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diff --git a/3069-h/3069-h.htm b/3069-h/3069-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f48b0e2 --- /dev/null +++ b/3069-h/3069-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,21654 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + The Great Boer War, by Arthur Conan Doyle + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Great Boer War, by Arthur Conan Doyle + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Great Boer War + +Author: Arthur Conan Doyle + +Release Date: February 1, 2009 [EBook #3069] +Last Updated: March 6, 2018 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT BOER WAR *** + + + + +Produced by Robert Laing, Sue Asscher, and David Widger + + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + THE GREAT BOER WAR + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Arthur Conan Doyle + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE TO THE FINAL EDITION. </a><br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER 1. </a> THE BOER NATIONS. + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER 2. </a> THE CAUSE + OF QUARREL. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER 3. </a> THE + NEGOTIATIONS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER 4. </a> THE + EVE OF WAR. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER 5. </a> TALANA + HILL. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER 6. </a> ELANDSLAAGTE + AND RIETFONTEIN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER 7. </a> THE + BATTLE OF LADYSMITH. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER 8. </a> LORD + METHUEN'S ADVANCE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER 9. </a> BATTLE + OF MAGERSFONTEIN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER 10. </a> THE + BATTLE OF STORMBERG. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER 11. + </a> BATTLE OF COLENSO. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0012"> + CHAPTER 12. </a> THE DARK HOUR. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER 13. </a> THE SIEGE OF + LADYSMITH. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER 14. </a> THE + COLESBERG OPERATIONS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER 15. + </a> SPION KOP. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER + 16. </a> VAALKRANZ. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0017"> + CHAPTER 17. </a> BULLER'S FINAL ADVANCE. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER 18. </a> THE SIEGE AND RELIEF + OF KIMBERLEY. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER 19. </a> PAARDEBERG. + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER 20. </a> ROBERTS'S + ADVANCE ON BLOEMFONTEIN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER 21. + </a> STRATEGIC EFFECTS OF LORD ROBERTS'S MARCH. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER 22. </a> THE HALT AT + BLOEMFONTEIN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER 23. </a> THE + CLEARING OF THE SOUTH-EAST. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER + 24. </a> THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER 25. </a> THE MARCH ON PRETORIA. + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER 26. </a> DIAMOND + HILL—RUNDLE'S OPERATIONS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0027"> + CHAPTER 27. </a> THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER 28. </a> THE HALT AT PRETORIA. + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0029"> CHAPTER 29. </a> THE + ADVANCE TO KOMATIPOORT. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0030"> CHAPTER 30. + </a> THE CAMPAIGN OF DE WET. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0031"> CHAPTER 31. </a> THE GUERILLA WARFARE + IN THE TRANSVAAL: NOOITGEDACHT. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0032"> + CHAPTER 32. </a> THE SECOND INVASION OF CAPE COLONY. <br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0033"> CHAPTER 33. </a> THE NORTHERN + OPERATIONS FROM JANUARY TO APRIL, 1901. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0034"> CHAPTER 34. </a> THE WINTER CAMPAIGN + (APRIL TO SEPTEMBER, 1901). <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0035"> CHAPTER + 35. </a> THE GUERILLA OPERATIONS IN CAPE COLONY. <br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0036"> CHAPTER 36. </a> THE SPRING CAMPAIGN + (SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER, 1901). <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0037"> + CHAPTER 37. </a> THE CAMPAIGN OF JANUARY TO APRIL, 1902. + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0038"> CHAPTER 38. </a> DE LA + REY'S CAMPAIGN OF 1902. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0039"> CHAPTER 39. + </a> THE END. <br /><br /> + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h2> + PREFACE TO THE FINAL EDITION. + </h2> + <p> + During the course of the war some sixteen Editions of this work have + appeared, each of which was, I hope, a little more full and accurate than + that which preceded it. I may fairly claim, however, that the absolute + mistakes made have been few in number, and that I have never had occasion + to reverse, and seldom to modify, the judgments which I have formed. In + this final edition the early text has been carefully revised and all fresh + available knowledge has been added within the limits of a single volume + narrative. Of the various episodes in the latter half of the war it is + impossible to say that the material is available for a complete and final + chronicle. By the aid, however, of the official dispatches, of the + newspapers, and of many private letters, I have done my best to give an + intelligible and accurate account of the matter. The treatment may + occasionally seem too brief but some proportion must be observed between + the battles of 1899-1900 and the skirmishes of 1901-1902. + </p> + <p> + My private informants are so numerous that it would be hardly possible, + even if it were desirable, that I should quote their names. Of the + correspondents upon whose work I have drawn for my materials, I would + acknowledge my obligations to Messrs. Burleigh, Nevinson, Battersby, + Stuart, Amery, Atkins, Baillie, Kinneir, Churchill, James, Ralph, Barnes, + Maxwell, Pearce, Hamilton, and others. Especially I would mention the + gentleman who represented the 'Standard' in the last year of the war, + whose accounts of Vlakfontein, Von Donop's Convoy, and Tweebosch were the + only reliable ones which reached the public. + </p> + <p> + Arthur Conan Doyle, Undershaw, Hindhead: September 1902. + </p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"><br /><br /><br /> + <img alt="5_south_africa (131K)" src="images/5_south_africa.jpg" + width="100%" /><br /><br /><br /></div> + + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 1. THE BOER NATIONS. + </h2> + <p> + Take a community of Dutchmen of the type of those who defended themselves + for fifty years against all the power of Spain at a time when Spain was + the greatest power in the world. Intermix with them a strain of those + inflexible French Huguenots who gave up home and fortune and left their + country for ever at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The + product must obviously be one of the most rugged, virile, unconquerable + races ever seen upon earth. Take this formidable people and train them for + seven generations in constant warfare against savage men and ferocious + beasts, in circumstances under which no weakling could survive, place them + so that they acquire exceptional skill with weapons and in horsemanship, + give them a country which is eminently suited to the tactics of the + huntsman, the marksman, and the rider. Then, finally, put a finer temper + upon their military qualities by a dour fatalistic Old Testament religion + and an ardent and consuming patriotism. Combine all these qualities and + all these impulses in one individual, and you have the modern Boer—the + most formidable antagonist who ever crossed the path of Imperial Britain. + Our military history has largely consisted in our conflicts with France, + but Napoleon and all his veterans have never treated us so roughly as + these hard-bitten farmers with their ancient theology and their + inconveniently modern rifles. + </p> + <p> + Look at the map of South Africa, and there, in the very centre of the + British possessions, like the stone in a peach, lies the great stretch of + the two republics, a mighty domain for so small a people. How came they + there? Who are these Teutonic folk who have burrowed so deeply into + Africa? It is a twice-told tale, and yet it must be told once again if + this story is to have even the most superficial of introductions. No one + can know or appreciate the Boer who does not know his past, for he is what + his past has made him. + </p> + <p> + It was about the time when Oliver Cromwell was at his zenith—in + 1652, to be pedantically accurate—that the Dutch made their first + lodgment at the Cape of Good Hope. The Portuguese had been there before + them, but, repelled by the evil weather, and lured forwards by rumours of + gold, they had passed the true seat of empire and had voyaged further to + settle along the eastern coast. Some gold there was, but not much, and the + Portuguese settlements have never been sources of wealth to the mother + country, and never will be until the day when Great Britain signs her huge + cheque for Delagoa Bay. The coast upon which they settled reeked with + malaria. A hundred miles of poisonous marsh separated it from the healthy + inland plateau. For centuries these pioneers of South African colonisation + strove to obtain some further footing, but save along the courses of the + rivers they made little progress. Fierce natives and an enervating climate + barred their way. + </p> + <p> + But it was different with the Dutch. That very rudeness of climate which + had so impressed the Portuguese adventurer was the source of their + success. Cold and poverty and storm are the nurses of the qualities which + make for empire. It is the men from the bleak and barren lands who master + the children of the light and the heat. And so the Dutchmen at the Cape + prospered and grew stronger in that robust climate. They did not penetrate + far inland, for they were few in number and all they wanted was to be + found close at hand. But they built themselves houses, and they supplied + the Dutch East India Company with food and water, gradually budding off + little townlets, Wynberg, Stellenbosch, and pushing their settlements up + the long slopes which lead to that great central plateau which extends for + fifteen hundred miles from the edge of the Karoo to the Valley of the + Zambesi. Then came the additional Huguenot emigrants—the best blood + of France three hundred of them, a handful of the choicest seed thrown in + to give a touch of grace and soul to the solid Teutonic strain. Again and + again in the course of history, with the Normans, the Huguenots, the + Emigres, one can see the great hand dipping into that storehouse and + sprinkling the nations with the same splendid seed. France has not founded + other countries, like her great rival, but she has made every other + country the richer by the mixture with her choicest and best. The Rouxs, + Du Toits, Jouberts, Du Plessis, Villiers, and a score of other French + names are among the most familiar in South Africa. + </p> + <p> + For a hundred more years the history of the colony was a record of the + gradual spreading of the Afrikaners over the huge expanse of veld which + lay to the north of them. Cattle raising became an industry, but in a + country where six acres can hardly support a sheep, large farms are + necessary for even small herds. Six thousand acres was the usual size, and + five pounds a year the rent payable to Government. The diseases which + follow the white man had in Africa, as in America and Australia, been + fatal to the natives, and an epidemic of smallpox cleared the country for + the newcomers. Further and further north they pushed, founding little + towns here and there, such as Graaf-Reinet and Swellendam, where a Dutch + Reformed Church and a store for the sale of the bare necessaries of life + formed a nucleus for a few scattered dwellings. Already the settlers were + showing that independence of control and that detachment from Europe which + has been their most prominent characteristic. Even the sway of the Dutch + Company (an older but weaker brother of John Company in India) had caused + them to revolt. The local rising, however, was hardly noticed in the + universal cataclysm which followed the French Revolution. After twenty + years, during which the world was shaken by the Titanic struggle between + England and France in the final counting up of the game and paying of the + stakes, the Cape Colony was added in 1814 to the British Empire. + </p> + <p> + In all our vast collection of States there is probably not one the + title-deeds to which are more incontestable than to this one. We had it by + two rights, the right of conquest and the right of purchase. In 1806 our + troops landed, defeated the local forces, and took possession of Cape + Town. In 1814 we paid the large sum of six million pounds to the + Stadholder for the transference of this and some South American land. It + was a bargain which was probably made rapidly and carelessly in that + general redistribution which was going on. As a house of call upon the way + to India the place was seen to be of value, but the country itself was + looked upon as unprofitable and desert. What would Castlereagh or + Liverpool have thought could they have seen the items which we were buying + for our six million pounds? The inventory would have been a mixed one of + good and of evil; nine fierce Kaffir wars, the greatest diamond mines in + the world, the wealthiest gold mines, two costly and humiliating campaigns + with men whom we respected even when we fought with them, and now at last, + we hope, a South Africa of peace and prosperity, with equal rights and + equal duties for all men. The future should hold something very good for + us in that land, for if we merely count the past we should be compelled to + say that we should have been stronger, richer, and higher in the world's + esteem had our possessions there never passed beyond the range of the guns + of our men-of-war. But surely the most arduous is the most honourable, + and, looking back from the end of their journey, our descendants may see + that our long record of struggle, with its mixture of disaster and + success, its outpouring of blood and of treasure, has always tended to + some great and enduring goal. + </p> + <p> + The title-deeds to the estate are, as I have said, good ones, but there is + one singular and ominous flaw in their provisions. The ocean has marked + three boundaries to it, but the fourth is undefined. There is no word of + the 'Hinterland;' for neither the term nor the idea had then been thought + of. Had Great Britain bought those vast regions which extended beyond the + settlements? Or were the discontented Dutch at liberty to pass onwards and + found fresh nations to bar the path of the Anglo-Celtic colonists? In that + question lay the germ of all the trouble to come. An American would + realise the point at issue if he could conceive that after the founding of + the United States the Dutch inhabitants of the State of New York had + trekked to the westward and established fresh communities under a new + flag. Then, when the American population overtook these western States, + they would be face to face with the problem which this country has had to + solve. If they found these new States fiercely anti-American and extremely + unprogressive, they would experience that aggravation of their + difficulties with which our statesmen have had to deal. + </p> + <p> + At the time of their transference to the British flag the colonists—Dutch, + French, and German—numbered some thirty thousand. They were + slaveholders, and the slaves were about as numerous as themselves. The + prospect of complete amalgamation between the British and the original + settlers would have seemed to be a good one, since they were of much the + same stock, and their creeds could only be distinguished by their varying + degrees of bigotry and intolerance. Five thousand British emigrants were + landed in 1820, settling on the Eastern borders of the colony, and from + that time onwards there was a slow but steady influx of English speaking + colonists. The Government had the historical faults and the historical + virtues of British rule. It was mild, clean, honest, tactless, and + inconsistent. On the whole, it might have done very well had it been + content to leave things as it found them. But to change the habits of the + most conservative of Teutonic races was a dangerous venture, and one which + has led to a long series of complications, making up the troubled history + of South Africa. The Imperial Government has always taken an honourable + and philanthropic view of the rights of the native and the claim which he + has to the protection of the law. We hold and rightly, that British + justice, if not blind, should at least be colour-blind. The view is + irreproachable in theory and incontestable in argument, but it is apt to + be irritating when urged by a Boston moralist or a London philanthropist + upon men whose whole society has been built upon the assumption that the + black is the inferior race. Such a people like to find the higher morality + for themselves, not to have it imposed upon them by those who live under + entirely different conditions. They feel—and with some reason—that + it is a cheap form of virtue which, from the serenity of a well-ordered + household in Beacon Street or Belgrave Square, prescribes what the + relation shall be between a white employer and his half-savage, + half-childish retainers. Both branches of the Anglo-Celtic race have + grappled with the question, and in each it has led to trouble. + </p> + <p> + The British Government in South Africa has always played the unpopular + part of the friend and protector of the native servants. It was upon this + very point that the first friction appeared between the old settlers and + the new administration. A rising with bloodshed followed the arrest of a + Dutch farmer who had maltreated his slave. It was suppressed, and five of + the participants were