moveme n ts,andth e rear-guardcommandos wh ich h ady e t to pass n ear th e h ill though t be t ter of i t , andwen t

r oundan oth e r way beh indsome h igh h ills ou t of shot .

A t noon a staff o ffice r unde r a fl ag of t ruce summone d the Mayo ro f th e town to sur re nde r, promis i ng t o pro te ct pr i va te prope rty andpay for such foods tuffs as might be requ i re d . The reupon wase nacte d a cur ious drama . Wh i le th e magnate s we re pu t t i ng the i rheads toge the r andd iscuss i ng the pos i t ion , Bo tha andsome five

hundre d o f h is me rce na r ie s came on th e sce ne . The commandan tbounce d tha t h e wou l d n ot su rrende r w i thou t fight i ng, andaccuse dCapta i n Ba l fou r (w h o hadoffe re d to le t su ch F re e S ta te rs as shou l dsurre nde r the i r a rms re turn t o the i r fa rms) of a ttempt ing to subornh is burghe rs . B o tha fran c t ically i n s isted on t he a rre s t of th e

s taff o ffice r,th e staff o ffi ce r as fu r iously flou r ishe d h is fl ag of t ruce .

Th e B oe rs po i n te d the i r r i fles, t he wome n screamed . th e townsfol k gabbled , andge ne ra l tu rmo i l p reva i le d . I n the e ndth e

c i t i zens who se prope r ty ,so to speak , lay i n th e pa lm of the B ri t i sh

band, pre fe rre d the Mayor’s d iscre t ion to Bo tha ’

s va lour , andtha twa rr io r , swe l l i ng wi th i nd igna t ion , andfo l lowe d by h is equa l ly bombast i c “ brave s, shook t he dus t of th e town off the i r shoe s andga l loped to th e north .A t n igh t G en e ra l H am i lton rea che d th e town , whe re h e w as

jo i n ed by G e ne ra l Co l v i l le ’

s D iv is ion,whi ch was ma rch i ng from

Wa te rva l towa rds H e i l bron , andwas the reupon d i re cted to fol lowth e lead ing co lumn a t a d i stan ce of t en mi le s.

Th e advan ce of th e army is a rranged , as some on e de scr ibed ,n o t as a cont i nuous moveme nt bu t as a ca te rp i l la r—l i ke fo rm of pro

gre ss, th e fi rs t pa rt o f t he move be i ng a spe c ie s of advance ,th e

se cond a d raw i ng up o f the ta i l e ndo f the crea ture . Thus the vastma ch i n e is ca rr ie d from po i n t to po i n t , the ha l t i ng- p la ce s be i ngusua l ly a t pos i t ions o f st ra tegi c con sequen ce . The Boe rs hadrun

away from the i r fi rs t pos i t io ns a t B rand fo rt andon the Ve t ; th e

se cond on e s o n th e Z and , th e Va lsch , a ndth e Rhe nos te r we re now

t o be purged o f the Re publ i cans . I t was n e ce ssa ry be fo re go i ng100

Toward s the Zand R iverforwa rd to make a th re e days

’ ha l t,dur i ng wh i ch the ta i l endof the

mons te r—the ra i lway—was pu t i n work i ng orde r, andsuppl ie sco l le cte d andbrough t up. Th e e nemy

’

s pos i t ion on t he Zand w asre conno i tre d , andon the 9 th th e advance was re sume d, G e ne ra lIan H ami l ton hurry i ng to ass ist i n the ope ra t ions a t the Zand R ive r,t he H ighland B rigade be i ng le ft i n possess ion o fW i nburg .

TOWARDS THE ZAND R I VER TO KROONSTADT

By th e 9 th of M ay , as w e know , Ge ne ra l Pole -Ca rew’

s andGene ra l Tu cke r ’s D iv i s ions andG e ne ra l Ian H ami l ton ’s Co lumn(mov i ng from W i n burg) , wi th Nava l andRoya l Garr isonA rt i l le ry guns, andfou r br igade s of cava l ry ,

hadcon cen tra ted a tWe lge lege n . Th e e nemy , pushe d back on all s ide s, now he l dth e Oppos i te bank of the Zand R ive r i n force ; but ne ve rthe le ssi t was de c ide d tha t th e a rmy wou l d cross, andcross i t d id . The

cross i ng was a ccompl ishe d on th e l o th , the e nemy be i ng rou tedfrom a ll h is st rong pos i t ions .

‘ Accord ing t o th e co rre sponden t oft he Times, t h e scheme for th e ge n e ral advance hadbee n plannedas fo l lows : “ A conce ntra t ion of th e l i ne o f advan ce was t o takeplace a t K roon stadt . Ge ne ra l Ian H ami l ton , a fte r leav i ng a

br igade at W i n bu rg, was t o advan ce on t h e r igh t flank wi th h isM oun ted I n fan try , Broadwood’s Cava l ry Br igade , andth e 1 9 thB rigade ,

via Ve n te rsburg. The ma i n advance wi th Lo rd Robe rtswa s t o be made by th e E le ve nth D iv is ion , supporte d by Gordon ’sCa va l ry Brigade , t he conne ct ion be twe e n th e ra i lway andr ightfl ank be i ng ke p t by Ge ne ra l Tu cke r ’s D iv is ion . Th e le ft wase n truste d to G e ne ra l F re nch w i th the I st and4th Cava l ry B rigade sandG e ne ra l H u tton ’s B rigade of Mounted I n fantry . As t h e le fti n a ll p robab i l i ty wou ld find i t ne ce ssary to act i ndepe nde ntly , the

Mounted I n fan try be longing to Ge ne ra l Tucke r be came a tta che dto the ma i n co lumn for scre e n i ng purpose s.

”

Th e e nemy , some 6000 st rong w i th 1 5 guns , was found to be

poste d on a se r ie s of h i l ls runn i ng d iagona l ly aga i nst t he e ast s i deof th e Zand

,bu t a fte r some v igo rous she l l i ng by G e ne ra l Tucke r

the y e vacua te d the i r ma i n pos i t ion by th e r i ve r, blew up va r iouscu l ve rts tha t lay i n front of the B ri t ish force , andprepa red to makea v igorous stand aga i nst th e Moun te d I n fan try advanc ing i n th ecentre . The se , hav i ng de bouche d on the pla i n on th e north of th er i ve r we re promptly assa i le d by guns from the h i l ls t o th e r ight

,bu t

they s t i l l pushe d on towa rds th e we st of th e ra i lway , wh i le a ba tte ryof H orse Art i l le ry ta ckle d the region whe nce came th e host i le she l ls .

Th e sce ne of the fight was do tte d wi th fa rmhouses andna t i ve kraa ls,a ndhe re nume rous pa rt ie s of Sk i rm i she rs we re knowi ngly conce a led .Th e 8th Mounted I n fantry Corps, d ismount i ng, advanced i n ex

101

The Transvaal Warte nded orde r across th e nu l lah - r i ve n pla i n unde r a heavy she l lfire ,wh i le th e B ri t ish gun s ba rke d me rr i ly andwrought de va sta

t ion among the Boe r guns, wh i ch we re hast i ly scurr ie d away , pur

sue d n ow by th e 4th Mounte d I n fan try , who ,fu l l of exc i teme nt,

ga l lope d off to capture t he re t i r i ng treasure s, andi n so do i ngran a lmost i n to t h e arms of some 500 Boe rs . The se ,

rushing from ambush , fo rce d them back on the i r supports . But th e

fir e from a we l l -d i re cted Maxim , andfrom Lumsde n ’s H orse , who

hadcapture d a h i l l ands tuck to i t am id a hurr i ca ne of Boe r m iss i le s,se rve d t o rout th e Du tchme n andse nd them a fte r the i r guns andconvoy ,whi ch u n fo rtuna te ly , by th is t ime , hadbe e n go t sa fe ly away .

Of Ge ne ra l Ian Hami l ton ’s part i n th e proce e d i ngs on th e r igh tan eye

-wi tne ss con tr i bute d to the M or n i ng Post an i n te re st i nga ccountA tday break on May 9 Ian Hami lton ’

s column left th e i r b ivouac at Klipfon te in andmarchedn orth to Boemplatz Farm without res istan ce . Aboutmid-day th e Mo un tedI n fan try , wh o we re a mi le or two ah eadof th e column

,

on topp ing t h e ridge s ove r look ing ZandR ive r, came under fi re of th e

e n emy con ce a ledin th edongas n ear th e rive r,andon th e h i l ls beyond, andin

th e kopje s on our r igh t . They rema in edth e re all th e afte rnoon , peppe ring andbe ing peppe redin re turn . Th e ve ldt h e re was a l ive with buck andharte bee st,andthey we re so tame that he rds of th em g raz edbe twe en th e Moun tedI n fan trysc re en andth e ma in body . Th is was too much for some offi ce rs of th e

andth ey le ft th e i r b ivouac n ear th e ma in body , about a mile in th e rear, andle tdr ive at th e buck .

“ Me anwh i le the H ampsh i re S quadron of Moun tedInfan try , wh ich we rep lay ing h ide andse e k with the i r brothe r Boe rs,began to wonder how i t was

t ha t bu lle ts we re coming from th e i r rear as we ll as from th e i r fron t. Wh enth eydiscove redthat the se bul le ts from t he re ar we re in te ndedfor buck, th eyse n tdown a me ssage

,th e language of wh i ch was h ardly parliamen tary , to th e

wou ld-be buck s lay e rs, andth re ate n edto se nda vo l ley at th e buck th emse lve s.

Mo re Boe r commandos we re seen to be arriv ing from th e e ast towardsdusk ,so th e re se emedto be e ve ry prospe ct of a warm t ime th e nextday , espe c ial lyon t h e r igh t flank . Up ti ll n ow Ian H ami lton ’

s co lumn h adbe en work ing qu i teindepe n d e n t ly , andh adma rch edno r th from Th aban ch u as a fly ing co lumn , butt h is a fte rnoon w e we re acqua in tedwith th e p re sen ce of anoth e r force on our

le ft by se e i n g Lo rdRobe r ts ’s bal loon in th e air about e igh t mi le s away . ThatLo rdRobe rts me t wi t h bu t s l igh t re s istan ce may be accoun tedfor by th e factthat Ian I lamilton ’

s co l umn away on h is righ t w as alway s a few mi les ah e adofh im

,andth re ate nedth e e nemy

’s flan k . Lo rdRobe r ts’s force h adbee n march

ing n o r th a lon g th e l in e of ra i lway ,andnow th e two column s were conve rg i ng

with a v iew to re ach i n g Kroon s tadt togeth e r.Those o n ou tpost duty that n igh t h e ardth e rumb l ing of waggon s for

many hou rs in th e v ic in i ty of th e e n emy . Ev iden t ly th e i r transport was be ingmovedou t o f h a rm’

s w ay . Th e n igh t was b i tte rly co ld, andmany of those on

o u tpos t du ty h adno th ing but gre a t coats to ke ep th em wa rm, some of th e

waggo n s no t h av i n g y e t a r r ived. At day b reak our‘Long Toms ’ made ex

co l l en t prac t ice a t wh at lookedlike a Boe r laage r on th e s lope of th e h i l l acrossthe r i ve r to the no rth . A t about 7 P.M . th e ba ttle commen cedin earn e st

,and

102

The Transvaal Wart h e crack of our r ifle s, thedoub le crack of th e en emy

’

s,th e bark ing of Max ims

th e ‘

pom-

pom’of th e V icke rs-Maxims

,andth e boom of th e ‘Long Tomswe re h e a rdall a long th e l in e . Our fron t must have been te n or fifteen mi le s

a long th e ZandR ive r,be cause R ober t s

’

s column was n ow a few mi les to our

le ft,andFren ch ’

s Cavalry D iv i s ion was on R ober ts’

s le ft ; but for reason smen tionedabove th e Boe rs showeda boldfron t to Ian Hami l ton ’

s co lumn

on ly . Th e e n emy ke p t up a s te ady fi re from th e pos i t ions th ey h ado ccup iedduring t he n igh t, some Boers in th e dong as h aving advan cedto with in a s hortdis tan ce of our firing l in e .

As theday wore on,re inforcemen ts appearedto arrive for th e en emy , and

th ey made ade termin edeffort to turn our r igh t. H e re th ey we re opposedbyK i tch e ne r 's Horse, w ho we re hardpre ssed, andh adto be hurriedly re in forced

by th e New Ze alanders . On th e ex t reme righ t th e en emy n ow be came ve rybo ld,andre po rt say s th at th e se rge an t -major of K i tche n er ’s Horse made a

bull’s- ey e on a Boe r’s h eada t on ly fi fte e n y ards ’dis tan ce . A l l th is t ime weh adkep t th e e n emy a t bay without th e aidof a s ing le gun , though th ey h adbe e n fi r ing a t us wi t h common she ll andsh rapne l

,but to our great joy in th e

afte rn oon four fie ld- gun s came to our ass istan ce,andp roceededtode luge th ekopj e s anddon gas with sh rapn e l. Bro the r Boe r now finding matte rs ge tting

rath e r un p leasan t s lun k ou t of th edongas andoff th e kopj e s in g roups of ten

andtw en ty in an eas te r ly di re ction , andnow th e e n emy hav ing bee n pre ssedback all along th e l in e,t h e 7 th Moun tedI n fan try , K i tch e n e r’s Horse , andth e

New Zealande rs we re le ft as a rear-gua rd, andth e ma in body movedon five or

s ix mi les . Atda rk w e fo llowedthem,andcrossedth e ZandR ive r unmo lested

,

andb i vouackedon th e o th e r s ide of th e dri ft on th e pos i t ion wh ich h adbeena ll day occ up iedby th e Boe rs . I t w as re por tedthat th e fo l lowing day th e

bodie s of fi fty or s ixty of th e e n emy we re foundin th e ZandR ive r dongas ,andmany more on th e kopj es on th e righ t , so th e losses were not all on our

s ide .

”

The fo l lowing casua l t ie s o ccurre d i n Ge ne ra l Ian H ami l ton ’sco lumn dur i ng the day

’

s fight : S e cond L ie u te nant R. E . Page t,I st Roya l S usse x Regime n t , wounde d ; Capta i n Le ona rd H ead ,E as t Lancash i re Regime nt , dange rous ly wounded (s i n ce dead) .M ea nwh i le G e ne ra l F re n ch , whose obj e ct was to turn th e

e nemy’

s r igh t flank a ndcapture Ve nte rsburg sta t ion by n ight fa l l ,hada lso a br isk e n counte r w i th th e Boe rs , wh i ch i nvo l ved some lossof l i fe ,pa rt i cu la rly among th e I n n i sk i l l i ngs . The i st Brigade ,

unde rG e ne ra l Po rte r, adva nce d towa rds a kopje , wh i ch was cap ture d byth e I nn isk i l l i ngs . H e re they we re con fron te d by an advan c i ngkhak i - clad regim e n t

,sa i d to be th e newly ra i se d A fr i kande r H o rse ,

wh i ch w a s mis take n fo r B r i t ish troops . B e fo re they cou l d be re cogn isedthe y hadope ne d fire on the h i l ls , andso v io le n tly a ssa i le dthose ho l d i n g i t , tha t the Dragoons we re fo rce d to make for the i rho rse s

,l e av i ng be h ind them fourte e n s la i n a ndmany wounde d .

Guns andthe dash ing Canad ians we re se n t i n support o f Ge ne ra lPo rte r , wh i le G e n e ra l F re n ch con t i nued t o de ve lop h is flank i ngmoveme n t . The 4t h Sr igade (8t h H ussa rs a nd7 th Dragoons) we redep loye d on t h e r i gh t o f the e n emy , andgrandly cha rge d a body

104

The Transvaal Warwho hadtake n posse ss ion of the cove te d van tage ground . TheBoe rs re trea te d , andga the red themse l ve s toge the r t o gua rd th eroad to t h e town but G e ne ra l F re nch made a rap id de tour

,

wh ich they saw m ight out fl ank them , whe reupon they d iscre e tlywi thdrew.

At n igh t a ga l lant e ffort was made by that i nde fa t igable offi ce r,Majo r Hun t e rWe ston ,

R .E . , to cu t the ra i lway commun i ca t ions i n re a rof th e e nemy . E scorte d by a squadron of cava l ry ,

andaccompan ie dby B urnham the Ame r i ca n scou t ande igh t sma rt sappe rs , h e proce ededas usua l , u nde r cove r of da rkne ss , towa rds th e l i ne . H e re

,

howe ve r, h e came i n touch w i th th e B oe rs , andh is t roope rs cha rge dt h e D utch pa tro l andcapture d them . The n leav i ng h is e scort, h e , th escou t andsappe rs , a fte r much h id i ng i n the moonl igh t andgrop ingi n nu l lahs, rea che d t h e l i ne th rough t he e nemy

’

s convoy andlaunche dth e explos i ve i n to the midst of th e Dut chme n , caus i ng cons i de rablepan i c among them . H e , howe ve r, was de fea te d i n h is ma i n obj e ct ,though th e ha i rbread th e scape s andde e ds of coo l -he ade d pluckaccompl ishe d du r i ng th e sma l l hours of th e n ight make a long ta le

,

bo th e xc i t i ng andsou l - st i r r i ng .On S a tu rday the advance was re sumed . Th e town of Boschrand , some e ight m i le s be low Kroonstadt , was found dese rte d ,th e Boe rs be fore the ub iqu i tous Fre nch hav i ng spe d as an a rrowfrom the bow . Th e D utchme n hadtake n ca re to put a gooddealo f coun try be twe e n them andthe Br i t ish , for , afte r re conna i ssancetowa rds Kroonstadt hadbe e n made ,

i t was found tha t though theyhadbee n se e n t he n igh t be fore e ncampe d from K roonstadt t o

H on i ng S pru i t they hadme l ted away, andhade v ide ntly de c i de dtha t the y wou l d make n o fu rthe r stand t i l l the B r i t ish a rr i ve dw i th i n th e confine s of th e Transvaa l . Pre s i de n t S teyn hada l readytake n h imse l f off t o Lindley , andCommandant Bo tha haddepa rtedwi th h is Tra nsvaa l burghe rs to prepare for a b ig fight on th e Vaa l .

The e ntry of Lo rd Robe rts i n to Kroon stadt was a fine spe cta cle ,a ll t h e me n

,de sp i te th e i r ha rd , I 28-mi le ma rch be i ng i n sple nd id cond i

t ion , a ndwea ri ng on the i r fa ce s th e a ir of hone st sa t isfa ct ion a t worka ccompl ish ed—pr ide in themse l ve s andi n th e i r adm i red Ch ie f.The pro ce ss ion was he ade d by Lo rd Robe r t s ’

s bodygua rds , whowe re a ll o f them Co lon ia ls . Fo l lowing them came the staff andfo re i gn a t taches , the n troope d i n t he N o rth S ome rse t Companyo f t h e Impe ria l Ye oman ry ,

a s ta lwa r t a ndbronzedhos t ; a fte r wh i chma rch e d G e n e ra l Po le -Carew

’

s D iv is ion , cons i st i ng o f th e Gua rds,t h e i 8th B rigad e , t h e N ava l B r igade ,

t he 83 rd, 84th , and85thla t te r ie s , tw o 5

- i n ch g un s manne d by Roya l A rt i l le ryme n , andth e1 2 th Compa ny o f Roya l Engine e rs . The s i gh t wa s a mos t impos i ngo n e , andt he v is ion o f t roops appa re ntly i n nume rable s tream ingth rough t he st re e ts h igh ly impre sse d th e Boe rs , who many of them

106

Towards the Zand R iverhade nte re d on the wa r wi th th e h ighe st confidence i n th e i r m i l i taryprowe ss andt he i n fe r io r i ty of t h e B r i t ish as a fight ing ra ce .

Mr . S te yn , i t w as sa i d , be fo re h is depa rture th e pre v ious n igh thadused i n va i n , pe rsuas ions, th rea ts , ande ve n v io lence to t he

burghe rs i n th e e ffor t to ra l ly them . An e n te rpr i s i ng photographe rwen t so far as t o take a portra i t of the la te P re s i de n t i n ac t of

k i ck i ng andcuffing h is fo l lowe rs t o pu t va lour i nto th em ,

”

so i twas expla i ned . They , howeve r, tu rned the i r ba cks on the smi te r ,andmany of them su rre nde re d to Lord Robe rts . M r . S teyn hadannounce d tha t i n future Lind ley , s i tua te d be twe e n K roonstadt and

KROONSTADT ON TH E VALSCH R IVER .

B e th lehem , wou l d be com e t he sea t of the F re e S ta te Gove rnme n t,andth i the r fled , knowing i n h is he a rt tha t the days of the Fre eS ta te we re numbe red . The T ran svaa le rs , d isguste d wi th th e

Orange me n ,hadre fuse d a ny longe r t o fight i n th e Fre e S ta te ,

andtook themse l ve s off t o t h e Vaa l R i ve r ; wh i le , on t h e o th e rhand

, the Fre e S ta te rs , fur ious w i th th e Transvaa le rs, chargedthem wi th hav i ng made them into a ca t ’s—paw andthe n l e ft themin the lurch . Th e va l ia nt F ede ra ls we re , i n fa ct , a t logge rheads, andmany surre nde re d , be i ng on ly too thankfu l t o pa rt company w i ththe i r quondam a l l ie s .

The troops ha l te d a t K roonstadt for t e n days t o re cupe ra te ,and

wh i le they e njoye d the i r we l l ea rne d re st , st i rr i ng e ve n ts took placee lsewhe re .

107

C H A P T E R V

MAFEK INGH E RE was an imme nse amoun t of und iscove red ge n iusi n Ma fe k i ng t i l l Co lone l Bade n - Powe l l brought i t to the

front . Th e a r t of mak ing ba l l- ca rt r idge s ou t of blank ,andt he manu fa cture of gunpowde r, cannon , she l ls, fuse s,postage s tamps

,bank no te s, anda s tra tege t i c ra i lway , se rve d

to o ccupy andamuse those whose days we re an une nd ing round ofmono tony . Th e Co lone l ’s v ig i lance , tha t i n o the r t ime s hadea rne dfor h im the Ma tabe le t i t le of “ ’

M pe e s i , th e wo l f tha t ne ve r s le eps,commun i ca te d i tse l f t o a ll, andi t was to th is ge ne ra l sp i r i t o f a le rtne ss tha t t he succe ss of the ga rr ison ’s stu rdy de fe nce was due .

Bu t on the i r hea rts de spond was se t t i ng it s sea l ; young fa ce s we rebe coming l i ne d wi th anx ie ty ,

ande ve n those whose drama t i cpowe rs e nabled them t o fe ign me rr ime nt we re consc ious tha t th ee ffort was be com ing e ve n more pa the t i c than re s igna t ion t o

the i r fa te .

Young E loff, who hadga l lant ly vo lunte e red to subdue Ma fek ingor die i n the a ttempt, begu i le d th e i n te rva l i n prepa r i ng for

h is fea t of ch i va l ry by i ndu lg i ng i n a m i ld form of jocos i ty . H e

i n formed Co lone l Bade n - Powe l l tha t h e hadhea rd of h is S abba thconce rts

,tournam e n ts, andcr i cke t ma tche s, andwou l d be glad , as

i t was dul l ou ts i de , to come i n andpa rt i c ipa te i n them . The

Co lone l re pl ie d i n th e same ve i n—begge d t o postpone a re turnma tch t i l l the p re se n t on e was fin ish ed , andsugge ste d as th ey we renow 200 no t out

,andS nyman andCronje hadbe e n unsucce ssfu l ,

a furth e r change of bowl i ng m igh t be advantage ous ! I n re a l i ty th e

young Boe r was ra ck i ng h is bra i n s w i th plans for the futu re , ge t t i ngi n forma t ion rega rd i ng t h e fo rts andde fe nce s , andde c id ing whe n th et ime cam e for assau l t todo the th i ng wi th a flash anda flour ish !And h is ambi t ion was no t e n t i re ly groundle ss , for th i ngs we recoming to a so rry pass , a ndt h e te n s ion grew da i ly more se ve re . I tw a s ne ce ssa ry to be e te rna l ly push ing ou t tre nche s a ndcaptu r i ngfo rts i n o rde r t o se cure graz i ng a ndbre a th i ng spa ce ,

bu t th is a ct ionhadth e re sult o f so e xte nd i ng the l i n e s ,

tha t the p roblem of how

t o pro te ct t e n m i le s o f pe rime te r aga i n st som e 2000 Boe rs , wi thonly 700 me n ,

be came ha rde r than e ve r t o grapp le wi th . F o r tu

n a t e ly the re wa s s t i l l a n i n ne r l i n e , but e ve n th is was d i ffi cu l t to108

Mafek inggua rd , now tha t the ga l lant se ve n hundre d we re re duced i n s taminaby long priva t ion andimme d ia te fam ine .

A grea t dea l of i rr i ta t ion was cause d by pi l fe r i ng andhousebreak ing tha t we n t on . As t he me n we re i n t h e tre n che s andthewome n i n the wome n ’s laage rs, a ll th e i l l- cond i t ion ed vagabonds,th e human saur ia tha t hadtra i led from th e Rand andBuluwayo,

a t the h i n t o f loo t “ made hay” wh i le the re w as no po l i ce a t l i be rty

to cope wi th them . Eve ry hand i n Ma fe k ing hadbe e n re qu i red ,a ndt h e po l i ce hadbe e n fo rce d to be come so ld i e rs , de fe nde rs of t he

s ta te andn ot of pr i va te prope rty . And we l l they haddone the i rwork ! For ove r s ix months some 2000 to 3000 B oe rs hadfoundfodde r he re for the i r .e igh t guns, i n clud ing a 9—pounde r. The y hadbe e n kept sta t iona ry ,

andthus pre ve n te d from combin ing wi th th eTu l i co lumn , o r i n vad ing Rhode s ia , or jo i n i ng force s w i th any of

the aggre ss i ve commandos i n th e sou th . And th i s wonde rfu la rre s t hadbe e n a ccompl ishe d by me n w ho a t th e beginn i ng of

host i l i t ie s we re pra ct i ca l ly una rmed andun for t ified. I t was n o

ma rve l , the re fo re , tha t P re s i de nt Kruge r andh is adv ise rs, whohadsta rte d the i r fe l l work w i th such confide nce

,n ow began t o w ag

the i r heads i n a cr i d i ty andd ismay . Th e ove rwe e n i ng bump t iousne ss of th e se ve ra l commandants w ho ,

full of buoyan t andbe l l i coseasp i ra t ions

,hada t tempte d th e subjuga t ion of Ma fe k ing, hadbe e n

the i r undo i ng . The se hadbe come t h e laugh i ng- s tock e ve n of the i rown pe ople .

Commandant C ronje ea rly i n t he w ar hadbe e n so conv i nce d ofh is abi l i ty t o cap ture Ma fek i ng tha t he hadcause d a proclama t ion tobe pr i n ted ann ex ing the d istr i ct t o t h e S ou th A fri can R epubl i c .Bu t h e h adfound i t a d isastrous pla ce , andhadle ft i t w i th someloss o f pre st ige , as hadmany o the rs who hada t tempte d “

todo th e

t r i ck andfa i led . Unt i l th is da te the Boe rs hadexpe nded con

s ide rably ove r 100 tons of ammun i t ion , los t ove r 1000 me n k i l le dandwounded , andhadfour guns d isabled , ye t noth ing was aecomphsh ed.Commandan t E loff w as the n spe c ia l ly depu te d by Kruge r t opu l ve r ise B. P. andcame to h is wo rk i n h igh sp i r i ts a ccompan i e d

by a man—a de se rte r—w ho,hav i ng se rve d as a t roope r i n th e Pro te c

torat e Regime nt, wa s we l l a cqua i n ted w i th the p lan s of the for t ifica

t ions andt he m i l i ta ry customs of th e pla ce . Of course ,i t was th e

obj e ct of th e you thfu l commandan t t o make an a t tack as spe ed i ly as

poss i ble ,for rumou rs of approa ch i ng re l ie f th rea te ned to pu t an e nd

t o h is mach ina t ions andspo i l h is ambi t ious schem e . H e knew tha ta re l ie f co lumn hadre a ched andwas advanc i ng from S e t lago l i , andtha t what hadto be done must be done n ow or ne ve r. S t i l l h e hada no t ion tha t a fte r pass i ng Kraa ipan any journ ey for t roops wou l d bea r i d , wa te rle ss, andd iscomfort i ng , andbe l ie ve d tha t th e co lumn

109

The Transvaal Warmight be cu t off be fore i t coul d o ffe r se r ious oppos i t ion to h is

plans.

Commandan t S nyman , on h is s i de,was as de pre sse d as h is

co l league was jaunty . H e was sca rce ly fla t te re d to find a youngste rde te rm i n i ng to so l ve a problem wh i ch for a cons i de rable t ime hadde fe a te d h im , andthe re fore a t th e onse t, i n rega rd to t he mome n tousplans for a t ta ck , the two commanda n ts we re sca rce ly a t one . Th e

r i ft w ide ne d as a ffa i rs de ve loped . I nde ed , i n le tte rs wh i ch sub

se que nt ly passed be twe e n the pa i r, i t wa s d iscove red tha t E lo ff, t ouse h is own wo rds, “ hadbe e n prepa r i ng to t r ip h im up for yea rs .

”

Th is S nyman must e v ide n tly have known , andde te rm ine d to show—a s h e d id whe n t he Opportun i ty offe red—tha t “ two cou ld play a t

tha t game . At th is t ime , howe ve r, though the t ra i l of the gre e na ndye l low monste r m igh t have be e n se e n w i nd i ng abou t the Boe rlaage rs

,the re was no susp i c ion tha t whe n comb ined a ct ion aga i nst

t h e common e nemy—the B r i t ish—wou l d be ne e de d th e O l de r commandan t wou l d fa i l th e younge r on e .

Cu r iously e nough , though a t th e i nstance of the Boe rs the S un

day t ruce hadbe e n agre ed upon , they we re the fi rs t to break throughth e compa ct . On th e 6th of M ay ,

wh i le th e usua l auct ion sa le s we retak ing pla ce , andthe lad ie s we re cau t iously do i ng the i r we eklyshopp i ng, an a ffa i r of some mome nt s i n ce pr i ce s ru le d h igh , th e

ra tt le of muske try be t raye d tha t some th ing was wrong. I t wa s the nd iscove re d tha t t he Boe rs hadfi re d on the horse gua rd, k i l l i ngT roope r F ranch , andwound ing thre e horse s, andcaus i ng a stampe deof t he he rd towa rds the i r own l i ne s. Fo rtuna te ly t he e ve r-wa ryB. P. kept a ma ch i ne gun i n th e va l ley , anda sharp e ngageme n ttook pla ce , but neve rthe le ss t he Boe rs su cce e de d i n captur i ng some

of th e all too pre c ious ca t tle . Th e a ffa i r was soon ove r andt hete rr ified lad ies con t i nue d the i r shopp i ng, bu t t he i n c i de n t wassu ffi c i e n t to demonst ra te tha t soon , i f th e Boe rs shou ld fa i l tosucce ed by fa i r me ans, they wou ld have re course t o foul .At last , on the 1 2 t h of M ay ,

came t h e grea t, t he long- looke d fora ssau l t . I t wa s no t ye t dawn , the s ta rs we re s t i l l b l i nk ing pa l l i d ly ,

whe n an om inous cra ckl i ng awoke the town . I t came from t h e east ,whe re rosy t i n ts of th e sun r i se we re begi nn i ng to show themse lve s .

At once e ve ry one was ast i r. The a la rm bugle bla red out , be l lssounded , fo rms all ske tch i ly a tt i red , some st i l l i n pyjamas, rushe d tothe i r posts .

Though the bul le ts came from t h e e ast, wh izz ing andphu tt i ngi n to t h e ma rke t- squa re ,

Co lon e l Bade n - Powe l l , w i th h is na tura lastute n e ss , de cla re d tha t th e re a l a tta ck wou l d come no t from the rebu t from th e we s t , t he co rne r whe re s tood th e s tadt o f th e Ba ralongs . Al l go t th e i r ho rse s re ady ,

a rme d themse l ve s wi th wha te ve rcame to hand , a ndfl edpre c ip i ta te ly out i n to the n ippi ng a ir of th e

1 10

The Transvaal Warexh i la ra te d , i n tox i ca te d them ; they swo re t o pro te ct Ma fek i ng or

die i n the a t tempt !M eanwh i le the dash i ng E loff, who so long hadboaste d tha t hewou ld br i ng M a fe k i ng to he r kne es, hada t last a ch ie ve d some th i ngo f a su ccess . Th e fo rt was se i ze d . H e andh is band of 700men

hadadvance d up the Mo lopo, burn t t he s tadt as a s igna l to h is a l l ie s,

andthus made an e ntry . The sto rm i ng party was compose d most lyo f fore igne rs, andnumbe re d some 300 a ll to l d . Many of them we reFre nchme n , who, whe n they eme rged from H idde n H o l low andrushed on Co lone l H o re ’

s fo rt , we re hea rd t o be shou t i ng “ Fashoda !Fashoda ! ” wh i le such Boe rs as cou l d spe ak Engl ish we re se nt i nfron t t o roa r H ip , h ip , hu rrah ! Re l i e ve d a t las t ! so as to de ce i veth e be s iege d wi th th e i de a tha t the re l ie f co lumn was a rr i v i ng . Be

h i nd we re 500 bu rghe rs, wi th S nyman, i n support ; bu t whe n they

he ard th e fi r i ng th ey d iscre e t ly wa i te d to se e th e re sul t, andth roughthe i r d iscre t ion E loff e ve n tua l ly los t wha t h e hadga i ne d . Th e

Baralong s, whose stadt was burn i ng, andwho themse l ve s we reburn ing for re ve nge ,

hadpe rm i t te d some 300 of the pa rty to se i zeth e ou tly i ng fo rts , andthe n , with an as tu te ne ss pe cu l ia r t o them ,de c ide d they wou l d g e t be twe e n the D utchme n andthe i r suppo rts ,and“ kraa l them up l i ke ca t t le . But th is was not done i n a

mome n t .To re turn . Whe n the storm i ng pa rty hadrea ch e d the fort , theybroke up i n to th re e . On e hundre d andfi fty of them a ttacke d th efort andse i ze d i t , toge the r w i th th e Co lone l andtwe nty - th re e me nof th e Pro te cto ra te Regime n t , who ,

m istak i ng them in t he dusk of

th e ea rly dawn for fr ie nds, hadno t fi re d . Whe n they found out

the i r m is take ,i t w as too la te .