hanged. This punishment was unduly severe and + exceedingly injudicious. A brave race can forget the victims of the field + of battle, but never those of the scaffold. The making of political + martyrs is the last insanity of statesmanship. It is true that both the + man who arrested and the judge who condemned the prisoners were Dutch, and + that the British Governor interfered on the side of mercy; but all this + was forgotten afterwards in the desire to make racial capital out of the + incident. It is typical of the enduring resentment which was left behind + that when, after the Jameson raid, it seemed that the leaders of that + ill-fated venture might be hanged, the beam was actually brought from a + farmhouse at Cookhouse Drift to Pretoria, that the Englishmen might die as + the Dutchmen had died in 1816. Slagter's Nek marked the dividing of the + ways between the British Government and the Afrikaners. + </p> + <p> + And the separation soon became more marked. There were injudicious + tamperings with the local government and the local ways, with a + substitution of English for Dutch in the law courts. With vicarious + generosity, the English Government gave very lenient terms to the Kaffir + tribes who in 1834 had raided the border farmers. And then, finally, in + this same year there came the emancipation of the slaves throughout the + British Empire, which fanned all smouldering discontents into an active + flame. + </p> + <p> + It must be confessed that on this occasion the British philanthropist was + willing to pay for what he thought was right. It was a noble national + action, and one the morality of which was in advance of its time, that the + British Parliament should vote the enormous sum of twenty million pounds + to pay compensation to the slaveholders, and so to remove an evil with + which the mother country had no immediate connection. It was as well that + the thing should have been done when it was, for had we waited till the + colonies affected had governments of their own it could never have been + done by constitutional methods. With many a grumble the good British + householder drew his purse from his fob, and he paid for what he thought + to be right. If any special grace attends the virtuous action which brings + nothing but tribulation in this world, then we may hope for it over this + emancipation. We spent our money, we ruined our West Indian colonies, and + we started a disaffection in South Africa, the end of which we have not + seen. Yet if it were to be done again we should doubtless do it. The + highest morality may prove also to be the highest wisdom when the + half-told story comes to be finished. + </p> + <p> + But the details of the measure were less honourable than the principle. It + was carried out suddenly, so that the country had no time to adjust itself + to the new conditions. Three million pounds were ear-marked for South + Africa, which gives a price per slave of from sixty to seventy pounds, a + sum considerably below the current local rates. Finally, the compensation + was made payable in London, so that the farmers sold their claims at + reduced prices to middlemen. Indignation meetings were held in every + little townlet and cattle camp on the Karoo. The old Dutch spirit was up—the + spirit of the men who cut the dykes. Rebellion was useless. But a vast + untenanted land stretched to the north of them. The nomad life was + congenial to them, and in their huge ox-drawn wagons—like those + bullock-carts in which some of their old kinsmen came to Gaul—they + had vehicles and homes and forts all in one. One by one they were loaded + up, the huge teams were inspanned, the women were seated inside, the men, + with their long-barrelled guns, walked alongside, and the great exodus was + begun. Their herds and flocks accompanied the migration, and the children + helped to round them in and drive them. One tattered little boy of ten + cracked his sjambok whip behind the bullocks. He was a small item in that + singular crowd, but he was of interest to us, for his name was Paul + Stephanus Kruger. + </p> + <p> + It was a strange exodus, only comparable in modern times to the sallying + forth of the Mormons from Nauvoo upon their search for the promised land + of Utah. The country was known and sparsely settled as far north as the + Orange River, but beyond there was a great region which had never been + penetrated save by some daring hunter or adventurous pioneer. It chanced—if + there be indeed such an element as chance in the graver affairs of man—that + a Zulu conqueror had swept over this land and left it untenanted, save by + the dwarf bushmen, the hideous aborigines, lowest of the human race. There + were fine grazing and good soil for the emigrants. They traveled in small + detached parties, but their total numbers were considerable, from six to + ten thousand according to their historian, or nearly a quarter of the + whole population of the colony. Some of the early bands perished + miserably. A large number made a trysting-place at a high peak to the east + of Bloemfontein in what was lately the Orange Free State. One party of the + emigrants was cut off by the formidable Matabeli, a branch of the great + Zulu nation. The survivors declared war upon them, and showed in this, + their first campaign, the extraordinary ingenuity in adapting their + tactics to their adversary which has been their greatest military + characteristic. The commando which rode out to do battle with the Matabeli + numbered, it is said, a hundred and thirty-five farmers. Their adversaries + were twelve thousand spearmen. They met at the Marico River, near + Mafeking. The Boers combined the use of their horses and of their rifles + so cleverly that they slaughtered a third of their antagonists without any + loss to themselves. Their tactics were to gallop up within range of the + enemy, to fire a volley, and then to ride away again before the spearmen + could reach them. When the savages pursued the Boers fled. When the + pursuit halted the Boers halted and the rifle fire began anew. The + strategy was simple but most effective. When one remembers how often since + then our own horsemen have been pitted against savages in all parts of the + world, one deplores that ignorance of all military traditions save our own + which is characteristic of our service. + </p> + <p> + This victory of the 'voortrekkers' cleared all the country between the + Orange River and the Limpopo, the sites of what has been known as the + Transvaal and the Orange Free State. In the meantime another body of the + emigrants had descended into what is now known as Natal, and had defeated + Dingaan, the great Chief of the Zulus. Being unable, owing to the presence + of their families, to employ the cavalry tactics which had been so + effective against the Matabeli, they again used their ingenuity to meet + this new situation, and received the Zulu warriors in a square of laagered + wagons, the men firing while the women loaded. Six burghers were killed + and three thousand Zulus. Had such a formation been used forty years + afterwards against these very Zulus, we should not have had to mourn the + disaster of Isandhlwana. + </p> + <p> + And now at the end of their great journey, after overcoming the + difficulties of distance, of nature, and of savage enemies, the Boers saw + at the end of their travels the very thing which they desired least—that + which they had come so far to avoid—the flag of Great Britain. The + Boers had occupied Natal from within, but England had previously done the + same by sea, and a small colony of Englishmen had settled at Port Natal, + now known as Durban. The home Government, however, had acted in a + vacillating way, and it was only the conquest of Natal by the Boers which + caused them to claim it as a British colony. At the same time they + asserted the unwelcome doctrine that a British subject could not at will + throw off his allegiance, and that, go where they might, the wandering + farmers were still only the pioneers of British colonies. To emphasise the + fact three companies of soldiers were sent in 1842 to what is now Durban—the + usual Corporal's guard with which Great Britain starts a new empire. This + handful of men was waylaid by the Boers and cut up, as their successors + have been so often since. The survivors, however, fortified themselves, + and held a defensive position—as also their successors have done so + many times since—until reinforcements arrived and the farmers + dispersed. It is singular how in history the same factors will always give + the same result. Here in this first skirmish is an epitome of all our + military relations with these people. The blundering headstrong attack, + the defeat, the powerlessness of the farmer against the weakest + fortifications—it is the same tale over and over again in different + scales of importance. Natal from this time onward became a British colony, + and the majority of the Boers trekked north and east with bitter hearts to + tell their wrongs to their brethren of the Orange Free State and of the + Transvaal. + </p> + <p> + Had they any wrongs to tell? It is difficult to reach that height of + philosophic detachment which enables the historian to deal absolutely + impartially where his own country is a party to the quarrel. But at least + we may allow that there is a case for our adversary. Our annexation of + Natal had been by no means definite, and it was they and not we who first + broke that bloodthirsty Zulu power which threw its shadow across the + country. It was hard after such trials and such exploits to turn their + back upon the fertile land which they had conquered, and to return to the + bare pastures of the upland veld. They carried out of Natal a heavy sense + of injury, which has helped to poison our relations with them ever since. + It was, in a way, a momentous episode, this little skirmish of soldiers + and emigrants, for it was the heading off of the Boer from the sea and the + confinement of his ambition to the land. Had it gone the other way, a new + and possibly formidable flag would have been added to the maritime + nations. + </p> + <p> + The emigrants who had settled in the huge tract of country between the + Orange River in the south and the Limpopo in the north had been recruited + by newcomers from the Cape Colony until they numbered some fifteen + thousand souls. This population was scattered over a space as large as + Germany, and larger than Pennsylvania, New York, and New England. Their + form of government was individualistic and democratic to the last degree + compatible with any sort of cohesion. Their wars with the Kaffirs and + their fear and dislike of the British Government appear to have been the + only ties which held them together. They divided and subdivided within + their own borders, like a germinating egg. The Transvaal was full of lusty + little high-mettled communities, who quarreled among themselves as + fiercely as they had done with the authorities at the Cape. Lydenburg, + Zoutpansberg, and Potchefstroom were on the point of turning their rifles + against each other. In the south, between the Orange River and the Vaal, + there was no form of government at all, but a welter of Dutch farmers, + Basutos, Hottentots, and halfbreeds living in a chronic state of + turbulence, recognising neither the British authority to the south of them + nor the Transvaal republics to the north. The chaos became at last + unendurable, and in 1848 a garrison was placed in Bloemfontein and the + district incorporated in the British Empire. The emigrants made a futile + resistance at Boomplaats, and after a single defeat allowed themselves to + be drawn into the settled order of civilised rule. + </p> + <p> + At this period the Transvaal, where most of the Boers had settled, desired + a formal acknowledgment of their independence, which the British + authorities determined once and for all to give them. The great barren + country, which produced little save marksmen, had no attractions for a + Colonial Office which was bent upon the limitation of its liabilities. A + Convention was concluded between the two parties, known as the Sand River + Convention, which is one of the fixed points in South African history. By + it the British Government guaranteed to the Boer farmers the right to + manage their own affairs, and to govern themselves by their own laws + without any interference upon the part of the British. It stipulated that + there should be no slavery, and with that single reservation washed its + hands finally, as it imagined, of the whole question. So the South African + Republic came formally into existence. + </p> + <p> + In the very year after the Sand River Convention a second republic, the + Orange Free State, was created by the deliberate withdrawal of Great + Britain from the territory which she had for eight years occupied. The + Eastern Question was already becoming acute, and the cloud of a great war + was drifting up, visible to all men. British statesmen felt that their + commitments were very heavy in every part of the world, and the South + African annexations had always been a doubtful value and an undoubted + trouble. Against the will of a large part of the inhabitants, whether a + majority or not it is impossible to say, we withdrew our troops as + amicably as the Romans withdrew from Britain, and the new republic was + left with absolute and unfettered independence. On a petition being + presented against the withdrawal, the Home Government actually voted + forty-eight thousand pounds to compensate those who had suffered from the + change. Whatever historical grievance the Transvaal may have against Great + Britain, we can at least, save perhaps in one matter, claim to have a very + clear conscience concerning our dealings with the Orange Free State. Thus + in 1852 and in 1854 were born those sturdy States who were able for a time + to hold at bay the united forces of the empire. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime Cape Colony, in spite of these secessions, had prospered + exceedingly, and her population—English, German, and Dutch—had + grown by 1870 to over two hundred thousand souls, the Dutch still slightly + predominating. According to the Liberal colonial policy of Great Britain, + the time had come to cut the cord and let the young nation conduct its own + affairs. In 1872 complete self-government was given to it, the Governor, + as the representative of the Queen, retaining a nominal unexercised veto + upon legislation. According to this system the Dutch majority of the + colony could, and did, put their own representatives into power and run + the government upon Dutch lines. Already Dutch law had been restored, and + Dutch put on the same footing as English as the official language of the + country. The extreme liberality of such measures, and the uncompromising + way in which they have been carried out, however distasteful the + legislation might seem to English ideas, are among the chief reasons which + made the illiberal treatment of British settlers in the Transvaal so + keenly resented at the Cape. A Dutch Government was ruling the British in + a British colony, at a moment when the Boers would not give an Englishman + a vote upon a municipal council in a city which he had built himself. + Unfortunately, however, 'the evil that men do lives after them,' and the + ignorant Boer farmer continued to imagine that his southern relatives were + in bondage, just as the descendant of the Irish emigrant still pictures an + Ireland of penal laws and an alien Church. + </p> + <p> + For twenty-five years after the Sand River Convention the burghers of the + South African Republic had pursued a strenuous and violent existence, + fighting incessantly with the natives and sometimes with each other, with + an occasional fling at the little Dutch republic to the south. The + semi-tropical sun was waking strange ferments in the placid Friesland + blood, and producing a race who added the turbulence and restlessness of + the south to the formidable tenacity of the north. Strong vitality and + violent ambitions produced feuds and rivalries worthy of medieval Italy, + and the story of the factious little communities is like a chapter out of + Guicciardini. Disorganisation ensued. The burghers would not pay taxes and + the treasury was empty. One fierce Kaffir tribe threatened them from the + north, and the Zulus on the east. It is an exaggeration of English + partisans to pretend that our intervention saved the Boers, for no one can + read their military history without seeing that they were a match for + Zulus and Sekukuni combined. But certainly a formidable invasion was + pending, and the scattered farmhouses were as open to the Kaffirs as our + farmers' homesteads were in the American colonies when the Indians were on + the warpath. Sir Theophilus Shepstone, the British Commissioner, after an + inquiry of three months, solved all questions by the formal annexation of + the country. The fact that he took possession of it with a force of some + twenty-five men showed the honesty of his belief that no armed resistance + was to be feared. This, then, in 1877 was a complete reversal of the Sand + River Convention and the opening of a new chapter in the history of South + Africa. + </p> + <p> + There did not appear to be any strong feeling at the time against the + annexation. The people were depressed with their troubles and weary of + contention. Burgers, the President, put in a formal protest, and took up + his abode in Cape Colony, where he had a pension from the British + Government. A memorial against the measure received the signatures of a + majority of the Boer inhabitants, but there was a fair minority who took + the other view. Kruger himself accepted a paid office under Government. + There was every sign that the people, if judiciously handled, would settle + down under the British flag. It is even asserted that they would + themselves have petitioned for annexation had it been longer withheld. + With immediate constitutional government it is possible that even the most + recalcitrant of them might have been induced to lodge their protests in + the ballot boxes rather than in the bodies of our soldiers. + </p> + <p> + But the empire has always had poor luck in South Africa, and never worse + than on that occasion. Through no bad faith, but simply through + preoccupation and delay, the promises made were