Rega rd i ng Co lone l H ore ’

s lame ntable pos i t ion andh is surre nde r,th e co rre sponde nt of t h e Times, who hadthe ill luck as a man andt he good luck as a journa l ist to ge t take n pr isone r, sa i d Commandan t E loff demande d t h e uncond i t iona l surre nde r of th e twe nty - th re eme n who we re e s tabl ishe d a t the fo rt , an o rde r wh i ch , hadCo lone lH o re re fused , impl ie d tha t e ve ry man wi th h im wou l d be shot .The e xige nc ie s of th e s i tua t ion hadthus sudde n ly thrown upon th esho ul de rs o f th is ve ry ga l lant o ffi ce r an a lmost ove rwhe lm i ng re spons ibility . I t wa s imposs i ble to wi thd raw to t he town . S u ch a moveme n t woul d have me an t re t i reme n t ove r 700 ya rds of ope n , le ve lground w i thout a pa rt i c le of cove r, andwith a force of 300 of th e

e nemy i mmed ia te ly i n t he rea r. For a mome n t Co lone l H o re hadcon s i de re d , bu t rea l i s i ng tha t e scape was imposs i ble , tha t i nde ed theBoe rs we re a ll round h im , he o rde re d th e su rre nde r, a ccept i ng th ere spons i b i l i ty of such a n ac t i n th e hope of sav i ng th e l i ve s of the

me n wh o we re wi th h im . Bu t the s i tua t ion impe ra t i ve ly demande dth i s a c t ion i n conseque n ce of e ve n ts ove r wh i ch he hadno contro l .

1 1 2

L IEUT .-GENERAL S I R F RED ER ICK CARR INGTON ,

Photo by E l liot 81 F ry , London

The Transvaal Warandove r aga i n , runn i ng the gan tle t o f th e B r i t ish fire in t he se rv i ceof the i r fe l low - crea ture s .

M ea nwh i le Bade n - Powe l l ’s brave s hadsurrounded t h e fo rt , andmanaged t o make a v igo rous s tand aga i ns t furthe r e ncroa chme n t oft h e e nemy , wh i le sk i rm ish ing of a more or le ss de spe ra te k i nd w astak ing p la ce i n th e d i re ct ion of th e stadt, round t h e kraa l, andakopj e i n it s v i c i n i ty .

Th e captu re of the kraa l andsu rround i ngs by M ajor Godley , Capta i n M a rsh , andCapta i n F i tz c la re nce was i nge n ious ly a ccomp l ished .

G EN ERAL BAD EN-POWELL, LO RD EDWARD CEC I L, AND OTH E R OFF ICE RS , AT TH EENT RANCE To T11E i R

“D UO -OUT.

”

(Photo by D . Tay lor , M afek i ng . )

They hadno t take n l e sson s i n Boe r wa r fa re for s ix mon ths for noth i ng,con seque n tly ,

i ns te ad o f mak i ng th em se l v e s ta rge ts for the foe , theyc re p t towa rds t h e wa l ls

,bo re d looph o le s w i th th e i r bayone ts , and

poured the i r fi re 011 th e i n vad e rs . Th e se fough t p luck i ly , but prese n t ly came th e a rt i l l e ry ,

a ndd i re ctly t he o rde r wa s gi ve n to com

me nce fire the e n emy though t i t h igh t ime t o surre nde r. The n cam et he que s t ion o f t h e fort , wh e re Co lon e l H o re wa s s t i l l the prison e ro f E lo ff. l r isk anda ccura te fi r ing took pla ce , andso ho t w as t he

a t ta ck tha t many o f th e B ri t ish we re wounde d by th e i r ow n people .

1 14

Mafek ingThe v i ctor ious E lo ff andh is pa rty, cut off from h is supports andde vo i d o f t he ass istance re ckone d on from S nyman , now foundh is pos i t ion as conque ror h ighly une nv iable . N igh t was comingon ,

andmany o f h is pa rty s truggle d to s l i nk ou t andde se rt h im,

but h e fi re d on them andle ft the i r dead bod ie s to addt o th e

con fus ion . F ina l ly ,as the re was n o he lp from wi thout

,Eloff

surrounde d by Co lone l Baden- Powe l l’

s troops—d id t h e on ly th i ngtha t coul d be done i n th e c i rcumstances—he surre nde re d t o h is

ow n pr isone r, Co lone l H o re . The reupon,h e , ando the rs of h is

gang, numbe r i ng 1 10,i n c lud i ng Ba ron de B remont

,Capta i n von

We issmann , andse ve ra l fie ld- co rne ts , we re depr ive d o f the i r a rmsandma rche d i n to the town , to be a ccommoda ted i n th e Mason i cH a l l andi n t he ja i l . The i r appea rance w a s gre e te d w i th courte ouss i le nce anda ce rta i n adm i ra t ion for th e da r i ng of th e a ttack

,bu t t he

exube ra nce of the Kaffirs wa s unche ckable,andthey hooted lust i ly .

They hadsuffe red much a t th e hands of the i r to rme ntors, andi nth is, the i r hou r o f tr iumph , they wou ld no t be de n ied . O f th eBoe rs , 1 10 we re prisone rs

,10 we re k i l le d , and19 wounded . I t was

supposed tha t o the r corpse s may have be e n d ragge d away anddispose d of by the na t i ve s, who thus got posse ss ion of r i fle s, wh i chweapons hadbe e n re fused them by the Br i t ish .

Th e Br i t ish casua l t ie s we reK 2

'

l/od. —L ieu ten an t Ph i l l ips ,T roope r Maltusch ek

,T roope r D ube r ley .

Wounded—Cap ta in S ing l e ton ,L ie u te nan t G . Br idge s , S e rgean t Hosking s ,

R e g imen ta l S e rge an t -Majo r S . Ma l l ey—all of th e Prote c to ra te R eg ime n t ;Haz e l r igg , Cape Po l i ce Smidt,Town Guard.

S e rge an t—Majo r H eale , i n cha rge of th e D utch pr isone rs,an

e ste eme d membe r of th e garr ison , w as k i l le d by a she l l . Of Troope rM altusch ek ,

a few wo rds wr i tte n by Majo r Ba i l l ie de se rve to be

quo ted , as showing the manne r of man andB ri ton he was . I tappe ars tha t th e ga l lant fe l low abso lu te ly de cl i ned t o surre nde r,andfought t i l l h e was k i l led . “ I t wasn ’ t a case of dash ing i nanddash ing out andhav i ng you r fun anda fight ; i t was a caseof re so lu t ion to die soone r than th row down your a rms ; th e

wisdom may be que st ionable , t h e he ro ism undoubted . H e

wasn ’ t tak i ng any surre nde r . As far as I am conce rned , I havese e n th e B r i t ish asse rt the i r supe rio r i ty ove r fore igne rs be fo ren ow , but th is man

,i n my op i n ion , though I d i d n o t se e h im die ,

was th e braves t man who fought on e i the r s i de tha t day . I t isa good th i ng t o be an Eng l ishman . The se fo re i gne rs sta rt t ooqu i ck andfin ish qu i cke r . They are good men , bu t w e are be tte r,andhave prove d so fo r se ve ra l hundre d yea rs . I hada lwayswante d t o se e th e Engl ishman fight in a t igh t ho le ,

andI knowwha t he is worth now . H e can ou tstay the o the r chap . ” I n the se

1 1 5

Th e Transvaal Warlast wo rds is th e who le summing up of th e s tory of ba t t le . I nMa fe k ing , pa rt i cu larly on th is te rr ifi c day ,

th e B r i t ish me n—andwome n—hadou ts taye d th e o the r chap . ”Th e reason tha t the loss a fte r so many hou rs

’ fight i ng was com

para t ive ly i ns ign ifican t, was ow i ng to the fact tha t t h e ga rr ison wasso sp le nd idly handle d , andtha t e ve ry sou l

,lad ie s i n clude d

,took a

plucky share i n th e wo rk . Lady Sarah W i lson , M rs . Bu chan , M issCrawfo rd, andM iss H ill

, th e ma tron of t h e hosp i ta l , all d ist i ngu ish edthemse l ve s by the i r p lucky ac t ions ; andM rs . W i n te r andM rs . B radley we re i nde fa t igable i n m i n iste r i ng to th e wants of th e

men . Eve n th e most peace fu l be i ngs be came be l l i cose i n the

common cause , andReu te r ’s co rre sponde n t gave an amus i nga ccount of how Mr . Wha le s, th e e d i to r of th e M af ek ing M ai l ,

w ho was exce ed ingly plucky bu t qu i te una cqua i n ted w i th m i l i ta ryma tte rs, compo r te d h imse l f i n th e d i re eme rge ncy . Whe n th e

ra i lway workshops we re manne d Mr . Wha le s go t a gun to he l p ;bu t e ve ry t ime h e d ischa rge d i t, i t h i t h im on the nose

,wi th th e

re su l t tha t whe n all was ove r, he re turne d to the bosom of h is familycove re d w i th h is own blood !Of course th is was me re ly a pass i ng jocos i ty , for th e samech ron i cle r de c la re d tha t “ the most i n te re st i ng phase of th e fight wasth e manne r i n wh i ch e ve ry on e i n th e town showe d h imse l f ready to

take h is sha re i n i ts de fe nce . Th e se ve n mon ths’ s iege hadle ftve ry few cowa rds . Al l so rts of men who have sta ff b i l le ts anddon o t ge ne ra l ly man the forts se i zed rifle s andhurr ied to th e ra i lwayl i ne ,

t he ja i l , andthe wo rkshops, re so l ve d t odie i n th e last d i t ch ,wh ich was t he ra i lway l i ne , w i th i n th re e hundre d ya rds of the

marke t- squa re , th e e nemy be i ng on ly five hundre d ya rds be low th el i ne . H e furthe r sa i d , “ I t is customa ry i n London ra the r to lookdown on town gua rds , Vo lun te e rs , andc i t i ze n so ld ie rs , but i t was bythe se tha t t he town w as he ld a ndCommandan t E loff was bea te n .

S trange ta le s we re to l d i n tha t e ve ntfu lday of the k ind trea tme n t me te d ou t to t h e Boe rs . They we re gi ve n clean towe ls andsoap (the la tte r was a t fi rst m istaken fo r an e a table ) , andte nded l i kebro the rs ,

wh i l e a ll the pa st aggra va t ion s endure d a t the i r ha ndswe re fo rgo tte n o r a t lea s t ignored . Th e prisone rs, wounde d or

sound , we re gre e te d a lmost a ffe ct iona te ly by t he town . S uch dri nkas the re was wa s sha red , andfo r th e t ime be i ng, amid t he ge ne ra ljubi la t ion , a t th e close o f th e me lodram at i c e pi sode s of the day i tw a sdi ffi cul t t o de c i de wh i ch we re t he ha pp i e r , fr ie nd or foe . Thusge n e rous ly wro te Mr . Angus H amil ton o f th e e n emy :

“We w ho

hadbee n pr iso ne rs a ndwe re n ow fre e rejo i ce d in th e l i be rty wh i chw as re sto re d to us

, y e t i t w as d i ffi cu l t to re s tra i n on e se l f from fe e l i ngcompa ss iona te ly upon t he grea t mi s fo rtune s wh i ch hada t te nded theextrao rd i nary da sh andgal lan try o f t he me n who we re now our

1 16

AND I'

TiNERARv

1 1 8

Transvaal WarTh e obj e ct of the flyi ng co lumn w as t o fl y , bu t

a t the same t ime i t behoved the e xped i t io n t o be

d iscre e t i n it s rush, for any

advance tha t cou l d no t prov ide convoy , s tore s, andme d ica l comfort for the re

l ie f wou l d have e nded i n ashowy demonstra t ion wh i chwou l d have be e n more emharrass i ng t o t he be s iegedthan sa t isfa c tory . I t wasne ce ssa ry t o go we l l laden ,andthus ke e p toge the r th ebody andsou l of Ma fek ing, andt he pa rty of

re scue rs we re immovablet i l l G e ne ra l H un te r, s lowe randsure r i n h is progre ss

,

shou l d have advance d a longt h e ra i l way andrepa i re dt he l i ne .

, I t was a lso im

pe ra t ive to avo i d,i f pos

s i ble , any co l l is ion w i th th ee nemy t i l l Ma fek i ng shou l dbe nea red , andthe re w as a

chance of co -ope ra t ion byColone l Plume r

’

s andC01one l Bade n- Powe l l ’s men .

The o rga n isa t ion of thetranspo rt w a s the re fo re a

ve ry se r ious unde rtak i ng,on e wh i ch e ngaged a ll the

a tte n t ion of M ajo r Money ,

R .A. , for ove r a we ek , andwh i ch i nvo l ve d inde sc r ibable labour . Majo r M oney

’

s

qua l ifica t ions a s a n organ ise rhave be e n de scr i be d as

se cond only to those of

Co lone l Wa rd , t he“ Un i

ve rsa l P rov ide r of LadyM AHON ’S D ASH TO smi th . Ass i s t i ng a lso w as

Capta i n Cobbe (Benga l

W i th Co lonel Mahon ’s Fo rceLance rs) , who hadbe e n labor iously e ngaged i n transport wo rkbo th i n N aauwpoo rt andK imbe rley .

E fforts to ma i n ta i n se cre cy rega rd i ng the moveme n t of the forcewe re many ,

andall conne cte d w i th the programme we re vowed t os i le nce rega rd ing th e obj e ct i ve of th e ma rch ; ye t , for all tha t , t heBoe rs knew whe n i t hadsta rte d , i nde e d they de clared tha t a we e kbe fo re the e ve n t , th e Ma fe k ing be s iege rs hadhea rd of t h e proj e ct ,andwe re fi rmly conv i n ce d of the i r ab i l i ty to cu t Off t h e party a t

Roodoo ’

s Rand , or fa i l i ng tha t , to smash i t up a t a po i n t n ea re r it sde s t i na t ion .

Th e I mpe r ia l H orse qu ie t ly e ncampe d a t D ronfie ldi n orde r t oe xc i te as l i t tle susp i c ion as poss i ble , the n fo l lowed M Ba tte ry

unde r Majo r J a ckson , andtw o pom- poms unde r Capta i n

Robinson . M e a nwh i le some of th e I mpe ria l Ye oman ry andK imbe rley Vo lun te e rs spraye d ou t ove r th e region of B arkly We standS p i tzkop , i n orde r to c lea r th e way for t h e advan c ing co lumn .A t D ronfie lda lso th e t ranspo rt work was ca rr ie d on ,

fifty-five

waggons be i ng loade d by Majo r We i l andS ir J ohn W i l loughby ,bo th zea lous o ffi ce rs ,

who we re ful l of ke e nne ss i n th e unde r taki ng ; wh i le the D e B e e rs commun i ty ,

whose a rdou r i n Impe r ia lma t te rs was prove d , cont i nue d t o th row themse l ves hea rt andsou li n to the gre a t scheme . Twe n ty waggons con ta i ned sto re s ; five ,

me d i ca l comfo rts ; andt h e re s t we re loade d w i th th e whe rew i tha l t ofe e d I 100me n and1 200 ho rse s .

A t Ba rkley We st was Co lone l Mahon , wi th Co lone l Rhode s as

i n te l l ige nce o ffi ce r . Majo r Bade n—Powe l l , S co ts Gua rds, th e bro the ro f t he he ro of Ma fe k ing Capta i n B e l l—Smy the , t h e brigade major ;Pr i n ce Alexande r of Te ck , S ir J ohn W i l loughby , Majo r M au ri ceG i fford—the on e - a rme d sol d ie r of Ma tabe le fame—we re a lso amongth e se le ct numbe r, whose good fortune i t w as t o e ngage i n the ex c it

1ng e n te rpr1se .

The column slowly move d ou t on a n i ne m i le s ’ march t o G re e f

puts,wh ich w as, so to speak , th e o ffi c ia l sta rt i ng-po i n t—a grand

fo rce compose d of some o f t h e sma rte st men of th e co lony andi n thep i nk of cond i t ionFrom th e la t te r pla ce to S pi tzkop , a d istan ce of n i ne te e n m i le s ,

th e co lumn move d on the morn ing of the sth of M ay . Abou tm id -day t he t roops h adi n te nded to advan ce , bu t a rumour of B oe rsi n th e d istance a rre sted the i r progre ss . On the e ast , t e n m i le s off,cou l d be hea rd the knock i ng of Ge ne ra l H un te r ’s guns andsomeBoe r ish re to rts, andsomewhe re ,

i n kopje s i n th e v i c i n i ty, we re re be lsor D utchme n—at least so i t was sa i d , bu t a fte r a br isk sea rch t heroad was reporte d cle ar , andt he ma rch proce e ded , th rough the

bl iste r i ng sunsh ine , ove r th e sco rch ing we ste rn pla i n s to a pla ceca l le d Wa rw i ck ’s S tore ,

andfrom the nce ,a fte r a ha l t for re fre sh

1 1 9

The Transvaal Warme n t, on to Gunn i ng S to re , a to ta l d istance of th i r ty- five m i le s.

As may be imagi ned the coo l of the moon -blue n igh t was re fre sh ingto t he toaste d wa nde re rs , andst i l l more re fre sh ing w a s t h e captureof two waggon - loads of re be ls andthe i r Mause rs . T ime wa s n o t

waste d for mu ch s lumbe r or mu ch breakfast i ng, andby 6 A.M . on th e

oth t h e co lumn was proce e d ing on it s way towa rds E spach Dri ft onth e le ft bank of the H a rts Rive r. Th e n i ne m i le s’ journey was ae complish edby whe re the co lumn ou tspanne d t i l l At tha thour they sta rte d to comple te the i r twe n ty m i le s i n t h e sunsh ine ,wh i ch lande d them a t Banks Dri ft—a de ep dr i ft whe re wa te r ingt he ho rses was no e asy ma t te r . I n th is loca l i ty , ca l le d G re e fdaleS to re , wood was sca rce , bu t s t i l l the t roops we re wi th i n s tone ’

s th rowo f food , andwe re able t o suppleme n t the scan ty ra t ions wh i ch hadbe e n cut down t o th e sma l le st poss i ble figure . Th e da i ly a l lowancew a s no t sumptuous . A gre a t de a l of va lou r andche e r i ne ss hadtobe susta i ne d on 5 l b . of me a t , l b . of b iscu i t, 2 oz . of suga r, aoz . of

co ffe e ,and oz . of t ea . Whe n fre sh m ea t cou l d be capture d a

change of d ie t was se i zed as a re l ie f, andloo t from re be ls he l ped tofill t he growing va cuum . I n ce rta i n loca l i t ie s fowls andbread we repurchasable . I n o the rs be e r made a we l come va r ie ty t o th e da i lyquan tum of grog—a to t of rum or l ime ju i ce—bu t re a l ly substant ia lmea ls we re few andfa r be twe e n .An unfortuna te occurre nce bl igh te d th e day ’

s proce e d i ngs . M ajo rBade n—Powe l l , wh o ,

fu l l o f rejo i c i ng, was go i ng t o th e re scu e of

h is bro the r,me t wi th a nasty a cc i de n t . H is horse i n cross i ng the

de ep sand of the ve l d t bungle d , andth e Majo r susta i n ed i nj ur ie swh i ch made h im un consc ious for some hours . H app i ly he re cove re dwi th t he e last i c i ty of h is ra ce , andthe re was no fea r that Co lone lBade n- Powe l l ’s hope , e xpresse d i n De cembe r,1 wou l d fa i l t o be

gra t ified .F rom G re e fdale , on the 7 th , the co lumn marched to M uchadin ,

mov i ng on the r igh t bank of H a rts R ive r. N o th ing e ve ntfulo ccurre d , a ndt he re st of t he twe n ty m i le s was trave rse d by 5 P.M .

They we re now some mi le s to we s t of Taungs . Th is region wasfound t o be e va cua ted by th e Dut chme n , though rema i ns of the i rre ce n t o ccupa t ion we re e v ide nt . The ra i lway sta t ion was take nposse ss io n of by Majo r M u l l i ns a nda squadron o f t h e I mpe r ia lL igh t H o rse . Te legrams we re found gi v i ng va luable i ns igh t i n toth e Dutch move s

,a ndshowing tha t th e B o e rs we re ly i ng i n wa i t

n e a r l ’udimo e , t he p la ce—e n cruste d w i th m e na c ing rows of kopje s—tha t t he co lumn w a s abou t t o approa ch o n t he mo rrow .

N ext day t h e co lumn was 011 the move e a r l ie r than usua l .Be fo re dawn a ll we re as t i r , a ndth e d i s tan ce from Taungs to Pud imoe ,twe l ve mi le s , wa s cove re d by A. M . Th e Boe rs we re in

1 See Vo l . I I I . p . 39 .

[20

With Co lone l Mahon ’s Forcev is i ble . They we re e nsconced somewhe re ,

wi th i nte n t to pounce ,

i t was ce rta i n , but Co lone l Mahon de te rm i ned, i f poss i ble , to avo i dimbrogl io t i l l th e fin ish . At 10 t he t roops we re mov i ng on to a pla ceca l le d D ry H arts S i d ing, wh i ch wa s re ache d a t noon . Bu t the rewas l i tt le re st, for on th isday twe n ty - e igh t m i le s we re cove red , t e nmi le s be i ng ma rched i n t he coo l of th e e ve n i ng . A t 9 P. M . unde rthe bl i nk i ng s tars , the y outspanned a t a pla ce ca l le d Brusse ls Fa rm

,

whe re food—ho t food , a rde ntly de s i re d a ndeage rly stowed awaywas plen t i fu l .

Th e ne xt morn ing th e fo rce was on it s w ay t o V ryburg,do i nge igh t m i le s be fore 9 A.M . The y took up th e th read of the i r trave lsa t noon , ma rched anothe r th i r te e n m i le s , andfound th emse l ve s byt ea - t ime a t the de s i re d andwe l com e hav e n o f re st . The sto re s we rea t once i nvaded , andcrea ture comforts we re purchased a t h eavyra te s . Th e B ri t ish we re re ce i ve d w i th som e show of e n thus iasm .

I n th e l i tt le wh i te town ma rgi ne d w i th a roma t i c, eme ra l d - lea fedpe ppe r t re e s banne rs wave d andU n ion J a cks flutte red , andpa sse rsby came i n for a handshake wi th me n o f the i r ow n k ind

,who i nv i ted

them to“

pot- luck . ” S ome of a commando tha t hadbe e n lurk ing

i n t he v i c i n i ty of Pudimoe now t r i ck le d i n andsurrende red ; o the rmembe rs of t h e D utch consp i ra cy turn e d i n form e r, wh i le th e loya lB r i t ish subj e cts, who hadde c l i ne d t o re be l t o orde r o f t h e Boe rs

,

poure d out the i r e xpe r ie nce s . On e o f them de cla re d tha t dur i ngt he Boe r re ign i n t he town Br i t ish lad i es who hadrema i ne d th e rewe re not pe rm i tte d to wa l k on th e causeway , a regu la t ion tha t i nt h e Transvaa l hadpre v ious ly be e n confin ed to Ka ffi rs ! I n o the rre spe cts, beyond despo i l i ng th e po l i ce camp andth e forme r B e chuanaland Re s i de ncy , th e Boe rs haddone l i t t le ha rm .

A lea f from t he d iary o f a membe r o f the S cots Fus i l ie rs de scr i besth is ha l t i n a town wh i ch was somewha t J a nus- faced i n its loya l ty

Ai ry —I awoke mu ch refre sh edby my goodn igh t ’s re st . A M .

Ou th e ma rch . Th e g roundbe ingden se ly sh r ubby ,many ha l ts have to be made

to a l low th e scouts to re con no i tre th e fron t . 10 A.M .

—Roodepoor t . We a re

now n ine mi les from Vry b u rg . Wa te r andrat ion s are,as usual

,sca rce .

1 1 A .M . Hal loa ! w hat th edeuce is th is A ga i ly de cora tedcar r iage w i thth ree pre t ty ma iden s ! ‘We ll

,I n eve r ! wh a t can th ey wan t ! ’ Oh

,th an k

you, as th ey g racefu l ly th row us some loave s of love ly wh i te bread, andw i tht h e mos t ch arming of smi les we lcome us to Vry burg .

‘Bravo , ’ my bon nylass ie s ! h adi t no t bee n for my un cou th appare l andbris t ly wh iske rs, ‘

a k is s ,

’

I shou ldhave va un tedyou. 1 2 noon .

—S o th e Boers h ave fl edfrom Vry bu rg !What an in fe rnal pack of cowards , andno mistake ! All th e be t te r for us ;

t h e l e ss oppos i t ion th e soon e r a t our journ ey ’s e nd. 2 P.M .

—We con t in u e th e

ma rch . 5 P.M .—Vry burg . An e n thus iastic crowdof supposedloy a l ists g re e t

our ar r ival wi th ch ee rs . Somehow the i r w e lcome is no t at all app re c ia ted.Mos t of t h em are D u t ch

,and, con s ide rin g the Boe rs have be en amon gst th em

un ti l twoday s ago, w e fa i l to see what loy a l ty th ey couldh ave e s tabl ish edfo rus in so sho rt a t ime . 7 P.M .

—On outpos t ; an exceeding ly co ldn igh t .”I 2 I

The Transvaal WarBu t wha te ve r t he se nt ime n ts of t he pe op le , the re was de ce n t food

anda br ie f chance of comfo rtably partak i ng of i t , andthe re was a

s igh whe n th e e njoyable t ime came to an e nd, andVryburg , wi th itsapo logy for c i v i l isa t ion , its cost ly me a ls andi n fe r io r c iga rs , so h ighlyapp re c ia te d l n those days of spa rse comfort, hadto be le ft beh i nd .Fa rewe l l dr i nks—be e r, gi n andl ime -ju i ce , gre e n Cha rtre use , t eawe re d ispose d of, andthe n from five t i l l m idn ight th e ste ady ma rchonwards was pu rsue d . Th e condi t ions of th e ma rch, i f noth i ng worse ,

we re uncomfo r table . N0 man da red be t ray h is p re se nce w i th thewh i ff o f a c iga r ; anda fte r t h e sun -scorch i ngs of t h e bak i ng Afr i canday , t h e sea rch i ng, ch i l l a ir of th e moonl i t ve l d t n ippe d th e bone sandfi l le d th e frame wi th agu ish appre he ns ions . S o co l d we re th e

n ights tha t some de cla red they hadt o s le e p wa l k i ng up anddownto save themse l ve s from be i ng froze n . S t i l l , th rough i t all, e ve rym embe r of th e ga l lan t band remembe re d th e glor ious obj e ct of h ism iss ion , a nd, whe n i n cl i ne d t o growl , pa cke d away pe rsona l i r r i tat ion s a ndmed i ta te d on th e numbe r of hours wh i ch wou l d e lapsebe fore London wou l d be r i ngi ng w i th t h e news of th e gre a t re l ie f.E ve ry sou l of th is goodly company w as swe l l i ng w i th pr ide andsa t is fa ct ion a t hav i ng th e good luck t o be among those chose n forthe sp i r i te d explo i t , andi t was th is pr i de ,

th is a lmost he ro i c affl a tus,wh i ch se rve d to cast i n to in sign ifican ce th e thousand andon e in conve n ien ce s, try i ng t o const i tu t ion andt o tempe r, whi ch we re i nvo l ve di n th is mome ntous i f fa t igu i ng ma rch . I t is t rue ,

bu l le t andshe l l we re as ye t on ly i n th e nea r fu ture , bu t the aggrava t ions of

the se ,a s a ll me n agre e d , we re n o t t o be compa red w i th th e sus ta i ne d

fre t of march i ng unde r unre le n t i ng sunsh i ne ,s le ep ing i n v io le n t

ch i l ls, ea t i ng i rre spo ns i ve b iscu i t , ta ck l i ng “ bul ly

” without th eass istance of a ha tche t as a m ince r ; ande ndur i ng th rough all a

parch i ng th i rst, a pe rpe tua l c rav ing for wa te r , wh i ch , when found ,

bre d a loa th ly susp i c ion of th e imps of e n te r i c anddysen te ry tha tm igh t lurk th e re i n . As Mr . S tua rt of th e M or n ing P ost de cla re d :“ To g o th ro ugh t e n or a doze n o f ou r days un compla i n i nglywas a h ighe r te st o f manhood tha n to fight

,howsoe ve r ga l lan tly .

To s tand t o a rm s an hour be fo re sunr i se , poss i bly to ma rchfo r hours wi tho ut a cup o f co ffe e i n t h e empty stomach , poss i blyto do pa t ro l o r p i ck e t a s soon a s th e outspa n pla ce w as se le cted ,to re turn ba re ly i n t i me fo r a wadof s tr i ngy be e f a ndsome chunkso f biscu i t , t o ma r ch aga i n a cross the sand o r ove r lumpy grass,so t i re d tha t a t e v e ry ha l t th ey lay a t the i r ho rse s ’ fe e t doz i ngt i l l t h e unwe l come

‘

S ta nd t o your ho rse s’

wa s ca l l ed , t o go t o

bedwi th out fire , wi tho ut the la s t s l e e py p ipe : tha t was o fte n wha tMaho n ’s me n ca l le d aday .

I t is we l l t o emphas i se wha t may be ca l l ed the greys anddrabsa ndn e utra l t i n ts tha t go to th e mak i ng up of a comp le te p i cture

1 2 2

The Transvaal Warandno t un t i l the convoy hadgone some d istance on it s way d i dthe i r he a rt- re nd i ng cr ie s cease to be hea rd .On S unday th e 1 3th of M ay t he plo t began to th i cke n . Co lone lMahon , as w e are awa re ,

hadbe e n re se rv i ng h imse l f,knowi ng

tha t th e ne are r h e came t o h is de st i na t ion , th e more ce rta i n wash e of re pea te d tussle s wi th th e e nemy . N a t i ve scou ts n ow in

formed h im th e D utchme n we re assembl i ng ar M a r ibogo ,hanging

round K raa i pan S i d i ng, andlurk i ng i n the i r hundre ds i n the frowni ng kopj e s tha t fr i nged th e n ek nea r Koodoo ’

s Rand . Pre cau t ionswe re take n , andall remembe re d th e Ma fek i ng be s iege rs hadbragge d of the i r i n te n t ion t o cu t off the party a t Koodoo ’

s Rand .The L igh t H orse , i n ve ry e xte nde d co lumns of squadrons, prov idedth e advance a ndt he s cou ts, andth e t ranspor t move d i nfive pa ra l le l co lumns . N oth i ng as ye t was se e n of the Boe rs , andt h e troops rea che d a po i n t n i ne mi le s off, ca l le d B rod ie ’

s Fa rm , i nsa fe ty . H e re they wa te re d the i r horse s , andre ste d t i l l th e e a rlya fte rnoon . H e re they we re jo i ned by an o ffice r w ho hadr idde nfrom Co lone l Plume r

’

s fo rce ,wh i ch

,a ct i ng on i n fo rma t ion re ce i ved ,

hadby the n re a che d Canea . Thre e que s t ions we re forwa rde d fromCo lone l P lume r . F i rs t , h e wishe d t o know t h e numbe r of Co lone lMahon ’s men se cond, h is guns th i rd , t h e amount of h is suppl ie s .

I t be came ne ce ssa ry to con coct a reply wh i ch shou l d de fea t th ecu r ios i ty of th e Boe rs, andto tha t e ndCo lone l Mahon andCo lone lRhode s put the i r astu te heads toge the r, wi th th e re su l t tha t for thenumbe r of me n they an‘swe re d , TkoN ava l a ndM i li ta ry C/no i n n /i i

p/iea’ oy ten (94 P i ccad i l ly ) . The numbe r of guns was de scr i be d as

7 726 n n inoor of orotnér s i n ! no Wa rd/ fami ly (s ix ) andthe amou nt ofsuppl i e s w as re pre se n te d by Tng C.O. , 9M L a n cer s (Sma l l, Li tt le ) .I t was n ow de c ide d tha t bo th Co lone ls—the re l ie v i ng office rs—shou l djo i n hands a t Jan M ass ibi

’

s,Co lone l Mahon ’s plan be i ng to make a

de tour t o th e north -we st of h is rou te andthus su rpr ise t he e nemy ,

wh o i magi ne d h e wou l d come stra igh t by w ay of Wr ight ’s Fa rm .

Now came a c r i t i ca l mome nt . The co lumn move d out fromi rodie ’

s Fa rm i n th e a fte rnoon , andhadsca rce ly s tarte d be forethe y be cam e awa re tha t Boe rs we re s l i n k i ng e ve rywhe re , beh i ndtre e s ,i n t h e scrub

,i n t h e dr ied grass of the ve ld t . They had

be e n so admi rably concea led tha t t h e I mpe ria l L igh t H orse scou tshadr idd e n be yond th em . Now ,

howe ve r , whe n they began to bla zeaway wi th r i fle s from the scrub , th e scou ts turned upon them ,

caugh t th em i n th e re a r, wh i le i n fron t they we re g re e te d w i th suchwa rm vo l le ys tha t they made fo r the i r ho rse s ,

wh i ch hadbe e n de ftlyh idde n i n t he bush . Oth e rs o f the i r numbe r st rove to ge t a chan ceo f e n filading t h e convoy ,

wh i ch was p romp tly d ive rte d from it s

course t o th e le ft , wh i le t he gun s ga l lope d to t he re scue,andtook

up a pos i t ion tha t commande d th e ope n ground t o th e r igh t ,1 24

Wi th Co lone l Mahon ’s Forceandhe re blaze d away , pour ing cascade s of shrapne l whe ne ve r thesmoke from th e D ut chmen

’

s M ause rs gave them a clue to t he

whe reabouts of th e host i le weapons, anda chan ce to put i n somee xe cut ion . M eanwh i le , the Boe rs we re fir i ng fast andfur iousa t t he gunne rs, a ndawa i t i ng re i n fo rceme n ts wh i ch we re spurr i ngacross the fa r d i stance . The I mpe r ia l L igh t H orse ,

dash inga s e ve r, we re pour i ng vo l leys i n to t h e e nemy , andswe ep i ngthem towa rds t h e Br i t ish I 2 -pounde rs, andthe re was a goodha l f- hour ’s brisk i n te rchange o f aggre ss ions , much of th e fight ingbe i ng done on foo t anda t fa i rly close quarte rs . The pom

-pomsa lso rapped out a wa rn i ng tune ,

andthe sma rt L ight H orse ,now

r id i ng,n ow d ismounte d , hunte d t he foe a cross t h e ochre ous grass of

th e ve ldt, ke ep ing h im pe rpe tua l ly on th e run,o r

“ w inging h imso tha t h e cou ld run n o mo re . M eanwh i le Co lone l K ing, 011 t h e

r igh t rea r w i th h is K imbe rle y me n,ass iste d i n t he fight

,andfina l ly

a fte r much vo l ley i ng andsn ip i ng the D utchme n took themse l ve s off.

But th e br i l l iant sk i rm ish was no t wi thou t it s pe na l t ie s , for twe ntyon e me n we re wounded , whi le s ix—i n c lud i ng a na t i ve dr i ve r w hohadbe e n knocke d from h is waggon i n the course of th e fray—we rek i l le d . Major Mu l l i ns of th e Light H orse was se r ious ly i njured inthe sp ine ,

an un lucky i n c ide nt , fo l lowing, as i t d id , on the loss t o t he

ga l lant regime nt Of M ajor Woo ls Sampson andMajor Dove ton .Corpora l Dav i s of A S quadron was h i t, bu t managed e ve n a fte rwards todo cons i de rable damage among the Boe rs . Mr . H ands

,

th e corre sponde nt of th e D a ily M a il,susta i ne d a compound fra c ture

of th e th igh , andMajor Bade n - Powe l l na rrowly e scape d , so na rrowly ,

i nde ed , tha t h is wa tch w as stopped anda wh is t le tw iste d i n h ispo cke t by the force of th e bul le t . Capta i n M u l l i ns, K imbe rleyMoun te d Corps, was a lso i njured .Afte r the i r e xh i la ra t i ng andsucce ssfu l confl i c t i t w as de c i dedtha t the fo rce shou l d b i voua c whe re they we re ,

t he country to th e

north hav i ng be e n scoute d andre po rte d fre e o f t h e e nemy . I t was

sa i d a lso to be de vo i d of wa te r . No wa te r cou ld be found , andfoodw as scanty ,

but th e troops a fte r the i r sa t isfacto ry rou t o f t h e Boe rswe nt t o s le ep i n the moonl igh t ful l , i f of no th ing e lse , of con te n tme n t !W i th the passage of e ve ry hour pre caut ions be came more n e ce s

sary , for th e Boe rs might n ow be expe cted to crop up from anyquarte r . At 6 A .M . the t roops sta rted , th e me n r i d i ng s ix ya rdsapart from e ach o the r , for B uck Re e f Fa rm ,

a d istance of five

mi le s . A dr i ft hadt o be negot ia ted, andwa te r from th e bedof th eRive r M a re t san i w as dug up,

and, r i ch ly ye l low though i t was,

e njoye d . I t was ne ce ssa ry to make t h e most of th is re fre sh ing i fsusp i c ious draught

,for n ow the march onwa rds prom ised to be

a lmost e nt i re ly wa te rle ss , w i th th e e nemy poss i bly mount i ng gua rdove r any poo ls wh i ch m ight pre se nt themse l ve s .

1 2 5

The Transvaal WarThrough the long du l l a fte rnoon they tra i le d upwa rds ove r ah i l l fo r e igh t long m i le s , andthe n on , for a nothe r e ight

,plough i ng

t h e sand a ndwe a r i ly crav i ng for wa te r . M an andbeast we re un i te din t he common wan t , t he abso rb i ng yea rn i ng. D ay passe d i n totwi l ight a nddusk broke i n to moonbeams ; the n , jade d andt rave lsore , t hey ou tspa nne d for a br ie f re s t .At 1 A .M . on th e 1 5 th they we re aga i n on th e move ,

andby3 A.M . we re mak i ng the i r way ove r th e pla i ns of sand andtussockygrass towa rds th e on e have n of the i r de s i re , Jan M ass ibi

’

s—e ve ryne rve andmuscle s tra i ne d t o me e t Co lone l P lume r andh is sma l lforce t o t ime , t o g e t t o th e t rys t i ng-pla ce wi th ce le r i ty andse cre cywh i ch shou l d ou tw i t th e B oe rs, andpre ve nt them dri v i ng a wedgebe twe e n th e two re l ie f columns tha t hade ndu red so much t o a rr i vea t a n ow a lmost a ch ie ve d e nd! S o , on and011, ha l f as le ep , ha l fawake , famished , dry , a ch i ng, du l l but n o tde spohding , the y we n t,ha l t i ng o fte n , napp i ng some t ime s, mount i ng aga i n andpu rsu i ngthe i r way towa rds tha t e ve r -t o be de s i re d po i n t i n th e we st whe rePlume r w as thought to be . And su re e nough the re they foundh im ! Th e day dawned , the mo rn ing br igh te ne d , andi n t he

d istance , l igh t—a glow of fire s—was se e n . Be twe e n th e re l ieve rsandt he gla re w as a na t i ve s tadt

,andne a re r st ill a r i ve r . H e re

the scouts i n advan ce came on o the r scou ts , e ye d them susp i c ious ly ,eage rly , de l igh tedly . They we re Plume r

’

s scou ts, andth e joy of

the e ncounte r amply compe nsa te d fo r th e pa i ns of all who hadcove re d dur i ng t h e past two days twe nty -e igh t m ise rable mi le s i nm ise rable cond i t ion . Al l th e we a r i ne ss o f the n igh t w as forgot te n ,a ll t he d iscomfor ts se t as i de . The ho rse s ga l loped t o th e M o lopobr i nk l i ke wi ld crea ture s, dr i n k i ng fur ious ly ; andt he me n ,

t oo,

m ild e r i n the i r t ransport , gre e te d the streak of gl i t te r i ng streamw i th un fe ign e d rejo i c i ng.I t must h e re be no te d tha t wh i le th e co lumn w as mov i ng fromB uck Re e f Fa rm to Ja n M a ss ibi

’

s,Co lone l Plume r

’

s force was

approa ch i ng th e sam e po i n t from t he north , andbeau t i fu l ly , l ike th e

groove s of a Ch i ne se puzz le , t h e two re l ie f pa rt ie s me t toge the rabout 5 A. M . Co lone l P lume r wa s a ccompan ie d by h is regime n t o fRhode s ians , some 3 50 o f them , who fo r five mon th s, unde r except iona l d i fficu l t ie s o f cl ima te andcond i t ions , hadbe e n unt i r i ng i nthe i r e ffo rts to ho ld ba ck t he e nemy i n the i r a ttempt to i nvadeRhode s ia i i i /i T ul i , a ndi n the i r d e te rm i na t ion t o re ta i n th e

Bulawayo Ra i l way fo r ove r 200 mi le s south of the Rhode s ianbo rde r in B ri t i sh hands . Th i s dimi nu t i ve force , though i t hada ch ie ve d so much , hadbe e n powe rle ss fo r wan t o f guns t o ach ie ves ti l l mo re . Co lon e l P lume r , i n add i t ion to Co lone l Spre ckleya ndo th e rs who hadbe e n figh t i ng wi th h im, w a s a ccompan i e d now ,

by a ba t te ry o f Canad ian Art i l le ry ,unde r Major H udon (an o ffice r

1 26

The Transvaal Warfo r he l p i ng h im . H e made an a rrangeme n t wi th M r . Ze ede rbe rgthe we l l- known Rhode s ian coa ch -owne r anda firs t - ra te type of t h e

Co lon ia l D utchman—by wh i ch th e guns be fore name d ande scortwe re to be conveye d by ma i l coa che s to the Rhode s ian co lumn .Mr . Ze ede rbe rg accompan ie d t he G e ne ra l t o B e i ra , andthe re te legraphe d to Rhode s ia suspe nd ing t h e ord ina ry ma i l se rv i ce (conveyi ng passe nge rs andma i ls from S a l isbury andBu lawayo) , andd i ve rt i ngth e mu le s to th e Ma rande l las- Bu lawayo Road . Tha t done , no soon e rhadt h e t roops steamed from B e i ra to Ma rande l las than the men

we re transfe rre d to th e stage - coa che s andt he mu le s we re h i t che d t oth e guns , andthus th e fo rce was go t to Bu lawayo twe n ty dayse a rl ie r than they wou l d have done i f moved i n the o rd i na ry manne r.

Th e a ct i ve w ay i n wh i ch t he Co lon ia ls th rew themse l ve s i n to t h e

moveme nt de se rve s con s i de ra t ion . On the 1 3 th of Apr i l C Ba t te ryof t he Roya l Canad ian Art i l le ry ,

unde r Majo r H udon,we re orde re d

t o pro ce ed via t h e Cape t o B e i ra , the re to jo i n Ge ne ra l S ir Fre de r i ckCa rr i ngton ’s fo rce . The y rea ched the i r de st i na t ion on th e 2 2nd

,

ande n tra i ned for Ma rande l las, whe re the G e ne ra l hade stabl ishe dh is base camp . Afte r a long andtry i ng journey i n ope n trucks,scorche d by sun , burn t by spa rks from the e ng i ne , ague d by n igh tch i l ls , andjol te d on on e of wha t is ca l le d th e wo rst ra i lways In t he

world , they rea che d the i r de st i na t ion on t h e 26th . Co lone l P lume rw as known to be he l ple ss w i thou t a rt i l le ry ,

andthe re fore no t ime wast o be lost

,as e ve ry haste was ne ce ssa ry to equ i p tha t offi ce r for t he

approach ing Ope ra t ions .

Accord i ngly th e“ Sa l isbury to B u lawayo re source s we re u t i l

ise d as has be e n de scr i bed , andtwo guns le ft Ma rande l las on th e

3o th of Apr i l,fo l lowe d on M ay t he 1 st and2mdby o the rs

,wh i ch

we re ca rr ie d a d i sta nce of o ve r 300 mi le s t o Bu lawayo by t h e 6th .

From B ulawayo th ey we re fo rwa rde d to Oots i , whe re th e ra i l w asfound to be de st royed , andconseque n tly t he rema i n i ng s i x ty mi le sto S a fe t e li we re a ccompl ishe d by a forced ma rch . Co lon e l P lume rwas j o i ne d by t he Co lon ia ls on th e 1 4th , anda t once proce e de d tome e t Co lone l Mahon a t Jan M assibi

’

s . A more i nge n ious syn

ch ro na l a ch ie veme n t can sca rce ly be imagi ned .Th e me e t i ng of Co lone l M ahon andCo lone l P lume r was mos tco rd ia l , a ndmany oldchums a nda cqua i n tance s fo rga the re d andche e r i ly e xchange d remin isce nce s ove r th e i r morn i ng co ffe e . H e re ,

i n th is remo te co rne r of South Afr i ca ,nea r t he brown tha tche d

co ttage s o f Jan M a ss ibi’

s s taadt , was ga the re d a round i n the sun

l igh t a sta lw art compa ny o f p i cke d me n who se equa l cou ld sca rce lybedisco ve re d i n a ny pa 1 t o f t h e wo rld . M e n of b 1e edi ng anddist in ct ion : me n i n t h e p rime o f l i f ,e brawny andtough a ndsma rt ; me n

i n te l l e ctua l,co u r i r re ous to da re d e v i l ry ,

a ndwi tha l ful l of re source .

H e re , o n t h e K imbe rle y s i de ,we re wa r1 io rs o ldandtr ie d Co lon e l

1 28

L IEUT .-COLONE L PL UM ER

Photo by Bassano, London

The Transvaal Warwou l d share the i r las t chunk of

“ bu l ly wi th any one who was

suffe r ing from a vacuum ,andhadthe “ nous t o tOrag e for them

se l ve s andfind the i r w ay abou t i n t he ve ld t i n a manne r tha t e xc i te da s much adm i ra t ion a s surp r ise . The y cou l d r i de t oo . They sa t a

buckjumpe r as a ch i ld s i ts a swing, andse eme d to be horsemast e rsas i t we re by i nst i n ct . Fu l l to ove rflowing w i th loya l ty ,

theyta l ke d of home andQue e n as though they hadbe e n born on the

steps of Buck ingham Pa la ce . They we re democra t i c w i tha l . The i rloya l ty was to t he supe rb , t he e st imable ,

andth e Que e n to themw as t he sample o f t h e i de a l womanhood , ho l d i ng them e nslave d byt h e powe r tha t is t h e fi rme st o f all powe rs—th e ha i r- l i ne of re spe ct .

To re turn t o our moutons andt o th e she e p -pe n i n th e he artof th e ve ld t . At last dawne d the memorable 1 6th—th e e ve r—t o—beremembe re d morn i ng whe n M a fe k ing, l i ke a l i tt le wh i te clo the sdry i ng ya rd , came to be se e n i n t h e d is tance . Al l a long the nor thbank o f t he Mo lopo for n i ne m i le s hadma rche d th e tw o co lumns,C o lone l Plume r

’

s B rigade lead ing , fo l lowe d by Co lone l E dwa rds.andth e S e cond B r igade , t i l l a t las t, i n t he far grey pla i n , t h e

l i t t le hamle t tha t hadbe e n the subj e ct of so mu ch pe rse cu t ionandso much B r i t ish anx ie ty , came i n s igh t .The n all we re prepare d for th e wors t or for t h e be st . They

lun che d fruga l ly ,coo le d themse l ve s w i th draughts from th e clea r

r i ve r , andthe n the n th e e nemy made h is las t , h is exp i r i nge ffort . H e began to bla ze wi th h is r ifle s on th e extrem e le ft , andcon t i nue d so to blaze t i l l vo l ley fo l lowe d vo l ley . Off we nt the Ligh tH o rse buoyan t andbr i sk towa rds th e no rth , fo l lowe d by Co lone lK i ng andh is redoubtable K imbur lian s , who sta rte d to frust ra tea ny a t tempt a t a rea r a tta ck . But th is a t tempt no t be i ng made hejo i ned fo rce s wi th t he L ight H orse ,

w i th whom we re M Batte ryandthe pom poms .

Vl ea nwh ile t he B oe rs i n fron t began t o ply th e i r guns “ fo r a ll

th ey we re worth , sh i ft i ng the i r p ie ce s so a s t o e nfilade t he r igh to f th e Br i t ish , th i nk ing on tha t fla nk t o m ake a more favourableimp re ss ion . But on bO th fron ts some D u tchme n we re colle cted , andthose o n t he l e ft we re e ngage d by the Ligh t H orse anda se ct iono f M Ba t te ry , wh i le on t h e r igh t C o lone l Plume r

’

s Max im N o rde nfe ld t w i th the b a tte ry o f the Canad ian s d id e xce l le n t exe cut ion .Two squadron s o f Ixhode s ia ns advan ce d from t h e south acrossth e r i ve r, to wa tch l1 oe r re i n fo rceme n ts wh i ch hov e re d i n t h e

d istan ce .

The Boe rs now made a n e ff ort to a t ta ck t he convoy , wh i ch hadb e e n d i ve rte d t o t h e l e ft ; bu t h e re the D utchme n hadthe astuteC o lon e l Pr akman t o de a l w i th . Th i s o ffice r p romptly se t h is gunsto wo rk , andpounde d th em wi th such p re c i s ion andwa rmth 0tha tthey we re gl 1d e nough to fa l l ba ck 011 the i r ma i n body . The n the

1 30

W ith Co lone l Mahon ’s ForceC anad ians assa i le d them ,

andla te r Capta i n Mon tmore n cy wi th h isMax im -Norde n fe ldt s i le nce d the big Boe r gun . S o e ffe ct i ve was

t h e act ion of th e a rt i l le ry tha t about 3 P. M . th e Boe rs we re be

gi nn ing t o show s igns of remova l . M eanwh i le the Ligh t H orsea ndt he K imbe rley t roops we re push ing bo ld ly on , andby fouro

’clock the be s iege rs we re on the run , the i r scurry i ng s i l houe t te sdott i ng for a momen t or two th e sky l i ne andthe n van ish ing in to space !On th e r igh t fight ing st i l l l i nge red on

, the e nemy t ry i ng hardto ho l d the i r ground , th e Canad ians t ry ing e qua l ly hard to d is lodgethem from a pos i t ion be fore Ma fek ing known as the Wh i te H ouse .

The re was some tough wo rk h e re , andpre se ntly M Ba tte ry from3600 yards north of the house came to the ass is tance of the

Canad ians . F ina l ly th e Fus i l ie rs andthe Que e ns lande rs wi thfixe d bayone ts, anda rush androa r

,a ssa i led th e e nemy

’

s lastpos i t ion , andth e doo r to Ma fe k ing w as ope ne d ! Off scrambledthe remnan t of the Boe r ho rde s, leav ing be h ind them ammun i t iona ndmany o the r th ings gra te fu l to the hearts of th e conque rors .

For the fi rst t ime th e e nemy found themse l ves outmatched i nt h e way of guns as i n t he w ay of wi ts. G loa t i ng

,they hadbe e n

c i rc l i ng round Ma fe k ing , wa i t i ng w i th con fide n ce for an e xhauste dfo rce . They found i nste ad a force tha t hadmarched wari ly , andre se rve d i tse lf, andcame wi th ful l rush upon them ; a force tha t hadbe e n conce ntra t ing it s e ne rg ie s to give th em as much figh t ing as theycared for . The who le rou te was now purge d of Boe rs , andwhe na t dusk th e column outspanned i t was bu t for a brie f hour or two .

W i thout wa rn ing, Co lone l Mahon i n spanned aga i n , de te rm i n ing to

take advan tage of the moonligh t andt he clea r road i n a ve ry shortt ime he was we nd ing h is w ay towa rds the grea t de st ina t ion . A t fou rO

’clock on the mo rn i ng of th e 1 7 th h is miss ion was accomp l ish e d !Th e losse s we re many ,

for t he fight ing, dur ing th e short t ime itlasted , was fie rce andsusta i ne d andthe Boe r force numbe red some2000, wh i le th e B ri t ish columns amoun ted to about 1 500. The rewe re ove r s i xty k i l le d andwounded

L ieutenan t Edwin Harland,Hampsh i re R eg imen t—commanding C Squad

r on R hode s ian R eg imen t, was k i l led. Th e fo l lowing we re wounded: 2ndRoy alWest S urrey R eg ime n t—Major W . D . Bi rd, se ve re . Bri t ish S ou th A fr icaPo l ice—L ieute nan t R ichardS he rman God ley ,

s l igh t . R hode s ian R e g ime n tL ie u ten an t John A lexande r Fo rbe s , s l igh t . Roy al Horse A r t i l le ry—L ieutenantN . M . G ray , seve re . K imbe rley Mo u n tedCo rps—Cap ta in C . P. F ish er

,sl igh t.Impe r ial L igh t Horse—L ieute nan t H ew Campbe l l R oss

,s ligh t.

Ga l lan t young Ha rland was ge ne ra l ly regre tted . H e hadtake nt h e place o f Cap ta i n Ma cla re n whe n tha t o ffi ce r was wounded i n thea ttempt to re scue Ma fek ing on the 3 t st , andhadd isp laye d suchfi rst - ra te ta le nts

,both as so ld ie r andscou t , tha t h e hadearned for

h imse l f the t i t le of Bade n - Powe l l th e S e cond .1 3 1

The Transvaal WarTh e fo l low ing table de scr i be s th e fo rce s e ngage d i n the Re l i e f :MAFEK ING .—Prote ctorate R eg ime n t Cape Moun tedPo l ice

,Bri ti sh

S ou th Afri ca Company ’

s Moun tedPolice,Be chuanalandR ifl es—1 500 men .

COLONEL PLUMER ’

S FORCE—R hodes ia R eg imen t, S outhe rn R hodes ia Voluntee rs, BechuanalandBo rde r Po l ice , A De tachme n t of Canadian Arti l le ry .

COLONEL MAHON ’

S FLY ING COLUM N .- 100 me n from Bar ton ’

s Fron tie rBrigade , 200 Quee nslande rs (Bushmen ) . K IMBERLEY MOUNTED CORPS .

D iamondF ie lds Horse , K imbe r ley L igh t Ho rse , Cape Po l ice,Impe r ial Ligh tHorse

,D iamondF ie lds Art i l le ry , M Ba ttery Roy al H orse Arti lle ry—1 200men .

ON THE WESTERN FRONT IER—THE INVAS ION OF TH E

TRANSVAAL VIA CHR I ST IANA .

At th e same t i me , on the We ste rn F ront ie r , a ffa i rs we re progre ss i ng i n a ccord w i th Lo rd Robe rt s ’

s st ra tegi ca l p rogramme . S ir

Charle s Wa rre n hada rr i ve d t o take up h is n ew post as m i l i tarygove rnor of G r i qua land We st

,andGe n e ra l H un te r was e ngage d

i n a spe c ie s of ove rture t o cove r t he advance of t he F ly i ng Co lumnwh i ch hadstarted on t h e 5th . W i thout oppos i t ion he e ffe c te d th epassage of the Vaa l R i ve r a t \Vindsor t on . The re was gre a tsat isfa ct ion to fe e l t ha t B r i t i sh sh e l ls we re a t last explod ing i nTransvaa l te rr i tory ,

andtha t the vo i ce of the new gun ,

“ B obs ,

”

was spread ing de vasta t ion far andwide . Three Boe r laage rswe re d ispe rsed , andon th e 4th of M ay th e new weapon cause dcons i de rable commo t ion w i th i n th e Republ i can borde r. Ambulance s we re se en pe rform ing the i r me lan cho ly du ty for some t imea fte r the morn i ng she l l i ng hadceased . On th e s th Ba rton ’sBrigade e ncoun te red 2000 andmore of t he e nemy some two m i le snorth of Roo i dam. The Du tchme n he l d a h i l ly andj ungly pos i t ione xte nd i ng ove r four m i le s , bu t from the i r be love d kopj e s the y we reroute d t ime a fte r t im e

,andwi th con s i de rable loss , by th e mag n ifi

ce n t dash of the t roops,w ho ca rr ie d on e r idge a fte r anoth e r w i th

sp le nd id e n e rgy a nddar i ng . The Ye oman ry unde r Co lone lM e yr i ck e spe c ia l ly d i st i ngu i she d themse l ve s, the i r courage andcoo l ne ss unde r fi re be i ng rema rkable . The y no t only e ngage dt h e e nemy a t ve ry cl ose qua rte rs , bu t chased them for m i les .

G en e ra l l l un t e r , hav i ng se tt l e d the Dutchme n , a fte r a con te st ofsome e igh t ho urs ’ d ura t ion , j o i ne d hands wi th the B ri t ish forceunde r G e ne ra l Page t a t Wa rre n ton .Fo urte e n S tre ams w as now o ccup ied wi thout oppos i t ion , t he

e nemy hav ing fo und th e a t te n t ion s o f the a rt i l le ry i n the d i re ct io no f the le ft bank o f t he Vaa l fa r too p re ss i ng for h is l i k i ng . A t s igh to f the approa ch o f t he 6 th a ndha l f t h e 5th Br igad e s o f i n fan try the

Boe rs s campered, le av i ng be h i nd t h em i n th e t renche s saddle s,ammun i t ion , a ndwa rd robe s . A i r it ish c amp wa s forme d a t

Fourte e n S tre ams—C Comp any o f th e M uns te r Fus i l ie rs , unde r1 3 2

The Transvaal Warth is long l i ne s of t ranspor ts , t h e a rt i l le ry ,

drove s of ca tt le andshe ep ,the n more infan t ry ,

andbeh ind th e rea rgua rd . I have on ly washedon ce s i n ce I le ft Warre nton , n ow twe l ve days ago ,

andthe n I hadno soap

,andhadtodry my fa ce wi th my handke rch ie f. We hadt o

leave a ll our stuff be h ind us so as to ma rch as l igh t as poss i ble . The selast two days w e have be e n ge t t i ng bread , as they have n ow go t t h e

ra i lway pu t r ight up th is le ngth . We we re only ge tt ing two ha rdb iscu i ts pe rday , co ffe e i n the morn ing andt ea a t n ight

,pre t ty o fte n

w i thout any suga r , andsome t ime s we cou ldn ’t manage to ge t st i ckst o make a fi re . The be e r is 45 . pe r bott le . The Boe rs have commande e rede ve ry th i ng nea rly ,

andt he fo l ks he re w e re glad t o se e

us. The e nemy clea re d out of he re fourtee n days ago .

”

S pace doe s no t adm i t of a de ta i led a ccount of th is e xce l le n t moveme n t, wh i ch w as or igi na te d i n support of the Ma fe k ing Re l ie fCo lumn , andhadfor a double obj e ct t h e pro te ct ion of Mahon ’sforce andth e i nvas ion of t he Transvaa l from t he west .To appre c ia te t he turn of whe e l w i th i n whe e l of Lord Robe r ts’

s

s tra tegi c ma ch i ne ry i t is ne ce ssary t o give a glance a t t he map of

t h e Transvaa l . I t w i l l then be se e n tha t syn ch ronous ly w ith th eo ccupa t ion of Chr ist iana by G e ne ra l S ir Arch i ba l d H unte r on t h e

16th andth e Re l ie f of Ma fek i ng by Co lone ls Mahon andP lume r,w e find Lord M e thue n mov i ng towa rds H oopstad , Lo rd Robe rtsho ld i ng K roonstad , Ge ne ra l Ian H ami l ton push i ng up towa rdsLi ndley andH e i lbron , andfa rthe r e as t G e ne ra ls Cle ry andD un

dona l d advanc i ng towards I ngogo andLa i ng ’s Nek re spe c t i ve ly ! "

TH E R EL I E F.

To re turn to Ma fe k i ng. On theday tha t Co lone l Mahon andCo lone l P lume r jo i ned hands nea r Jan M ass ibi

’

s tha tche d v i l lage ,

news leake d i n tha t t h e long- ta l ked -Of re l ie f was ve r i ly a t hand .They hadhea rd th is k ind o f th i ng be fo re ,

andthe i r de spa i r le stth e Boe rs shoul d a tta ck t he town to obta i n the re lease of E loff wassca rce ly a l laye d . H owe ve r, on the 1 6th

,dust was e sp ied i n th e

d istance ,andthe re was a rush to th e roo fs of th e house s to asce rta i n

whe the r tha t dust was host i le or fr ie ndly . I t was a fte rwardsdiscove re d tha t i t wa s t h e s ign o f the re t i r i ng e nemy ,

ande ve n tua l lytowa rds dusk i t was announce d tha t the Re l ie f Co l umn was rea l ly i ns igh t . The longi ng e ye s o f M a fe k ing looke d ou t , andfor t he fi rstt ime saw th e i r pe rse cu to rs i n ful l re t re a t , saw them begi n to run

, andthen , la te r, scudd ing fo r th e i r l i ve s , wh i le the i r gra t ifie d e a rs ,

so tune dt o the sound o f th e v i c ious a rt i l le ry o f t he fo e ,

now he a rd t he chee ryno te s o f t he Ca nad ian a rt i l le ry , t he pom

- pom s , ando the r p ie ce s,clea r i ng t he b arr i cade s th a t for so long hadshut ou t th e fre e a ir o f

1 34

The Re l ief

day . I n the la te a fte rnoon Majo r Ka rr i Dav ie s ,who a fte r t he rout

i ng of th e F ede ra ls hadne ve rdrawn re i n t i l l he re a e l edM afe k ing,a ccompan ie d by some e igh t o f t he Impe r ia l L igh t H orse , t he Lig htH o rse tha t hadbe e n fi rst i n Ladysm ith , ma rche d i n to the town .S urp r i se was i n te nse ! The n surprise thawed i nto w a rm th , andthe nwarmth grew t o fe ve r- hea t . Rap ture e ve ntua l ly re ache d bo i l i ng - po i n t ,andth e n i ne me n ,

gaun t, worn , hagga rd w i th fa t igue , we re dea fenedw ith chee rs , andhadno t s t rength e nough t odo t he handshak i ng.M eanwh i le ,

a s w e know , Co lone l Mahon hadoutspann ed . H e

d i d th is only to i nspan aga i n , andproce ed by moon l ight t o the

town . H e hadfo l lowe d the rule o f S outh A fr i can stra tegy ,

sa i d he was go i ng t o do one th i ng andd id th e o the r,—thusoutwi tt i ng th e B oe rs, w ho hav i ng 1 e t iredw ea ri ly ,

w e re gathe ri ng themse l ve s up t o lunge a t h im ,

andi n te rce pt h is e ntry so

soon as th e dawn sh ouldb bre ak . But by four i n the morn ingof th e 1 7 th , wh i le the ch i l l drama t i c moonbe ams we re ye t ba thi ng t h e sce ne wi th s t range myste ry , Co lone l Mahon andh is me rrymen—they we re me rr ie r than me rry a t the prospe ct of the i rwe l come—ledby Maj o r Bade n Powe l l , t he bro the r of t h e h e roof t h e de fe nce , approache d the town . Th e news of the arr i va lspre ad l ike wi ldfire . Imm ed iate ly all was bustle . andbl iss , andgra tu la t ion . M e n , women , andch i ld re n beame d . Som e w e pt ;some dance d . Th e na t i ve s i ndulge d i n wi ld sounds, andshowe drows of dazz l i ng te e th . Exube rance took ama z i ng forms ; strange rwrung th e hand of st range r, fr ie nds graspe d andre -grasped : i fthe y hadbe e n fore igne rs they would have embraced ! Th e largehe a rts of the he roe s with i n andth e large hearts of the he roe s fromw i thou t we re throbbing i n un i son , burst i ng w i th sat isfa ct ion i nt h e a ccomp l ishme n t of grea t work i n th e cause of the i r countryandof the i r fe l low-me n . Th e ragged , ba tte re d , grimy ,

magn ifice n tth rong was a lmost a t a loss to expre ss i tse lf. \Vords lagged ,ande ve n those forth coming we re blurre d by a foggy haze i n

b

theth roa t , wh i le a st range m ist i ne ss crept ove r e ye s

ZD

t ha t for seve nmon ths hadbe e n brigh t w i th th e fi re of de te rm i na t ion . But w i tha l ,the re was no emascu la t i ng abandonm e n t to rapture of t he hour .The re wa s no unbuckl i ng of a rmour . At n i ne t he se r ious work ofw a r began aga i n . The un i ted force s w ent o ut on a re conna issancei n t h e d i re ct ion of M acM ullin

’

s fa rm ,whe re the ch ie f D u tch laage r

was fixed , andthe n a ll the a rt i l le ry , e ve n to the grandfa the rly Lo rdN e lson , pe rformed i n conce rt i n honou r o f the grea t occa s ion . Ca s

cade s of shrapne l a ndl i t tle wh i te ba l l s of smoke dance d andp layedove r th e laage r

,andbombs burst w i th v io le nt de tona t ions , andthe n ,

l ike magic , wrea ths of dust began to r ise a ndi ncrease , andcloud thed istance . I t was th e Dutchme n scampe ri ng for dea r l i fe a cross the

ve l dt , the i r waggons andguns—all save one—rumbl ing i nto space .