not instantly fulfilled. + Simple primitive men do not understand the ways of our circumlocution + offices, and they ascribe to duplicity what is really red tape and + stupidity. If the Transvaalers had waited they would have had their + Volksraad and all that they wanted. But the British Government had some + other local matters to set right, the rooting out of Sekukuni and the + breaking of the Zulus, before they would fulfill their pledges. The delay + was keenly resented. And we were unfortunate in our choice of Governor. + The burghers are a homely folk, and they like an occasional cup of coffee + with the anxious man who tries to rule them. The three hundred pounds a + year of coffee money allowed by the Transvaal to its President is by no + means a mere form. A wise administrator would fall into the sociable and + democratic habits of the people. Sir Theophilus Shepstone did so. Sir Owen + Lanyon did not. There was no Volksraad and no coffee, and the popular + discontent grew rapidly. In three years the British had broken up the two + savage hordes which had been threatening the land. The finances, too, had + been restored. The reasons which had made so many favour the annexation + were weakened by the very power which had every interest in preserving + them. + </p> + <p> + It cannot be too often pointed out that in this annexation, the + starting-point of our troubles, Great Britain, however mistaken she may + have been, had no obvious selfish interest in view. There were no Rand + mines in those days, nor was there anything in the country to tempt the + most covetous. An empty treasury and two native wars were the reversion + which we took over. It was honestly considered that the country was in too + distracted a state to govern itself, and had, by its weakness, become a + scandal and a danger to its neighbours. There was nothing sordid in our + action, though it may have been both injudicious and high-handed. + </p> + <p> + In December 1880 the Boers rose. Every farmhouse sent out its riflemen, + and the trysting-place was the outside of the nearest British fort. All + through the country small detachments were surrounded and besieged by the + farmers. Standerton, Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Lydenburg, Wakkerstroom, + Rustenberg, and Marabastad were all invested and all held out until the + end of the war. In the open country we were less fortunate. At Bronkhorst + Spruit a small British force was taken by surprise and shot down without + harm to their antagonists. The surgeon who treated them has left it on + record that the average number of wounds was five per man. At Laing's Nek + an inferior force of British endeavoured to rush a hill which was held by + Boer riflemen. Half of our men were killed and wounded. Ingogo may be + called a drawn battle, though our loss was more heavy than that of the + enemy. Finally came the defeat of Majuba Hill, where four hundred infantry + upon a mountain were defeated and driven off by a swarm of sharpshooters + who advanced under the cover of boulders. Of all these actions there was + not one which was more than a skirmish, and had they been followed by a + final British victory they would now be hardly remembered. It is the fact + that they were skirmishes which succeeded in their object which has given + them an importance which is exaggerated. At the same time they may mark + the beginning of a new military era, for they drove home the fact—only + too badly learned by us—that it is the rifle and not the drill which + makes the soldier. It is bewildering that after such an experience the + British military authorities continued to serve out only three hundred + cartridges a year for rifle practice, and that they still encouraged that + mechanical volley firing which destroys all individual aim. With the + experience of the first Boer war behind them, little was done, either in + tactics or in musketry, to prepare the soldier for the second. The value + of the mounted rifleman, the shooting with accuracy at unknown ranges, the + art of taking cover—all were equally neglected. + </p> + <p> + The defeat at Majuba Hill was followed by the complete surrender of the + Gladstonian Government, an act which was either the most pusillanimous or + the most magnanimous in recent history. It is hard for the big man to draw + away from the small before blows are struck but when the big man has been + knocked down three times it is harder still. An overwhelming British force + was in the field, and the General declared that he held the enemy in the + hollow of his hand. Our military calculations have been falsified before + now by these farmers, and it may be that the task of Wood and Roberts + would have been harder than they imagined; but on paper, at least, it + looked as if the enemy could be crushed without difficulty. So the public + thought, and yet they consented to the upraised sword being stayed. With + them, as apart from the politicians, the motive was undoubtedly a moral + and Christian one. They considered that the annexation of the Transvaal + had evidently been an injustice, that the farmers had a right to the + freedom for which they fought, and that it was an unworthy thing for a + great nation to continue an unjust war for the sake of a military revenge. + It was the height of idealism, and the result has not been such as to + encourage its repetition. + </p> + <p> + An armistice was concluded on March 5th, 1881, which led up to a peace on + the 23rd of the same month. The Government, after yielding to force what + it had repeatedly refused to friendly representations, made a clumsy + compromise in their settlement. A policy of idealism and Christian + morality should have been thorough if it were to be tried at all. It was + obvious that if the annexation were unjust, then the Transvaal should have + reverted to the condition in which it was before the annexation, as + defined by the Sand River Convention. But the Government for some reason + would not go so far as this. They niggled and quibbled and bargained until + the State was left as a curious hybrid thing such as the world has never + seen. It was a republic which was part of the system of a monarchy, dealt + with by the Colonial Office, and included under the heading of 'Colonies' + in the news columns of the 'Times.' It was autonomous, and yet subject to + some vague suzerainty, the limits of which no one has ever been able to + define. Altogether, in its provisions and in its omissions, the Convention + of Pretoria appears to prove that our political affairs were as badly + conducted as our military in this unfortunate year of 1881. + </p> + <p> + It was evident from the first that so illogical and contentious an + agreement could not possibly prove to be a final settlement, and indeed + the ink of the signatures was hardly dry before an agitation was on foot + for its revision. The Boers considered, and with justice, that if they + were to be left as undisputed victors in the war then they should have the + full fruits of victory. On the other hand, the English-speaking colonies + had their allegiance tested to the uttermost. The proud Anglo-Celtic stock + is not accustomed to be humbled, and yet they found themselves through the + action of the home Government converted into members of a beaten race. It + was very well for the citizen of London to console his wounded pride by + the thought that he had done a magnanimous action, but it was different + with the British colonist of Durban or Cape Town, who by no act of his + own, and without any voice in the settlement, found himself humiliated + before his Dutch neighbour. An ugly feeling of resentment was left behind, + which might perhaps have passed away had the Transvaal accepted the + settlement in the spirit in which it was meant, but which grew more and + more dangerous as during eighteen years our people saw, or thought that + they saw, that one concession led always to a fresh demand, and that the + Dutch republics aimed not merely at equality, but at dominance in South + Africa. Professor Bryce, a friendly critic, after a personal examination + of the country and the question, has left it upon record that the Boers + saw neither generosity nor humanity in our conduct, but only fear. An + outspoken race, they conveyed their feelings to their neighbours. Can it + be wondered at that South Africa has been in a ferment ever since, and + that the British Africander has yearned with an intensity of feeling + unknown in England for the hour of revenge? + </p> + <p> + The Government of the Transvaal after the war was left in the hands of a + triumvirate, but after one year Kruger became President, an office which + he continued to hold for eighteen years. His career as ruler vindicates + the wisdom of that wise but unwritten provision of the American + Constitution by which there is a limit to the tenure of this office. + Continued rule for half a generation must turn a man into an autocrat. The + old President has said himself, in his homely but shrewd way, that when + one gets a good ox to lead the team it is a pity to change him. If a good + ox, however, is left to choose his own direction without guidance, he may + draw his wagon into trouble. + </p> + <p> + During three years the little State showed signs of a tumultuous activity. + Considering that it was as large as France and that the population could + not have been more than 50,000, one would have thought that they might + have found room without any inconvenient crowding. But the burghers passed + beyond their borders in every direction. The President cried aloud that he + had been shut up in a kraal, and he proceeded to find ways out of it. A + great trek was projected for the north, but fortunately it miscarried. To + the east they raided Zululand, and succeeded, in defiance of the British + settlement of that country, in tearing away one third of it and adding it + to the Transvaal. To the west, with no regard to the three-year-old + treaty, they invaded Bechuanaland, and set up the two new republics of + Goshen and Stellaland. So outrageous were these proceedings that Great + Britain was forced to fit out in 1884 a new expedition under Sir Charles + Warren for the purpose of turning these freebooters out of the country. It + may be asked, why should these men be called freebooters if the founders + of Rhodesia were pioneers? The answer is that the Transvaal was limited by + treaty to certain boundaries which these men transgressed, while no + pledges were broken when the British power expanded to the north. The + upshot of these trespasses was the scene upon which every drama of South + Africa rings down. Once more the purse was drawn from the pocket of the + unhappy taxpayer, and a million or so was paid out to defray the expenses + of the police force necessary to keep these treaty-breakers in order. Let + this be borne in mind when we assess the moral and material damage done to + the Transvaal by that ill-conceived and foolish enterprise, the Jameson + Raid. + </p> + <p> + In 1884 a deputation from the Transvaal visited England, and at their + solicitation the clumsy Treaty of Pretoria was altered into the still more + clumsy Convention of London. The changes in the provisions were all in + favour of the Boers, and a second successful war could hardly have given + them more than Lord Derby handed them in time of peace. Their style was + altered from the Transvaal to the South African Republic, a change which + was ominously suggestive of expansion in the future. The control of Great + Britain over their foreign policy was also relaxed, though a power of veto + was retained. But the most important thing of all, and the fruitful cause + of future trouble, lay in an omission. A suzerainty is a vague term, but + in politics, as in theology, the more nebulous a thing is the more does it + excite the imagination and the passions of men. This suzerainty was + declared in the preamble of the first treaty, and no mention of it was + made in the second. Was it thereby abrogated or was it not? The British + contention was that only the articles were changed, and that the preamble + continued to hold good for both treaties. They pointed out that not only + the suzerainty, but also the independence, of the Transvaal was proclaimed + in that preamble, and that if one lapsed the other must do so also. On the + other hand, the Boers pointed to the fact that there was actually a + preamble to the second Convention, which would seem, therefore, to have + taken the place of the first. The point is so technical that it appears to + be eminently one of those questions which might with propriety have been + submitted to the decision of a board of foreign jurists—or possibly + to the Supreme Court of the United States. If the decision had been given + against Great Britain, we might have accepted it in a chastened spirit as + a fitting punishment for the carelessness of the representative who failed + to make our meaning intelligible. Carlyle has said that a political + mistake always ends in a broken head for somebody. Unfortunately the + somebody is usually somebody else. We have read the story of the political + mistakes. Only too soon we shall come to the broken heads. + </p> + <p> + This, then, is a synopsis of what had occurred up to the signing of the + Convention, which finally established, or failed to establish, the + position of the South African Republic. We must now leave the larger + questions, and descend to the internal affairs of that small State, and + especially to that train of events which has stirred the mind of our + people more than anything since the Indian Mutiny. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 2. THE CAUSE OF QUARREL. + </h2> + <p> + There might almost seem to be some subtle connection between the + barrenness and worthlessness of a surface and the value of the minerals + which lie beneath it. The craggy mountains of Western America, the arid + plains of West Australia, the ice-bound gorges of the Klondyke, and the + bare slopes of the Witwatersrand veld—these are the lids which cover + the great treasure chests of the world. + </p> + <p> + Gold had been known to exist in the Transvaal before, but it was only in + 1886 that it was realised that the deposits which lie some thirty miles + south of the capital are of a very extraordinary and valuable nature. The + proportion of gold in the quartz is not particularly high, nor are the + veins of a remarkable thickness, but the peculiarity of the Rand mines + lies in the fact that throughout this 'banket' formation the metal is so + uniformly distributed that the enterprise can claim a certainty which is + not usually associated with the industry. It is quarrying rather than + mining. Add to this that the reefs which were originally worked as + outcrops have now been traced to enormous depths, and present the same + features as those at the surface. A conservative estimate of the value of + the gold has placed it at seven hundred millions of pounds. + </p> + <p> + Such a discovery produced the inevitable effect. A great number of + adventurers flocked into the country, some desirable and some very much + the reverse. There were circumstances, however, which kept away the rowdy + and desperado element who usually make for a newly opened goldfield. It + was not a class of mining which encouraged the individual adventurer. + There were none of those nuggets which gleamed through the mud of the + dollies at Ballarat, or recompensed the forty-niners in California for all + their travels and their toils. It was a field for elaborate machinery, + which could only be provided by capital. Managers, engineers, miners, + technical experts, and the tradesmen and middlemen who live upon them, + these were the Uitlanders, drawn from all the races under the sun, but + with the Anglo-Celtic vastly predominant. The best engineers were + American, the best miners were Cornish, the best managers were English, + the money to run the mines was largely subscribed in England. As time went + on, however, the German and French interests became more extensive, until + their joint holdings are now probably as heavy as those of the British. + Soon the population of the mining centres became greater than that of the + whole Boer community, and consisted mainly of men in the prime of life—men, + too, of exceptional intelligence and energy. + </p> + <p> + The situation was an extraordinary one. I have already attempted to bring + the problem home to an American by suggesting that the Dutch of New York + had trekked west and founded an anti-American and highly unprogressive + State. To carry out the analogy we will now suppose that that State was + California, that the gold of that State attracted a large inrush of + American citizens, who came to outnumber the original inhabitants, that + these citizens were heavily taxed and badly used, and that they deafened + Washington with their outcry about their injuries. That would be a fair + parallel to the relations between the Transvaal, the Uitlanders, and the + British Government. + </p> + <p> + That these Uitlanders had very real and pressing grievances no one could + possibly deny. To recount them all would be a formidable task, for their + whole lives were darkened by injustice. There was not a wrong which had + driven the Boer from Cape Colony which he did not now practise himself + upon others—and a wrong may be excusable in 1885 which is monstrous + in 1895. The primitive virtue which had characterised the farmers broke + down in the face of temptation. The country Boers were little affected, + some of them not at all, but the Pretoria Government became a most corrupt + oligarchy, venal and incompetent to the last degree. Officials and + imported Hollanders handled the stream of gold which came in from the + mines, while the unfortunate Uitlander who paid nine-tenths of the + taxation was fleeced at every turn, and met with laughter and taunts when + he endeavoured to win the franchise by which he might peaceably set right + the wrongs from which he suffered. He was not an unreasonable person. On + the contrary, he was patient to the verge of meekness, as capital is + likely to be when it is surrounded by rifles. But his situation was + intolerable, and after successive attempts at peaceful agitation, and + numerous humble petitions to the Volksraad, he began at last to realise + that he would never obtain