1 35

The Transvaal WarTh is one was abandoned ln th e hurr ie d fl igh t, the Boe rs hav i ng take nt h e pre cau t ion to de s troy t he bre e ch , but i t was ne ve rthe less capture das a pre c ious souve n i r of t ime s mo re p leasan t 1n remin isce nce than 1nbe i ng . Th e forts we re v i s i te d i n turn, anda t Game Tre e —tha td read fu l tho rn 1n the s i de of th e ga rr ison—th e Un ion jack we n t upto a chorus of che e rs . F ina l ly , t he p la ce w as de voure d by fire , t o

th e sa t isfac t ion of those who hadso long regarde d i t w i th appre he ns ion andha te . At M acM ullin

’

s fa rm we re found the B oe r wounde d,

de se rte d of the i r k i nd , who hadscut t le d w i th su ch a lacr i ty tha t e ve nthe i r st i ll smok i ng bre akfa sts hadbe e n fo regone . Lieute nant Curr iea ndh is sma rt Cape Boys , andMajor Ba i l l ie (4th H ussa rs) , came on

o n e or two s traggle rs i n th e Boe r laage r, w ho w ise ly su rre nde re d .S nyman

'

s o ffi c ia l corre sponde nce wasdiscove re d,andfrom th is much

va luable - i n forma t ion w as gleaned . From on e bundle of pape rs thega rr ison l ea rned th e pleas i ng i n te l l ige n ce tha t Kroonstadt hadfa l le nfrom ano the r

,tha t K ruge r was no t be st p lease d w i th t he oldCom

manda n t—i n de ed , the Pre s i de n t w i thout pa lave r hadi nqu i re d byte legram whe the r h is fa i lu re of the pre v ious Sa turday hadbe e ndueto dr i nk ! Th e re scue of Capta i n Ma cla re n (1 3th H ussa 1 s ) fromt he c lut che s of t he e nemy cause d grea t sa t isfa ct ion , andh e was

born e o ff i n tr iumph t o t he hosp i ta l, whe re h e was comfo rtablylo ca te d . H e was suffe r i ng st i l l from the wounds susta i ned dur i ngt he figh t on th e g 1 5 t , on e of w h i ch hadbe e n i nfl i cted a fte r hewas he lp le ss by a Dutchman , who de l i be ra te ly fi 1 ed011 h im a t a

d istance of twe n ty ya rds, andsubseque ntly robbe d h im of wa tcha ndmoney

By noon th e re conna issance was a t an e nd, —th e pla ce was foundt o be clea r o f t he ho rr i ble gi rdle tha t for seve n mon ths haden compa sse d it ,—andthe n the Ma rke t Squa re be cam e a scen e of un

re st ra i ned e nthus iasm . Th e Town Guard go t i tse l f i n to pos i t ionre ady to do honour t o t he wa rr io rs who hadcome th rough fi rea ndblood to re le ase the i r fe l low—countryme n , wh i le eve ry nooka ndco rne r o f the broke n hamle t was fi l led w i th exc i ted , che e r i ngfo l ks—fo l ks whose voca l cords se emed scarce ly to have suffe re dfrom scan t fa re andunceas i ng v ig i ls , a ndw ho ye l le d a s thoughby sh ee r fo rce of lung powe r the y mean t to swe l l the i r song of

j ubi la t ion to the four co rne rs of the ea rth !Pe rhaps t he ma rch pas t o f t he un i ted re l ie f co lumn s was the

mos t un ique a ndimpos i ng ce remony e ve r pe rfo rme d w i th i n th e

co nfine s o f such a “ ch i cke n - run . H e re , i n th is t i ny compa ss . th e

who le emp i re ve r i tabl y me t toge the r —S outh A fri can s , Aus tra l ia ns,Canad ian s , li n r rlish

,S co ts , andi r ishm e n , I nd ians , Cape B oys—a ll

fo l low i ng one a no the r , un i t a fte r un i t , l i ke some qua i n t scen i cp roce ss ion o f t he na t ions . The re we re the bronzedco lone lsBade n - I’ owe ll, a ndM ahon , andP lume r, now househo l d name s

1 36

The Rel iefth roughout t he world—a ccompan i e d by the i r staffs , the 411276 of the

emba t tle d a rray . The re we re t he glor ious 1 2 - pounde rs—M Ba tte ryof the Roya l H o rse Art i l le ry,

whose e ve ry l imbe r looke d dea r tot h e e ye s tha t long hadbe e n st ra i ne d i n e age rn e ss fo r the i r comingandthe i r gua rd ia n s , the h e lme te d band of staunch a nds turdy gunne rs,who ca rr ied the vo i ce o f Empi re far a ndwide—the re we re t he

plume d andme t tle some Co lon ia ls , ve ry figh t ing - cocks a t the sn i ff ofw a r—the re w a s th e l ion rampant i n t he fo rm o f the Un ion B rigade(the p i cked po rt ion s o f i t from the Roya l Fus i l ie rs, Roya l S cots ,

Roya l \Ve lsh Fus i lie rs , andRoya l I r ish F us i l ie rs ) , a r igh t rega lcompany ,

the ve ry s ight o f w h i ch i n common t ime s w oul d havecause d the hea rt of B ri tons t o th rob

,andwh ich now se n t t he cup

o f pa tr io t i c rap ture br imm ing ove r . Che e rs or tea rs ? Shouts or

sobs ? I t was a“ toss -up wh i ch woul d supe rsede t he othe r , and

amid t he stupendous f r acas e ve n the daun tle ss he ro o f th is un

pa ra l le led , sou l - st i rr i ng ou tburs t turned as i de tha t none should v iewt h e emo t ion tha t threa te ne d to ove rwhe lm h im .

The pa i n te r, whe n he dep i cted Agamemnon i n the hour ofsubl ime sa cr ifice ,

d rew a ve i l ove r the fea ture s o f the ch ie f. H e

judge d the supreme mome n t of human exu l ta t ion too san ct ified fo rcommon gaze . Eve n so mus t w e draw th e ve i l of s i le n ce ove r th issupreme mome n t i n t he l i fe of t he sav iour of Ma fe k ing the

soundle ss e p i c is th e more sono rous.

The pa rade ove r , addre sse s we re pre se nted andthe usua l fo rma lit ie s gone th rough . The gra t i tude of the town fo r the re l ie ft h e appre c ia t ion o f the magn ificent wo rk done by Co lone l Bade nPowe l l , a ndthe stupe ndous e ne rgy of the succour ing fo rce s , we reall d i lated 011 andthanks re tu rned . A ha i lstorm of che e rs th e nbroke out—che e rs for Q ue e n andcountry ,

for Bade n - Powe l l ,Mahon , Plume r , Co lone l Rhode s , Majo r I ’

x a rr i Dav ie s ; i n fact,e ve ry one che e red e ve ry one e lse , for all we re too de se rvmg , too

he ro i c , to ove rlook t he de se rts andhe ro ism of those who hadimpe ri l le d the i r l i ve s ove r andove r aga i n to ma i n ta i n t h e pre st igeof the i r na t i ve land . So passed the day , anda t n igh t chums andcomrade s ga the red toge the r andje sted andlaughe d , andto l d ya rn sof sk i rm ish andso rt ie andsurp r ise , t i l l they sank to sle e p i n the i rgre a tcoa ts andblanke ts , fa i rly worn out w i th the i r e l eve n days a ndn igh ts of boot andsaddle .

On th e t oth , th e ga rr ison assembled for a last . a so lemnfunct ion . A grea t thanksgi v i ng andmemo ria l se rv i ce wa s h e lda t the ceme te ry ,

anda ll bade a last fa rew e l l to those who hadsha red wi th them the tr i bu lat ions of t he s iege w i thout reap ing th eha rve st o f honour the i r hands hadso“ 11

At th e close of the 1mpre ss ive ce remony th re e 1 olleys e re firedove r the noble dead who hadgive n the i r l i ve s to atta i n t he great

37

The Transvaal War

end, andthe n an e ffo rt w as made to s i ng th e N a t iona l Anthem ,but

t h e no te s we re quave r i ng w i th t h e emo t ion wh ich the se h i the rtofea rle ss men n ow fe are d m ight u nman them .

F ina l ly Co lone l Bade n - Powe l l—a l i t t le abruptly to cove r th etouch i ng na ture of h is fa rewe l l—addre ssed the ga rr ison

We have bee n a h appy fami lyduring th e s iege . Th e t ime h as n ow comefor break ing up. Wh en we we re fi rst in vestedI sa idto y ou,

‘S i t t igh t andshoot s tra ig h t. ’ Th e garrison h as sat tigh t andshot straigh t , wi th th e p re se n tg lorious re sult. Many n ice th ings have been sa idabout me at home

,bu t i t is

an easy th ing to be th e figu re h eadof a sh ip . Th e g arr ison has be e n th e

rigg ing andsa ils of th e goodsh ip Mafe king , andh as brough t h e r safe ly th roughh er stormy cru ise .

”

H e the n thanke d the lad ies, begi nn i ng w i th the ma t ron of t h ehosp i ta l , whose pluck andde vo t ion cou l d no t be su ffi c ie nt ly exto l le d .Turn i ng t o th e Pro te ctora te Regime nt , h e sa i d

To you I needsay no th ing . Your ro ll ofdeadandwoundedte l ls i ts own

S hak i ng hands w i th Co lone l H ore he thanke d h im for t h e

ass istance h e hadgi ve n h im , andto t h e a rt i l le ry ,unde r Maj o r

Pan z e ra andL ie u te na nt Da n ie l , h e sa i dYou were armedwi th obso le te weapon s

,but y ou made up for th e se by

your cool sh oot ing andth e w ay y ou s tu ck to y our guns.

”

The co lon e l afte rwa rds turne d t o th e B r i t ish Sou th Afr i caPo l i ce

I neednot re pe at to you men th e story of th e li ttle redfort on th e h i l l,

wh ich Cronje couldnot take .

”

And t o th e Cape Po l i ce ,unde r Capta i n M a rsh , h e addre sse d

h imse l f as fol lows :You h ave no t been g ive n an oppor tun i ty ofdo ing any th ingdramat ic

,bu t

th rough out th e s iege you have h e ldon e of th e n as t ie st p lace s in th e town,

wh e re th e e nemy we re ex pectedat any momen t, andwh e re you were a lway sunde r fi re .

Th e co lone l ne xt made some grace ful rema rks to t h e TownG ua rd . H e compa re d them t o a wa l nu t i n a she l l ; say i ng tha tpeople though t tha t they hadbut t o break the she l l to g e t a t th e

ke rne l . But t he e nemy hadlea rn t be tte r. They hadgo t th rought h e husk a ndfound they coul d g e t no ho ld on t h e ke rne l . In

conclus ion , h e announce d tha t any c i v i l ian s who wi shed to re turn t othe i r o rd i na ry o ccupa t ions i mm ed ia te ly m igh t do so . Those w ho

hadnon e t o re turn t o,whose bi l le ts hadbe en los t or bus i ne sse s

ru i n ed , wou l d be pe rm itte d i n th e me an t im e to draw tre nch a l lowa nce s a ndt o rema i n on duty i n the i n ne r de fe nce s.

1 38

The Transvaal War

t oo we ak t o re l ie ve the town “off the i r own bat . But he

eu logised t h e sple nd id work done i n badcountry andcl imate .

Th e S ou the rn Fo rce unde r Co lone l Mahon we re congratu la tedon hav i ng made a ma rch wh i ch wou l d l i ve i n h istory . The i rch ie f was comp l im e n te d on th e magn ifice n t body of me n h e com

manded, wh i le the I mpe r ia l L igh t H o rse ,asso c ia te d a s i t was wi th

memo r ie s of Ladysmi th , Co lone l Baden -Powe l l de cla red h e w as

e spe c ia l ly please d t o se e , as the se wou ld be able,i n consequence

of the i r own e xpe r ie nce,to sympa th ise wi th the pe ople i n Ma fe

k ing.S o the amaz i ng de fe nce of M a fe k ing was ove r ! F o r seve nmonths the ga l lant l i tt le town hadwithstood e ve ry i nge n iou sde v i ce of th e Boe rs, andi n th e e ndi t hadcome off v i c tor ious .

Th e fi rst sho t w as fi re d on t he roth of Octobe r , andfrom tha tday t h e rumble o f bomba rdme n t hadbee n the a ccompa n ime nt o fa lmos t e ve ry hour be twee n th e r i s i ng andse t t i ng o f the sun .

And now a ll w as se re ne andst i l l,andonly the ba t te red wa l l s of

t h e once ne a t l i t t le hamle t to l d the te rr i ble , the glo r ious ta le of

B ri t i sh dogged ness andB ri t ish pluck .

HOW THE NEWS WAS RECE I VED BY THE BR IT I SHEMP IRE .

F or some t ime th e ea rs of London hadbe e n pr i cke d up in

anx ious e xpe ctat ion . Lord Robe rts hadprom ise d to re l ie veMa fek i ng by th e i 8th of M ay ,

andthe F ie l d Ma rsha lwas known to be punctua l i ty pe rson ifie d . A l l the town re

ma i ne d in a sta te of suppre sse d e xc i temen t , l i t t le flags we rese llin cr l i ke wi ldfire ,

andbig flags we re be ing go t i n to read i ne ssfor t h e grea t , th e longed for word . Ea rly i n t he morn ing of

the 1 7 th t he pape rs we re a nx ious ly pe rused , andman aske d man i fany n ews hadleaked out . The 1 8th a rr i ved . Noth i ng was known .The Wa r O ffi ce ma i n ta i ne d its adaman t i ne ca lm . The day grewm iddle -aged , a lmost old—the n , as the shutte rs we re about to go up

(twen ty m inu te s pas t n i n e was the e xac t hou r) , on e te legram o f

Re n te r'

s fi re d th e fuse , andLondon , fo l lowed pre se n tly by t he wholeBri t ish Emp i re ,

was abla ze wi th exc i teme nt . The flame,l i ke mos t

flame s , broke ou t a lmost unno t i ce d . Some one 011 a cycle—someone i n a cab , he ard the glor ious th re e wo rds , andsped brea th le ss toca rry the co n tag ion of h is rapture fa r andw ide . S t re e t a fte r st re e tbegan to smoulde r—to glow ; and

,pre sto ! the town w as one vast

con flagra t ion ! S uch a furnace o f pa tr io t ism hadne ve r be e n se e nwi th i n t he confine s of th e sta i d me t ropo l is . By t e n o

'c lock thepopula ce o f o n e conse n t hadrun w i ld i n to the st re e ts—the houses

140

The Transvaal War

sa i d : “ Th e pe op le of B loemfon te i n andMa fe k i ng a re now s i ng ingGodS ave t he Que e n ’

you cando i t for you rse l ve s .

” Th is theyproce ede d to do n ot once but twe n ty t ime s th rough th e l i ve longhours o f th e n igh t . M e a nwh i le th e fo l lowing pra ct i ca l te legramwas de spa tche d by the Lo rd Mayor

To BAD EN -POWELL,Mafe k ing , vz'a Cape Town .

C i t iz en s London re l ievedandrejo i cedby goodn ew s j ust re ce ived. Yourgallan tde fen ce wi ll long l ive in Bri t ish an n a ls . Cab le me what mon ey wan tedfor n e eds of garrison andinhab i tan ts afte r long p r iva t ion s .

“ ALFRED NEWTON , Lom’ M ay or .

At the same t ime a huge portra i t of Co lone l Bade n - Powe l l wasd isplaye d i n fron t of th e Man s ion H ouse ,

andth e st ra i ns of “ GodSave the Que e n and“ Ru le

,B ri tann ia ” we re now i n te rm ingled w i th

t he l i ve ly tune of “ F or h e’

s a jo l ly g ood fe l low .

” The se comb ine dchoruse s we re e choe d andre - e choed , andcarr i ed a long l i ke a

gigant i c st ream of sound in to the suburbs of London , i n to sle ep ingK e ns i ngton andremote C lapham ,

so tha t me n andwome n turne d i nthe i r be ds—sa t up,

te rr ifie d a t fi rs t , the n rea l is i ng th e s i tua t ion ,gave up thought of re st , andl is te ne d w i th swe l l i ng he a rts to the

t r iumphan t d i n . And so, on andon—th rough th e n ight t i l l mo rn i ngbroke !The n , the whole face of London se eme d t ran smog r ified. Na t iona l

emblems—red, wh i te ,blue , ye l low , gre e n , sta rs andstr ipe s—drap ing

the house s andfe stoon i ng th e roads ,gave th e town th e aspe c t of

one huge ba zaa r . Ba l con ie s we re de cora te d , awn ings th rown ou t ,andi n some case s, to give a touch o f rea l ism ,

ba th ing towe ls1 we rehung from the ve randahs . Pe opl e pass i ng by, andignoran t of thedouble me an i ng o f th e cur ious drape ry ,

shrugged the i r shou lde rs ,sco ffed—then , awake ne d by a flash o f i l lumina t ion , looked aga i n andbroke i n to re newed che e rs . B e fo re the dwe l l ing of t h e mo the rof the de fe nde r o f Ma fe k i ng a vas t c rowd co l le cted , wi e ld i ng flagsandlaure l s , andd i splay i ng i n the i r m idst t he bus t of the he ro wi tha B ri t ish l ion crouch i ng a t h is fe e t . Che e rs re n t the a ir

,andin

creased in vo lume whe n t he proud pa re n t of th is sple nd id B ri to nappeared on the ba l cony a nda cknowledge d t he demonstra t ion .The glad tumul t i n front o f th i s po i n t o f a t t ra c t ion con t i nue dth rougho u t t heday ,

pe opl e com ing from fa r andwide he re to ven tthe i r e cstasy o f e 11 th us ia sm - S o 11i e i n shou ts , many i n te ars .

By n igh t f al l , t he who le Emp i re w as pou r i ng fo rth it s exc i teme n ti n congra tu la to ry te l egrams . fo r , fo ur m i nute s a fte r t he re ce i pt ofth e i n te l l ig e n ce i n London t h e n ews hadpa sse d ove r the Atlan t i ccable s andwas i n t he Ne w Yo rk o ffi ce o f t he Asso c ia te d Pre ss,

Th e he ro of M a fek i ng a t Charte rh ouse was n i cknamed Ba th i ng Tow e l .14 2

How the N ews was Rece ivedwhe nce i t was fo rwarded to the fa rthe st l im i t of the N orth Ame r i canCon t i nen t . Canada , New South Wa le s , S ydne y ,

a nda ll t he o the rco lon ie s whose brave st andbe st hadcon tr i buted to th e grea t do i ngsi n the Transvaa l , we re n ow aglow w i th bunt ing andi l luminat ions.

Chu rch be l ls pe a led , p roce ss ions passed shout ing andrejo i c i ng, sh ipswe re dre sse d from truck to taffra i l , a ndpraye rs andan thems of

pra ise we re go t ready to be offe re d up on the fo l lowing day a t all

churches .

Thus , for a brie f space ,was see n a vast concourse o f m il l ions of

sou ls of d i ffe r i ng op in ions , customs , andcre eds , d i ffused e ve n to t he

remo te st corn e rs of the B ri t ish - speak i ng world, ye t c lose ly un i te dby a bond of fra te rna l sympa thy i n conseque n ce of th e t r iumphof B ri t ish manhood i n the most un ique o rdea l tha t the loya l ty of

any na t ion has bee n ca l le d upon to endure .

CHAPTE R V I

FROM KROONSTAD TO JOHANNESBURGROM th e 1 2 th t o the 2 2ndof M ay was spe n t by the ma i na rmy ,

a t Kroonstad , whe re , ow ing to s i ckne ss ando the rcause s, a ha l t was obl iga tory . I t was ne ce ssa ry tha tsuppl i es shou l d be co l le cted

,an advan ce d depot formed ,

t he ra i lway re pa i re d , andt h e sa fe ty of bo th flanksse cure d . M eanwh i le ,

e ffor ts we re made to pro te c t th e fa rme rswho h adsurre nde re d from the re ve nge fu l ta c t i cs of t he Boe rs .

Lord Lova t ’s gi l l ie s a rr i ve d a t Kroonstad a ndme t wi th th e approva lof the Commande r—in - Ch ie f. Ge ne ra l H ut ton , wi th a force of

moun ted i n fantry ,hadre po rte d an a ttack on Bo thav i l le a ndt h e

capture of th re e commandan ts andabout a sco re of Za rps , fromth e i r h i d i ng—pla ce n ea r Sma l de e l . On t h e 20th

, the I S t Cava l ryB rigade marche d out from the i r camp nea r K roon stad , t o ope n upt h e country on t h e le ft of Lord Robe r ts ’

s ma i n advance a long thewe ste rn fr i nge o f th e ra i lway . They we re accompan ied by th e

4th Cava l ry Br igade (7 t h Dragoon Gua rds and8th and1 4 thH ussa rs ) , a ndsupporte d by Ge n e ra l H u t ton ’s B r igade o f M ountedI n fantry (Ca nad ians , Aus tra l ians , andNew Z ea lande rs ) . On the

2 1 st , th e cava l ry se i ze d th e dri ft a t the con flue nce of th e H on ingSpru i t a ndthe Rhe nost e r ; andon th e z and

,Lo rd Robe rts and

the ma i n a rmy , le av i ng only t he 1 5 1: S uffo l ks beh ind , ma rchedfrom Kroonstad t o H on i ng S pru i t , th e th i rd sta t ion to th e north ,andsome e i gh te e n o r twe n ty m i le s off. G e ne ra l lan Hami l ton ,a fte r a se r ie s o f e ngagem e nts wi th D e \Ve t ’ s ho rde s

,from Lindle y,

onward s , hadse cured an advance d pos i t ion at H e i l bron , wh i let h e c ava l ry d iv i s ion hadmoved up,

c rosse d the Rhenost e r Rive r ,a ndth re a te n i ng the r igh t re ar of the e nemy hadforced t he

D utchme n t o le ave a s trongly - e ntre n ched pos i t ion on th e northbank o f th e r i ve r . The pre se nce of Fre nch a ndH ami l ton to we sta nde ast o f th em hadse rved t o unne rve t he hos t i le horde s , who n ow

h adour ca va l ry wi th i n twe n ty mi le s of e i the r flank . Thev spe n tthe i r b e l l i cose a rdour by de st roy i ng some mi le s o f ra i lway , th e

br i dge OVt i l‘

t h e Rh e nos te r , a ndsome cul ve rts , a ndthe n fly i ng i nho t haste be fo re t he va st ma ch i ne ry o f t he advanc i ng a rmy ,

t o a

ew po i n t o fde fe n ce some twe n ty m il e s i n fron t , a po i n t wh i chp romi se d sh o rt l y t o be come e qua l ly un te nabl e .

The fo l lowing ca sua l t i e s took p la ce i n th e W i n burg Co lumn ,144

From Kroonstad to Johannesburg

M ay a 1 st —New S outh \Va le s M ounted l n fan try—VVoundedseve re ly ,

Lie ute nan t A . J . M . Ons low . I s t Roya l I r ish—Lieutenan t M . H . E . VVe lch .

On t he 2 3 rd, Lord Robe rts andh is maj e st i ca l andmagn ificen tappa ra tus o f wa r

,it s thousands of ga l lan t soul s , it s mul t i pl i c i ty o f

veh i cle s ,it s e ndle ss supp l ie s andzoo logica l t ra i n , en campe d o n the

south bank o f t h e R h e nos te r Rive r. The Boe rs , appa re ntly demo ra l ised i n the i r pre pa ra t ions for re s istance ,

a ndhav ing hadthe i rle ft flank turned by H amil ton a t H e i l bron , we re now con t i nuously“on t h e run . M e anwh i le burghe rs hourly came i n to su rre nde r

a rms andammun i t ion,th e last ve st ige o f t rucule nce hav i ng e va

pora ted. The Boe r G ove rnme n t te legraphe d to Lord Robe rtso ffe r i ng to e xchange an equa l numbe r o f pr isone rs on parole , andthre a te n i ng i f t he o ffe r shou l d be re fuse d to remove from Pre tor ia tosome o the r d ist r i c t th e 4000 pri sone rs now confine d the re . As t o

th e fa te of th e J oha nne sburg m i ne s the re w a s con s i de rable un

ce rta i n ty repo rts de cla red they wou l d be de stroyed i n th e e ve nt o fe ntry to th e Transvaa l by the B r i t ish , anda lso that the town i tse l fwou l d be de fe nded , as de fe n ce works we re be ing rap i dly pushedforwa rd , guns go t i n to pos i t ion , andt re nche s andde fe nce s con

s tructed .On th e o th e r hand i t was sta te d tha t , 011 he ar ing of the th rea t

to de stroy t h e mi ne s andposs i bly th e town , Commandan t Lou isBo tha hadhas te ne d t o the Pre s i de n t, andi n a stormy i n te rv iew hadasse rte d h is i n te nt ion , i f such a th i ng we re contempla ted , h imse l f t ode fe nd Johanne sbu rg from such an ac t o f vanda l ism . H e conc lude dby denounc i ng t h e d iabo l i ca l i n te nt ion andsay i ng , “We a re n o t

barbar ians . Mr . Kruge r d id no t a rgue t he subje ct—poss i bly h isconsc ie nce twe aked h im on the subj e ct of ba rba ri ty bu t gave i n .Te rr ible a l te rcat ions we re da i ly tak ing p la ce be twe e n the Boe rs t he

F re e S ta te rs , a ndthe i r me rcena r i e s, andth e burghe rs w e re in chnedt o throw all t he blame of de fea t on the H o l lande rs who hadbroughtabout the wa r andle ft the Boe rs to bea r the brunt of th e loss t o l i feandprope rty tha t host i l i t ie s e nta i led . The se we re m e re ly reports ,bu t they se rve d

,as th e passage to the north proce ede d , to show

wh ich way t h e wi nd blew .

On th e Que e n ’s bi rthday th e 4th B rigade of cava l ry crossed theVaa l nea r Pa ry ’

s Dri ft,andth e 1 81: B rigade a t a dr i ft fa rthe r east

o f Pa ry’

s, wh i le G e ne ra l Ian H ami l ton ’s co lumn was o rde red t omove towards Boschbank st i l l h ighe r up. They a rr i ved just int ime to save the coa l -mine s from be i ng de st royed . Th e ope ra t ionof cross ing th e Vaa l was on e of th e most r isky tha t has be e n unde rtake n in t he campa ign , as th e road down t o th e dr i fts ledthroughabout six m i le s of moun ta i nous country form ing a na rrow pass, w e l lsu i ted to B oe r tact i cs. Fortunate ly, a l though the Boe rs we re se e n

VOL. v. 145 K

The Transvaal Warhove r i ng i n th e v i c i n i ty ,

th e a rr i va l of th e cava l ry was unexpe cted ,andthe y made n o e ffe c t i ve re s istan ce .

I t w i l l be se e n tha t he re the d ist r i bu t ion of the advance unde rwe n ta change . G e ne ra l F re nch adhe re d to h is o r ig i na l course on t he le ft ,but Ge ne ra l H ami l ton , scre e ne d by Gordon ’s Cava l ry, crosse d i nfron t of the ma i n a rmy , andconce n tra te d nea r Vre de for t on t h e

we st , thus pre par i ng a l i t tle surpr ise for th e B oe rs,who we re col

le c t edin the i r thousands oppos i te Enge l bre ch t Dri ft i n th e expe ctat ion tha t t h e B r i t ish Ge ne ra l wou l d con t i nue to proce e d towa rds th enorth . M eanwh i le , th e cava l ry , to a de su l to ry a ccompan ime n t o fmuske try ,

was e ngage d i n se cu r i ng the approa che s to L indique Dr i ft ,ove r wh ich th e baggage hadt o pass. On th e 26th

,Co lone l H e nry

’

s

Mo unted I n fantry ,andthe Bedfo rdsh ire s, crosse d a t Viljoe n ’

s Dri ftandthe re e ncounte re d an I r ish -Am e r i can rabble i n ac t of i nj ur i ng t hecoa l-m ine s andbr i dge ; andt h e wre cke rs—an a l coho l i ca l ly- va l ian tgang of h i re l i ngs—spe ed i ly made off, leav i ng be h ind them thre edays

’

suppl i e s , wh i ch came i n most handy for th e be ne fi t o f t h e

t roops . By th is t ime Ge ne ra l H ami l ton hadreached Boschbank ,

andLo rd Robe rts hadarr i ve d a t Wo l ve H oek .Th e Cava l ry D iv i s ion , find ing t h e force of M ounte d I n fantry hadmove d t o Ve ree n ig i ng—andthus ope ned up commun i ca t ion w i thLord Robe rt s ’

s ma i n adva nce—fl ew on . On th e e ve n ing of the

2 7 th they se i ze d t he h ead of th e horse - shoe of h i l ls whe re i n th eBoe rs i n la rge numbe rs hade n scon ced themse l ve s . Th is dash inge xplo i t was a tte nde d w i th t h e loss of only on e S co ts G rey andon eCa rab i ne e r wounde d . Th e pos i t ion thus ga i ne d ove r looke d t h eBoe rs ’ ma i n pos i t ion a t Kl i ps We rsbe rg , de fe nd ing J ohanne sburg .Wh i le th is was go i ng 011 (011 th e 2 7 th ) Lord Robe r ts, wi th the

7 th and1 1 th D i v i s ions, crossed t h e Vaa l fa c i ng Ve re e n ig i ng . ande ncamped on the north bank , a ndfound va ca ted se ve ra l i n tr i ca te lyprepare d pos i t ions whe nce t h e B oe rs hadi n te nded t o o ffe r oppos i t ion .The y hadabandon e d pos i t ion a fte r pos i t ion a t th e app roa ch of

o n e o r o the r of t he grea t fe e le rs o f t he b ig B r i t ish mach i ne tha tthrea te ned to surround them .

Th e fa ct was, th is e no rmous a rmy was mov i ng as an ava lan ch e- stupendous a nds t rong—a n ava la nche tha t swept all th i ngs be forei t . H orses andme n we re i n sp le nd id fe tt l e , the i r sp i r i ts we rer i s i ng . the i r confiden ce i n te n se ,

anda ll e ndeavoured to emula te the

e xample i n a c t i v i ty se t them by t h e F i e l d—Ma rsha l , who, l i ke a

young man o f th i r ty ,wa s up be fo re dawn andwo rk i ng ha rd t i l l sun

down . In sp i te of the co l d n ig hts—e spe c ially t ry i ng a fte r the he a to f midda y—the C ommande r—in -Ch ie f looke d h e a l thy andwe l l , wh i leh is t roops ,

w ho hadm arch ed mag n ifi ce n tly i n t ry i ng c i rcumstance s,n e eded n o fin e r e u logy than t o bede scr i bed as wo rthy of h im .

A gra nd ma rch o f twe n ty mi l e s brought t he ma i n a rmy on th e

146

The Transvaal Warobsta c le s , wh i le th e ground hadbe e n blacke ne d w i th grass fi res t oa ffo rd an e ffe ct i ve ba ckground to approa ch ing kha rk i . The troops,supporte d by t h e guns, a t once ste ad i ly advance d to a t ta ck t heBoe r ce n tre , wh i le Ge ne ra ls F re nch andH u t ton ope ra te d on the

we st to turn the r igh t flank of t h e pos i t ion . Afte r an hour ’s sma rtfight i ng the i n fan try we re able t o push on , Porte r ’s br igade hav i ngr i dde n five mi le s t o t he we s t , andturne d the e nemy

’

s r igh t,wh i le

th e i n fantry , w i th fixe d bayone ts , haddr i ve n the e nemy from e ve ryche r ished kopj e . In th e a tta ck , the Go rdons i n the ce n tre of th e

r ight,the C i ty I mpe r ia l Vo lunte e rs i n th e ce n tre on the le ft,

advance d gradua l ly on t he B oe r pos i t ion . The ga l lant na ture of

t h e advance ove r t he burn t andblacke ne d ground , wh i ch madethe i n fantry i n to ta rge ts for the foe , e xc i te d the adm i ra t ion of

a ll. G randly t h e Go rdons flung themse l ve s upon th e e nemy , i nspi te of th e B oe r guns and“

pom-

pom,

” tha t dea l t dea th andde struct ion among the i r numbe rs . S e ve nty of the dash i ng fe l lowsdropped , andt h e on ly conso la t ion fo r so grea t a loss was, tha t byn ightfa l l oooo Dutchme n we re scudd ing away i n the darkne ss,whi le Ge ne ra l H ami l ton w as b ivoua ck i ng on the grou nd se i ze dfrom them ,

andG e ne ra ls Fre nch andH u tton , who hadturnedth e r igh t flank o f th e pos i t ion , we re th re ate n i ng Kruge rsdorp .Th e conduct of th e C i ty I mpe r ia l Vo lun te e rs was magn ifice nt , andt o them , as w e ll as t o t h e Go rdons, much of the cred i t of t h e day ’

s

work wa sdue . They be have d as sk i l le d t roops , tak ing cove r w i thgrea t i nge nu i ty ,

andre turn ing t he a t tacks of th e‘

e n emy wi thamaz i ng coo l ne ss andpre c i s ion . The i r susta i ne d vo l leys su cce e de din c lea r i ng out the Boe rs imme d ia te ly i n fron t of Roodepoor t e .

Commandant Bo tha—no t Lou is Bo tha ,bu t a k i nsman—wi th a hun

dre d fore ig n andI r ish subs i d ise d sympa th ise rs, was captu red ,and

,i n add i t ion to the se ,

a Creusot gun andtwe l ve waggons of

sto re s andammun i t ion we re se cure d .The losse s among o ffi ce rs i n th is e ngageme n t we re compara

t ive ly few . Capta i n S t . J . M ey r i ck , I st Gordon H ighlande rs, wask i l le d . Among the wounde d we re

Ci ty Impe rial Vo lun tee rs—Capt. G . W . Bark ley . I s t Gordon H ighlande rs—Cap t . G . E. E . G . Came ron , L ieut . -Col. H . H . Burn ey , Cap t . P. S .

A l l e n,se condLie u t . A . Cameron

,S u rg .

-L ieut. A . H . Ben son,D r. R . Hunte r .