redress unless he could find some way of + winning it for himself. + </p> + <p> + Without attempting to enumerate all the wrongs which embittered the + Uitlanders, the more serious of them may be summed up in this way. + </p> + <p> + 1. That they were heavily taxed and provided about seven-eighths of the + revenue of the country. The revenue of the South African Republic—which + had been 154,000 pounds in 1886, when the gold fields were opened—had + grown in 1899 to four million pounds, and the country through the industry + of the newcomers had changed from one of the poorest to the richest in the + whole world (per head of population). + </p> + <p> + 2. That in spite of this prosperity which they had brought, they, the + majority of the inhabitants of the country, were left without a vote, and + could by no means influence the disposal of the great sums which they were + providing. Such a case of taxation without representation has never been + known. + </p> + <p> + 3. That they had no voice in the choice or payment of officials. Men of + the worst private character might be placed with complete authority over + valuable interests. Upon one occasion the Minister of Mines attempted + himself to jump a mine, having officially learned some flaw in its title. + The total official salaries had risen in 1899 to a sum sufficient to pay + 40 pounds per head to the entire male Boer population. + </p> + <p> + 4. That they had no control over education. Mr. John Robinson, the + Director General of the Johannesburg Educational Council, has reckoned the + sum spent on Uitlander schools as 650 pounds out of 63,000 pounds allotted + for education, making one shilling and tenpence per head per annum on + Uitlander children, and eight pounds six shillings per head on Boer + children—the Uitlander, as always, paying seven-eighths of the + original sum. + </p> + <p> + 5. No power of municipal government. Watercarts instead of pipes, filthy + buckets instead of drains, a corrupt and violent police, a high death-rate + in what should be a health resort—all this in a city which they had + built themselves. + </p> + <p> + 6. Despotic government in the matter of the press and of the right of + public meeting. + </p> + <p> + 7. Disability from service upon a jury. + </p> + <p> + 8. Continual harassing of the mining interest by vexatious legislation. + Under this head came many grievances, some special to the mines and some + affecting all Uitlanders. The dynamite monopoly, by which the miners had + to pay 600,000 pounds extra per annum in order to get a worse quality of + dynamite; the liquor laws, by which one-third of the Kaffirs were allowed + to be habitually drunk; the incompetence and extortions of the State-owned + railway; the granting of concessions for numerous articles of ordinary + consumption to individuals, by which high prices were maintained; the + surrounding of Johannesburg by tolls from which the town had no profit—these + were among the economical grievances, some large, some petty, which + ramified through every transaction of life. + </p> + <p> + And outside and beyond all these definite wrongs imagine to a free born + progressive man, an American or a Briton, the constant irritation of being + absolutely ruled by a body of twenty-five men, twenty-one of whom had in + the case of the Selati Railway Company been publicly and circumstantially + accused of bribery, with full details of the bribes received, while to + their corruption they added such crass ignorance that they argue in the + published reports of the Volksraad debates that using dynamite bombs to + bring down rain was firing at God, that it is impious to destroy locusts, + that the word 'participate' should not be used because it is not in the + Bible, and that postal pillar boxes are extravagant and effeminate. Such + obiter dicta may be amusing at a distance, but they are less entertaining + when they come from an autocrat who has complete power over the conditions + of your life. + </p> + <p> + From the fact that they were a community extremely preoccupied by their + own business, it followed that the Uitlanders were not ardent politicians, + and that they desired to have a share in the government of the State for + the purpose of making the conditions of their own industry and of their + own daily lives more endurable. How far there was need of such an + interference may be judged by any fair-minded man who reads the list of + their complaints. A superficial view may recognise the Boers as the + champions of liberty, but a deeper insight must see that they (as + represented by their elected rulers) have in truth stood for all that + history has shown to be odious in the form of exclusiveness and + oppression. Their conception of liberty has been a selfish one, and they + have consistently inflicted upon others far heavier wrongs than those + against which they had themselves rebelled. + </p> + <p> + As the mines increased in importance and the miners in numbers, it was + found that these political disabilities affected some of that cosmopolitan + crowd far more than others, in proportion to the amount of freedom to + which their home institutions had made them accustomed. The continental + Uitlanders were more patient of that which was unendurable to the American + and the Briton. The Americans, however, were in so great a minority that + it was upon the British that the brunt of the struggle for freedom fell. + Apart from the fact that the British were more numerous than all the other + Uitlanders combined, there were special reasons why they should feel their + humiliating position more than the members of any other race. In the first + place, many of the British were British South Africans, who knew that in + the neighbouring countries which gave them birth the most liberal possible + institutions had been given to the kinsmen of these very Boers who were + refusing them the management of their own drains and water supply. And + again, every Briton knew that Great Britain claimed to be the paramount + power in South Africa, and so he felt as if his own land, to which he + might have looked for protection, was conniving at and acquiescing in his + ill treatment. As citizens of the paramount power, it was peculiarly + galling that they should be held in political subjection. The British, + therefore, were the most persistent and energetic of the agitators. + </p> + <p> + But it is a poor cause which cannot bear to fairly state and honestly + consider the case of its opponents. The Boers had made, as has been + briefly shown, great efforts to establish a country of their own. They had + travelled far, worked hard, and fought bravely. After all their efforts + they were fated to see an influx of strangers into their country, some of + them men of questionable character, who outnumbered the original + inhabitants. If the franchise were granted to these, there could be no + doubt that though at first the Boers might control a majority of the + votes, it was only a question of time before the newcomers would dominate + the Raad and elect their own President, who might adopt a policy abhorrent + to the original owners of the land. Were the Boers to lose by the + ballot-box the victory which they had won by their rifles? Was it fair to + expect it? These newcomers came for gold. They got their gold. Their + companies paid a hundred per cent. Was not that enough to satisfy them? If + they did not like the country why did they not leave it? No one compelled + them to stay there. But if they stayed, let them be thankful that they + were tolerated at all, and not presume to interfere with the laws of those + by whose courtesy they were allowed to enter the country. + </p> + <p> + That is a fair statement of the Boer position, and at first sight an + impartial man might say that there was a good deal to say for it; but a + closer examination would show that, though it might be tenable in theory, + it is unjust and impossible in practice. + </p> + <p> + In the present crowded state of the world a policy of Thibet may be + carried out in some obscure corner, but it cannot be done in a great tract + of country which lies right across the main line of industrial progress. + The position is too absolutely artificial. A handful of people by the + right of conquest take possession of an enormous country over which they + are dotted at such intervals that it is their boast that one farmhouse + cannot see the smoke of another, and yet, though their numbers are so + disproportionate to the area which they cover, they refuse to admit any + other people upon equal terms, but claim to be a privileged class who + shall dominate the newcomers completely. They are outnumbered in their own + land by immigrants who are far more highly educated and progressive, and + yet they hold them down in a way which exists nowhere else upon earth. + What is their right? The right of conquest. Then the same right may be + justly invoked to reverse so intolerable a situation. This they would + themselves acknowledge. 'Come on and fight! Come on!' cried a member of + the Volksraad when the franchise petition of the Uitlanders was presented. + 'Protest! Protest! What is the good of protesting?' said Kruger to Mr. W. + Y. Campbell; 'you have not got the guns, I have.' There was always the + final court of appeal. Judge Creusot and Judge Mauser were always behind + the President. + </p> + <p> + Again, the argument of the Boers would be more valid had they received no + benefit from these immigrants. If they had ignored them they might fairly + have stated that they did not desire their presence. But even while they + protested they grew rich at the Uitlander's expense. They could not have + it both ways. It would be consistent to discourage him and not profit by + him, or to make him comfortable and build the State upon his money; but to + ill-treat him and at the same time to grow strong by his taxation must + surely be an injustice. + </p> + <p> + And again, the whole argument is based upon the narrow racial supposition + that every naturalised citizen not of Boer extraction must necessarily be + unpatriotic. This is not borne out by the examples of history. The + newcomer soon becomes as proud of his country and as jealous of her + liberty as the old. Had President Kruger given the franchise generously to + the Uitlander, his pyramid would have been firm upon its base and not + balanced upon its apex. It is true that the corrupt oligarchy would have + vanished, and the spirit of a broader more tolerant freedom influenced the + counsels of the State. But the republic would have become stronger and + more permanent, with a population who, if they differed in details, were + united in essentials. Whether such a solution would have been to the + advantage of British interests in South Africa is quite another question. + In more ways than one President Kruger has been a good friend to the + empire. + </p> + <p> + So much upon the general question of the reason why the Uitlander should + agitate and why the Boer was obdurate. The details of the long struggle + between the seekers for the franchise and the refusers of it may be + quickly sketched, but they cannot be entirely ignored by any one who + desires to understand the inception of that great contest which was the + outcome of the dispute. + </p> + <p> + At the time of the Convention of Pretoria (1881) the rights of burghership + might be obtained by one year's residence. In 1882 it was raised to five + years, the reasonable limit which obtains both in Great Britain and in the + United States. Had it remained so, it is safe to say that there would + never have been either an Uitlander question or a great Boer war. + Grievances would have been righted from the inside without external + interference. + </p> + <p> + In 1890 the inrush of outsiders alarmed the Boers, and the franchise was + raised so as to be only attainable by those who had lived fourteen years + in the country. The Uitlanders, who were increasing rapidly in numbers and + were suffering from the formidable list of grievances already enumerated, + perceived that their wrongs were so numerous that it was hopeless to have + them set right seriatim, and that only by obtaining the leverage of the + franchise could they hope to move the heavy burden which weighed them + down. In 1893 a petition of 13,000 Uitlanders, couched in most respectful + terms, was submitted to the Raad, but met with contemptuous neglect. + Undeterred, however, by this failure, the National Reform Union, an + association which organised the agitation, came back to the attack in + 1894. They drew up a petition which was signed by 35,000 adult male + Uitlanders, a greater number than the total Boer male population of the + country. A small liberal body in the Raad supported this memorial and + endeavoured in vain to obtain some justice for the newcomers. Mr. Jeppe + was the mouthpiece of this select band. 'They own half the soil, they pay + at least three quarters of the taxes,' said he. 'They are men who in + capital, energy, and education are at least our equals. + </p> + <p> + What will become of us or our children on that day when we may find + ourselves in a minority of one in twenty without a single friend among the + other nineteen, among those who will then tell us that they wished to be + brothers, but that we by our own act have made them strangers to the + republic?' Such reasonable and liberal sentiments were combated by members + who asserted that the signatures could not belong to law-abiding citizens, + since they were actually agitating against the law of the franchise, and + others whose intolerance was expressed by the defiance of the member + already quoted, who challenged the Uitlanders to come out and fight. The + champions of exclusiveness and racial hatred won the day. The memorial was + rejected by sixteen votes to eight, and the franchise law was, on the + initiative of the President, actually made more stringent than ever, being + framed in such a way that during the fourteen years of probation the + applicant should give up his previous nationality, so that for that period + he would really belong to no country at all. No hopes were held out that + any possible attitude upon the part of the Uitlanders would soften the + determination of the President and his burghers. One who remonstrated was + led outside the State buildings by the President, who pointed up at the + national flag. 'You see that flag?' said he. 'If I grant the franchise, I + may as well pull it down.' His animosity against the immigrants was + bitter. 'Burghers, friends, thieves, murderers, newcomers, and others,' is + the conciliatory opening of one of his public addresses. Though + Johannesburg is only thirty-two miles from Pretoria, and though the State + of which he was the head depended for its revenue upon the gold fields, he + paid it only three visits in nine years. + </p> + <p> + This settled animosity was deplorable, but not unnatural. A man imbued + with the idea of a chosen people, and unread in any book save the one + which cultivates this very idea, could not be expected to have learned the + historical lessons of the advantages which a State reaps from a liberal + policy. To him it was as if the Ammonites and Moabites had demanded + admission into the twelve tribes. He mistook an agitation against the + exclusive policy of the State for one against the existence of the State + itself. A wide franchise would have made his republic firm-based and + permanent. It was a small minority of the Uitlanders who had any desire to + come into the British system. They were a cosmopolitan crowd, only united + by the bond of a common injustice. But when every other method had failed, + and their petition for the rights of freemen had been flung back at them, + it was natural that their eyes should turn to that flag which waved to the + north, the west, and the south of them—the flag which means purity + of government with equal rights and equal duties for all men. + Constitutional agitation was laid aside, arms were smuggled in, and + everything prepared for an organised rising. + </p> + <p> + The events which followed at the beginning of 1896 have been so thrashed + out that there is, perhaps, nothing left to tell—except the truth. + So far as the Uitlanders themselves are concerned, their action was most + natural and justifiable, and they have no reason to exculpate themselves + for rising against such oppression as no men of our race have ever been + submitted to. Had they trusted only to themselves and the justice of their + cause, their moral and even their material position would have been + infinitely stronger. But unfortunately there were forces behind them which + were more questionable, the nature and extent of which have never yet, in + spite of two commissions of investigation, been properly revealed. That + there should have been any attempt at misleading inquiry, or suppressing + documents in order to shelter individuals, is deplorable, for the + impression left—I believe an entirely false one—must be that + the British Government connived at an expedition which was as immoral as + it was disastrous. + </p> + <p> + It had been arranged that the town was to rise upon a certain night, that + Pretoria should be attacked, the fort seized, and the rifles and + ammunition used to arm the Uitlanders. It was a feasible device, though it + must seem to us, who have had such an experience of the military virtues + of the burghers, a very desperate one. But it is conceivable that the + rebels might have held Johannesburg until the universal sympathy which + their cause excited throughout South Africa would have caused Great + Britain to intervene. Unfortunately they had complicated matters by asking + for outside help. Mr. Cecil Rhodes was Premier of the Cape, a man of + immense energy, and one who had rendered great services to the empire. The + motives of his action are obscure—certainly, we may say that they + were not sordid, for he has always been a man whose thoughts were large + and whose habits were simple. But whatever they may have been—whether + an ill-regulated desire to consolidate South Africa under British rule, or + a burning sympathy with the Uitlanders in their fight against injustice—it + is certain that he allowed his lieutenant, Dr. Jameson, to assemble the + mounted police of the Chartered Company, of which Rhodes was founder and + director, for