Vo l. Co . Gordon H igh lande rs—Capt . J . B. Buchanan , L ie u t . J . Mack innon ,Lie ut . I I . Fo rbe s . Roy al A rmy Medical Corps—Lie u t . A . H . Be nson . 2ndDuke o f Co rnwa l l ’s Ligh t I n fan try—L ie u t . I I . W . F i fe (s in ce dead) . l o th

H ussa rs—Lie u t . T . Lis te r .

D ur i ng G e ne ra l F re nch ’s ope ra t ion s nea r Kl ip R ive r, on th e

2 7 th ,28t h , a nd2 9 111 , the wounded o ffice rs we re :

New -Ze a landR ifl e s—Cap ta i n Palme r . 7 111 Dragoon Guards—Major W .

1 4 8

GENERAL IAN HAM I LTON THANK ING TH E GORDON S FOR THE I R ATTACKAT THE BATTLE OF DOORNKOP

D r aw ing by S Beg g

The Transvaal Warblanke t of smoke , se eme d s lumbe r i ng on the bosom of th e undulat i ng downs . I n th e d i stance , howe ve r, the sta t ion showe d act i ve .

Tra i ns we re s teaming off to Pre to r ia . Othe rs wi th the i r s team upwe re prepa r i ng t o fo l low . The se t ra i ns must be a rre sted

,andthe i r

fre igh t captu re d . I t was a ca se,un fo rtuna te ly ,

of horse - fl e sh ve rsussteam . Bu t st i l l i t was worth t he ve nture ! Ofl

’ we n t a se ct ionof the Yorksh i re Moun ted I n fan try , ga l lop ing l i ke fu ry to t he

s ta t ion , whi le th e ma i n body made fo r Boksburg ; andthe

Aust ra l ians, too l le ss, to re to Kn ight ’s S ta t ion,andthe re pi l i ng up

tro l l ie s, bou l de rs—any th i ng, in fa ct , tha t came to hand—blocke dthe l i ne . They we re pe l te d by h idde n Boe rs, bu t fl edca re ful ly tocove r a fte r a ccompl ish i ng the i r obje ct .M eanwh i le , some of t he Yorksh i re Moun ted I n fan try had

se i ze d the sta t ion , and, wi th i t , th re e locomo t i ve s whose steam w asup ready for depa rture . But the e nemy we re i n st re ngth the rethey we re a t least st rong i n propo rt ion to t he twe nty dash i ng Yo rksh i re me n w ho hadplunge d i nto the melee ,

andthe se ga l lan t fe l lowsfound themse l ve s i n a cr i t i ca l pos i t ion , fight ing l ike demons fo r

the i r ha rd ly - e a rned pr i ze w ith de spe ra te me n ,whose so le source

of sa l va t ion lay i n t he locomo t i ve s tha t s to l i dly pan te d andwhe e ze di n ut te r d isrega rd o f th e fie rce figh t raging for th e i r posse ss ion .The n

,wi th a lmos t thea tr i ca l p re c is ion , a vast p roce ss ion was se e n

to be approach ing : a r i ve r of kha rk i flowing down t he sou the rns lopes i n to the Rand . I t w as t h e Moun ted I n fantry from Boksburg andthe I n fan try D iv is ion—t he goodly G re nad ie rs le ad ingpour i ng in the i r numbe rs to the re scue of th e ga l lan t l i t tle band !Thus by n ightfa l l one o f t he most fa te fu l of th e ope ra t ions of t he

wa r was conc luded,andJ ohann e sbu rg was v i rtua l ly se i ze d w i thou t

t he wre ck ing of a mi ne andwi th l i t t le loss of l i fe . D ur i ng t h e

ope rat ions Capta i n M acEw an , Came ron H igh lande rs , andLo rdCe c i l Manne rs (co rre sponde n t to t he fi l ormag P ost ) we re take npri sone rs . Lie ute nants Pe ppe r , e st Aust ra l ian M oun te d I n fan try ,

B edd ington,I mpe r ia l Ye oman ry ,

andFo rre st , I s t Oxford L ightI n fan try ,

we re wounded . I mme nse c rowds , surpr ised to find tha tth e struggle was a ma tte r of hours andno t of days , wa tched th efight ing from we s t a nde as t co rn e rs of th e town , a ndt he shocko f t he fa l l of Elands fon te i n d iso rgan ised the i r p la ns anddemora l ise dthemse l ve s .

\Vh ile th i s was go i ng o n , the Cava l ry D 1V 1s 1o n hadadvancedth rough the go l d m ine s ,

hav ing J ohanne sburg on the i r r igh t, andw a s e ncam pe d on t h e we s t o f the town , ke e ping a wa ry eye 011 the

i o e rs , who we re fle e i ng ho t - fo o t to Pre tor ia .

\Vith in t he C i ty o f G o ld , a ll wa s turmo i l . O 11 the d iscove ryo f the s i tua t ion the re fo l lowe d a v io le n t up- r is ing . Th e Ka ffi rs ,

on se e i ng the Boe rs repulsed , rushed to the J ews ' house s to loo t1 50

From Kroonstad to Johannesburgthem , andthe fore ign con t i nge nts immed ia te ly se t ou t on a spec ie sof i n te rna l i nvas ion , break i ng ope n shops a ndsto re s andhouse s ,andth rowing out o f doors andwindows goods co l le cted for th e

be ne fi t of ne edy burghe r fami l ie s . The up roa r , howe ve r , was

spe ed i ly suppre ssed by the fi rm measure s of Dr. Krause . I nanswe r to the flag of t ruce se n t i n by the F ie ld -Ma rsha l , th iso ffic ia l we n t out t o me e t h im . The re be i ng st i l l many arm edburghe rs i n the pla ce , t he T ransvaa l Commandant reque sted LordRobe rts t o postpone h is e ntry for s ix hours . To ave rt dist urban ce th is a rrangeme nt was agre e d t o ,

andLord Robe rtsde c ide d to postpone t i l l t he 3 rst h is e ntry i n to t he conque redtown .

So J ohanne sburg was ours ! The advance , wh i ch appea redto be so rap i d , s tra ight forwa rd , ands imp le , owed the se qua l i t iest o Lo rd Robe r t s ’

s sple nd id , a lmost prophe t i c , i nst i n ct for gaugingthe e nemy

’

s e xpe cta t ions wi th a V iew to d isappo i n t i ng them ; to

h is s tra tegi c man ipu la t ion of h is cava l ry andmounted i n fan try ,

a ndto t he magn ifice n t ma rch ing capab i l i ty of th e i n fantry .

Eve rywhe re ,t he Boe rs hadfe nce d themse l ve s a cross the route ,

some t ime s e xte nd ing the i r l i ne of de fe nce for twe nty mi le s o r

more,a nde ve rywhe re , i n dread o f hav i ng on e flank or t he othe r

turn e d , they hadbe e n kept osc i l la t ing be twe e n s tubborn re s istance andrap id fl ight t i l l t he i r ne rve s hadgi ve n way , andtheyhadscu t tle d ba ck andback to the i r undo i ng . At t he Ve t , the

Zand,the Va lsch

, the Rh enoste r , andthe K l ip R ive rs, they hadcunn i ngly prepa re d themse l ve s, t i l l , with the i n fa ntry me na c i ng themi n fron t andth e cava l ry andi n fan try th rea te n ing bo th flanks , theyhadrea l ised tha t re trea t was i nev i table . The i r last hope hadbee nse t on the c i ty o f m ine s ; a ndn ow from the n ce , a rou ted , ragingrabble , they we re fle e i ng i n de spa i r .

Th e sp le nd id progre ss of the i n fan try was a rema rkable ach ie veme n t , of wh i ch e nough canno t be sa i d . I t was no me re fea t o fpe de str ian ism . I t was a ma rch i n fa ce of an en te rpr is ing e nemy ,

a ndha rasse d w i th d iscomfo rts su ffic ie n tly mu l t i fa r ious to t ry the

e nduran ce o f a S ocra tes . A sco rch ing sun by day anda fr ig i dtempe ra ture by n igh t , occasional sand blas ts re nde r i ng d rie r thaneve r pa rche d th roa ts a l readydry as husk from t he tramp th roug ha sand- clogged anda lmost wa te rle ss coun try , we re but i tems i n theprogramme . I f wa te r the re chanced to be

,i t wa s ochreous and

fou led by t he passage of many quadrupeds, andsuch food as the rewas—bu l ly be e f andadamant ine b iscu i t—demande d the jaws andd ige st ion of an a l l iga tor . Ye t the se s turdy fe l lows p lodded a long,

lumbe r i ng th rough sand dr i fts andsque l ch i ng 1n mi re andmorass, orla i d th emse lve s

b

to re st on the hard o r soggy ground w i th a ph i lOsophy so dev i l -may

- ca re as a lmost to fr i nge on the subl ime . W i th1 5 1

The Transvaal Warunque nchable ga ie ty , they hada ccompl i shed a ma rch o f 2 54 mi le s(the d istan ce from B loemfon te i n t o E landsfon te i n ) 1n e ighte e n days,g i v i ng as an ave rage fou rte e n m i le s aday . I h is ca l cu la t ion na tura l lye xclude s t h e t e n days

’ ha l t a t Kroons tad . From K roon s tadto

E landsfon te i n , a d istance o f some 1 26 mi le s—cove red 1n se ve n days(2 2ndto gone fo rwa rd a t th e ra te of e igh te e nm i le s aday . Napole on ’s much

b

vaun te d ma rch from the Channe l tothe Rhine i n 1 805 showe d an ave rage of s i x te e n m i le s aday ,

whe nth e d istance trave rse d was 400 mi le s, andth e t ime take n twe nty- five

days . But tha t ma rch , unoppose d th roughou t , was compa ra t i ve lypla i n sa i l i ng. Qu i cke r force d ma rche s have be e n known , 1 but i nt he pre se nt case the ma rch was cont i nuous

,andmay be sa i d to beat

all re cords of rap id ma rch ing unde r e qua l ly i n conve n ie nt cond i t ions.

The twe nty- four hours we re a l lowe d to pass. The n,a t th e em

t rance of t h e town D r. Krause me t th e Commande r- in—Ch ie f, androde wi th h im t o t he gove rnme nt o ffice s, andi n t roduce d to h im th e

heads o f th e va rious depa rtme nts , all of whom we re re que sted tocont i nue the i r re spe ct i ve dut ie s t i l l they shou l d be re l ie ved of them .

To those who hadn e ve r se e n J ohanne sburg t he fi rs t gl impse wasa surpr ise . S t range ly i n congruous d i d i t se em to move from the

i so lat ion andrugge d s impl i c i ty of t he ope n ve ld t t o t he ce ntre of a

la rge andpe cu l iarly c iv i l ise d town . The no te of mode rn i ty was

sounded on e ve ry s i de . B u i ld i ngs mo re than magn ifice n t gre e te dth e eye accus tomed only to home ly fa rm s andmushroom staadts .

T ramways r i bbed th e s t re e ts, e le c tr i c l igh ts gleame d a wh i te rgla re than moonbe ams ,

andn i ne te e n th - ce n tury luxu ry , andi n somecase s re fineme nt , we re i n e v ide nce a t e ve ry turn . Bu t the publ i cbu i l d i ngs we re closed , andt he handsome shops boa rded up for

pre cau t i on s sake , wh i le th e st re e ts we re th i n ly popula ted , ow i ng tothe fac t tha t many of th e B r i t ish sympa th i se rs hadbe e n expe l led ,andth e Boe r commun i ty w as on commando .

But though a t fi rs t t h e pla ce was de se rte d , by degre e s peoplebegan t o t r i ckle i n , a ndby th e t im e th e squa re i n fron t of the

gove rnme n t bu i ld i ngs was re a ch e d th e re w a s a goodly th rong . The

V i e rkle ur was s t i l l fly i ng wh e n Lo rd Robe r t s , a t the head of G e ne ralPole Ca rew

'

s d i v is ion,ma rch e d i nto th e town ; bu t p re se ntly t h e keys

we re form 1lly surrende red,th e fl ag was hauled down anda sma l l

U n ion J a ck , wo rke d by Lady Robe rts, was ho i s ted l n i t s place .

At t he conclus io n o f th e ce remony t he rous i ng stra i ns of the

Gua rds b and we re he a rd , andth e n th and7 th D iv is ions ma rchedpast , wi th the N ava l B rigad e , th e heavy a rt i l l e ry , a ndtwo B rigadeD iv is ion s o f Roya l H o rse Art i l le ry . G e ne ra l I : 111 H ami l ton ’s co lumn

S e e vo l . i v . p . 4 1 .

1 5 2

From Kroonstad to Johannesburga ndth e Cava l ry Div i s ion andM ounted I n fantry we re too far awayt o take pa rt i n t he proce ed i ngs .

I t was an impre ss i ve spe c ta cle ; on e e ve r to be remembe red .From a fte rnoon t i l l n igh t , troops—grea t , brawny , bronzed , andworkmanl i ke B ri tons—came clank i ng i n proce ss ion th rough th etown , wh i le from ba l con ie s andwi ndows banne rs andflags we re

VAAL R IVER D EV IA’

I‘

ION BR IDGE AT VEREEN IG ING, NEARLY COMPLETED .

(Pho to by W. H . G i l l , London .)

waved , andgay lad ie s , many of th em Engl ishwome n , w i ld w i the xc i teme n t ande nthus iasm

,th rew down flowe rs andswe e ts and

c iga re t te s to give ve n t t o the i r un re stra i ned joy . F a r i n to t h e

e ve n i ng th e s tream o f khark i con t i nue d ce ase le ssly to fl ow unde rthe magne s ian rays o f th e e le ctr i c l igh ts t i l l th e i n fantry hadpassedto the i r camp

,th re e m ile s t o the north , andLord Robe rts hadse t t led

h imse l f at Orange Grove .

I S3

C H APTE R V I I

GENERAL RUNDLE ’

S MARCH TO SENEKALH I LE Lord Robe rts was mov i ng from B loemfonte i n , co- ope ra t i ve a ct ion was be ing take n e lsewhe re . On t he 2ndo f M ay the Boe rs e vacua te dThabanchu andtre kke d towa rds the no rth , andonth e fo l lowingday Ge ne ra l F re nch , leav ing G e ne ra l

Rund le i n command , sta rte d to jo i n Lo rd Robe r ts ’

s ma i n schem e .

S oon a fte r G e ne ra l B rabant jo i ne d Gen e ral Rund le ’

s force .

On the 4th ,Ge ne ra l Rundle move d fo rwa rd from Thaban chu,

a tta cke d the e nemy , captu re d the i r pos i t ion s , andheade d themea stwa rd . T he re was l i t tle ha rd figh t i ng , t he G e ne ra l ’s moveme n ts be i ng most ly ca rr ie d out wi th so much ce le r i ty ,

a ndst ra teg ical andtact i ca l sk i l l , tha t th e e nemy , se e i ng B r i t ish fo rce sappa re ntly i n st re ngth e ve rywhe re , judge d i t adv isable to move frompost to pos t ra the r tha n run th e r isk of be i ng moppe d up.

On Fr iday , the 1 l t h of M ay , Co lon e l G re n fe l l , wi th the 2ndBa tta l ion of Brabant ’s H orse , a tta cke d t he Boe rs a t Ropin

’

s Kop,

but was ove rpowe re d by th e e nemy andfo rce d to re t i re , w i thseve ra l wounded . On t h e fo l lowing day , S a turday ,

he, howe ve r,

drove the Boe rs ou t of the i r pos i t ion , andcaptu re d N ew be rryMi l ls a t Le e uw R ive r, thus de pr i v i ng t he Dutchme n of an imme nsesto re of flour a ndg ra in wh i ch i t hadbe e n the i r ambi t ion to se i ze .

Th i s sma rt p ie ce of wo rk was ac compl ished a lmost w i thou t casua l t ie s .

\Vh ile the se ope ra t ions hadbe e n go i ng forwa rd , some 500 o f the

Ye oman ry hadoccup ie d the northe rn slope s o f Thaba Pa tacka ,a

pos i t ion wh e nce the y hoped t o a t ta ck the Boe rs who might besl i n k ing off i n th e d i re ct ion o f B asuto la nd . G e n e ra l Boye s, on th e

we st , was equal ly a ct i ve , to the d ismay of t he Boe rs , w ho , owing toG e n e ra l Rundl e '

s c le ve r st ra tegy ,imagi ne d the B r i t i s h he l d a fron t

o f ove r twe n ty mi le s .

On the 1 3th o f M ay G e ne ra l Rundle advan ced to B rand 'sDri ft

,twe n ty mi le s to t h e no rth—eas t , tak ing pri so ne rs anda cce pt

i ng t he surre nd e r o f many F re e - s ta te rs, w ho we re pe r ished w i thco lda nde xpo sure , a nds i cke n e d by de fe a t . M e anwh i le , G e ne ra lB ra ban t

,pe r fo rmi ng l i ke ope ra t ions , was s lowly mov ing north

wa rds . On th e n igh t o f th e I s th , Ladybrand was occup ied bya fo rce o f th e G lamo rgan sh i re Ye oman ry , a ndthus the tw o

G e ne ra ls ma i n ta i ned posse ss ion , by magn ifice nt st ra teg i c move s,1 54

The Transvaal War

t o Ge n e ra l Rundle ,w ho i nsta ntly o rde red off th e W’ i l ts Yeomanry ,

2 ndG re nad ie rs , and2 ndEa st Yorks,wi th a rt i l le ry , to th e succour

of t h e u nfo rtuna te pa rty . The se a rr i ve d i n t ime to save MajorAshton . H e hadfortuna te ly occup ie d t he s i de of t he town t owa rds wh i ch t he B r i t ish approa che d , andthe Boe rs , a t t h e fi rstsound of th e guns wh i ch hadbe e n d i re cte d aga i nst th e kopj ewhe re t he y hade nsconce d themse l ve s , made off wi th all poss i blespe e d . By t h e t ime Ge ne ra l Rund le hadn ea re d the town , i thadre sume d it s pr ist i ne s ta te of i nno ce n ce ,

andth e i nhab i tan tswe re prepa r i ng e ffe ct i ve demonstra t ions of loya l ty . I n t he

e ve n i ng t h e rema i ns of th e un fortuna te dead a t t he foo t of the

h i l l we re re cove re d , andi t was foundtha t M ajo r D albiac’

s bodyh adbe e n r ifle d by h is dasta rd ly oppone n ts of e ve ry a rt i cle of

va lue , ande ve n th e r i bbons of h is meda ls we re m iss i ng. On the26th , Ge ne ra l Rund le w i th th e 8th D iv i s ion e n te re d th e townandfo rmal ly took posse ss ion o f i t .

Th e rema i ns of M ajor D albiac andthe four men of th e M iddlesex Yeomanry who we re k i l led i n th e unfortuna te a ffa i r we re bur ie dw i th m i l i tary honours, t he G e ne ra l andS ta ff a tte nd ing the fune ra l .A pa t ro l of th e H ants Ye omanry,

wh i le out scout i ng , got i n touchw i th t he e nemy , ande scaped by wha t is ca l le d the sk in of t he i rtee th . Ma ny hadve ry na rrow e scape s, andone man was k i l le d .S e rgean t-M ajor Foul ke s, whose horse was sho t unde r h im , wassave d th rough th e ga l lan try of Pr i va te Andrews, who re turned andbore off h is d i smounte d comrade ,

wh i le Capta i n S e e ly ando the rsbe have d i n l i ke manne r to e nsure the sa fe ty of those le ft w i thou tmoun ts.

GENERAL COLV I LE AND TH E H IGHLAND BR I GADEOf th e H igh land B r igade s i n ce th e t rage dy of M aje rsfon te in

andth e sma rt figh t a t Koodoe sbe rg l i t t le has be e n sa i d . The i rbr i l l ian t march a nda c t ion be fo re Paardebe rg , i n wh i ch Ge ne ral

M acD onaldwas wounded , se rved to demonst ra te t he stuff of wh ichthey we re made andt o re store th e i r se l f- confide nce a ndzest forba tt le . Lord Robe r ts

’

s gra c ious spe e ch,de l i ve re d a t t he camp, re

ca l l i ng h is p le asan t a sso c ia t ion w i th t h e B rigade i n I nd ia , whe re“ th ey hadh e lpe d t o make h im , andsay i ng tha t as h e hadne ve rcampa igne d w i thout H igh lande rs , he “ would no t l i ke to be wi thou tthem now

,haddon e much to hea l th e so re wh i ch st i l l rankled i n

many brea sts .

On th e i st o f M ay th e oth D i vi s ion ma rch ed from Wa te rval, .

p i cked up th e S e a fo rths a t th e wa te rwo rks , anda lso the H ighlandL igh t I n fan try from Bloemfonte i n . The D iv is ion , o f wh i ch t h eH igh land B r igade ,

t he S e a fo rths , B la ck Wa t ch , A rgy l l and1 56

The Transvaa l Warsome 1000 i n numbe r, we re se e n rac ing ove r th e bou lde rs withmo re than the i r usua l agi l i ty . Th e B loembe rg Ridge ga i ne d , i t waspromptly occup ie d by B lack Wa tch andS ea forths .

By midday t he passage of th e h i l l was a ccomp l ished,andby

4 P.M . th e t roops hadreache d L indley . The e xped i t ion hadcostthem two k i l led ande le ve n wounde d . The H ighland B r igadecrosse d th e Valsche Rive r andb ivoua cke d north of t he dr i ft on the

H e i l bron Road . S t i l l mo re 11o rth —abou t two m i le s—we n t twocompan ie s of Argy l l andSu the rland H ighlande rs to e nsconcethemse l ve s on a kopj e wh i ch commande d t he road towa rdsH e i l bron .On th e a fte rnoon of the 2 7 t h th e advan ce w as cont i nued . The

H igh lande rs crosse d th e Rhe noste r R ive r a t M ildraa i, andon t h e

fo l lowingday , 28th , move d st i l l furthe r forwa rd t i l l stopped by th e

pre se nce of th e e nemy , who ba rre d th e l i ne of ma rch on th e north ofRoodeport Th e H ighland L ight I nfantry—th e advanced gua rdwe re deploye d andsen t to se i ze some k raa ls about 1 200 ya rds fromt he e nemy

’

s pos i t ion , wh i ch spraye d i tse l f ove r about s ix mi le s of

country . On e company was de tache d t o ho l d a h i l l on th e r igh tfront , supporte d by th e B la ck Wa tch , wh i le t h e S ea fo rths a ttempte da turn ing moveme nt t o th e le ft andt h e A rgy l l andSu the rlandH igh lande rs gua rde d th e rea r andbo th rea r flanks from a po i n t ofvantage on S p i tzkop . Th e a rt i l le ry blaze d copiously for an hour

,

wh i le t h e Boe rs a lso made an imate d re s istance,bu t afte r good s i x ty

minu te s of assau l t t he e nemy gave w ay ,andth e S ea forths suc

ce ededi n ge t t i ng round t he r igh t flank , wh i le the H igh land L igh tI n fan try andB la ck Wa tch ga i ne d the ce n tre of t he now de se rte dr idge . But the B oe rs hadon ly scut t led to othe r r idges whe nce theycou l d le t loose Pandemon ium wi th in cre ase d v igour . Thus the

H ighlande rs came i n for murde rous a tte n t ion i n front , re a r, andflank . Pre se n tly to the i r re scue we n t t h e i nva luable nava l guns;snort i ng ve nge ance ,

andde te rm in i ng t o show tha t , though th e F ie l dArt i l le ry be came out ranged andimpote n t

,the re wa s laudable

lydd i te to save the s i tua t ion . O 11 th is,a ndwi th startl i ng ve loc i ty ,

t he Fe de ra l s remove d th em se l ve s , a ndthe y we re s t imula te d i n the i rde pa rture by long - range vo l leys from t he H ighland L igh t I n fan try .

Wh i le t he D utchme n we re spe e d ing i nto th e unknown , t he H ig hlande rs t r i umphan t we re advan c i ng to a pos i t ion north of Ma rksfon te i n . H a v i ng cro ssed the dri ft th ey b i voua cke d 011 t he o the rs i de ,wh i l e th e ox t ranspo rt move d up t o the she l te r of the i r w i ng .

The day ’

s wo rk wa s no t wi thout it s pa the t i c s i de . for th i rty me n

andth re e o ffi ce rs we re wounded , wh i l e two ga l lan t H ighlande rs we reamong the s la i n . The wo unde d o ffi ce rs we re : S e a forth H ighlande rs—Lie ut . -Col. H ugh e s-H a l le t , Li e ut . Ra t clyffe , andL i eu t .D o 1g .

1 58

From Boshop to KroonstadAt th is t ime the D uke of Cambr idge ’

s Ye oman ry we re t o

have me t S ir H . Colvile , but owing t o the i r fa i l i ng by an

hour o r so to jo i n h im on h is ma rch up from Lindle y they we resurrounde d , and011 th e 3 1st we re captured by t h e e nemy . The

ta le o f the d isaste r is to ld e lsewhe re . On t h e z oth , t h e D iv is ionbegan to move gradua l ly on i n ca te rp i l la r fa sh ion

,drawing up

a ba ck segment to p rope l the forwa rd one ,i n ch by i n ch , o r

mi le by m i le . Mr . Blunde ll’s de scr i pt ion i n t he [Ifomzz'

ng P ost

o f the advan ce shows how r i sky andi nge nuous a p roce ed ingt h e movements o f baggage i n face of t h e e nemy may be .

“ The

rou te lay ove r a se r ie s of r i dge s a ndspru i ts anda long a pa ra l le ll i ne of h i l l O 11 wh i ch th e B oe r fo rce s hadtake n up the i r pos i t ion .The baggage ,

& c . , was fi rst conce n tra te d andtake n ove r the sp ru i t ,wi th the S e a forths as righ t re a r flank gua rd andthe A rgy l l andS uthe rland H ighlande rs as rea r gua rd . As the baggage andtransport advance d t h e H ighland L igh t I n fantry advanced , andt he

ba tta l ions gua rd ing flank andrea r re t i re d from the i r pos i t ion andfo l lowed t he baggage a cross t he dr i ft , wh i le sma l l bod ie s o f t he

e nemy hove re d round t he re t i r i ng rea r a t a respe c tfu l d istance andunable t odo any se r ious damage .

”

F ina l ly a t 7 P.M . O11 t he 2 9 th ,exa ctly t o t ime o rde re d by

th e ch ie f, t h e G e ne ra l andh is t i red warr iors ma rche d i nto H e i lb ron , hav i ng cove red w i th i n e igh t days a d istance of 1 26 mi le s ,figh t i ng “

a swa rm of horne ts a t i n te rva ls t h e who le w ay ,and

los ing i n t he advance fifty- four wounde d andn i ne k i l led—a

loss i n compar ison wi th the work done by n o means heavy . Mr .Blunde ll’s de scr ip t ion of th e c lass of work andi t s rewa rd so happ i lyh i ts off t h e natu re o f t he moveme n t , tha t th e tempta t ion t o quo teh im is i rre s i st i ble .

“ To app re c ia te t h e humours of th e mi l i tarys i tua t ion i n the se region s, on e wou l d have t o turn to t h e e xpe r ie nce so f one '

s schoo l boy days wi th wasps ’ ne sts,whe n , a fte r the capture

o f t h e ma i n pos i t ion , th e surv ivo rs take to gue r i l la wa rfa re i n thegrass, crawl ing up your trouse rs anddropp i ng on your ne ck fromune xpe cted qua rte rs ,

a ndi nfl i ct i ng damage to your tempe r andp res t ige ou t of all propo rt ion to t h e losse s i n curred o r th e advantagega i ne d .

FROM BOSHOF TO KROONSTADChrist iana

, as w e know , was o ccup ied O11 t h e l oth of M ay byone of G e ne ra l H unte r ’s brigade s , wh i le Lo rd M e thue n movedh is D iv is ion from Boshop t o H oopstad , thus br inging h is t roopsi n to t h e zone of the grea t ope ra t ion s , andpursu i ng h is marche astwa rds a long t h e south bank o f t he Vaa l . (H unte r

'

s B r igadea fte rwa rds removed to cove r the repa i r of the l i n e a long the Be chu

1 59

The Transvaa l WaranalandRa i lway towa rds Vryburg , andth e re for th e pre se nt w emust leave them . )From Boshop M e thue n

’

s fo rce move d on i n z igzag fash ion,

the i r de st i na t ion be i ng K roonstad . From H oopstad t o Bo thav i l lethey passe d ove r good roads, th rough p i cture sque coun try ,

fo l lowedfor m i le s by th e gra ce fu l be nds o f the Vaa l R i ve r—a r i bbon o f

s i l ve r fr i nge d wi th w i l lows . The wea the r w as n ow growi ngmore andmo re ch i l ly , anda fte r sundown frost bega n to n ipandb i t i ng wi nds to wh is t le th rough th e bone s . N ights we respe n t i n try i ng to ga i n wa rmth , andwhe n dawn came t he sun was

H IGH LAND BR IGAD E AT THE END OF A LONG FORCED M ARCH . (Photo by a Br i t ish Offi cer. )

we l comed w i th thanksgi v ing. The i n fan try i n the se raw morn i ngshadt he advan tage o f the cava l ry ,

as the y cou l d work themse l ve si n to a glow , bu t the re we re o the r occas ions i n wh i ch th e mountedme n hadthe i r re ve nge ,

a ndcoul d forge on ahead andse cure ,be fo re th e a rr i va l of the laggi ng pede st r ians , a ll manne r of tempt ingcd1blr s—ch 1cke ns ducks

, suck i ng p igs , andth e l i ke , wh ich happene d t o be a t th e fa rms . The se luxur ie s we re gre ed i ly cove ted ,for

, coming a long from Boshop some 2 20 m ile s, d ie t hadbe e nl im i te d to bi scu i ts ha rd ,dry ,

a ndi rre spons i ve—andany va r ie ty i nthe mono tonous fa re was re ce i ve d w i th unqua l ified rejo i c i ng. N ea rBo thav i l le , as dawn broke ,

a cur ious e p i sode took pla ce . I n the160

The Battle of Biddu lph ’

s Be rgd istance was sp ied a te nt—a spe c ie s of fa rmya rd i n t he ce n tre of the

ope n ve ld t . Ch icke ns andca t t le anda t re k waggon fr i nge d thest range mushroom shaped doma i n . I t be i ng ne ce ssa ry to d iscove rth e na ture of the o ccupan t of th is shan ty , one o f the m il i ta ry pa rtyapproache d a ndha l looed . No answe r . H e roa red loude r. The nfrom the i nne r re ce ss of t he te nt a burly vo i ce be l lowed Youcan't commande e r me ; I ’m an Engl ishman . The fi rst D utchmantha t poke s h is he ad a round he re wi l l look l i ke a s ie ve whe n I ’vedone w i th h im . To th is wa rl i ke cha l le nge the Bri t ish so l d ie rme ekly re pl ied—de scr i bed h imse l f andh is bus i ne ss—whe re upon achange rap i d as amus i ng came ove r the scene . Ou t from th e te n t,“ l i ke a cork from a bot tle ,

” burst th e i nma te , glad past spe e ch ,

e xc i te d pa s t e ffe rve sce nce—wi fe , ch i ldre n , came rush ing forthfrom the i r h i d i ng - place s, rapture wr i t i n smi l i ng le tte rs ove re ve ry fea ture . The Bri t ish we re come—at last—a t last ! Th e

va l ian t couple we re take n i n cha rge ,removed to Bo thav i l le and

pro te cted , andthe i r long days of loya l suspe nse andtr i bula t ion we rea t an e nd. The n on we n t th e goodly mu l t i tude , th rough stre e tswhose house s flu tte re d w i th wh i te , tak i ng w i th them as the ywe n t the i r Boe r pr isone rs, w ho ,

s i tt i ng i n the i r own ca rts , a l te rna te ly sh i ve red andsna r led . At Kroons tad—w reach edon the 2 7 th

of M ay—they p i tche d the i r camps , no t i n th e town i tse l f but dis

cre e t ly remove d from the awfu l rem in isce n ce s of dead horse andbeast le ft by Boe r andBr i t ish a rm ies i n the i r last tussle , andhe rethe y thought to take a br ie f re s t be fore ma rch ing away from ra i landc iv i l isa t ion . Bu t man propose d andthe ex ige nc i e s of th e

s i tua t ion d isposed , andby th e I st of J une w e find Lord M e thue n ’st roops has te n i ng off to the ass istance of the l gth Batta l ion of

I mpe r ia l Ye oman ry a t Li ndley To unde rstand the u rge nt ne ce ss i tyfor th is de tour w e must re turn to S e ne ka l .

THE BATTLE OF BIDDULPH’

S BERG (28TH AND 29TH OF MAY)

S O soon as Ge ne ra l Rundle e nte re d S e neka l—on the 2oth of

M ay—he proce e de d to make i nqu i r ie s as to t he whe reabou ts of

Ge ne ra l Colv ile , whom he be l ie ve d to be a t Lindley , some fo rtym i le s north - east of h im . I t so happen ed tha t Ge ne ra l Colv ile hadjust va ca ted that pla ce andcont inue d h is march i n th e d i re ct ion ofH e i l bron . N o soone r was h is back turned tha n the Boe rs pounce don Lindley ,

andn ot on ly pounced , bu t contr i ve d to make themse l ve s i nstantly aggre ss i ve . As i l l luck would have i t , the Dukeo f Cambridge ’

s Yeomanry unde r Co lone l Spragge ,who hadbe e n

sen t from Kroonstad to jo i n Ge ne ra l Colv ile’

s force , we re caughtby the e nemy a few mi le s short of the i r de s t i na t ion .