the purpose of co-operating with the rebels at Johannesburg. + Moreover, when the revolt at Johannesburg was postponed, on account of a + disagreement as to which flag they were to rise under, it appears that + Jameson (with or without the orders of Rhodes) forced the hand of the + conspirators by invading the country with a force absurdly inadequate to + the work which he had taken in hand. Five hundred policemen and three + field guns made up the forlorn hope who started from near Mafeking and + crossed the Transvaal border upon December 29th, 1895. On January 2nd they + were surrounded by the Boers amid the broken country near Dornkop, and + after losing many of their number killed and wounded, without food and + with spent horses, they were compelled to lay down their arms. Six + burghers lost their lives in the skirmish. + </p> + <p> + The Uitlanders have been severely criticised for not having sent out a + force to help Jameson in his difficulties, but it is impossible to see how + they could have acted in any other manner. They had done all they could to + prevent Jameson coming to their relief, and now it was rather unreasonable + to suppose that they should relieve their reliever. Indeed, they had an + entirely exaggerated idea of the strength of the force which he was + bringing, and received the news of his capture with incredulity. When it + became confirmed they rose, but in a halfhearted fashion which was not due + to want of courage, but to the difficulties of their position. On the one + hand, the British Government disowned Jameson entirely, and did all it + could to discourage the rising; on the other, the President had the + raiders in his keeping at Pretoria, and let it be understood that their + fate depended upon the behaviour of the Uitlanders. They were led to + believe that Jameson would be shot unless they laid down their arms, + though, as a matter of fact, Jameson and his people had surrendered upon a + promise of quarter. So skillfully did Kruger use his hostages that he + succeeded, with the help of the British Commissioner, in getting the + thousands of excited Johannesburgers to lay down their arms without + bloodshed. Completely out-manoeuvred by the astute old President, the + leaders of the reform movement used all their influence in the direction + of peace, thinking that a general amnesty would follow; but the moment + that they and their people were helpless the detectives and armed burghers + occupied the town, and sixty of their number were hurried to Pretoria + Gaol. + </p> + <p> + To the raiders themselves the President behaved with great generosity. + Perhaps he could not find it in his heart to be harsh to the men who had + managed to put him in the right and won for him the sympathy of the world. + His own illiberal and oppressive treatment of the newcomers was forgotten + in the face of this illegal inroad of filibusters. The true issues were so + obscured by this intrusion that it has taken years to clear them, and + perhaps they will never be wholly cleared. It was forgotten that it was + the bad government of the country which was the real cause of the + unfortunate raid. From then onwards the government might grow worse and + worse, but it was always possible to point to the raid as justifying + everything. Were the Uitlanders to have the franchise? How could they + expect it after the raid? Would Britain object to the enormous importation + of arms and obvious preparations for war? They were only precautions + against a second raid. For years the raid stood in the way, not only of + all progress, but of all remonstrance. Through an action over which they + had no control, and which they had done their best to prevent, the British + Government was left with a bad case and a weakened moral authority. + </p> + <p> + The raiders were sent home, where the rank and file were very properly + released, and the chief officers were condemned to terms of imprisonment + which certainly did not err upon the side of severity. Cecil Rhodes was + left unpunished, he retained his place in the Privy Council, and his + Chartered Company continued to have a corporate existence. This was + illogical and inconclusive. As Kruger said, 'It is not the dog which + should be beaten, but the man who set him on to me.' Public opinion—in + spite of, or on account of, a crowd of witnesses—was ill informed + upon the exact bearings of the question, and it was obvious that as Dutch + sentiment at the Cape appeared already to be thoroughly hostile to us, it + would be dangerous to alienate the British Africanders also by making a + martyr of their favourite leader. But whatever arguments may be founded + upon expediency, it is clear that the Boers bitterly resented, and with + justice, the immunity of Rhodes. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime, both President Kruger and his burghers had shown a + greater severity to the political prisoners from Johannesburg than to the + armed followers of Jameson. The nationality of these prisoners is + interesting and suggestive. There were twenty-three Englishmen, sixteen + South Africans, nine Scotchmen, six Americans, two Welshmen, one Irishman, + one Australian, one Hollander, one Bavarian, one Canadian, one Swiss, and + one Turk. The prisoners were arrested in January, but the trial did not + take place until the end of April. All were found guilty of high treason. + Mr. Lionel Phillips, Colonel Rhodes (brother of Mr. Cecil Rhodes), George + Farrar, and Mr. Hammond, the American engineer, were condemned to death, a + sentence which was afterwards commuted to the payment of an enormous fine. + The other prisoners were condemned to two years' imprisonment, with a fine + of 2000 pounds each. The imprisonment was of the most arduous and trying + sort, and was embittered by the harshness of the gaoler, Du Plessis. One + of the unfortunate men cut his throat, and several fell seriously ill, the + diet and the sanitary conditions being equally unhealthy. At last at the + end of May all the prisoners but six were released. Four of the six soon + followed, two stalwarts, Sampson and Davies, refusing to sign any petition + and remaining in prison until they were set free in 1897. Altogether the + Transvaal Government received in fines from the reform prisoners the + enormous sum of 212,000 pounds. A certain comic relief was immediately + afterwards given to so grave an episode by the presentation of a bill to + Great Britain for 1,677, 938 pounds 3 shillings and 3 pence—the + greater part of which was under the heading of moral and intellectual + damage. + </p> + <p> + The raid was past and the reform movement was past, but the causes which + produced them both remained. It is hardly conceivable that a statesman who + loved his country would have refrained from making some effort to remove a + state of things which had already caused such grave dangers, and which + must obviously become more serious with every year that passed. But Paul + Kruger had hardened his heart, and was not to be moved. The grievances of + the Uitlanders became heavier than ever. The one power in the land to + which they had been able to appeal for some sort of redress amid their + grievances was the law courts. Now it was decreed that the courts should + be dependent on the Volksraad. The Chief Justice protested against such a + degradation of his high office, and he was dismissed in consequence + without a pension. The judge who had condemned the reformers was chosen to + fill the vacancy, and the protection of a fixed law was withdrawn from the + Uitlanders. + </p> + <p> + A commission appointed by the State was sent to examine into the condition + of the mining industry and the grievances from which the newcomers + suffered. The chairman was Mr. Schalk Burger, one of the most liberal of + the Boers, and the proceedings were thorough and impartial. The result was + a report which amply vindicated the reformers, and suggested remedies + which would have gone a long way towards satisfying the Uitlanders. With + such enlightened legislation their motives for seeking the franchise would + have been less pressing. But the President and his Raad would have none of + the recommendations of the commission. The rugged old autocrat declared + that Schalk Burger was a traitor to his country for having signed such a + document, and a new reactionary committee was chosen to report upon the + report. Words and papers were the only outcome of the affair. No + amelioration came to the newcomers. But at least they had again put their + case publicly upon record, and it had been endorsed by the most respected + of the burghers. Gradually in the press of the English-speaking countries + the raid was ceasing to obscure the issue. More and more clearly it was + coming out that no permanent settlement was possible where the majority of + the population was oppressed by the minority. They had tried peaceful + means and failed. They had tried warlike means and failed. What was there + left for them to do? Their own country, the paramount power of South + Africa, had never helped them. Perhaps if it were directly appealed to it + might do so. It could not, if only for the sake of its own imperial + prestige, leave its children for ever in a state of subjection. The + Uitlanders determined upon a petition to the Queen, and in doing so they + brought their grievances out of the limits of a local controversy into the + broader field of international politics. Great Britain must either protect + them or acknowledge that their protection was beyond her power. A direct + petition to the Queen praying for protection was signed in April 1899 by + twenty-one thousand Uitlanders. From that time events moved inevitably + towards the one end. Sometimes the surface was troubled and sometimes + smooth, but the stream always ran swiftly and the roar of the fall sounded + ever louder in the ears. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 3. THE NEGOTIATIONS. + </h2> + <p> + The British Government and the British people do not desire any direct + authority in South Africa. Their one supreme interest is that the various + States there should live in concord and prosperity, and that there should + be no need for the presence of a British redcoat within the whole great + peninsula. Our foreign critics, with their misapprehension of the British + colonial system, can never realise that whether the four-coloured flag of + the Transvaal or the Union Jack of a self-governing colony waved over the + gold mines would not make the difference of one shilling to the revenue of + Great Britain. The Transvaal as a British province would have its own + legislature, its own revenue, its own expenditure, and its own tariff + against the mother country, as well as against the rest of the world, and + England be none the richer for the change. This is so obvious to a Briton + that he has ceased to insist upon it, and it is for that reason perhaps + that it is so universally misunderstood abroad. On the other hand, while + she is no gainer by the change, most of the expense of it in blood and in + money falls upon the home country. On the face of it, therefore, Great + Britain had every reason to avoid so formidable a task as the conquest of + the South African Republic. At the best she had nothing to gain, and at + the worst she had an immense deal to lose. There was no room for ambition + or aggression. It was a case of shirking or fulfilling a most arduous + duty. + </p> + <p> + There could be no question of a plot for the annexation of the Transvaal. + In a free country the Government cannot move in advance of public opinion, + and public opinion is influenced by and reflected in the newspapers. One + may examine the files of the press during all the months of negotiations + and never find one reputable opinion in favour of such a course, nor did + one in society ever meet an advocate of such a measure. But a great wrong + was being done, and all that was asked was the minimum change which would + set it right, and restore equality between the white races in Africa. 'Let + Kruger only be liberal in the extension of the franchise,' said the paper + which is most representative of the sanest British opinion, 'and he will + find that the power of the republic will become not weaker, but infinitely + more secure. Let him once give the majority of the resident males of full + age the full vote, and he will have given the republic a stability and + power which nothing else can. If he rejects all pleas of this kind, and + persists in his present policy, he may possibly stave off the evil day, + and preserve his cherished oligarchy for another few years; but the end + will be the same.' The extract reflects the tone of all of the British + press, with the exception of one or two papers which considered that even + the persistent ill usage of our people, and the fact that we were + peculiarly responsible for them in this State, did not justify us in + interfering in the internal affairs of the republic. It cannot be denied + that the Jameson raid and the incomplete manner in which the circumstances + connected with it had been investigated had weakened the force of those + who wished to interfere energetically on behalf of British subjects. There + was a vague but widespread feeling that perhaps the capitalists were + engineering the situation for their own ends. It is difficult to imagine + how a state of unrest and insecurity, to say nothing of a state of war, + can ever be to the advantage of capital, and surely it is obvious that if + some arch-schemer were using the grievances of the Uitlanders for his own + ends the best way to checkmate him would be to remove those grievances. + The suspicion, however, did exist among those who like to ignore the + obvious and magnify the remote, and throughout the negotiations the hand + of Great Britain was weakened, as her adversary had doubtless calculated + that it would be, by an earnest but fussy and faddy minority. Idealism and + a morbid, restless conscientiousness are two of the most dangerous evils + from which a modern progressive State has to suffer. + </p> + <p> + It was in April 1899 that the British Uitlanders sent their petition + praying for protection to their native country. Since the April previous a + correspondence had been going on between Dr. Leyds, Secretary of State for + the South African Republic, and Mr. Chamberlain, Colonial Secretary, upon + the existence or non-existence of the suzerainty. On the one hand, it was + contended that the substitution of a second convention had entirely + annulled the first; on the other, that the preamble of the first applied + also to the second. If the Transvaal contention were correct it is clear + that Great Britain had been tricked and jockeyed into such a position, + since she had received no quid pro quo in the second convention, and even + the most careless of Colonial Secretaries could hardly have been expected + to give away a very substantial something for nothing. But the contention + throws us back upon the academic question of what a suzerainty is. The + Transvaal admitted a power of veto over their foreign policy, and this + admission in itself, unless they openly tore up the convention, must + deprive them of the position of a sovereign State. On the whole, the + question must be acknowledged to have been one which might very well have + been referred to trustworthy arbitration. + </p> + <p> + But now to this debate, which had so little of urgency in it that seven + months intervened between statement and reply, there came the bitterly + vital question of the wrongs and appeal of the Uitlanders. Sir Alfred + Milner, the British Commissioner in South Africa, a man of liberal views + who had been appointed by a Conservative Government, commanded the respect + and confidence of all parties. His record was that of an able, + clear-headed man, too just to be either guilty of or tolerant of + injustice. To him the matter was referred, and a conference was arranged + between President Kruger and him at Bloemfontein, the capital of the + Orange Free State. They met on May 30th. Kruger had declared that all + questions might be discussed except the independence of the Transvaal. + 'All, all, all!' he cried emphatically. But in practice it was found that + the parties could not agree as to what did or what did not threaten this + independence. What was essential to one was inadmissible to the other. + Milner contended for a five years' retroactive franchise, with provisions + to secure adequate representation for the mining districts. Kruger offered + a seven years' franchise, coupled with numerous conditions which whittled + down its value very much, promised five members out of thirty-one to + represent a majority of the male population, and added a provision that + all differences should be subject to arbitration by foreign powers, a + condition which is incompatible with any claim to suzerainty. The + proposals of each were impossible to the other, and early in June Sir + Alfred Milner was back in Cape Town and President Kruger in Pretoria, with + nothing settled except the extreme difficulty of a settlement. The current + was running swift, and the roar of the fall was already sounding louder in + the ear. + </p> + <p> + On June 12th Sir Alfred Milner received a deputation at Cape Town and + reviewed the situation. 'The principle of equality of races was,' he said, + essential for South Africa. The one State where inequality existed kept + all the others in a fever. Our policy was one not of aggression, but of + singular patience, which could not, however, lapse into indifference.' Two + days later Kruger addressed the Raad. 