VOL . V . 16 1

The Transvaal WarThey we re i n th e awkwa rd pos i t ion of hav i ng m issed Ge ne ral

Colv ile andlost a pied—424 6 7 7 6 a t Li nd ley .

I n th is d i lemma a me ssage was se nt to G e ne ra l Rund le i n formi ng h im of th e de spe rate quanda ry .

Th e Ge ne ra l , i nstan tly rev iewing the cr i t i ca l s ta te of a ffa i rs ,de v ise d a stra tegi ca l p la n wh i ch , h e thought , wou l d se rve—fa r

off as h e was—to e xtr i ca te the e n tangled fo rce s w ho we re demand ing h is ass is tance . H e w as aware tha t a posse of Boe rswas wi th i n some six mi le s of h im

,c i rc l i ng a round towa rds B e th

le hem i n the east , a ndh e conce i ved th e scheme Of a ttack ingthe se wi th su ch fo rce andde te rm i na t io n as to pre ss them hard andfo rce them i n the i r turn to appea l for he l p from th e horde s tha twe re i n fe st i ng L i ndley to th e annoyance a ndd ismay of t he no t ye t

un i te d B r i t ish force s who hadprayed h is a id. Th is de v i ce was

maste rly i n th e e xtreme ,as i t

,so to speak , forced t he masse s of t he

e nemy to come sou th i n all haste ,andthus save d r isks of fa i lure

wh i ch m ight have re su l te d from a long moveme nt of i n fantry ove ra d istance of abou t forty mi le s . S o

,leav i ng G e ne ra l Boye s w i th

thre e ba tta l ions in occupa t ion of S e neka l , Ge ne ra l Rundle ,wi th a

fo rce cons is t i ng of 2 ndG re nad ie r Gua rds, 2ndS co ts Gua rds,2 ndE ast Yo rksh i re ,

unde r Ge ne ra l Campbe l l , th e z udWe st Ke n tRegimen t , t he 2ndand7oth Ba t te r ie s Roya l F ie l d A rt i l le ry ,

andt h e 4th and7 th Ba tta l ions of I mpe r ia l Ye oman ry—ma rche d off

towa rds th e e ast ove r some m i le s of ope n coun try ove r wh i ch th etall grass , ble ached now by many days of sco rch i ng sun , wave dth i ckly round the i r kne e s . I n the d is tance we re th re e ominoush i l ls—such h i l ls as th e D ut chm e n de l igh t in—fronte d by a lowe remine nce wh i ch was occup ie d by th e e nemy . The se e sp ie d t hecomi ng of th e B ri t ish

,andpromptly be took th emse l ve s to the i r

ma i n pos i t ion on two o f th e h i l ls, Biddulph ’

s Be rg a ndTa fe l B e rg.From the se po i n ts of vantage they gre e ted th e K e n t andDe rbysh i reYe omanry ,

who hadadvan ced to re conno i t re ,wi th a storm of

bul le ts wh i ch a t once la i d low many a brave fe l low . S t i l l th eDe rbysh i re Ye oman ry pursue d the i r way ,

wo rked round t he h i l landd ismoun ted andproce e de d to se e k cove r , whe re they we refo rce d to rema i n t i l l da rk se t i n , unable to st i r le st the vol leys of

th e e nemy shoul d find them out . On the we s te rn s i de the Ke n tYe oman ry we re hotly a tta cked , andmany we re wounde d . M e anwh i le ,from th e fo remost h i l l , whe nce the Boe rs hadsp ie d ou t th e

com ing o f Rundle ’

s fo rce , the Bri t ish now i n posse ss ion , comme nce dt o fire upon th e he i gh ts o f the Biddulph ’

s B e rg ; the a rt i l le ry too

droppe d she l ls i n the d i re c t ion of the e n emy ; a ndthe sun we n tdown on th e host i l e fo rce s , fight ing v igo rous ly so long as a rayo f dayl igh t se rved to i l lum ine th e de adly ope ra t ions . The n the yb i vouacke d wh e re th ey we re . At dawn th e ba t tle was re sumed ,

1 6 2

The Transvaal Wartha t we re now le ap ing andcrack l i ng w i th an a lmost maj est i ca lve heme nce ,

rush i ng far andw ide , l i ke some vast, rave n ing, ragi ngdemon , with a thousand fie ry tongue s pant i ng forth vo lume s of

blue -wh i te brea th ove r the who le un i ve rse . Andwi th i n th is fea rful area the pe rpe tua l ra t t le andro l l of muske try cont i nue d the i rfe l l wo rk , wh i le the wounded , redwi th the i r go re ,

andre dde rwi th the scorch ing of the flame s, crept , andcrawled andre e le dto pla ce s of sa fe ty , or , woe ful t ru th , wri the d whe re they fe l l ,v i ct ims to the mos t horr i ble torture tha t fie nd ish imagi nat ion hasy e t de v ised . Am id the ste n tor ian rampage none cou ld hea r the i rcr ies for a id, none cou l d se e the i r s t ruggle s for re lease . Only now

andthe n , whe n some succe ede d i n eme rg i ng from th e fie rychaos, cou l d the appa l le d few who we re beyond the v i v i d ha lo of

dest ruct ion rea l ise th e mighty horro r tha t lay on th e sk i rts o f

Biddulph ’

s H i l l . Bu t th e ba tt le raged on . Th e Y eomanry , unde rCo lone l B la i r, we re off i n hot haste to a ttack androut some Boe rswho we re e nde avour i ng to make a flank a t ta ck

,wh i le the a rt i l le ry ,

de sp i te t h e sce ne of carnage , ba tte red the h i l ls whe nce the Boe rs ,sa fe ly h i dde n , we re pou r i ng a ho rr i ble fus i lade upon th e pe rse ve r i ng ,daun tle ss G re nad ie rs . These rema i ne d for hou rs re tu rn ing the fireof the e nemy , i n a pos i t ion of unpa ra l le le d pe r i l, unt i l th e o rde r camet o re t i re . Th is moveme n t was e xe cu te d w i th sple nd id pre c is ion ,but many we re le ft upon the fie l d, andi n the succour i ng of them de edso f he ro ism fo l lowed each o the r w i th such rap id i ty that seve ra l glor iousa cts passe d unw i tne sse d andunsung. L ieu te nan t Qu i l te r, w i thtwe nty me n , vo lunte e re d to re scue the he lp le ss, andrushed in to th e

flami ng furnace wi thou t a rms, andunde r th e re le ntle ss fire of th e

e nemy . On e a fte r ano the r of th e wre tche d suffe re rs we re hau le doff to sa fe ty by the se ga l lan t de l i ve re rs , who, i n fu l l consc iousne ss oft he grim fa te tha t must have be e n the i rs shou ld they themse l ve shave droppe d

,pursue d the i r work wi th a lmost amaz i ng he ro ism .

Co lone l Lloyd re ce i ved many i njurie s, andwas a lso much scorched ,bu t cont i nue d to command h is ga l lan t Gre nad ie rs t i l l furthe r woundsmade h im he l ple ss . H e migh t aga i n have be e n wounde d whe rehe lay , but for th e ass is tance of a young drumme r (H a rr ie s) , i n towhose ha nd a bul le t passe d wh i le he was te nd ing h is command ingo ffice r.Wh i le the ba tt le wa s proce e d ing , Ge ne ra l Rundle re ce i ved a com

mun ica t ion from Lord Robe rts orde r i ng h im to go to the ass istan ceo f G e ne ra l B ra ba n t , who a lso was i n d i ffi cu l t ie s . I t be came ne ces

sa ry ,the re fo re ,

to e ffe c t th e re t i reme nt . The ma noeuvre had, howe ve r , p roduced the de s i re d e ffe ct , fo r th e Boe rs hadbe e n somewha tha rd h i t

,a ndhadgi ve n up the i r aggre ss i ve ope ra t ions, leav i ng th e

n e ighbourh ood of Lind le y ope n to ou r force . On We dne sday the3o th Ge ne ra l Rund le was i n fo rme d tha t D e V i l l ie rs , the Boe r Com

164

The Battle of Biddu lph ’

s Bergmandant , was se r iously wounded , andtha t fi fty Dutchme n hadbee nk i l le d , andmany i njured , whe reupon a doctor andchampagne we rese nt t o the la te e nemy th is i n sp i te of the fa ct tha t ve ry e arly i n theprocee d i ngs of Monday th e Boe rs hadcomme nce d the ba tt le wi ththe i r customa ry treache rous t r i cks. From an adja ce nt home steadthey hadflown a whi te fl ag ,

tak ing ca re tha t d i re ctly the scoutswe nt forwa rd to accept the i r surre nde r they shou ld be pe l te dl i be ra l ly as a rewa rd for the i r confide nce . As a re su l t, one of the

Bri t ish pa rty was wounde d morta l ly ,andano the r se ve re ly . Portu

n a t e ly , t he nextday (Tue sday ) the ruffians re ce i ved the i r de se rts,for the fa rmhouse was l i be ra l ly pounded by the 2 ndBa t te ry of

A rt i l le ry. Nor was th is the so le ba rba r i c act of th eday . A We stK e nt Ye oman , wh i le scou t i ng, hadpasse d a Dut ch fa rmhouse , andwa s i nv i te d i n to coffe e , be i ng assu red by th e Dutchwoman , whode s i re d to play the hoste ss, tha t no Boe rs hadbee n nea r the placefor days . H app i ly t he wa ry yeoman re fuse d , for h e hadno soone rturned to r ide off than he was pe l ted wi th bu l le ts from a party of

Boe rs w ho hadimme d ia te ly rushed from the homes tead to fire at

h im . H is ma rve l lous e scape was me re lydue to the na ture of the

ground round the fa rm , wh i ch a fforded h im cove r.S t i l l Ge ne ra l Rundle ’

s se nse of human i ty ove rcame th e i nst i n cto f repr isa l ; for a fte r th e ba t t le he o ffe red she l te r t o t he Boe rwounded , e ve n prom is i ng to te nd them w i thou t cons i de r i ng themprisone rs of war .

I n th e e ngageme n t a t Biddulph ’

s Be rg th i rty of th e Br i t ish we rek i l le d and1 50 wounded . Among t he wounde d o ffi ce rs we reG re nad ie r Guards—Col. F . Lloyd , Capt . G . L . Bonham ,Capt. C . E . Co rkran , Lieut . E . S eymou r, L ieut . A . Murray . S cotsG ua rds—Major F . W . Rom i l ly D . S .O . Roya l We lsh Fus i l ie rsCapta i n R . S . We bbe r , A .D .C . to Ge ne ra l Rundle .

On Thursday ,M ay 3 1 5 t , th e troops proce e de d to F i cksburg to

t h e ass ista nce of G e ne ra l B rabant , who hade ngage d the e nemynea r th e Basu to Bo rde r on the Tue sday ,

andwas st i l l fight i ng.I n sp i te of Ge ne ra l Rundle ’

s de spe ra te fight , the 1 3th Ba tta l ion(I r ish ) I mpe r ia l Ye omanry ,

011 whose a ccount the ba ttle w as unde rtake n , hada most d isastrous e ncounte r w i th an ove rwhe lm i ngnumbe r of Boe rs nea r L indley on the 3 l st of M ay . Th isba tta l ion

, as w e know, was a tta cke d on the way from Kroons tad to L indley ,

andtempora r i ly he lped by th e ope ra t ions nearS e neka l . S ubseque ntly t he pa rty came upon a supe r io r force of

Boe rs, andwas fo rce d to surre nde r.The Cape Times gave it s ve rs ion of the affa i r :“Th e story w as toldby Corporal Ma rks, wh o, w i th T roope r Brian , alone

e scapedcapture . The force in que stion cons istedof about 500 men , undert h e commandof Co lon e l S pragge , andwas compri sedof th e Duke of

165

The Transvaal WarCambridge ’

s Own andth e I rish andBe lfast Ye oman ry . Th e Duke ’s were1 25 s trong . W i th th is force w as a convoy of waggon s, wh i le th e scouts

,of

whom our in forman t , Corporal Ma rks , w as in command,n umbe redfive .

“Th e l i ttle battal ion le ft K roon stadon May 2 5, unde r hurriedorders tore in force Gen eral Colvi le a t L indley without de lay . On the i r way theycap turedanddisarmeda troop of s ix teen Boe rs whom th ey foundin

possess ion of a quan ti ty of ammun i t ion . Tak ing th e i r prison e rs wi th th em,

th ey hurriedon a t ful l speed,arriv ing at L indley on S unday , May 27 ,

about noon . As th ey e n te redth e town a n umbe r of horsemen we re seen

ga l lop ing out at th e othe r endin th e di re ction of H e i lbron . Much to th e i rdisappo in tmen t our men foundthat Gene ra l Colvile hadleft at day l igh tt hatday , after some seve re figh t ing , for He i lbron .

“On Wedn esday n igh t, after th e gallan t l i t t le bandh adbeen figh tingaga in st enormous odds for th ree day s, Co lon e l S pragge de c idedto sen done scout (C. Smi th ) , in company of a Kaffi r gu ide , in search of Gen e ralR undle

,wh o was supposedto be in th e ne ig h bourhoodof S en e kal, with an

urg en t message fo r h e lp . Corpo ral Marks andTroope r Brian we re in structe dto leave at th e same time with a s imilar message for Ge n e ral Colvi le . A close

Boer l ine h adbee n drawn roundth e pos i tion of th e devotedgarrison , andi twas n e cessary to p ie rce th e cordon to reach H e ilbron . Th e scouts left

unarmed,andafte r a te rrib le n igh t of i t, Marks andBrian got th rough th e

enemy’

s l ines . Th e n igh t was b i tte rly cold, andth e Boe rs h adl igh tedcampfire s

,wh ich provedse rv iceab le gu ides to th e two men . Th ey passedso

c lose to th e p icke ts th at they couldh ear them t alk ing andlaugh ing perfe ct lydistinctly . Tak ing a c i rcu i tous route,th ey ke pt th e H e i lbron roadsome

distance on the i r righ t, andby rap idmarch ing reach edColv ile ’s camp at

se ven o’c lock on Th ursday morn ing . Th e message was de live redto the

Gene ral,whose rep ly was that h e cou lddo n o th ing . Unhappi ly , Smith

andthe Kaffi r were capturedby Boers, andSmi th w as sh ot on th e spot .Th e fo l lowing is a copy of the despatch g iven to Corpora l Marks for

de l ivery to Co lone l S praggeYour me ssage re ce ived7 A .M . I am e igh teen mi le s from L indley and

twen ty—two from H e i l bron , wh i ch latte r p lace I hope to reach to -morrow .

Th e enemy are be twe en me andyou, andI cannot sendback suppl ie s . I f

you cannot jo in me by roadto He i lbron you must re t i re on Kroon stad,l iv ing on th e coun try , andi f ne cessary , abandon ing your waggons—(S igned)H E. COLVI LE ,

Lieute nan t-Gen e ra l . ’Ge ne ral Colvile appears to h ave be l ie vedthat th e l i tt le force cou ldmake

adash for i t andc ut th e i r way th rough to K roon stad. In any case,h e did

no t see h is way to go to th e h e lp of the men w ho hadbeen march ing to

re in fo rce h imse l f. Knowing that th is me ssage couldbe of no poss ible se rv iceto Co l on e l S p ragge , andrea l is ing th e urgency of th e case

,Corpora l Marks

de c idedto take th e re spon s i b i l i ty o f no t wasting t ime by re turn ing tode l ive rt h i s message , andh e andBrian made for Kroons tadas ha rdas th e i r horseswou ldga l lop . About e igh t mi le s no rth -east of th e town th ey learnedth atLo rdMe thue n w as in th e n e igh bourhood

,andth ey reach edh is camp about

h al f- pas t four th a t afte rnoon (Thursday ) . LordMe thuen immediate ly madep re parat ion s to re l ieve th e pl u cky l i t t le force in such h ardstra i ts at L indley ,

ands tar tedth e same a fte rnoon . He re ach edL indley without oppos i tionth e same n igh t . But i t w as too la te .

1 66

The Transvaal Warma rch unde r o rde rs to rea ch H e i lbron on th e 29 th . H e the refo re adv ised Co lone l S pragge t o re t i re on the Kroonstad road ,andautho r ise d h im , i f ne ce ssa ry , to aba ndon h is baggage , & c .

Lo rd M e thue n , who a t t he t ime was on the ma rch to Kroons tad , was o rde red Off, as w e a l ready know , to th e re scue . W i th i nha l f-an - hour he hads ta rted , andby 10 A .M . on the 2 ndof Jun e . he

hadaccompl ished fo rty - four m i le s i n twe nty -five hours . But h is

e xped i t ion was of no ava i l , for Spragg e’

s I r ishme n hadbe e n takenpr isone rs . N e ve rthe le ss hav i ng a rr i ved , Lord M e thue n proce e dedto a tta ck the Boe rs wi th v igou r, anda fte r five hou rs’ cont i nuousfight i ng, put some 3000 of them to fl ight .

The o ffic ia l l ist of pr isone rs of war showe d 2 2 o ffi ce rs and863n on - commiss ione d o ffi ce rs andme n .

Among the offi ce rs we re t h e fo l lowi ng1 3th Battalion Impe rial Yeoman ry—Lieu tenan t-Colone l S p ragge , Lieutenan t-Colon e l Holland, Capta in Rob inson

, Captain Humby , Lieuten an tM i tch e l l

,L ieute nan t S tannus

,L ieute nan t th e Earl of Le i trim

,L ieute nan t

R ut l edge , L ieutenan t Mon tgomery , L ie ute n an t Lane , L ieuten an t D u Pré,

L ieutenant Don ne l ly , S e rge an t Wrig h t, S e rgean t Woodhouse . Capta in Ke i thh adbee n k i lledin th e affa i r of th e 291h , when Capta in S ir J . Powe r was

dange rous ly wounded, andCapta in th e Earl of Longford, L ieutenan ts S tuar t ,Rob in

,andBe nson

,we re woundedtoge the r wi th L ieutenan t Bertram of th e

Eastern Prov in ce Horse (s in cede ad) .The fol lowi ng o ffi ce rs we re a lso wounde d on J une 1 and23rdBattalion Imperial Yeoman ry—Capta in L . R . R o lleston

,Capta in

M . S . Dawsany , L ie utenan t L . E. S tarkey .

Soon a fte r th is t ime the oth D iv is ion was spl i t up,owi ng to the

n e ce ss i ty of de tach i ng sma l l force s . G e ne ra ls Smi th -Do rr ie n andB ruce—Hamilton jo in edthe i r fo rce s w i th tha t ofGe ne ral Ian H ami l ton ,wh i le Ge ne ra l M acD onaldwi th th e H ighland Brigade acte d as an

i ndepe nde n t fo rce , andG e ne ra l S ir H . Colv ile re turn ed to E ngland . 11 \Vh ile dea l ing w i th th e ma t ter i t i s due to Gen era l Colvile to repea t th e s tatemen t

made by h imse l f a t th e endof th e yea r to a represen ta t i ve o f R euter’s AgencyI am accused of be i ng ch i efly respon s i bl e for th e surrender of t h e Yeoman ry at L indl ey.I n my Op i n ion th e pr ima ry cause of th i s surrender was th e in suffic i en t in forma t i on g iven byt h e headqua rters s taff to Co lon e l S pragge andmyse l f. H adI been in formed of LordRobe r ts

’

s i n ten t ion s andof th e i n tended movemen ts of Co l one l Sp ragge , who was in comma nd of th e Yeoman ry, andh adCo lon e l Spragge been made acqua i n ted w i th th e orders Irece ived from Lord Roberts

,th i s d i sa s te r w ou l d n eve r have happen ed . Th e fo l low ing de ta i l s

w i l l make i t c lea r that t h e loss of th e Yeoman ry was p rimar i ly due to bads ta ff w ork . On

M a y 20 I rece i ved a te legram from th e ch i e f of th e s ta ff orde ri ng me to concen t ra te myt roops

,con s i s t i ng of th e H i ghland Bri gade , th e Ea s tern Provi n c e H orse, a fie l d ba t tery

,and

two nava l gun s,a t Ven te rsburg on M ay 23, to l eave th a t tow n on th e 24th andto ma rch to

H e i lbron ,v ia L i nd ley

,a rri vi ng a t L i nd l ey o n M ay 26, anda t H e i lbron on th e 2oth . I wasi n formed tha t I shou l d be j o ined a t Ven tersburg by th e 13th Imperia l Yeomanry andLova t’s

S couts .

“On a rr iva l a t Ven te rsburg

,find i ngr tha t n e i th e r th e Yeoman ry no r th e Scouts w ere there ,I i n formed th e ch i e f of t h e sta ff by te l egraph , bu t rece i ved no a n sw e r from h im a t th e t ime ,

though h is rep l y was handed to me more th a n a mon th la te r, amongr a bundl e o f unde l ive redt e legrams . Th i s te l egram wa s w orded a s fo l low s : ‘ M ay 24. Yeoman ry a re so la te th ey

168

The Transvaa l War

th e n igh t, a pa rt i cu la rly dark one ,th e Boe rs s lunk up i n two part ie s

to th e garde ns of fa rmhouse s nea r wh i ch the ye omanry on t he on e

hand , andS ir C . Wa rre n ’s andthe Duke of Ed i nburgh Vo lun te e rson th e o the r, we re qua rte re d . I n the dusk be fo re dawn

,the se

sudde nly blaze d ou t on th e B r i t ish , who ,l i ke l ightn i ng

, go t unde ra rms . Bu t i n th e shock anduproa r of the fi rst a la rm th e Engl ishho rse s tha t hadbe e n kraa le d bu rst th rough the kraa l wa l ls andstampede d, thus mak i ng the sce ne of tu rmo i l mo re i n te nse . W i thth e fi rs t st reak of day l igh t t he who le B r i t ish fo rce poure d sho t andshe l l i n to th e ga rde ns whe re the Boe rs hadh idde n themse l ve s

,and

fo r a good hou r t he t roops we re a t wo rk dr i v i ng th e i nvade rsfrom th e ne ighbou rhood of th e camps . The Boe rs lost heav i ly, anda po rt ion of the Yeoma nry su ffe red co rre spond i ngly wh i le pre ss i ngforwa rd to th e support of th e pi cke ts . Ma ny of Page t ’s H orsewe re wounde d, no tably L ie ute nan t Le thbr idge , whose i nj ury was

dange rous , ando f the Duke of Ed i nbu rgh Vo lunte e rs th re e we rek i l le d andfou r wounde d . The i r ga l lan t Co lone l—Co lone l Spe nce- was sho t de ad wh i le i n ac t of giv i ng o rde rs . Major K e l ly, A .D .C .

to S ir Cha rle s Wa rre n , was wounde d L ieu te na nt Pa t ton ,was sho t i n t h e kne e ,

andL ieu te nant H un t i ngdon was sl ightlyi nj ure d . Many Boe rs we re wounde d andth i rte e n we re k i l led ,but o the rs con tr i ve d to ga l lop off sco t fre e , as owing to the stampeding of th e horse s i t was imposs i ble to fol low them up. Th e

to ta l B r i t ish ca sua l t ie s we re e igh te e n k i l le d andabou t th i rty wounded .Th e resu l t of the e ngageme n t hada de c ide dly ben e fic ia l e ffe ct uponth e re be ls, who we re a t tha t t ime he s i ta t i ng on wh ich s i de of th e

fe nce to loca te themse l ve s.

Co lone l Adye h ada l so surp r ise d th e e nemy andga i ned a

v i cto ry a t Kh e is 011 the 2 7 th—a v i c tory wh i ch hadthe e ffe ct o f

de fea t i ng th e plans of th e re be ls w ho hadassembled w i th i n sometwe n ty m i le s of tha t pla ce i n hope t o e ffe c t a junct ion wi th o the rso f the i r k i nd . The a c t ion was a sma rt on e ,

andmany hundre dh e ad of s tock andpr isone rs we re captured , bu t i t was a lso cost ly ,

as Maj or J . A . Orr—Ewing, 5th Co . I mpe r ia l Ye oman ry ,was k i l led ;

Capta i n L . H . J on e s , 3 2 Co . I mpe r ia l Ye oman ry ; S urg . -Capt . D un,

s th Co . ; Lie u t . Ve nabl e s, N e sbi t t ’s H o rse ,we re wounded ; and

two ga l la nt young o ffi ce rs, Capta i n T i nda l l , l s t We lsh Regime n t ,a ndL i e u te nan t M a t thews , 2 ndG louce ste r Regime n t, bo th su c

cumbedto t he se ve re i nj ur ie s they h adre ce i ved .S ir Cha rl e s Wa rre n , a fte r h is e ngageme n t , ma rche d w i thou t

oppos i t i on from F abe rspru it t o Campbe l l , wh ich was reache d ont he 5th o f J un e .

1 70

CH A P T E R V I I IGENERAL BULLER ’

S ADVANCE TO NEWCASTLEH E re l ie f of Ladysm ith caused the Boe rs t o fa l l backtowa rds the Drake nsbe rg, andS ir Redve rs Bu l le r, whoset roops w e re tho roughly exhausted , e ncampe d h is a rmyt o north andwe st of th e d i lap ida te d town , andthe re re

ma i ne d sta t iona ry for se ve ra l we eks . I t was ne ce ssa rytha t th e fo rce shou ld tho roughly re cupe ra te andge t i n to work i ngo rde r i n t ime to co-ope ra te wi th th e gre a t ce n tra l advance whe nLo rd Robe rts shou l d g i ve the word . The re w as an imme nseamoun t to be done . Th e mounte d t roops, many of them , ne ededt o be remoun te d , andwin te r c loth i ng was requ i red . Th e re cons truct ion of the t ransport a lso demande d a l te ra t ion , wh i le i t was

ne ce ssa ry ,i n conjunct ion w i th Lord Robe r t s’s ope ra t ions, to ke e p

a wa ry eye on th e Boe rs andpre ve n t them from cross i ng i n to th e

Fre e S ta te andswe l l i ng th e e nemy ’

s fo rce s oppos i ng the grea tadva nce .

As wi th th e depa rture of S ir Cha rle s Wa rre n to th e we ste rnfront ie r , some sl igh t change s hadtake n pla ce i n th e N a ta l F ie ldFo rce ,i t be come s ne ce ssary t o i nspe c t a rough table of the d iv i

s ions a t th is t ime unde r S ir R edve rs Bu l le rN A T A L

GENERAL S IR REDVER S BULLER .

SECOND D IV I S ION .

I st M anch es ter.L i eutenan t -Gen e ra l S ir C. F . C LERY .

z udGordon H 1gh landers.

z udBr igade (M aj o r-Genera l H ami l ton ) . 8th Br igade (M aj or-Gene ra l F . Howard) .2ndE a s t Surrey . R 1

'

1'

z udWes t Yorks. iii L21’Ci st

l

e

r

r

i

.

5h “ 5 1 13 5 °

2ndDevon s.

I st K ing’ s R oya l R ifles .2ndWes t Surrey .

2ndK ing’s R oya l R i fles .4th Bri gade (Co lon e l C. D . Cooper) .

I st R ifle Bri gade . Two Bri gade D ivis ion s R oya l Art i l le ry .I st Durham L i gh t I n fan t ry . 13th , 67 th ,

69th F ie l d Ba tteries.

3rdK ing’s R oya l R ifles . 2 1 5 t, 4and, 53rdF i e l d Batter i es.

2ndSco tt i sh R ifles (Came ron ian s ) .7 th , 14th , and66th F i e l d Ba t te ri es . F I FTH D IV I S ION .

FOURTH D IV I S ION .

L i eutenan t-Gen e ra l H . J . T . H I LDYARD .

L 1eutenan t -Gen era l LYTTE LTON .7 th Brigade l o th Br i gade (M aj or-Genera l J . T. Coke) .

(Bri gad i er-Gen era l F . W . K i tch ener) . 2ndDorse t .I st Devon . 2ndM i ddl esex.1 st G loucester . I st Roya l I nn i sk i l l ing Fus i l i ers .

The Transvaal War1 1 th Br i gad e (M aj or-Genera l A . S . Wynn e) .a ndR oya l Lan caster.a ndLan cash i re Fus i l i e rs.

I st South Lan ca sh i re .I st York andLanca s ter.I gth, 28th , and78th F i e l d Ba tte ri es.

Corp s Troops.

2ndR oya l Dubl in Fusi l i ers.

ridR ifle Brigade .I st K ing’ s L i ve rpoo l .Impe ria l L i ght I n fan try .6 1 5 1 F i e l d Ba t tery (H ow i tz e rs).Two No rde n fe lts (taken from th e Boers) .Nata l Ba t te ry 9—pounders .

Fourteen nava l 1 2-pounde r qu i ck- fi re rs.

4 th M oun ta i n Ba t tery.roth M oun ta in Ba ttery

, two gun s .F our nava l gun s.

Nava l 6—in . gun .

Part of S i ege Tra in .

CAVALRY D IV I S ION .

ZULULAND .

I s t Br 1gade(M aj or—Genera l J . F . Burn M urdoch ) . Add i son s Co lon ia l Scouts .

F or some we e ks i t appea re d as though 110 move we re con

t empla t ed; but 011 the 7 th of M ay the ma ch i ne ry bega n to revo l ve .

Ge ne ra l Cle ry ’

s D iv i s ion proce e ded from Ladysmith to Modde rSpru i t, wh i le Lo rd Dundona l d andGe ne ra l D a r tn e ll a lso prepare d tomove the i r t roops ou t of camp a t Bug ’s Fa rm . Lord Robe rts a t th ist ime hadreache d a po i n t i n the Fre e S ta te le ve l w i th Ladysmi th ,andS ir Re dve rs B u l le r thus be came i n clude d i n t he scheme of

advance , andwas able to ac t i n conjunct ion w i th h im . The Boe rs,numbe r i ng some 7000 or 8000, we re swa rm i ng on the Biggarsbe rgrange , havi ng prepa re d e n tre nchme n ts on a ll po i n ts command ingthe road from Ladysmi th to the T ransvaa l andas far as H e lpmakaar . The y knew we l l by expe r ie nce , howe ve r , t he d iscomfor tsa t te ndan t on the i r pos i t ion , for the i r on ly c lear way of e scape was byLa i ng ’s Ne k—the passe s o ve r th e Drake nsbe rg on t he west , andZ ululand on t he e ast be i ng now c losed t o them .

O 11 the 1 1 th o f M ay a c t i v i t ie s began . D undonald’s Cava l ryi r igade a ndC le ry ’

s I n fan try D i v is ion we re assemble d i n the ne ighbou rh oodo f S unday Ri ve r D r i ft south o f E lands laagte . Th e

G e n e ra l ’s p la n was to pos t h is le ft a t E lands laag te andswi ng h isr igh t fla nk round by H e lpmakaa r andcrumple th e Boe rs up towa rdsD unde e .

On the 1 2 th S ir Red ve rs B ul le r , w i th the r igh t co lumn , movedt owa rds l Ie lpmakaa r , fo l lowing the same route as tha t take n byG e n e ra l Y ul e i n h is famous re t re a t from G le ncoe ,

wh i le G e ne ra ll l ildya rd(t h e ce n tra l co lumn ) made a demons tra t ion by cross ingS unda y R i ve r , n e ar the ra i l way l i ne ,

andLy t t e lton ’

s Div is ion (th e1 7 2

2ndBr igade(M aj or-Gen era l J . F . Brock lehurs t) .

3rdBr i gade(M aj or-Gen era l th e Ea rl of Dundona l d) .

sth Dragoon Guards.

t st R oya l Dragoons.

5th Lance rs.

13111 Hussars.

18th H ussars.

roth H ussars.

A Ba ttery R oya l Horse Art i l l ery.South Afri can L i gh t H orse .Th orn eyc roft

’s M oun ted I n fan try.

Be th une’s M oun tedI nfan try.

Na ta l Carab ineers.

Na ta l M oun ted R i fles.

Bo rder M oun ted R ifles.

Umvot i M oun ted R ifle s .Na ta l Po l i ce .

Co l t Ba tte ry .

The Transvaal War

a rms be twee n the b ig guns was i n fu l l swing , they andth e transport we re sa fe ly in a pla ce of she l te r. Th e Moun te d I n fa ntry andthe 2 ndB r igade , unde r Ge ne ra l H am i l ton , the n e ngage d i n t hehe rcu lean task of ge t t i ng up th e rugge d ste eps of the Biggarsbe rg ,

andthe re , se cur i ng a n e k wh i ch was the key to the summit,

pre ve nte d th e e nemy from a ttempt i ng to way lay the advan c i nga rmy . On t he r idge s take n by G e ne ra l Ham i l ton we re fo rm idablet re n che s prepa red for de fe nce , wh i ch cou l d now se rve the foe no

longe nWh i le th is flank ing proce ss was tak i ng pla ce , Co lone l Be thune ,

wi th h is compos i te force of Mounte d I nfant ry , was co—ope ra t i ng i nt he d i re ct ion of H e lpmakaar , thus th rea te n i ng t h e Boe rs

’ le ft flank ,andre nde r i ng the i r pos i t ion a t H e lpmakaar d ist i n ct ly uncomfortable .

The guns on bo th s i de s wo rke d fu r ious ly—those of th e Boe rs w i thpoor succe ss ; anda t dusk , whe n t he t roops b i vouacke d , the re was

re ason to hope tha t by mo rn i ng th e region of H e lpmakaar wou l d bepurge d of the e nemy . And so i t prove d .W i th t h e dawn ofday i t was d iscove re d tha t the Du tchme nwe re i n fu l l re t rea t towa rds Dunde e , pursue d by the cava l ry. Bu t

th e e nemy we re cove re d i n the i r re t rea t by some I 500 Boe rs , whosetact i cs we re exce l le nt . Ea ch se ct ion as i t fe ll back se t fi re to t he

grass, thus drawing a ve i l of smoke be twe e n them andD undonald’smen ,

andi n te rcept ing th e rush of the pursue rs, who more than oncewe re a lmost w i th i n a lance - le ngth o f them . They succe e ded i nge tt i ng clea r away ,

i n sp i te of th e magn ifice nt dash of the pursu i t,whi ch cove re d some forty mi le s. The n , hav i ng se cure d some kops,they made suffi c ie n t stand to che ck our advance through th e r ipp l i ngsea of flame made by the ve l dt fi re s , wh i le the i r ma i n body van ishe d ,l eav i ng ope n th e road to Dunde e .

The Boe rs, find i ng themse l ve s ou t flanked, de c ided to make no

s tand , e i the r at Dunde e or G le ncoe ,andbo th the se pla ces , of now

h is tor i ca l i n te re st , we re occup ied i n t he course of th e 1sth ,andth e

i 6 th was spen t i n re st i ng a fte r the fa t igue s of the pre ce d i ng days .

D unde e was a sadandde se rte d- look i ng pla ce . Though the coa lm i ne s we re un tou che d , its house s we re de nuded of furn i ture ,

andbo re e v ide nce s of Boe r occupa t ion andBoe r m isch ie f. Wall

pape rs hung i n shre ds,doo rs we re unh i nge d andbroke n , w indows

we re me re ly gaps , andth e word d i lap i da t ion w as ma rke d e ve rywhe re . The i nhabi tan ts, such few as rema i ned , gave th e troops a

co rd ia l . we l come .

On Thursday th e 1 7 th t he force was aga i n up anddo i ng, thee a rl i e st b i rds be i ng the Mounte d I n fantry. They jou rneye d a longtowa rds Dannhause r S ta t ion , midway be twe e n Dunde e andNew

ca stle . On the a fte rnoon of the 1 8th th e t roops swa rmed i nto the

ple a s i ng gre e n - gi rt town o f N ewcast le , a fte r a long a ndfa t igu i ng1 74

Genera l Buller ’s Advance to N ewcastlema rch a long a fi re - bla cke ned pla i n , de v i l i sh ly prepa re d by th e depa rt i ng Boe rs for the purpose ofshow ing up the advance o f the khark iclad legions . Joy andwe l come was wr i t on e ve ry fa ce ,

andhea rtyche e rs gree ted the a rr i va l of the a rmy . S ir Re dve rs Bu l le r was

J Ba r th olonmzw ii : Co

GENERAL BULLER ’

S AD VANCE To NEWCASTLE.

presen ted wi th a banne r wh i ch hadbe e n se c re t ly worked by the

lad ie s of the loca l i ty i n a nt i c i pa t ion of h is coming . The town theyfound hadbe e n re chr iste ned Viljoe n sdorp by the Boe rs , whose

I 7 S

The Transvaal Warlabours th e re hada lso be e n an t i c ipa to ry . The y hadde st roye d thela rge wa te r—tanks for supply i ng t he e ngine s at G le ncoe ,

Dannhause r ,andN ewcas t le , bu t the i n conve n ie nce s we re me re ly tempo ra ry , andrepa i rs we re a ct i ve ly se t on foo t . Re port came i n tha t the Dut chme n we re fu l l of a c t i v i ty , swa rm i ng i n t he d i re ct ion of t he famousLa i ng’s Ne k andMajuba H i l l , the re fore on th e a fte rnoon of Sa turdayt he I g th , Lord Dundona l d , wi th nava l guns, wen t ahe ad t o u h

e arth them . They , howe ve r, rema i ned bur ie d whe re ve r they we re ,

andthe de spe ra te ly - fa t igue d me n andhorse s of the M ountedB r igade s re turne d towards I ngogo S ta t ion , wh i le some of th e t roopse ncampe d on the ba t t le fie ld . But the i r fa t igue s or i ts grie vousmemor ie s sca rce ly damped the i r sp i r i ts, for they we re on the con

fine s of t he Tra nsvaa l , andPre tor ia , the land of prom ise , se emednear a t hand .S ir Re dve rs B ul le r forthw i th issued the fo l lowing p roc lama t ionTh e troops of Q ue e n Vi ctoria are now pass ing th rough th e Tran svaal.

He r Maj es tydoe s no t make w ar on individuals,but is

, on th e con trary , anxiousto spare them

,a s far as may be poss ib le

,the horrors of war . Th e quarre l

Eng landh as is with th e Gove rnmen t andno t with th e people of th e Transvaal.Prov idedthey remain n eu tra l no at tempt will be made to in terfe re wi th person sl iv ing n ear th e l ine of march

, e ve ry poss ib le prote c t ion will be g ive n th em,and

any of th e i r prope rty that i t may be n e ce ssary to take wi ll be pa idfor . But,

on th e oth e r hand,those wh o are th u s allowedto rema in n ear th e l in e of ma rch

must re spect andma in ta in th e i r n e utrali ty , andres iden t s of any locali ty wil l behe ldrespons ible bo th in pe rson s andprope r ty if anydamag e isdone to th e

ra i lway or te leg raph , or if any v io len ce isdone to any membe r of th e Bri t ishforces in th e vic in i ty of th e i r h omes .

”

On th is , many N a ta l D utch gave themse l ve s up ando the rs we recapture d , but i t was aga i n obse rve d tha t those fa rme rs who te nde redthe i r subm iss ion te nde red wi th i t , no t Mause rs, bu t o the r we apons o fmo re anc ie n t pa t te rn .Affa i rs a t th is t ime we re go i ng on most sa t isfa ctor i ly, t he troops,

a fte r a 1 20-mi le ma rch,a ccompl ished i n n i ne days , i n clud ing a day

’

s

ha l t andtwo day s ’ fight i ng,hada lmost c le a red Na ta l of th e i n vade rs ,

a ndwe re i n posse ss ion of the coun try from Van Re e nan’

s Pass to

t he B uffalo Rive r . A me ssage of congra tu la t ion on the i r e ffortswas re ce i ve d from the Q ue e n , andt he G e ne ra l e xpre sse d h is sa t isfa ct ion a t the succe ss ful wo rk a ccompl ished . One un fortuna te a ffa i rdamped the sp i r i ts of th e advanc i ng a rmy .

On th e 1 7 th ,Co lone l B e thune was de ta ched , w i th about

500 me n from Dundee . H is co lumn cons isted of five squadronso f moun te d i n fan try, two H o tch k iss andtwo M ax im guns . H is

i ns t ruct ions we re to show h is fo rce i n N ’qutu , i n the ce ntre of

B ri t ish Z u luland (to wh i ch a magist ra te andc iv i l e stabl ishme n twe re abou t to re turn ) , a nda fte rwa rds to rejo i n S ir Re dve rs

1 76

General Bu l ler ’s Advanc e to N ewcastleBu l le r a t N ewcastle . Th e orde rs we re exe cuted

,andCo lone l

B e thune move d towa rds N ewcast le on th e 20th M ay , az

’

a V ryhe i d ,due north of the road wh i ch leads to Utre ch t . Abou t six m i le snorth-we st of V ryhe i d , th e Boe rs we re ambushe d i n the th i ck shrubtha t abounds i n the ne ighbourhood, wi th the re su l t tha t E squadrono f Moun te d I n fan try , wh i ch hadpushed ahead to rea ch Vryhe i dbe fore da rk se t i n , suffe red se ve re loss . Few e scape d to te l l the ta le ,

t he ou t l i ne of wh i ch was as fo l lows : The Boe rs n o soone r saw the

t roope rs approa ch ing than the y jumped from the i r h i d i ng- pla ce a ndsurrounded them . Capta i n Go ff (61h Dragoon Gua rds) , who w as

comma nd ing the squadron , d ismounte d h is me n andmade a va l ian ts tand, but th e Boe rs poure d a vo l ley on them , i n capac i ta t i ng mosto f the horse s andmany of t he me n . The command ing office r wasshot dead . S t i l l the pa rty cont i nue d to re p ly t o t he fire of th e

e nemy t i l l, ammun i t ion runn i ng short , they knew re s istance wou l dsoon be unava i l i ng . M eanwh i le , the scene of con fus ion was horr i ble .

The Boe rs hadse t the cr isp ,dry grass i n to a blaze , andbeh ind thesmoke of i t we re able to fire w i th impun i ty a t the he lpless Br i t i shfo rce . The re s t of the co lumn hadhaste ned towa rds the scene of

t he d isaste r, but wha t w i th t he cra ck l ing gla re of th e flamboyan tg rass , the suffoca t i ng c louds of smoke , andth e de cept ive da rkne sso f the gloaming , Co lone l B e thune da red no t ope n fire a t c losequa rte rs le s t he shou l d i njure h is own a l re ady wounded force .

Ga l lantly the me n of D squadron dashed into the melee , andre scue d from the nce such t roope rs as surv i ve d . Li eute nan t Cape l l ,who gave h is horse to an i nju red troope r , was take n pr isone r, andLo rd D e la Wa rr, wh i le go i ng t o the re l ie f of anothe r , was s l ightlyi njure d i n th e leg .

H e a fte rwa rds gave to a corre sponde n t of th e Cen t r al N ews an

inte re st i ng na rra t ive of h is e xpe r ie n ce s on tha t e ve n t ful day . H e

was a ct i ng as a i de -de - camp to Co lone l B e thune ,andwas d i re cte d to

take me ssage s to th e capta i ns of E andD squadron s, i n th e th i cke stof the fight . H is i nst ruc t ions we re to orde r them to re t i re , bu t whe nh e came upon the sce ne h e found tha t E squadron was a l ready praet i ca l ly surrounded . H e was able

,howeve r, to de l i ve r h is orde r to

Capta i n Ford of D squadron , andthe n se t ou t to re turn to Co lone lBe thune th rough a heavy fi re . I n ga l lop i ng ba ck he saw Troope rC oope r, of Durban , ly i ng wounde d i n th e grass, wh i ch was the nblaz i ng . The flame s we re gradua l ly mak ing the i r way towa rds th e

wounde d man,who was unable t o move . A horr i ble dea th i n a few

m inute s w as ce rta i n , un le ss succour coul d be rende re d h im . Ea rlD e la Wa rr i nstan tly d ismoun ted , crept up through th e smoke , andwas i n th e act of re scu i ng th e man whe n h e was pounce d upon byabou t twe nty Boe rs, who fi re d a t h im a t close range . H e was

w ounded,though not seve re ly ,

andjust managed to drag h imse l fVOL. v . 1 7 7 M

The Transvaal Waraway from the burn i ng gra ss . H is horse hadbo l te d , andhe was

o nly re scu e d whe n h e hadpra ct i ca l ly g ive n up all hope .

Th e fo l lowi ng casua l t ie s among o ffice rs o ccurre d : K i l le d—3rdDragoon Gua rds, Capta i n W . E . D . Goff ; Be thun e ’

s Mounte dI n fan try ,

Lie ute na n t H . W . Lanham andL ie ute nant W . M cLach lan .

Wounded—Be thun e ’

s Moun te d I n fan try , Capta i n Ear l D e la Wa rrandLieu te nan t D e Lasa l le . M iss i ng—Be thune ’

s Mounte d I n fantry ,

L ieute nant A . E . Cape l l .The who le of th e wounde d we re take n by t h e e nemy , andColone lBe thune hadno re sou rce but t o re t i re on N ’qutu .

Th e Boe rs we re fa l l i ng back from Na ta l,andthe B ri t ish a t

th is da te we re i n posse ss ion o f Chr is t iana ,Kroonstad , L ind ley ,

andN ewcast le . Thus,i t w i l l be se e n , w e we re swe ep ing up,

l i ke an

i n coming t ide , from all qua rte rs . S ir Re dve rs Bu l le r now ha l ted toconce n tra te h is a rmy, co l le ct suppl ie s, andrepa i r t h e ra i l , i n orde rtha t h is ne xt move shou l d be bo th ra p i d ande ffe ct i ve . Tha t be i ngthe case ,

h is programme for th e ce l e bra t ion of the Que e n ’s B i rthdaytook an un ique fo rm . The G e ne ra l de c ide d tha t t h e me n shou l dspe nd “

a re cord day i n re pa i r i ng the ra i l . Th is they d id w i th awi l l

, as, i nde e d , the y d i d all th i ngs a t th e behe st Of the i r muchre spe cte d ch ie f. Re pa i rs on all s i de s we re prose cuted w i th a rdou r,t he ra i lway e ngi ne e r i ng sta ff wo rk i ng away a t br idg i ng ope ra t ionson the Ingagan e Ri ve r at Waschbank , t i l l , by th e 28th , th e l i ne wascl ea r to N ewcast le . To c lea r th e r igh t flank Ge ne ra ls H ildyardandLy tte l ton hadbee n d i re cte d to Utre ch t andVryhe i d re spe ct i ve ly ,

andth e mon th closed w i th th e e n try i n to Utre ch t, the fi rs t Transvaa l town to be take n by th e N a ta l F ie l d Force . I n the sk i rm ish ingwh i ch occurre d , Capta i n S t . J oh n andLi eutenan t Pe a rse hadthe i rhorses shot und e r them

,andL ieu tenan t Thompson hadth e mis

fortune to be wounded andtake n pr isone r . The town , howe ve r,was n ot rea l ly occup i ed t i l l some we eks la te r .T he i r pa r t of t h e s t ra tegi ca l programme a ccompl i she d , Ge ne ra l

H ildya rd’s D iv is ion l e ft for I ngogo , wh i le tha t of Ge ne ra l Ly t te l tonmarch e d to Coe t z e

’

s Dri ft, due east of I ngogo,for t he purpose

of clea r i ng the count ry be twe e n V ryhe i d andWakke rstroom .

1 7 8

The Transvaal Wari n such good sp i r i ts tha t w e gave h im thre e che e rs . The n Co lone lH go t up andca l le d for th re e che e rs for Wood andH ay , who

have done so much for our men a t Wa te rva l . I f i t hadno t be e nfor the se two ,

andfor subscr ipt ions i n the town andfrom us, th e

me n wou ld have be e n abso lute ly negle cted . For though the Boe rauthor i t ie s took a ll th e cred i t for wha t was d one , they d i d no th ing,d iscou ragi ng all e ffo rts , andt rea t i ng wi th susp i c ion any one who

st i rre d i n the ma t te r . At one t ime the hosp i ta l a lmost broke downfor wan t o f funds . We l l , w e gave them a tremendous ova t ion , andthe n sang ‘ For h e

’

s a j o l ly good fe l low’

ove r andove r aga i n .The n w e struck up

‘Godsave th e Que e n . ’ You ne ve r hea rd i tsung as i t was ! I t hadbee n forb idde n for nearly e igh t months.

For th e fi rst S unday whe n i t was sung they took away the o rgan ,andmade themse l ve s Obj e ct ionable i n many sma l l ways . We hadon ly once be fo re sung it—On the Quee n ’s b i rthday .

About twe nty -five Office rs we n t off a fte r d in ne r to ke ep t he men

i n o rde r. Wa te rva l is a bout t en mi le s from he re . I f th is s tep hadhadno t be e n take n th e re is no say i ng wha t m ight have happe n ed .The me n hadhea rd th e booming of guns allday , i n the d i re ct ion ofJ ohanne sburg, andi t is n ot to be wonde re d a t tha t whe n t he Boe rstr ie d to move them the y fla t ly re fuse d to budge . The re a re

Max ims at e a ch co rne r, andt h e loss of l i fe wou ld have be e n ve rygrea t . But th e Boe rs gave i n . Wha t m ight have happe ned i f th eme n got loose i n th e town , a fte r so much pr i va t ion andsuch ha rdsh i ps, can be i magi ne d , but th e se nd i ng of offi ce rs shou l d a l te r allth i ngs .

”

Na tu ra l ly, a t th is t i me , th e offi ce rs, who we re prisone rs, we reburst i ng wi th e xc i teme n t . On th e 3rd, gun s, about te n or twe l vemi le s to sou th andsou th -we st, we re hea rd , andon th e 4th ,

ea rly ,she l ls from B ri t ish guns c rashe d on the r idge of h i l ls south of thetown—the fi rst sho ts be i ng fi re d at a redoubt beh ind the Art i l le ryBarracks i n P re to r ia . S oon , to the i r de l igh t , th is was clea re d of

Boe rs andsubseque ntly tw o b ig forts on e i the r s i de of the gorgei n wh 1ch is th e ra i lway the n re ce i ved a tte nt ion . Thre e lydd i teshe l ls from the how i tze r ba t te r ies we re placed i n the we ste rn fo rt,a nda fie rce andcon t i nuous fire from t he nava l gun was

conce n tra ted on t h e ra i l way s ta t ion , andthough the p lace rema i nedi n ta c t the mora l e ffe c t o f the a ttack was suffic ie n t to c lea r thecourse . B e fo re dusk , mo re lydd i te andsh rapne l we re conce ntra tedon th e h uge h i l l south o f Pre to r ia . andon pa rt of the ma i n r idgewh ich hadbe e n she l led allday . The pr isone rs , a cute ly l iste n ingin th e i r “ b i rd cage ,

fanc ied they hea rd i n the d istance a B ri t ishch e e r , andconfide n tly we n t to re s t ca l cula t ing 011 the morrow ’sfre edom . A t 1 A . M . ,

howe ve r , they we re awake ned . Th e

commandan t de cla red tha t he hadre ce i ved o rde rs from Bo tha ,

180

The Interregnum at Pretoriaandthey mus t a t once pa ck andt rek ou ts i de th e town —as the townwas to be de fe nded , andwas the re fo re unsafe . Waggons we reprepare d to re ce i ve the k i t andthe gua rd , usua l ly numbe r i ng abou tforty -e ight , hadbe e n more than double d ; andove r on e hundreda rmed Boe rs andH o l lande rs we re wa i t i ng to e sco rt 1 2 5 de fe ncele ss o ffi ce rs .

Co lone l H un t,Roya l Art i l le ry , the se n ior pr isone r, was con

sulted. I t was known tha t once move d , chance of re lease woul d beun ce rta i n andthe co lone l w i th h is bro the r o ffice rs de c ided to adop ta po l i cy of pass i ve re s istance . They pa rleye d ; they jarguedth e

imposs i b i l i ty of remova l a t so short no t i ce . They demanded wha tmounts we re prov ided . The commandan t de clared the y must wa lk .Th is th e o ffice rs re fuse d to do . Co lone ls ne ve r wa l ked , they sa id .Cava l ry andfie l d o ffi ce rs mus t be prov ided w i th ho rse s to r ide . Andaga i n i n the ma tte r of food—how abou t tha t ? Thus argu i ng, th ecommandan t was de ta i ne d about an hour anda ha l f ; but st i l l hede cla red h e hadcome todo a duty , anddo i t he must . The po l i cyo f pass i ve re s istance hav i ng run t o it s e xt reme l im i ts, the colone lsde c ided to pla ce t he commandan t unde r a rre st—t o de ta i n h im i n t hebu i l d ing andt rust to luck . The ass is tan t—commandan t

,who a rr i ved

to“

put i n h is oa r , was promptly “ bagged a lso . At A .M .

more wrangl i ng took pla ce . The commandant was reminded tha tan agre eme n t hadbe e n pra ct i ca l ly e n te red i nto w i th the Transvaa lGove rnme n t tha t the me n a t \Va t e rval shou l d be kept qu ie t oncond i t ion tha t they we re no t move d , andtha t the Transvaa lGove rnme n t cou ld no t move the p r ison e rs wi thou t a breach of

fa i th . The commandan t se eme d impre sse d , andOffe re d h is

word of honou r tha t i f re lease d he wou l d te le phon e to saythe re coul d be no remova l—andcounte rmand waggons andcance la rrangeme nts . H is word of honou r was a ccepted . The commandant re t i re d from the pr ison , andth e o ffi ce rs we n t to bedfea r i ng t he worst .The rema i nde r of the s tory is soon to ld . At 9 A .M . the Duke

o f Ma rl borough , a ccompan ied by h is i rrepre ss i ble k insman , W i nstonChurch i l l

,ga l loped to th e pr ison andto l d t he pr isone rs the y we re

fre e . The pr isone rs chee re d andshou te d themse l ve s hoa rse . Th e

gua rd was d isa rmed w i thou t a murmur, andthe pr isone rs ’ se rvantsp la ce d to do duty i n the i r stead , an a rrangeme n t wh i ch a fforde dthem much me rr ime nt andi nfin i te sa t isfact ion . The who le s i tua t ionwas th e re su l t of a most su cce ssfu l p ie ce of bluff, andth e Offi ce rswe re no t a l i tt le gra t ifie d w i th th e exe rc ise of d i ploma cy wh i ch hadbrough t abou t de lay a t a most cr i t i ca l mome n t . They hadbe e nu nable , howeve r, to pre ve nt the de pa rtu re , on th e 4th , of some 1000

pr isone rs, wh ich remova l was a d ist i nc t breach of fa i th , cons i de r i ngt he nego t ia t ions be fore a l luded to .

18 1

The Transvaal WarAn o ffice r re la te d h is e xpe r ie nce s on the mome ntous 4th and

sth of J une“ On Monday mo rn i ng, 9 A . M . , guns we re hea rd qu i te close .

\Ve knew t h e Boe rs, st rong, hadtake n up a pos i t ion abou ts ix m i le s ou t , andi t was sa i d they hadso lemnly swo rn to die or

wi n . Abou t 10 A .M . w e saw a sh e ll burst ove r t he h ill to th e sou thclose t o one of th e fo rts. The n shrapne l a fte r shrapne l was landedjust ove r th e fort andall a long the cre st l i ne , abou t four m i le s awayfrom u s. The n some la rger gun place d a lydd i te c lose to the bigfort, se nd i ng up an e no rmous co lumn of reddust andmak i ng a

huge report . I t was a grand s ight . I t we nt on allday ,andw e sa t

the re i n de ck cha i rs wa tch i ng . We cou l d se e ve ry few Boe rsabout . About 3 P. M . w e saw t he ba l loon , abou t fi fte e n m i le s off, Ishou l d th i nk . La te r i n the a fte rnoon the ra i lway was she l le d n ea rthe suburbs

,andjust be fo re da rk , away to th e we st, we saw c louds

of dus t andwha t w e took to be fle e i ng commandos . Afte r su ch aday w e all we n t to bedi n e xce l le n t sp i r i ts . Our long depre ss i ngwa i t was ve ry nea r its e nd

,andw e shou ld now e scape the te rr i ble

prospe c t of be i ng move d away to the east . Abou t 1 A.M . w e we rewake ne d up by the commandant , who tu rne d on the e le c tr i c l igh tandwa l ked a long the l i ne of beds, say i ng, Pa ck up,

gen t leme n , youhave got to s ta r t a t 3 P. M . andma rch s ix mi le s .

’ ‘Why ?’ ‘ I

don ’ t know why ; those are my orde rs .

’ ‘Wh i ch d i re ct ion ? ’ ‘To

t he ra i lway , to th e east . ’ We l l , I knew wha t tha t me an t a t once ,for I hade xpe cted the move for th e last month , andmany a ve rydepre ssed hou r hadI spe n t th i nk i ng of t he poss i b i l i ty of be i ngcarte d abou t for s ix months i n th e co ld—no food—no news—ande ve ry chance of be i ng sho t down . I lay i n bedth i nk i ng wha t Ishou l ddo -wha t w e ought all to do . Some go t up at once anddre ssed , qu i te ready to move , say i ng they we re on ly go i ng to moveus ou t of range of the fi r i ng. But Co lone l H luck i ly w as no t

o f tha t op i n ion , andn ea rly e ve ry one fe l t wha t i t mean t . We knewno th i ng for ce rta i n

,but w e thought our pe ople we re only s ix m i le s

o ff. Outs i de th e H o l lande rs ’ gua rd hadbe e n tre ble d—about 200andthe re we re abou t twe nty a rme d andmounted Boe rs . I t w as

soon agre e d tha t no one shou l d move un le ss a r i fle was po i n ted a th is head . The H o l la nde rs a re only ha l f- hearted , andthe Boe rsdon ’t ac t wi thout l eade rs . S O t he commandant andsub- commandan t ,who we re a lon e i ns i de ,

a ndonly a rme d w i th re vo l ve rs, we re madep r isone rs . They we re to l d we re fused to move ; tha t they wou l dhave to shoo t andtha t , i f they d id shoo t , e ve ry one of them woul dbe h ung by B obs , who ,

w e kne w ,was on ly se ve n m i les off. We l l ,

th e comma ndan t was ta l ke d round andf ai rly bluffed . H e unde rtook no t t o move t i s

, a ndto be come a pr isone r o f th e Boe rs i f theyi ns i ste d . H e we n t ou t a ndhada ta l k w i th the Boe r commandan t ;

182

The Transvaal Wartha t hour t h e pr isone rs Of w a r we re drawn up i n th e squa re to

feas t the i r e ye s wi th a s igh t for wh i ch they hadhunge re d wea r i ly ,

some of them s i n ce th e gr ie vous au tumn days whe n they hadfound themse l ve s i n Dunde e hosp i ta l a t t he m e rcy of the Boe rs .

And sure e nough the spe cta c le tha t the n fo l lowe d was wo rthwa i t i ng a l i fe t ime to se e , andon e wh i ch none who wi tne ssed itw i l l e ve r fo rge t .To re turn , howe ve r, to J ohanne sburg , andt o those who ,

dur i ngth is t ime of te rr ifi c suspe nse , we re ma rch i ng as fast as legswou l d ca rry them to take po sse ss ion of t h e Boe r cap i ta l .

FROM JOHANNESBURG TO PRETOR IAJ une hadope ne d more than prop i t iously . I t found Lord Robe rtsw i th th e Bri t ish flag ho is te d i n J ohanne sburg, andwi th i n appre c iabled istance of se i z i ng the cap i ta l , wh i le i n t h e sou the rn port ion of

the Free S ta te , rebe l l io n was known to be nea r i ng its conclus ion .Ge ne ra l B raban t—a fte r som e exc i t i ng e xpe r ie n ce s a t H ammon ia ,

i n wh i ch L ieu te na nt La ngmore (Borde r H o rse ) w as seve re lywounded , andLie ute nan ts Boye s andBudle r we re made prisone rs—hadjust jo i ne d hands w i th G e ne ra l Rundle . The forme r wa se ngaged i n wa tch i ng th e passe s a round th e Basuto borde r, whi leth e la t te r , wi th h is usua l V igi lance andan ima t ion , mounte d gua rdove r th e region be twe e n F i cksburg andS e n eka l . H e re (atS e ne ka l ) Gen e ral C leme n ts caugh t up th e cha i n andmade h is

B r igade i n to a conne ct i ng l i nk wi th the forces of Lo rd M e thuen ,wh i ch we re a t Li nd ley ,

forty m i le s to the north , wh ich la t te rpla ce was wi th i n commun i cable d istance of H e i l bron , whe reG e ne ra l S ir H . Colv ile wi th th e H igh land Br igade kept cle arthe passage to th e north . Thus i t w i l l be se e n a comple te cordonof commun i ca t ions was ma i n ta i n e d , wh i ch forme d a barr ie r tofurthe r i n roads by the Fre e S ta te rs , a ndforce d them l i tt le byl i t tl e t o take the i r cho i ce be twe e n su rre nde r or fl igh t .At the same t ime a chang e hadbe e n wrought i n the cond i t ion

o f a ffa i rs , andt he Orange Fre e S ta te hadbe e n re ch r iste ne d theOrange Rive r Co lony .

At noon , on t h e 28th o f M ay ,an i n te re st i ng ce remony had

take n p la ce i n th e M a rke t S qua re a t Bloemfon te i n andthe Roya lS ta nda rd hadbe e n ho isted . G e ne ra l Pre tyma n (M i l i ta ry Gove rnor) ,surrounde d w i th a vas t con course o f pe rsons , both B r i t ish andDut ch , hadre ad i n a n impre ss i ve vo i ce for the be ne fi t of all

conce rned , Lo rd Robe r t s’

s proclama t ion annex ing t he OrangeF re e S ta te—wh i ch hadbe e n conque re d by H e r Maj e sty

’

s Force st o th e Q ue e n ’s dom in ions . H e hadth e n de cla re d tha t he n ce fortht he S ta te would be re cogn i se d as the Orange R ive r Co lony ,

184

S CENE IN PRETOR IA SQUARE ,JUNE 5 : WA IT ING FOR THE ENTRY OF

LORD ROBERTS AND H I S ARMY

D raw ing by A. Pearse , a ft er a Phot og raph by t h e Ear l of Rosslyn

The Transvaal War

\ IA I ’ S uowmo D ISTR ICT BE'

I‘WEEN JOHANNESBU RG AND PRETOR i A,

AND TH E Pos1'

r1ON OF

11 11: BR IT I SH FORCES ROUND '

1 1-1E LA'

t‘

TER.

186

From Johannesburg to Pretoriaboards to th row up any demonstra t ions i n cha l k-grey khark i . I t

was he re , ne ve rthe le ss , tha t the ch ie f hadde c ided to make h is e ntryto Pre tor ia , ke ep i ng the d i re ct J ohanne sburg road, andavo i d i ng i fposs i ble the more dange rous o f t he fo rt ifie d pos i t ions .

On the 3rdof J une th e gre a t ma rch was re sumed . Th e a rmymoved i n th re e co lumns—th e Cava l ry D iv is ion unde r Ge ne ra lF re nch on t he le ft , Ge ne ra l Ian H ami l ton ’s force i n the ce ntre , t h e

ma i n co lumn , cons is t i ng of Po le -Ca rew’

s D iv is ion andMaxwe l l ’sBrigade of Tucke r ’s D iv is ion (Ge ne ra l Wave l l ’s Brigade w as le ftto ho l d J ohannesburg) , Gordon ’s Cava l ry B rigade (cove r i ng th e

eas te rn flank ) andt h e corps t roops unde r th e ch ie f’s d i re ct command bea r i ng towa rds th e l i ne of ra i l as de scr i be d . Co lone l H e n ry ,

w i th Ross’s Mounted I n fa n try , Comp ton ’s H o rse , th e S ussexYeomanry , th e V i c to r ian Ri fle s, the Col t Ba tte ry , andJ H o rseBa t te ry , forme d t he advance gua rd of t h e ma i n co lumn

,wh i le

Co lone lde Lisle ’

s 6t h Moun te d I n fantry forme d the advance gua rdof Ge ne ra l Ian H am i l ton ’s D iv is ion .At dawn , on the 4th of J une , Co lone l H e nry came i n touch w i th

the e nemy a t S ix -M i le S pru i t . Re port hadh i n te d tha t the Boe rscou l d not de c ide t o offe r oppos i t ion to th e e ntry of th e troops, andi t was hope d tha t no se r ious fight i ng was i n tended . But the re wastough work to come . Th e e nemy opened fire andforce d the troopst o take cove r for a t ime ; bu t , a fte rwards , ho l d i ng the i r own

,they

pushe d on i n V iew of S chan z kop andKlappe rkop, t he forts whi chy e t sugge ste d ho rr i ble poss i b i l i t ies . The e nemy was a lso e nsconcedi n sanga rs on o the r r i dge s round abou t , andass i duous ly pl i ed the i rmagaz i ne s. The n fo l lowe d an a rt i l le ry con te s t be twe e n J Ba tte ryandth e guns of the Dutchme n , wh i le Ross ’

s Mounted I n fan try ,haste n ing to th e le ft, se cured a pos i t ion from wh i ch ano the r bat te rywas e nable d to jo i n i n th e thunde rous cho rus .