'The other side had not conceded one + tittle, and I could not give more. God has always stood by us. I do not + want war, but I will not give more away. Although our independence has + once been taken away, God has restored it.' He spoke with sincerity no + doubt, but it is hard to hear God invoked with such confidence for the + system which encouraged the liquor traffic to the natives, and bred the + most corrupt set of officials that the modern world has seen. + </p> + <p> + A dispatch from Sir Alfred Milner, giving his views upon the situation, + made the British public recognise, as nothing else had done, how serious + the position was, and how essential it was that an earnest national effort + should be made to set it right. In it he said: + </p> + <p> + 'The case for intervention is overwhelming. The only attempted answer is + that things will right themselves if left alone. But, in fact, the policy + of leaving things alone has been tried for years, and it has led to their + going from bad to worse. It is not true that this is owing to the raid. + They were going from bad to worse before the raid. We were on the verge of + war before the raid, and the Transvaal was on the verge of revolution. The + effect of the raid has been to give the policy of leaving things alone a + new lease of life, and with the old consequences. + </p> + <p> + 'The spectacle of thousands of British subjects kept permanently in the + position of helots, constantly chafing under undoubted grievances, and + calling vainly to her Majesty's Government for redress, does steadily + undermine the influence and reputation of Great Britain within the Queen's + dominions. A section of the press, not in the Transvaal only, preaches + openly and constantly the doctrine of a republic embracing all South + Africa, and supports it by menacing references to the armaments of the + Transvaal, its alliance with the Orange Free State, and the active + sympathy which, in case of war, it would receive from a section of her + Majesty's subjects. I regret to say that this doctrine, supported as it is + by a ceaseless stream of malignant lies about the intentions of her + Majesty's Government, is producing a great effect on a large number of our + Dutch fellow colonists. Language is frequently used which seems to imply + that the Dutch have some superior right, even in this colony, to their + fellow-citizens of British birth. Thousands of men peaceably disposed, and + if left alone perfectly satisfied with their position as British subjects, + are being drawn into disaffection, and there is a corresponding + exasperation upon the part of the British. + </p> + <p> + 'I can see nothing which will put a stop to this mischievous propaganda + but some striking proof of the intention of her Majesty's Government not + to be ousted from its position in South Africa.' + </p> + <p> + Such were the grave and measured words with which the British pro-consul + warned his countrymen of what was to come. He saw the storm-cloud piling + in the north, but even his eyes had not yet discerned how near and how + terrible was the tempest. + </p> + <p> + Throughout the end of June and the early part of July much was hoped from + the mediation of the heads of the Afrikander Bond, the political union of + the Dutch Cape colonists. On the one hand, they were the kinsmen of the + Boers; on the other, they were British subjects, and were enjoying the + blessings of those liberal institutions which we were anxious to see + extended to the Transvaal. 'Only treat our folk as we treat yours! Our + whole contention was compressed into that prayer. But nothing came of the + mission, though a scheme endorsed by Mr. Hofmeyer and Mr. Herholdt, of the + Bond, with Mr. Fischer of the Free State, was introduced into the Raad and + applauded by Mr. Schreiner, the Africander Premier of Cape Colony. In its + original form the provisions were obscure and complicated, the franchise + varying from nine years to seven under different conditions. In debate, + however, the terms were amended until the time was reduced to seven years, + and the proposed representation of the gold fields placed at five. The + concession was not a great one, nor could the representation, five out of + thirty-one, be considered a generous provision for the majority of the + population; but the reduction of the years of residence was eagerly hailed + in England as a sign that a compromise might be effected. A sigh of relief + went up from the country. 'If,' said the Colonial Secretary, 'this report + is confirmed, this important change in the proposals of President Kruger, + coupled with previous amendments, leads Government to hope that the new + law may prove to be the basis of a settlement on the lines laid down by + Sir Alfred Milner in the Bloemfontein Conference.' He added that there + were some vexatious conditions attached, but concluded, 'Her Majesty's + Government feel assured that the President, having accepted the principle + for which they have contended, will be prepared to reconsider any detail + of his scheme which can be shown to be a possible hindrance to the full + accomplishment of the object in view, and that he will not allow them to + be nullified or reduced in value by any subsequent alterations of the law + or acts of administration.' At the same time, the 'Times' declared the + crisis to be at an end. 'If the Dutch statesmen of the Cape have induced + their brethren in the Transvaal to carry such a Bill, they will have + deserved the lasting gratitude, not only of their own countrymen and of + the English colonists in South Africa, but of the British Empire and of + the civilised world.' + </p> + <p> + But this fair prospect was soon destined to be overcast. Questions of + detail arose which, when closely examined, proved to be matters of very + essential importance. The Uitlanders and British South Africans, who had + experienced in the past how illusory the promises of the President might + be, insisted upon guarantees. The seven years offered were two years more + than that which Sir Alfred Milner had declared to be an irreducible + minimum. The difference of two years would not have hindered their + acceptance, even at the expense of some humiliation to our representative. + But there were conditions which excited distrust when drawn up by so wily + a diplomatist. One was that the alien who aspired to burghership had to + produce a certificate of continuous registration for a certain time. But + the law of registration had fallen into disuse in the Transvaal, and + consequently this provision might render the whole Bill valueless. Since + it was carefully retained, it was certainly meant for use. The door had + been opened, but a stone was placed to block it. Again, the continued + burghership of the newcomers was made to depend upon the resolution of the + first Raad, so that should the mining members propose any measure of + reform, not only their Bill but they also might be swept out of the house + by a Boer majority. What could an Opposition do if a vote of the + Government might at any moment unseat them all? It was clear that a + measure which contained such provisions must be very carefully sifted + before a British Government could accept it as a final settlement and a + complete concession of justice to its subjects. On the other hand, it + naturally felt loth to refuse those clauses which offered some prospect of + an amelioration in their condition. It took the course, therefore, of + suggesting that each Government should appoint delegates to form a joint + commission which should inquire into the working of the proposed Bill + before it was put into a final form. The proposal was submitted to the + Raad upon August 7th, with the addition that when this was done Sir Alfred + Milner was prepared to discuss anything else, including arbitration + without the interference of foreign powers. + </p> + <p> + The suggestion of this joint commission has been criticised as an + unwarrantable intrusion into the internal affairs of another country. But + then the whole question from the beginning was about the internal affairs + of another country, since the internal equality of the white inhabitants + was the condition upon which self-government was restored to the + Transvaal. It is futile to suggest analogies, and to imagine what France + would do if Germany were to interfere in a question of French franchise. + Supposing that France contained as many Germans as Frenchmen, and that + they were ill-treated, Germany would interfere quickly enough and continue + to do so until some fair modus vivendi was established. The fact is that + the case of the Transvaal stands alone, that such a condition of things + has never been known, and that no previous precedent can apply to it, save + the general rule that a minority of white men cannot continue indefinitely + to tax and govern a majority. Sentiment inclines to the smaller nation, + but reason and justice are all on the side of England. + </p> + <p> + A long delay followed upon the proposal of the Secretary of the Colonies. + No reply was forthcoming from Pretoria. But on all sides there came + evidence that those preparations for war which had been quietly going on + even before the Jameson raid were now being hurriedly perfected. For so + small a State enormous sums were being spent upon military equipment. + Cases of rifles and boxes of cartridges streamed into the arsenal, not + only from Delagoa Bay, but even, to the indignation of the English + colonists, through Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Huge packing-cases, + marked 'Agricultural Instruments' and 'Mining Machinery,' arrived from + Germany and France, to find their places in the forts of Johannesburg or + Pretoria. Men of many nations but of a similar type showed their martial + faces in the Boer towns. The condottieri of Europe were as ready as ever + to sell their blood for gold, and nobly in the end did they fulfill their + share of the bargain. For three weeks and more during which Mr. Kruger was + silent these eloquent preparations went on. But beyond them, and of + infinitely more importance, there was one fact which dominated the + situation. A burgher cannot go to war without his horse, his horse cannot + move without grass, grass will not come until after rain, and it was still + some weeks before the rain would be due. Negotiations, then, must not be + unduly hurried while the veld was a bare russet-coloured dust-swept plain. + Mr. Chamberlain and the British public waited week after week for their + answer. But there was a limit to their patience, and it was reached on + August 26th, when the Colonial Secretary showed, with a plainness of + speech which is as unusual as it is welcome in diplomacy, that the + question could not be hung up for ever. 'The sands are running down in the + glass,' said he. 'If they run out, we shall not hold ourselves limited by + that which we have already offered, but, having taken the matter in hand, + we will not let it go until we have secured conditions which once for all + shall establish which is the paramount power in South Africa, and shall + secure for our fellow-subjects there those equal rights and equal + privileges which were promised them by President Kruger when the + independence of the Transvaal was granted by the Queen, and which is the + least that in justice ought to be accorded them.' Lord Salisbury, a little + time before, had been equally emphatic. 'No one in this country wishes to + disturb the conventions so long as it is recognised that while they + guarantee the independence of the Transvaal on the one side, they + guarantee equal political and civil rights for settlers of all + nationalities upon the other. But these conventions are not like the laws + of the Medes and the Persians. They are mortal, they can be + destroyed...and once destroyed they can never be reconstructed in the same + shape.' The long-enduring patience of Great Britain was beginning to show + signs of giving way. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime a fresh dispatch had arrived from the Transvaal which + offered as an alternative proposal to the joint commission that the Boer + Government should grant the franchise proposals of Sir Alfred Milner on + condition that Great Britain withdrew or dropped her claim to a + suzerainty, agreed to arbitration, and promised never again to interfere + in the internal affairs of the republic. To this Great Britain answered + that she would agree to arbitration, that she hoped never again to have + occasion to interfere for the protection of her own subjects, but that + with the grant of the franchise all occasion for such interference would + pass away, and, finally, that she would never consent to abandon her + position as suzerain power. Mr. Chamberlain's dispatch ended by reminding + the Government of the Transvaal that there were other matters of dispute + open between the two Governments apart from the franchise, and that it + would be as well to have them settled at the same time. By these he meant + such questions as the position of the native races and the treatment of + Anglo-Indians. + </p> + <p> + On September 2nd the answer of the Transvaal Government was returned. It + was short and uncompromising. They withdrew their offer of the franchise. + They re-asserted the non-existence of the suzerainty. The negotiations + were at a deadlock. It was difficult to see how they could be re-opened. + In view of the arming of the burghers, the small garrison of Natal had + been taking up positions to cover the frontier. The Transvaal asked for an + explanation of their presence. Sir Alfred Milner answered that they were + guarding British interests, and preparing against contingencies. The roar + of the fall was sounding loud and near. + </p> + <p> + On September 8th there was held a Cabinet Council—one of the most + important in recent years. A message was sent to Pretoria, which even the + opponents of the Government have acknowledged to be temperate, and + offering the basis for a peaceful settlement. It begins by repudiating + emphatically the claim of the Transvaal to be a sovereign international + State in the same sense in which the Orange Free State is one. Any + proposal made conditional upon such an acknowledgment could not be + entertained. + </p> + <p> + The British Government, however, was prepared to accept the five years' + 'franchise' as stated in the note of August 19th, assuming at the same + time that in the Raad each member might talk his own language. + </p> + <p> + 'Acceptance of these terms by the South African Republic would at once + remove tension between the two Governments, and would in all probability + render unnecessary any future intervention to secure redress for + grievances which the Uitlanders themselves would be able to bring to the + notice of the Executive Council and the Volksraad. + </p> + <p> + 'Her Majesty's Government are increasingly impressed with the danger of + further delay in relieving the strain which has already caused so much + injury to the interests of South Africa, and they earnestly press for an + immediate and definite reply to the present proposal. If it is acceded to + they will be ready to make immediate arrangements...to settle all details + of the proposed tribunal of arbitration...If, however, as they most + anxiously hope will not be the case, the reply of the South African + Republic should be negative or inconclusive, I am to state that her + Majesty's Government must reserve to themselves the right to reconsider + the situation de novo, and to formulate their own proposals for a final + settlement.' + </p> + <p> + Such was the message, and Great Britain waited with strained attention for + the answer. But again there was a delay, while the rain came and the grass + grew, and the veld was as a mounted rifleman would have it. The burghers + were in no humour for concessions. They knew their own power, and they + concluded with justice that they were for the time far the strongest + military power in South Africa. 'We have beaten England before, but it is + nothing to the licking we shall give her now,' cried a prominent citizen, + and he spoke for his country as he said it. So the empire waited and + debated, but the sounds of the bugle were already breaking through the + wrangles of the politicians, and calling the nation to be tested once more + by that hammer of war and adversity by which Providence still fashions us + to some nobler and higher end. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 4. THE EVE OF WAR. + </h2> + <p> + The message sent from the Cabinet Council of September 8th was evidently + the precursor either of peace or of war. The cloud must burst or blow + over. As the nation waited in hushed expectancy for a reply it spent some + portion of its time in examining and speculating upon those military + preparations which might be needed. The War Office had for some months + been arranging for every contingency, and had made certain dispositions + which appeared to them to be adequate, but which our future experience was + to demonstrate to be far too small for the very serious matter in hand. + </p> + <p> + It is curious in turning over the files of such a paper as the 'Times' to + observe how at first one or two small paragraphs of military significance + might appear in the endless columns of diplomatic and political reports, + how gradually they grew and grew, until at last the eclipse was complete, + and the diplomacy had been thrust into the tiny paragraphs while the war + filled the journal. Under July 7th comes the first glint of arms amid the + drab monotony of the state papers. On that date it was announced that two + companies of Royal Engineers and departmental corps with reserves of + supplies and ammunition were being dispatched. Two companies of engineers! + Who could have foreseen that they were the vanguard of the greatest army + which ever at any time of the world's history has crossed an ocean, and + far the greatest which a British general has commanded in the field? + </p> + <p> + On August 15th, at a time when the negotiations had already assumed a very + serious phase, after the failure of the Bloemfontein conference and the + dispatch of Sir Alfred Milner, the British forces in South Africa were + absolutely and absurdly inadequate for the purpose of the defence of our + own frontier. Surely such a fact must open the eyes of those who, in spite + of all the evidence, persist that the war was forced on by the British. A + statesman who forces on a war usually prepares for a war, and this is + exactly what Mr. Kruger did and the British authorities did not. The + overbearing suzerain power had at that date, scattered over a huge + frontier, two cavalry regiments, three field batteries, and six and a half + infantry battalions—say six thousand men. The innocent pastoral + States could put in the field forty or fifty thousand mounted riflemen, + whose mobility doubled their numbers, and a most excellent artillery, + including the heaviest guns which have ever been seen upon a battlefield. + At this time it is most certain that the Boers could have made their way + easily either to Durban or to Cape Town. The British force, condemned to + act upon the defensive, could have been masked and afterwards destroyed, + while the main body of the invaders would have encountered nothing but an + irregular local resistance, which would have been neutralised by the + apathy or hostility of the Dutch colonists. It is extraordinary that our + authorities seem never to have contemplated the possibility of the Boers + taking the initiative, or to have understood that in that case our belated + reinforcements would certainly have had to land under the fire of the republican + guns. + </p> + <p> + In July Natal had taken alarm, and a strong representation had been sent + from the prime minister of the colony to the Governor, Sir W. Hely + Hutchinson, and so to the Colonial Office. It was notorious that the + Transvaal was armed to the teeth, that the Orange Free State was likely to + join her, and that there had been strong attempts made, both privately and + through the press, to alienate the loyalty of the Dutch citizens of both + the British colonies. Many sinister signs were observed by those upon the + spot. The veld had been burned unusually early to ensure a speedy + grass-crop after the first rains, there had been a collecting of horses, a + distribution of rifles and ammunition. The Free State farmers, who graze + their sheep and cattle upon Natal soil during the winter, had driven them + off to places of safety behind the line of the Drakensberg. Everything + pointed to approaching war, and Natal refused to be satisfied even by the + dispatch of another regiment. On September 6th a second message was + received at the Colonial Office, which states the case with great + clearness and precision. + </p> +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> + <img alt="1_northern_natal (137K)" src="images/1_northern_natal.jpg" width="100%" /><br /></div> + + <p> + 'The Prime Minister desires me to urge upon you by the unanimous advice of + the Ministers that sufficient troops should be dispatched to Natal + immediately to enable the colony to be placed in a state of defence + against an attack from the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. I am + informed by the General Officer Commanding, Natal, that he will not have + enough troops, even when the Manchester Regiment arrives, to do more than + occupy Newcastle and at the same time protect the colony south of it from + raids, while Laing's Nek, Ingogo River and Zululand must be left + undefended. My Ministers know that every preparation has been made, both + in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, which would enable an attack + to be made on Natal at short notice. My Ministers believe that the Boers + have made up their minds that war will take place almost certainly, and + their best chance will be, when it seems unavoidable, to deliver a blow + before reinforcements have time to arrive. Information has been received + that raids in force will be made by way of Middle Drift and Greytown and + by way of Bond's Drift and Stangar, with a view to striking the railway + between Pietermaritzburg and Durban and cutting off communications of + troops and supplies. Nearly all the Orange Free State farmers in the Klip + River division, who stay in the colony usually till October at least, have + trekked, at great loss to themselves; their sheep are lambing on the road, + and the lambs die or are destroyed. Two at least of the Entonjanani + district farmers have trekked with all their belongings into the + Transvaal, in the first case attempting to take as hostages the children + of the natives on the farm. Reliable reports have been received of + attempts to tamper with loyal natives, and to set tribe against tribe in + order to create confusion and detail the defensive forces of the colony. + Both food and warlike stores in large quantities have been accumulated at + Volksrust, Vryheid and Standerton. Persons who are believed to be spies + have been seen examining the bridges on the Natal Railway, and it is known + that there are spies in all the principal centres of the colony. In the + opinion of Ministers, such a catastrophe as the seizure of Laing's Nek and + the destruction of the northern portion of the railway, or a successful + raid or invasion such as they have reason to believe is contemplated, + would produce a most demoralising effect on the natives and on the loyal + Europeans in the colony, and would afford great encouragement to the Boers + and to their sympathisers in the colonies, who, although armed and + prepared, will probably keep quiet unless they receive some encouragement + of the sort. They concur in the policy of her Majesty's Government of + exhausting all peaceful means to obtain redress of the grievances of the + Uitlanders and authoritatively assert the supremacy of Great Britain + before resorting to war; but they state that this is a question of + defensive precaution, not of making war.' + </p> + <p> + In answer to these and other remonstrances the garrison of Natal was + gradually increased, partly by troops from Europe, and partly by the + dispatch of five thousand British troops from India. The 2nd Berkshires, + the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers, the 1st Manchesters, and the 2nd Dublin + Fusiliers arrived in succession with reinforcements of artillery. The 5th + Dragoon Guards, 9th Lancers, and 19th Hussars came from India, with the + 1st Devonshires, 1st Gloucesters, 2nd King's Royal Rifles and 2nd Gordon + Highlanders. These with the 21st, 42nd, and 53rd batteries of Field + Artillery made up the Indian Contingent. Their arrival late in September + raised the number of troops in South Africa to 22,000, a force which was + inadequate to a contest in the open field with the numerous, mobile, and + gallant enemy to whom they were to be opposed, but which proved to be + strong enough to stave off that overwhelming disaster which, with our + fuller knowledge, we can now see to have been impending. + </p> + <p> + As to the disposition of these troops a difference of opinion broke out + between the ruling powers in Natal and the military chiefs at the spot. + Prince Kraft has said, 'Both strategy and tactics may have to yield to + politics '; but the political necessity should be very grave and very + clear when it is the blood of soldiers which has to pay for it. Whether it + arose from our defective intelligence, or from that caste feeling which + makes it hard for the professional soldier to recognise (in spite of + deplorable past experiences) a serious adversary in the mounted farmer, it + is certain that even while our papers were proclaiming that this time, at + least, we would not underrate our enemy, we were most seriously + underrating him. The northern third of Natal is as vulnerable a military + position as a player of kriegspiel could wish to have submitted to him. It + runs up into a thin angle, culminating at the apex in a difficult pass, + the ill-omened Laing's Nek, dominated by the even more sinister bulk of + Majuba. Each side of this angle is open to invasion, the one from the + Transvaal and the other from the Orange Free State. A force up at the apex + is in a perfect trap, for the mobile enemy can flood into the country to + the south of them, cut the line of supplies, and throw up a series of + entrenchments which would make retreat a very difficult matter. Further + down the country, at such positions as Ladysmith or Dundee, the danger, + though not so imminent, is still an obvious one, unless the defending + force is strong enough to hold its own in the open field and mobile enough + to prevent a mounted enemy from getting round its flanks. To us, who are + endowed with that profound military wisdom which only comes with a + knowledge of the event, it is obvious that with a defending force which + could not place more than 12,000 men in the fighting line, the true + defensible frontier was the line of the Tugela. As a matter of fact, + Ladysmith was chosen, a place almost indefensible itself, as it is + dominated by high hills in at least two directions. + </p> + <p> + Such an event as the siege of the town appears never to have been + contemplated, as no guns of position were asked for or sent. In spite of + this, an amount of stores, which is said to have been valued at more than + a million of pounds, was dumped down at this small railway junction, so + that the position could not be evacuated without a crippling loss. The + place was the point of bifurcation of the main line, which divides at this + little town into one branch running to Harrismith in the Orange Free + State, and the other leading through the Dundee coal fields and Newcastle + to the Laing's Nek tunnel and the Transvaal. An importance, which appears + now to have been an exaggerated one, was attached by the Government of + Natal to the possession of the coal fields, and it was at their strong + suggestion, but with the concurrence of General Penn Symons, that the + defending force was divided, and a detachment of between three and four + thousand sent to Dundee, about forty miles from the main body, which + remained under General Sir George White at Ladysmith. General Symons + underrated the power of the invaders, but it is hard to criticise an error + of judgment which has been so nobly atoned and so tragically paid for. At + the time, then, which our political narrative has reached, the time of + suspense which followed the dispatch of the Cabinet message of September + 8th, the military situation had ceased to be desperate, but was still + precarious. Twenty-two thousand regular troops were on the spot who might + hope to be reinforced by some ten thousand colonials, but these forces had + to cover a great frontier, the attitude of Cape Colony was by no means + whole-hearted and might become hostile, while the black population might + conceivably throw in its weight against us. Only half the regulars could + be spared to defend Natal, and no reinforcements could reach them in less + than a month from the outbreak of hostilities. If Mr. Chamberlain was + really playing a game of bluff, it must be confessed that he was bluffing + from a very weak hand. + </p> + <p> + For purposes of comparison we may give some idea of the forces which Mr. + Kruger and Mr. Steyn could put in the field, for by this time it was + evident that the Orange Free State, with which we had had no shadow of a + dispute, was going, in a way which some would call wanton and some + chivalrous, to throw in its weight against us. The general press estimate + of the forces of the two republics varied from 25,000 to 35,000 men. Mr. + J. B. Robinson, a personal friend of President Kruger's and a man who had + spent much of his life among the Boers, considered the latter estimate to + be too high. The calculation had no assured basis to start from. A very + scattered and isolated population, among whom large families were the + rule, is a most difficult thing to estimate. Some reckoned from the + supposed natural increase during eighteen years, but the figure given at + that date was itself an assumption. Others took their calculation from the + number of voters in the last presidential election: but no one could tell + how many abstentions there had been, and the fighting age is five years + earlier than the voting age in the republics. We recognise now that all + calculations were far below the true figure. It is probable, however, that + the information of the British Intelligence Department was not far wrong. + According to this the fighting strength of the Transvaal alone was 32,000 + men, and of the Orange Free State 22,000. With mercenaries and rebels from + the colonies they would amount to 60, 000, while a considerable rising of + the Cape Dutch would bring them up to 100,000. In artillery they were + known to have about a hundred guns, many of them (and the fact will need + much explaining) more modern and powerful than any which we could bring + against them. Of the quality of this large force there is no need to + speak. The men were brave, hardy, and fired with a strange religious + enthusiasm. They were all of the seventeenth century, except their rifles. + Mounted upon their hardy little ponies, they possessed a mobility which + practically doubled their numbers and made it an impossibility ever to + outflank them. As marksmen they were supreme. Add to this that they had + the advantage of acting upon internal lines with shorter and safer + communications, and one gathers how formidable a task lay before the + soldiers of the empire. When we turn from such an enumeration of their + strength to contemplate the 12,000 men, split into two detachments, who + awaited them in Natal, we may recognise that, far from bewailing our + disasters, we should rather congratulate ourselves upon our escape from + losing that great province which, situated as it is between Britain, + India, and Australia, must be regarded as the very keystone of the + imperial arch. + </p> + <p> + At the risk of a tedious but very essential digression, something must be + said here as to the motives with which the Boers had for many years been + quietly preparing for war. That the Jameson raid was not the cause is + certain, though it probably, by putting the Boer Government into a strong + position, had a great effect in accelerating matters. What had been done + secretly and slowly could be done more swiftly and openly when so + plausible an excuse could be given for it. As a matter of fact, the + preparations were long antecedent to the raid. The building of the forts + at Pretoria and Johannesburg was begun nearly two years before that + wretched incursion, and the importation of arms was going on apace. In + that very year, 1895, a considerable sum was spent in military equipment. + </p> + <p> + But if it was not the raid, and if the Boers had no reason to fear the + British Government, with whom the Transvaal might have been as friendly as + the Orange Free State had been for forty years, why then should they arm? + It was a difficult question, and one in answering which we find ourselves + in a region of conjecture and suspicion rather than of ascertained fact. + But the fairest and most unbiased of historians must confess that there is + a large body of evidence to show that into the heads of some of the Dutch + leaders, both in the northern republics and in the Cape, there had entered + the conception of a single Dutch commonwealth, extending from Cape Town to + the Zambesi, in which flag, speech, and law should all be Dutch. It is in + this aspiration that many shrewd and well-informed judges see the true + inner meaning of this persistent arming, of the constant hostility, of the + forming of ties between the two republics (one of whom had been + reconstituted and made a sovereign independent State by our own act), and + finally of that intriguing which endeavoured to poison the affection and + allegiance of our own Dutch colonists, who had no political grievances + whatever. They all aimed at one end, and that end was the final expulsion + of British power from South Africa and the formation of a single great + Dutch republic. The large sum spent by the Transvaal in secret service + money—a larger sum, I believe, than that which is spent by the whole + British Empire—would give some idea of the subterranean influences + at work. An army of emissaries, agents, and spies, whatever their mission, + were certainly spread over the British colonies. Newspapers were + subsidised also, and considerable sums spent upon the press in France and + Germany. + </p> + <p> + In the very nature of things a huge conspiracy of this sort to substitute + Dutch for British rule in South Africa is not a matter which can be easily + and definitely proved. Such questions are not discussed in public + documents, and men are sounded before being taken into the confidence of + the conspirators. But there is plenty of evidence of the individual + ambition of prominent and representative men in this direction, and it is + hard to believe that what many wanted individually was not striven for + collectively, especially when we see how the course of events did actually + work towards the end which they indicated. Mr. J.P. FitzPatrick, in 'The + Transvaal from Within'—a book to which all subsequent writers upon + the subject must acknowledge their obligations—narrates how in 1896 + he was approached by Mr. D.P. Graaff, formerly a member of the Cape + Legislative Council and a very prominent Afrikander Bondsman, with the + proposition that Great Britain should be pushed out of South Africa. The + same politician made the same proposal to Mr. Beit. Compare with this the + following statement of Mr. Theodore Schreiner, the brother of the Prime + Minister of the Cape: + </p> + <p> + 'I met Mr. Reitz, then a judge of the Orange Free State, in Bloemfontein + between seventeen and eighteen years ago, shortly after the retrocession + of the Transvaal, and when he was busy establishing the Afrikander Bond. + It must be patent to every one that at that time, at all events, England + and its Government had no intention of taking away the independence of the + Transvaal, for she had just “magnanimously” granted the same; no intention + of making war on the republics, for she had just made peace; no intention + to seize the Rand gold fields, for they were not yet discovered. At that + time, then, I met Mr. Reitz, and he did his best to get me to become a + member of his Afrikander Bond, but, after studying its constitution and + programme, I refused to do so, whereupon the following colloquy in + substance took place between us, which has been indelibly imprinted on my + mind ever since: + </p> + <p> + 'REITZ: Why do you refuse? Is the object of getting the people to take an + interest in political matters not a good one? + </p> + <p> + 'MYSELF: Yes, it is; but I seem to see plainly here between the lines of + this constitution much more ultimately aimed at than that. + </p> + <p> + 'REITZ: What? + </p> + <p> + 'MYSELF: I see quite clearly that the ultimate object aimed at is the + overthrow of the British power and the expulsion of the British flag from + South Africa. + </p> + <p> + 'REITZ (with his pleasant conscious smile, as of one whose secret thought + and purpose had been discovered, and who was not altogether displeased + that such was the case): Well, what if it