No soone r was i t found tha t Co lone l H e nry was defin i te lye ngage d , tha n G ene ra l Ian H amil ton , who was somewha t we st ofthe ma i n a rmy, was o rde re d to combi ne andass ist th e now wa rm ingope ra t ions—andpre se n tly h is mounte d troops hadre i n fo rced theadvan ced l i ne , wh i le the a rt i l le ry of the ma i n column came v igorously i n to play . A big gun from S chan tz Fo rt sounded ; a re p lyfrom the blue—jacke ts spa t ou t . Lydd i te burs t ove r th e fe e bl ydemonst ra t i ng Boe rs anddamage d them , andshowe d them , tha ti f they aske d for i t , the re was mo re to come . At thre e , fi ftyguns th rea te ne d i n con ce rt—a n argume nt tha t w as we l l- n igh con

e lus i ve . Meanwh i le up came th e i n fantry , g randly s te ady i nthe i r advan ce . To r ight we nt the Guards ’ B rigade ove r theblackboard prepa red for them , wh i le S tephe nson ’s B rigade , wi thMaxwe l l ’s B rigade on it s le ft, fo rged stra igh t ahead . The re we rek indly bou lde rs wh i ch pre se ntly cove re d them ,

anda l lowe d them t o187

The Transvaal Warope n a wa rn i ng fire wi th r i fle s andMax ims . Th e Boe rs by th isknew wha t to expe c t . They knew tha t the i r hours i n the i r command i ng kops we re numbe re d ; they knew by th is t ime tha t th ebayon e t

’

s gleam m igh t fo l low, andthe nThey h adl i t t le t ime to cons i de r . Ge ne ra l Broadwood’s t roope rswe re mak i ng for the i r r igh t flank , de bouch i ng i n the d i stan t pla i non the le ft, c i rcl i ng them round , me nac i ng the i r re trea t . Up t hekopj e s swa rmed t he i n fan try ,

away towa rds the e nemy’

s flankga l lope d th e cava l ry—bang andboom andboom roa re d the

heavy a rt i l le ry , addre ss i ng t he forts tha t hadse eme d to play t he

che rubim to B ri t ish advance . The se we re mu te . The proj e ct i lesba tte re d them or passe d on i n to t he town i tse l f whe n ce r i fle fi reburst ou t i n fi t ful cascade s, bu t re s istance was no longe r i n theDut chme n . I t was now growing dusk . Co lone l de L is le ’

s

spr igh tly Austra l ians, cut t i ng a cross coun try ,we re chas i ng Boe rs

andguns a lmost i n to the town,wh i le th e i n fan try w i th sunse t ,

we re o ccupy i ng the cove te d pos i t ions—we re handl i ng th e ke y of

Pre tor ia !But th e Austra l ians, da rkness or no da rkne ss , we re on th e wa r

pa th—noth i ng could s top them . They captured the fly i ng Max imof t he fly i ng D ut chme n , pursue d them t i l l they we re wi th i n r ifle fireof the s tre e ts—the stre e ts whe re scu rry i ng andpan i c—st r i cke n form swe re t o be see n l ike ants d i sturbe d , runn ing h i the r andth i the r.The n Co lone l de Lisle , equa l to the occas ion , profi te d by th e

ge ne ra l d ismay andt h e demo ra l isa t ion to se nd i n an office r unde ra flag of truce to demand t h e surre nde r of the town .An a c count o f th is mome n tous ep isode w as give n by L ieu te nan t

\V. W . Russe l l Wa tson , a Sydney o ffice r, w ho was the most prom ine nt acto r i n the proce e d i ngs

“ Co lone l de Li s le came up, beam ing w i th de l ight , andsa id ,Now , lad, you have done so we l l , a re you fi t to take th e wh i te fl agi n to the c i ty a nddemand th e surre nde r of th e c i ty i n t he name of

Lord Robe rts andthe B r i t ish a rmy ?’

‘ Ra th e r ! ’ sa i d I . So we

t ie d a handke rch ie f on to a wh ip,anda fte r say i ng good—bye to

Ho lme s a ndth e o the rs, I s ta rte d for t he Landdrost of the capi ta lw i th t he wh i te fl ag i n the a ir a lone anduna rme d .I hadno t go ne fa r whe n I was stoppe d by an a rt i l le ryman , so

re que s te d h im to take me i n to town . H e d id so ; but the Landd ros t (ch ie f magi s tra te ) , t he B urgomaste r (mayo r) , the Commanda ntG e ne ra l , we re s t i l l figh t i ng on t he h i l ls abou t the c i ty ,

so th e

S e c re ta ry o f S ta te w a s found , andhe conduc ted me to Commandan tG en e ra l i o tha

’

s p r i va te re s i de nce . H e the n te le phoned to the

S e cre ta ry fo r “fa r

,a ndth e y the n de spa tche d me ssage s to the i r

G e ne ra ls t o come a t once to a counc i l of w ar. F i rs t , Ge ne ra l Bo thah imse l f cam e th e n G e ne ra l s M e ye r andVVa lthuse in andth e mi l i tary

188

The Transvaal Warandon e t ra i n e scaped . Othe rs wh ich we re st i l l i n the sta t ion , howe ve r, we re a rre sted, bu t no t be fore a scr immage of a be l l i cose k indhadtake n pla ce be twe e n Majo r S hu te , t he advan ce guard , andthewou l d - be fugi t i ve s . The n fo l lowe d th e re lease o f th e B r i t ishpr isone rs andt h e e xc i te d rush i ng of th e emanc ipa ted one s th rough thetown . M eanwh i le Major Maude andh is pa rty moved a long amidthe e xpe ctan t popu la ce , pla c i ng se ntr ie s a t impo rtant po i n ts i n th eroad , t o the tune of the roa rs andche e rs from t he B r i t ish pr isone rs

,

who—many of them—we re a lmost W i l d w i th e n thus iasm . Afte rhav i ng se cu re d th e gove rnme n t bu i l d i ngs, th e o ffi ce rs of th e S ta ffa t tache d to the Gua rds’ B r igade pa i d the i r re spe cts to M rs . Kruge r,who,

a tt i re d i n bla ck s i l k anda whi te cap,re ce i ve d them wi th h e r

usua l D utch ca lm,i n th e co t tage whe re the oldsta te sman was won t

t o l i ve i n a lmost p easan t- l i ke s impl i c i ty . H e re , no t many days ag o,

th e most i n te re st i ng, i f no t th e most adm i red , figure of la t te r-dayh istory hadsmoke d th e cave rnous p ipe wh i ch was h is i n va r iablecompan ion . H e re , no t many days ago , s i t t i ng i n the shady ve randah andgua rde d by two po l i ceme n

,andthe wh i te ma rble l ions

gi ve n h im by Mr . Ba rna to ,h e hadplo tte d andscheme d beh i nd t he

impe ne trable mask tha t se rve d h im for a fa ce . Now he was gone ;andth e grea t ma rble l ions, mass i ve andobdura te as e ve r, hadbe come as th e emblem s of B r i t i sh maj e sty . The command i ngo ffi ce r i n forme d th e wi fe of the la te Pre s i de n t tha t th e burghe rsgua rd ing th e Pre s i de ncy Wou l d now be repla ce d by B ri t ish so l d ie rs,whe re upon th e D utch gua rd place d p isto ls andammun i t ion on th e

pavem ent by th e s i de of the marble monste rs andthe i r occupa t ion ,now andhe nce forth , was e nde d !At two o

’ clock , on t h e sth of J une , came th e grand fina le . Lo rdRobe rts, Lord K i tche ne r, t he S ta ff, andfore ign a t taches, numbe r i ngn ea rly 300, form e d up i n th e ma i n squa re i n the ce ntre of the magn ifice n t o ffi c ia l bu i l d i ngs, andthe re , on ce mo re , was ho isted th eBr i t ish fl ag ami d t he che e rs—s i n ce re andi ns i n ce re—of the popu

la ce . The n fo l lowe d the great spe c tacle—a pagean t whe re i n wasasse rte d th e maj e sty of G rea t B r i ta i n—in the form of an une nd i nghost o f muscula r andd isc i pl i ned he roe s . The roll of drums, the

fl ow of kha rk i , the Clank andc lang of a rme d me n , bega n andcont inuedfor hours andhours, wh i le th e amazed i nhabi tan ts , a rraye di n the i r buco l i c be st , wide—mouthe d , wide - eyed , s tood wa tch i ng th evast p roce ss ion , the l i ke of wh ich t he l i t t le town hadne ve r be forebehe l d .Pa rt i cula rly rema rkable among th e vast cortege of seasonedwa rr io rs we re t h e pa t r io t i c whose so ld ie rly bea r i ngdrewfo rth e ulogi e s from th e ch ie f h imse l f. Al l we re agree d tha t theywe re t he fin e st body o fme n tha t hade ve r be e n se en , ande ve ry on e

d e cla red tha t the i r ac t ions hadbe e n as exce l le n t as the i r appea rance .

1 90

From Johannesburg to PretoriaA not less a t tract i ve fea ture of the grea tday was the ma rchpast of th e Nava l B riga de

,its smart amph ib ian s

, it s jo l ly bluejacke ts so squa re andbrawny andbrave ,

andit s b ig guns 011

improve d g un—ca rr iage s, all of wh i ch haddone such good Workfrom begi nn i ng to e nd. The roa r tha t gre e te d them as the y swunga long th e st re e ts of the conque re d town was a sound to e cho i n th ememory for many a yea r to come .

At such an impos i ng spe ctacle i n so pr im i t i ve an a rena our

e nemie s—rea l or subs i d ised—of course , took the oppo rtun i ty to

scoff. T rue , th e ce remon ia l was sca rce ly as impre ss i ve as m igh thave be e n the occupa t ion of some le ss pr im i t i ve cap i ta l ; bu t it ssign ificance was two fo ld , andhadramifica t ions far be nea th thesurface . The importance of the eve n t to the B ri t ish na t ion

,and

i nde e d to th e who le European aud ie nce of cr i t i cs, cou l d not be ove rest ima ted . For, not a spe cta cle , but a symbo l was i n tended . G rea tB r i ta i n came , not to conque r n ew te rr i to r ie s, nor to a cqu i re n ew

powe r. She came t o asse rt he rse l f, andma i n ta i n h e r prest ige i nth e face of th e who le wo rld

,andmeant, by the occupa t ion of Pre

tor ia , to ma rk th e n ew epo ch , drawing a l i ne be twe e n the Olde raof ma ladm in ist ra t ion , ch i cane ry ,

andde spot ism , anda fresh on e

of law ando rde r, andequa l r ights for wh i te me n . The grea t obj e ctof the war , the re fore , hadbe e n ach ie ved .I n Octobe r 1 899 , th e Gove rnme nt of the Sou th A fr i can R e

publ i c hadse n t an u l t ima tum t o the Gove rnme n t of th e B r i t ishEmp i re . To th is the re cou l d be but one answe r, andtha t answe rwas give n . Lo rd Robe rts, i n the mon th of March 1 900, se i zed th ecapi ta l of the Orange Fre e S ta te ,

andi n J une took posse ss ion of thecap i ta l of the T ransvaa l , andfrom tha t t ime th e two S outh Afr i canRe publ i cs v i rtua l ly ceased to e x ist . W i th i n appre c iable d istancewe now saw be fo re us a vast B r i t ish Emp i re st re tch ing from t h e

Cape to th e Zambe s i , a nda huge popu la t ion—a mi xe d popu la t ioncons ist i ng of a major i ty of Kaffi rs anda m inor i ty of D utch a ndEngl ish- speak ing Europeans—ceme n te d toge the r by th e mos t j us tandfa i r of a ll laws—Br i t ish law . I f th e pr i n c ip le s tha t gu i de th islaw hadbe e n fo l lowe d by th e two ext i n ct Republ i cs, whi ch hadowe d the i r ve ry e x iste nce to B ri t i sh to le ra t ion andB r i t ish magnan imity ,

they wou l d have cont i nue d to l i ve andto prospe r, andt ode ve lop i n ha rmony wi th the i r own i n te re sts a ndthose of th e

Mothe r Powe r wh i ch , so to speak , hada fforded them the prote ct ionto promo te the i r own growth . But , hav ing grown , hav i ng ba t te nedon the advan tage s of the i r pos i t ion i n re la t ion to t h e Br i t i sh , th eybe came i n fla ted w i th th e i dea of the i r own impo rtance ,

andde n iedt o the Engl i sh - speak ing se ttle rs i n th e T ran svaa l tha t l i be ra l i ty of

trea tme n t wh i ch was e xtende d to the i r own countryme n i n the

1 9 1

The Transvaa l WarB r i t ish co lon ie s . The a rrogance of th is de n ia l , andthe succe ss i nma i n ta i n i ng i t for many ye a rs, gave b i rth t o more a rrogance s t i l l .Th e Br i t ish a t las t we re n ot only to be trodde n down , bu t we re to

be dr i ve n i n to th e sea

Tha t M r . Kruge r shou l d have so fa r lost h is sound commons e nse as to dream of an asce nde ncy of th e D utch i n S outh Afr i ca ,

wasdue pa rtly to th e mislead i ng represe nta t ions of ne edy fore igne rsandabet/a lien who e ndeavoure d to conve rt th e Pre s ide nt i n to a fig ur eh e adfor th e i r own p i ra t i ca l cru i se r, anda lsot o the fo l ly of ce rta i n se l f- se e k i ng B r i t ish po l i t i c ians, who t r iedt o pe rsuade th e shrewd D utchman i n to a be l ie f i n Boe r a rms andBoe r d iplomacy , anda ctua l ly de ce i ve d h im w i th the no t ion tha tt he i r sympa the t i c blea ts re pre se nte d the t rumpe t vo i ce of the

Br i t ish na t ion ! I t be came n e cessa ry to teach h im h is mistake ,

a ndth e l e sson was taught . Thus i t came to pass tha t, a t the endo f a long a ndrea l ly rema rkable caree r, t he de spo t was fle e i nga s fast as steam wou l d ca rry h im from the sce ne of h is l i fe ’

s labou rs ,wh i le Lord Robe rts, crowned w i th yea rs andhonour, re i gne din h is stead !

1 9 2

AP P EN D I X

R EAR R AN G ENHHWF (HT STAF F

Th e fo l lowing re arrangeme n t ofdiv is iona l andb r igade commands in SouthAfrica took p lacedu r ing th e mon t h of Apr i l :CAVA LRY D IV I S ION .

L ieu tenan t-Gene ra l J . D . P. Fren ch comman d ing.

I st Brigade (Cape ) ~—Co lonel (Brigad ie r-Gen e ra l ) T. C. Porte r, 6th Dragoon Guards.

I st Br igade (Na ta l )—I . ieu ten an t - Co lon el (Brigad ie r-Gene ra l ) J . F . Burn -Murdoch ,I st Dragoon s.

2ndBrigade (Cape ) - Co lon el (Br igad ie r-Gene ra l ) R . G . Broadwood,1 2 th Lancers.

z udBr igade (NataI)—Co lone l (Major-Gene ra l) J . F . Brock l ehurst .grdBr igade (Cape )—Co lon e l (Brigad i er-Gen e ra l ) J . R . P. Gordon

,1 7 th Lan ce rs.

3 rdBr igade (Na ta l ) —Co lone l (M ajor-Gen e ra l ) Lord Dun dona l d .4 th Br igade (Cape ) - Co lonel (Major-Gen era l ) J . B. B. D ickson , C .B.

MOUNTED I N FANTRY .Colon e l (M ajor-Gen era l ) I . S . M . Hami l ton

, C .B.

, comman d ing.I st Brigade—Co lon e l (Major-Gen era l ) E . T. H . H u t ton

, C B.

andBr igade—Co lone l (Brigad ie r-Gen e ra l ) C. P. R id ley .I ST I N FANTRY D IV IS ION (CAPE) .

L ieu tenan t—Gene ra l LordM e thuen comman d ing.I st Br igade—Co lon e l (M ajor-Gen e ra l ) C . W. H . Douglas.

z o th Br igade—Co lon e l (Major-Gen e ra l ) A . H . Page t,Sco ts Guards.

2ND D IV I S ION (N ATA L) .L ieu tenan t—Gen era l S ir F . C le ry comman d ing .

z udBrigade—Major-Gene ra l H . J . T. H ildyard, C.B.

4 th Brigade—Co lon e l (Brigad ie r-Gen e ra l ) C . D . Coope r, Roya l Dub l in Fusi l iers.

3RD D IV I S ION (CAPE ) .Major-Gen era l S ir He rbe rt Che rmside , comman d ing.

2 2ndBr igade—Co lon el (Major-Gen e ra l ) R . E . A l len .

2 3rdBrigade—Co lon e l (Major-Gene ra l ) W. G . Knox, C .B.

4TH D IV IS ION (N ATA L ) .Lieu tenan t-Gen era l H on . N . G . Lyt te l ton , C.B. , comman d ing.

7 th Brigade—Co lon e l (Br i gad ie r-Gen e ra l ) W. F . K i tchener,We st Yorksh ire R egimen t.8 th Br igade—Co lon e l (Major-Gen e ra l ) F . Howard, C .B.

, C .M .G.

VOL . V .1 93

The Transvaal War5TH D IV I S ION (NATA L) .

L ieutenan t-Gen era l S ir Char les Warren commanding.

To th Brigade—Co lon e l (Major-Gen e ra l ) J . T. Coke .

1 1 th Brigade—Co lone l (Major-Gene ra l ) A . S . Wynn e, C.B.

6TH D IV IS ION .L ie utenan t-Gene ra l T. K e l l y-Ken ny, C.B.

,commanding.

1 e th Brigade—Co lon e l (Major-Genera l ) R . A . P. C lemen ts.

1 3th Brigade—Co lone l (Major-Gene ra l ) A . G . Wave l l .7TH D IV IS ION (CAPE ) .

L ieu tenan t -Gen e ra l C . Tucke r, C .B.

,commanding.

1 4 th Brigade—Co lon e l (Major-Gen era l ) J . G . Maxwe l l .1 5 th Br igade—Co lone l (Major-Gen e ra l) C . E . Knox.

STH D IV IS ION .L ieutenan t -Gen e ra l S ir Lesl ie R un d le commanding .

1 6th Br igade—Major-Gen e ra l B . B . D . Campbe l l .1 7 th Brigade—Major-Genera l J . E . Boyes.

9TH D IV IS ION (CAPE) .L ieu tenan t-Gen era l Sir Hen ry Colvile commanding .

3rd(H igh land) Br igade—Co lone l (Major-Gen e ra l ) H . A . M acD onald, C.B.

I gth Br igade—Co lone l (Major-Ge n e ra l ) H . L . Smi th—Dorr ien,SherwoodForeste rs .

I OTH D IV I S ION (NATA L) .L ieutenan t -Gen eral Sir Arch iba ldHun ter commanding.

sth Brigade—Major-Gen e ra l A . F . Hart, C .B.

oth Br igade—Major-Gene ral G . Barton , C .B.

I I TH D IV I S ION (CAPE) .L ieutenan t-Gen e ra l R . Po le -Carew, C .B .

, commanding .

Guards Brigade—Co lone l (Major-Genera l ) I . R . Jones, Sco ts Guards.

1 8th Br igade—Co lone l (Br igad ie r-Genera l ) T . E . S tephen son , Essex R egimen t .

194

The Transvaal War11.—D isease at Ladysmi th : Cap tain K .

L. Tupman6.—In act ion at Potgie te rs Dri ft MajorT . R . John son - Smy th

,Se con d

L ie u tenan t C . D . Shafto .

6.—Sunstroke at VVynberg : Cap ta in E .

D i l lon . I n act ion at Koodoe sbe rg : Cap ta in H . M . B la ir .

8.—Woun ds re ce iveda t Koodoesbe rg :

Cap ta in C. Eykyn , L ieu tenan t F .

G. Ta i t .10.

—I n act ion : L ie u ten an t Buchan an ,

L ieu ten an t Carsten s.

1 1 .—Feve r at D e Aar : L ieute nan t R .

IV. Be l l . I n act ion at R en sburg :

Major G . R . Eddy.

12.—I n act ion at R ensburg : Major A .

K . S tubbs,L ie u ten an t J . Powe l l .

IVoundS re ce ive d at R en sburg :

L ieu tenan t -Co lone l C. Cunn ingh am,

L ieu ten an t J . C . R obe rts.

Woun ds re ce ive d at D ek ie ls Dri ftCap ta in H . G . M ajendie .

13 . Woun ds re ce ivedat R ensburgL ie u tenan t -Co lon e l H . A . Eager.I n act ion at Gaberon e s : Cap tainJ . G. French . I n act ion at

Wa terval Dr ift : SecondL ie utenan t H . W. R i tch ie . Woun dsre ce ivedat Ladysmi th Major D .

E . Doveton . D isease : Cap ta inH . I'V. Foste r. Feve r at Pre toria :L ieu tenan t C . A . P. Tarbu t t .

14. IVounds re ce ive d a t M afek in g :Cap tain R . H . G irdwood .

15 .

—I n ac t ion at Wa te rva l : L ie u ten an tC . P. M . C . Ha l ke t t . Woundsre ce ivedat R e nsburg : Major F .

R . Macmu l le n .

16.-Wounds re ce ivedat K imbe rl ey :Se con d Lieu te nan t H on . W .

M ‘Clin tock-Bunbury . A ct ion at

Mon te Christo : Cap tain T . H .

Be rne y . Act ion at Bird ’s R ive r :Cap tain E . C . H . Crallan ,

L ieutenan t Chand le r . Act ion n earK imbe rle y : Lieu te nan t A. E .

Heske th , L i eu te nan t E . G . Car

bu t t,Se con d Lieu te nan t I’ . F .

li rassy .

17 .-Feve r a t Lad ysmi th : Se con d L ieute nan t \V. A . O rlebar .

18 —Fe vc r a t S te rkst room : Capta in T.

S . C . W . 3roadley . In act ion a t

Paardebe rg Lie u t enan t Co lo n e lW

. A l dworth , Cap ta in E . I ’

Ward law, Cap ta in B . A . N ewbury,

Cap ta in A . M . A. Len nox, L ie uten an t J . C . Ange l l,L ieu te nan t

G . E . Courtenay, L ie u tenan t H .

G . Se lous, L ie u tenan t F . J . Siorde t ,L ie u tenan t A . R . Br igh t

, Co lon e lO . C . H annay, L ie u tenan t E .

Pe rceva l,L ie u te nan t H . M . A .

Han ke y, SecondL ieu tenan t R .

H . M ‘Clure , Se con d L ie u te nan tA. C . N ieve , Se condL ie u te nan tV . A . Ba l l -Acton .

19 .-Dysen te ry at Wyn berg : Cap tain R .A . E . Benson . I n act ion at

. H langwan e H i l l : Cap ta in W. L .

Thorburn .

20.—Woun ds re ce ivedat Paardebe rg :

M ajor C . R . D ay, Cap ta in E . J .Dewar,L ie u tenan t J . C . H y l tonJo l l iffe

, Secon d L ie u tenan t D . B .

M o n ype n n y, Cap t a i n Wa ldy.

Woun ds re ce ivedat RondeboschCap ta in C. H . Thomas . I n act ionat th e Tuge la R ive r : Cap tain S .

L . V . Crealock, L ie u ten an t V . F .

A . Ke i th-Fa l cone r, Se con d -L ieutenan t J . C . Parr. Feve r at Ladysmi th : L ieu tenan t G . W. G . Jon es.

21 .—Wounds rece ive d n ear Ladysmi th

Cap ta in R . E . Ho l t . Dysen te ryat K imberl ey : L ie u tenan t Gran t .

22.—In act ion a t A run de l : Cap ta in A .

F . Wa l l is . I n ac t ion at Pie te rsDr i ft : L ie u tenan t R . H . C . Coé .

I n act ion at Ladysmi th : Lieutenan t R . W. Pearson ,

L ieu tenan t theH on . R . Cathcart, andSe condL ieu tenan t N . J . Parker .

23. Dysen te ry at Wynberg : Major C. H .

Bloun t . Feve r at Ladysmi thCap tain G . S . Wa l ke r . WoundsCapta in H . M . Arno l d . Woundsre ce ived at Groble rs K loo f L ieutenan t F . C . D . Dav idson . I n

act ion at Ra i lway H i l l L ieu tenan tCo lone l C . C . H . Thoro ldandL ieu tenan t - Co lone l T. M . G .

Thack e ray . I n ac t ion at Pie te rsH i l l : Breve t L ie u tenan t-Co lon e lC . G . H . S i twe l l . I n ac t ion at

Ra i lway H i l l : Major F . A . San

de rs andLie u te nan t W. O. S tuart .

I n act io n a t Co l enso : Capta in S .

C . Ma i t land. I n act ion near Ladysmi th : Lieu tenan t B. H . Hast ieandLi eu tenan t C . H . H in ton .

Deaths in Action24 .

—I n act ion at S tormbe rg : L ieu te nan tCo lon e l F . H . H oskier andCapta in th e H on . R . H . J . L . deMon tmoren cy . Feve r at Ste rkstroom : Captain A . T. Eng lan d .I n act ion n ear Ladysmi th : L ieutenan t F . A . S tebb ing .

25 .

—Feve r at Modde r R i ve r : M idsh ipman S . R obe rtson . Wo un ds t e

ce ivedat Sp ion Kop : Lie u tenan tH . V . Lockwood .

26.

—~Woun ds re ce ive d at Ladysmi thMajor E . W. Yeath e rd.27 ,—I n act ion at Pie te rs H i l l L ie u tenan t

Co lon e l W. M . O’

Leary, MajorV . Lew is, Cap ta in H . S . Syke s,

L ieutenan t H . L . Mour i lyan ,L ieu

te nan t H . B. On raet , Se con dL ie u tenan t F . J . T. U . S impson ,

andSe con d L ieu tenan t C. J . Da l y .MARCH 1 900

3 .-B lood-po ison ing at Modde r R iver :Capta in R . Pr ice .

5 .

—Feve r a t Naauwpoort : L ieu tenan tJ . W. C . W

'

a l d ing .7 .

—I n act ion at Pop lars Dri ft : L ie utenan t D . J . Ke sw ick . Woundsre ce ive d n ear Ladysmi th : L ieutenan t E . A . P. Vaughan .

8.—Fever at Ladysmi th : L ieu tenan t R .

E . M eyr icke . Feve r at Modd e rR ive r : L ieu tenan t S . D . Barrow .

9 .

—Feve r at Lad ysmi th : Cap ta in A . W .

Curt is andL ieu tenan t C . Arkwr igh t .

10.—I n act ion at Dr ie fon te in : Cap ta inA . R . Eustace

,Cap ta i n D . A . N .

Lomax, L ieutenan t F . N . Parson s,V .C .

,andSecon d L ie u tenan t A . B.

Coddington . Feve r at Wynbe rg :Cap tain E . E . D . Thorn ton .

11 .—Woun ds : L ieu tenan t -Co lon e l C. E .

E . Umph e lby.

12.—Feve r at Wyn be rg Dr . W. C . Grigg.

Wounds rece ivedat Dr ie fon te in :

L ieutenan t C . F . L . Wimbe rle y .Feve r on tran sport S ama z‘r a :

L ieu ten an t T. D . Wh i t t ington .

13 .—Drown e d at Norva l s Pon t : Secon d

L ie u tenan t F . N . Den t .16.

-Fever at Pie termari tz burg : Majo rH . E . Buchanan -R id de l l . Feve rat Naauwpoort : Cap ta in R . W.

Sa lmon . Feve r a t Ladysmi th :L ieutenan t R . H . K inn ear .

and from D isease1 7 .

—Feve r a t

M in n iece .

19 .—Dysen tery at Ladysmi th : CaptainW. L . P. G ibton .

Lad ysmi th : Major J .

20.—

. Fe ve r at Moo i R ive r : L ie u te nan tA. W. Ha l l .22.—Feve r a t K imbe rle y : M rjor H . J .

hi assy.

23 .

—Woun ds re ce ive d at Sp ion Kop :

M ajor-Gen e ra l S ir E . R . P. Woodgate . I n act ion n ear Bloemfonte in : L i e u tenan t H on . E . H .

Lygon .

26.—Feve r on h er Majesty ’s sh ip Pow erf ul : F lee t-Paymaster W. H . F .

Kay.

27 .—Feve r at Naauwpoort : Cap tain F .

W. H opk in s.—~ I n act ion at Norva ls Pon t : Co lone lth e H on . G . Gough .

29 .

—Feve r at B loemfon te in Cap ta in C .

M . Kemb le . Woun ds rece ive da t Kare e S id ing L ie u te nan t E . M .

Young.30.—I n act ion at Bran dfort : Cap tain A .

C. Go ing . Feve r at Ladysmi thL i e u tenan t B. T. Rose . I n act ionat Lobatsi : Cap ta in A. J . T y ler .

3 1 .

—I n act ion near B loemfon te in MajorA . W. C . Boo th andLieu tenan tP. H . S . Crow le . I n act ion at

San na’

s Post : L i eu tenan t G . H .

I rv ine . Woun ds : L ie u tenan t P.

C. Grove r . Wounds rece ivedatRamath labama : Cap tain F . Crewe .

I n act ion at Ramath labama Lieutenan t F . M i l l igan . M en ingi t isL ieu tenan t Wh i t t ington .

APR I L 1 900

2.—Wounds at Pie termari tz burg : L ieutenan t C . B. du Bu isson .

3 .

-In act ion at R ed de rsburg : Cap tainF . G . Casson andSecon d Lieutenan t C . R . Barclay. Woun dsrece ive d at Karee Cap ta in W. M .

Marte r. Feve r at Ladysmi th :L ieu tenan t G . E . S . Sa l t .

4. re ce ive d n ear Bloemfonte in : L ieu tenan t F . R usse l l -Brown .

Woun ds re ce ive d at R e dd e rsburgCapta in W. P. D imsdale .

5 .

—I n act ion at R i e t fon te in : CaptainC . Boy le andL ieu tenan t A . C .

\Villiams.

The Transvaal War9 .

—I n act ion at Wepener : Major C. F .

Sprenge r.10.

-Feve r a t Moo i R ive r : L ieu tenan tG . H . Morle y . I n act ion at

Wepen er : L ieu tenan t H . F . B.

Tap l in andL ieu tenan t A. H .

Thorn ton .

15 .—Feve r at sea on h is way home :

L ieu tenan t T. B. E ly. Feve r atLadysmi th : Se condL ieu tenan tS . H . H u t ton . Feve r at Pie te rmar i tz burg : Se con d L ieu tenan t E .

O. N. O. Legge t t .16.—Feve r at B loemfon te in Capta in R .

Pee l , Cap ta in B. C . C . S . M eek ing,andL ieu tenan t C . O . Bache .

18.—Dysen te ry at Ladysmi th : Cap tain S .

Lauren ce . D isease at K imber leyCap ta in E . M . L i tkie .

21 .—Dysen tery at Pre tor ia : Assistan t

Surgeon Jackson . Feve r at Gaberon es : L ie u t enan t Wa l l is. Feve ra t Bloemfon te in : L ieu tenan t H .

W. Pr ickard.23 .

—Dysen tery at Naauwpoort : SecondL ieu ten an t R . J . G ibson -Cra ig.

24.

—Woun ds at Karreefon te in : Cap ta inF . L . Pro the ro .

25 .—I n act ion at Dewe tsdorp : Captain P. R . D enny. I n act ion at

I srae l ’s Poort : Capta in H . Ge th in .

Woun ds re ce ivedat San na’s Post :

L ieu tenan t J . D . M urch .26.—Feve r at Que e n stown : Cap ta in C.

Bidd u lph . Wounds at Eirste

laagte : Cap ta in G . P. Brasie rCreagh .

27 .—Feve r at Bloemfon te in : Major H .

T. H aw l ey. I n act ion at Tha

banchu : L ie u tenan t F . S . Geary .

Pe ri ton i t is at Bloemfon te in : Captain A . B. Be nn e t t .28.—Woun ds a t Bloemfon te in : Cap tain

H . F . W. S tan le y . Feve r at K imbe rle y : M idsh i pman L . G . E .

L loyd .30.

—I n act ion at Thaban chu : Major E .

C. Showe rs, L i e u tenan t J . H .

Park e r, andL ie u te nan t M un ro .

MAY

1 .

—I’ n eumon ia on board th e I J zYwa r a

L i e u te nan t C. M art in .

2.—Feve r a t A l iwa l North : L ie u te nan tJ . T. De nn is. Tube rcu losis a t

Port E l i z abe th L i eu te nan t H o l t

1 900

4 .—I n act ion at We l kom : Cap tain C . E .

Rose .

5 .

—Feve r at Bloemfon te in : Captain H .

E . Dowse .

6 .—Woun ds at Callerbe rg : Cap ta in

Love t t . Woun ds at Thaban~

chu : Cap tain E . G . Versch oyle .

Woun ds at Win burg : L ie utenan tP . Came ron .

7 .

- Fever at Bloemfon te in : Capta in R .

Fawsse t t andL ieu tenan t E . H .

S t . L . Chamie r.

8 .—Dysen te ry a t Estcourt : L ie u tenan t

S . Oglesby . Dysen te ry at ModderSpru it : Cap ta in Warren .

9 .—Woun ds rece ivedat Warren tonMajor H . S . le M . Gu ille . Fever

at Dee l fon te in : L ieu tenan t B.

Cumming.

10.—Dysen tery at Bloemfon te in : Chaplain the R ev. C. F . O

’R e illy.

Pne umon ia in Bloemfon te inCap ta in T. W. M i lward . Woundsrece ive d a t ZandR ive r : Cap tainL . H eadandCap ta in C. K.

E lworthy .11 .—Feve r at Naauwpoort : SecondL ieutenan t A . C . Fi t zG. Homan .

12.—Feve r at Bloemfon te in : Cap ta in H .

S. Prickard.13 .—Fever at Bloemfon te in : L ieu tenant

H . P. R ogers.

14.

—D isease at Cape town : Cap ta in D.

G . Seagr im.

16 .—Feve r a t Naauwpoort : L ieu tenan tG . B. Gu thr ie . D isease at Naauwpoort : L ieu tenan t A . Lasce l les.

I n act ion n ear Mafek in g : L ieutenan t Wi l fred. I n act ion at

Mafek ing : L ie u tenan t E . Harland.18.

- Feve r a t B loemfon te in : L ieu tenan tG . G . Mo i r andM idsh ipman J .Me n z ies.

20.—I n act ion near V ryhe id: Capta inW. E . D. Goff, L ieu tenan t H .

W. Lan ham,andL ie u tenan t W.

M ‘Lach lan . Feve r a t Bloemfonte in : L ieu te nan t E . W. M . Noel.

21 .—D i edat Gabe rone s : L ieu tenan t H .

Wa l l is. Feve r at Bloemfon te inCap ta in (1 C . Fordyce -Buchan .

22.

-Feve r at De e l fon te in : Major P.

M arsh . Fe ve r at Kroon stadL ieu tenan t th e H on . J . D . Hami lton . Feve r at Spr ingfon te inLi e u te nan t F. G . Pe e l .