is so? + </p> + <p> + 'MYSELF: You don't suppose, do you, that that flag is going to disappear + from South Africa without a tremendous struggle and fight? + </p> + <p> + 'REITZ (with the same pleasant self-conscious, self satisfied, and yet + semi-apologetic smile): Well, I suppose not; but even so, what of that? + </p> + <p> + 'MYSELF: Only this, that when that struggle takes place you and I will be + on opposite sides; and what is more, the God who was on the side of the + Transvaal in the late war, because it had right on its side will be on the + side of England, because He must view with abhorrence any plotting and + scheming to overthrow her power and position in South Africa, which have + been ordained by Him. + </p> + <p> + 'REITZ: We'll see. + </p> + <p> + 'Thus the conversation ended, but during the seventeen years that have + elapsed I have watched the propaganda for the overthrow of British power + in South Africa being ceaselessly spread by every possible means—the + press, the pulpit, the platform, the schools, the colleges, the + Legislature—until it has culminated in the present war, of which Mr. + Reitz and his co-workers are the origin and the cause. Believe me, the day + on which F.W. Reitz sat down to pen his ultimatum to Great Britain was the + proudest and happiest moment of his life, and one which had for long years + been looked forward to by him with eager longing and expectation.' + </p> + <p> + Compare with these utterances of a Dutch politician of the Cape, and of a + Dutch politician of the Orange Free State, the following passage from a + speech delivered by Kruger at Bloemfontein in the year 1887: + </p> + <p> + 'I think it too soon to speak of a United South Africa under one flag. + Which flag was it to be? The Queen of England would object to having her + flag hauled down, and we, the burghers of the Transvaal, object to hauling + ours down. What is to be done? We are now small and of little importance, + but we are growing, and are preparing the way to take our place among the + great nations of the world.' + </p> + <p> + 'The dream of our life,' said another, 'is a union of the States of South + Africa, and this has to come from within, not from without. When that is + accomplished, South Africa will be great.' + </p> + <p> + Always the same theory from all quarters of Dutch thought, to be followed + by many signs that the idea was being prepared for in practice. I repeat + that the fairest and most unbiased historian cannot dismiss the conspiracy + as a myth. + </p> + <p> + And to this one may retort, why should they not conspire? Why should they + not have their own views as to the future of South Africa? Why should they + not endeavour to have one universal flag and one common speech? Why should + they not win over our colonists, if they can, and push us into the sea? I + see no reason why they should not. Let them try if they will. And let us + try to prevent them. But let us have an end of talk about British + aggression, of capitalist designs upon the gold fields, of the wrongs of a + pastoral people, and all the other veils which have been used to cover the + issue. Let those who talk about British designs upon the republics turn + their attention for a moment to the evidence which there is for republican + designs upon the colonies. Let them reflect that in the one system all + white men are equal, and that on the other the minority of one race has + persecuted the majority of the other, and let them consider under which + the truest freedom lies, which stands for universal liberty and which for + reaction and racial hatred. Let them ponder and answer all this before + they determine where their sympathies lie. + </p> + <p> + Leaving these wider questions of politics, and dismissing for the time + those military considerations which were soon to be of such vital moment, + we may now return to the course of events in the diplomatic struggle + between the Government of the Transvaal and the Colonial Office. On + September 8th, as already narrated, a final message was sent to Pretoria, + which stated the minimum terms which the British Government could accept + as being a fair concession to her subjects in the Transvaal. A definite + answer was demanded, and the nation waited with sombre patience for the + reply. + </p> + <p> + There were few illusions in this country as to the difficulties of a + Transvaal war. It was clearly seen that little honour and immense vexation + were in store for us. The first Boer war still smarted in our minds, and + we knew the prowess of the indomitable burghers. But our people, if + gloomy, were none the less resolute, for that national instinct which is + beyond the wisdom of statesmen had borne it in upon them that this was no + local quarrel, but one upon which the whole existence of the empire hung. + The cohesion of that empire was to be tested. Men had emptied their + glasses to it in time of peace. Was it a meaningless pouring of wine, or + were they ready to pour their hearts' blood also in time of war? Had we + really founded a series of disconnected nations, with no common sentiment + or interest, or was the empire an organic whole, as ready to thrill with + one emotion or to harden into one resolve as are the several States of the + Union? That was the question at issue, and much of the future history of + the world was at stake upon the answer. + </p> + <p> + Already there were indications that the colonies appreciated the fact that + the contention was no affair of the mother country alone, but that she was + upholding the rights of the empire as a whole, and might fairly look to + them to support her in any quarrel which might arise from it. As early as + July 11th, Queensland, the fiery and semitropical, had offered a + contingent of mounted infantry with machine guns; New Zealand, Western + Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia + followed in the order named. Canada, with the strong but more deliberate + spirit of the north, was the last to speak, but spoke the more firmly for + the delay. Her citizens were the least concerned of any, for Australians + were many in South Africa but Canadians few. None the less, she cheerfully + took her share of the common burden, and grew the readier and the cheerier + as that burden came to weigh more heavily. From all the men of many hues + who make up the British Empire, from Hindoo Rajahs, from West African + Houssas, from Malay police, from Western Indians, there came offers of + service. But this was to be a white man's war, and if the British could + not work out their own salvation then it were well that empire should pass + from such a race. The magnificent Indian army of 150,000 soldiers, many of + them seasoned veterans, was for the same reason left untouched. England + has claimed no credit or consideration for such abstention, but an + irresponsible writer may well ask how many of those foreign critics whose + respect for our public morality appears to be as limited as their + knowledge of our principles and history would have advocated such self + denial had their own countries been placed in the same position. + </p> + <p> + On September 18th the official reply of the Boer Government to the message + sent from the Cabinet Council was published in London. In manner it was + unbending and unconciliatory; in substance, it was a complete rejection of + all the British demands. It refused to recommend or propose to the Raad + the five years' franchise and the other measures which had been defined as + the minimum which the Home Government could accept as a fair measure of + justice towards the Uitlanders. The suggestion that the debates of the + Raad should be bilingual, as they have been in the Cape Colony and in + Canada, was absolutely waived aside. The British Government had stated in + their last dispatch that if the reply should be negative or inconclusive + they reserved to themselves the right to 'reconsider the situation de novo + and to formulate their own proposals for a final settlement.' The reply + had been both negative and inconclusive, and on September 22nd a council + met to determine what the next message should be. It was short and firm, + but so planned as not to shut the door upon peace. Its purport was that + the British Government expressed deep regret at the rejection of the + moderate proposals which had been submitted in their last dispatch, and + that now, in accordance with their promise, they would shortly put forward + their own plans for a settlement. The message was not an ultimatum, but it + foreshadowed an ultimatum in the future. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime, upon September 21st the Raad of the Orange Free State had + met, and it became more and more evident that this republic, with whom we + had no possible quarrel, but, on the contrary, for whom we had a great + deal of friendship and admiration, intended to throw in its weight against + Great Britain. Some time before, an offensive and defensive alliance had + been concluded between the two States, which must, until the secret + history of these events comes to be written, appear to have been a + singularly rash and unprofitable bargain for the smaller one. She had + nothing to fear from Great Britain, since she had been voluntarily turned + into an independent republic by her and had lived in peace with her for + forty years. Her laws were as liberal as our own. But by this suicidal + treaty she agreed to share the fortunes of a State which was deliberately + courting war by its persistently unfriendly attitude, and whose + reactionary and narrow legislation would, one might imagine, have + alienated the sympathy of her progressive neighbour. There may have been + ambitions like those already quoted from the report of Dr. Reitz's + conversation, or there may have been a complete hallucination as to the + comparative strength of the two combatants and the probable future of + South Africa; but however that may be, the treaty was made, and the time + had come to test how far it would hold. + </p> + <p> + The tone of President Steyn at the meeting of the Raad, and the support + which he received from the majority of his burghers, showed unmistakably + that the two republics would act as one. In his opening speech Steyn + declared uncompromisingly against the British contention, and declared + that his State was bound to the Transvaal by everything which was near and + dear. Among the obvious military precautions which could no longer be + neglected by the British Government was the sending of some small force to + protect the long and exposed line of railway which lies just outside the + Transvaal border from Kimberley to Rhodesia. Sir Alfred Milner + communicated with President Steyn as to this movement of troops, pointing + out that it was in no way directed against the Free State. Sir Alfred + Milner added that the Imperial Government was still hopeful of a friendly + settlement with the Transvaal, but if this hope were disappointed they + looked to the Orange Free State to preserve strict neutrality and to + prevent military intervention by any of its citizens. They undertook that + in that case the integrity of the Free State frontier would be strictly + preserved. Finally, he stated that there was absolutely no cause to + disturb the good relations between the Free State and Great Britain, since + we were animated by the most friendly intentions towards them. To this the + President returned a somewhat ungracious answer, to the effect that he + disapproved of our action towards the Transvaal, and that he regretted the + movement of troops, which would be considered a menace by the burghers. A + subsequent resolution of the Free State Raad, ending with the words, 'Come + what may, the Free State will honestly and faithfully fulfill its + obligations towards the Transvaal by virtue of the political alliance + existing between the two republics,' showed how impossible it was that + this country, formed by ourselves and without a shadow of a cause of + quarrel with us, could be saved from being drawn into the whirlpool. + Everywhere, from over both borders, came the news of martial preparations. + Already at the end of September troops and armed burghers were gathering + upon the frontier, and the most incredulous were beginning at last to + understand that the shadow of a great war was really falling across them. + Artillery, war munitions, and stores were being accumulated at Volksrust + upon the Natal border, showing where the storm might be expected to break. + On the last day of September, twenty-six military trains were reported to + have left Pretoria and Johannesburg for that point. At the same time news + came of a concentration at Malmani, upon the Bechuanaland border, + threatening the railway line and the British town of Mafeking, a name + destined before long to be familiar to the world. + </p> + <p> + On October 3rd there occurred what was in truth an act of war, although + the British Government, patient to the verge of weakness, refused to + regard it as such, and continued to draw up their final state paper. The + mail train from the Transvaal to Cape Town was stopped at Vereeniging, and + the week's shipment of gold for England, amounting to about half a million + pounds, was taken by the Boer Government. In a debate at Cape Town upon + the same day the Africander Minister of the Interior admitted that as many + as 404 trucks had passed from the Government line over the frontier and + had not been returned. Taken in conjunction with the passage of arms and + cartridges through the Cape to Pretoria and Bloemfontein, this incident + aroused the deepest indignation among the Colonial English and the British + public, which was increased by the reports of the difficulty which border + towns, such as Kimberley and Vryburg, had had in getting cannon for their + own defence. The Raads had been dissolved, and the old President's last + words had been a statement that war was certain, and a stern invocation of + the Lord as final arbiter. England was ready less obtrusively but no less + heartily to refer the quarrel to the same dread Judge. + </p> + <p> + On October 2nd President Steyn informed Sir Alfred Milner that he had + deemed it necessary to call out the Free State burghers—that is, to + mobilise his forces. Sir A. Milner wrote regretting these preparations, + and declaring that he did not yet despair of peace, for he was sure that + any reasonable proposal would be favourably considered by her Majesty's + Government. Steyn's reply was that there was no use in negotiating unless + the stream of British reinforcements ceased coming into South Africa. As + our forces were still in a great minority, it was impossible to stop the + reinforcements, so the correspondence led to nothing. On October 7th the + army reserves for the First Army Corps were called out in Great Britain + and other signs shown that it had been determined to send a considerable + force to South Africa. Parliament was also summoned that the formal + national assent might be gained for those grave measures which were + evidently pending. + </p> + <p> + It was on October 9th that the somewhat leisurely proceedings of the + British Colonial Office were brought to a head by the arrival of an + unexpected and audacious ultimatum from the Boer Government. In contests + of wit, as of arms, it must be confessed that the laugh has been usually + upon the side of our simple and pastoral South African neighbours. The + present instance was no exception to the rule. While our Government was + cautiously and patiently leading up to an ultimatum, our opponent suddenly + played the very card which we were preparing to lay upon the table. The + document was very firm and explicit, but the terms in which it was drawn + were so impossible that it was evidently framed with the deliberate + purpose of forcing an immediate war. It demanded that the troops upon the + borders of the republic should be instantly withdrawn, that all + reinforcements which had arrived within the last year should leave South + Africa, and that those who were now upon the sea should be sent back + without being landed. Failing a satisfactory answer within forty-eight + hours, 'the Transvaal Government will with great regret be compelled to + regard the action of her Majesty's Government as a formal declaration of + war, for the consequences of which it will not hold itself responsible.' + The audacious message was received throughout the empire with a mixture of + derision and anger. The answer was dispatched next day through Sir Alfred + Milner. + </p> + <p> + '10th October.—Her Majesty's Government have received with great + regret the peremptory demands of the Government of the South African + Republic, conveyed in your telegram of the 9th October. You will inform + the Government of the South African Republic in reply that the conditions + demanded by the Government of the South African Republic are such as her + Majesty's Government deem it impossible to discuss.' + </p> + <p> + And so we have come to the end of the long road, past the battle of the + pens and the wrangling of tongues, to the arbitration of the Lee-Metford + and the Mauser. It was pitiable that it should come to this. These people + were as near akin to us as any race which is not our own. They were of the + same Frisian stock which peopled our own shores. In habit of mind, in + religion, in respect for law, they were as ourselves. Brave, too, they + were, and hospitable, with those sporting instincts which are dear to the + Anglo-Celtic race. There was no people in the world who had more qualities + which we might admire, and not the least of them was that love of + independence which it is our proudest boast that we have encouraged in + others as well as exercised ourselves. And yet we had come to this pass, + that there was no room in all vast South Africa for both of us. We cannot + hold ourselves blameless in the matter. 'The evil that men do lives after + them,' and it has been told in this small superficial sketch where we have + erred in the past in South Africa. On our hands, too, is the Jameson raid, + carried out by Englishmen and led by officers who held the Queen's + Commission; to us, also, the blame of the shuffling, half-hearted inquiry + into that most unjustifiable business. These are matches which helped to + set the great blaze alight, and it is we who held them. But the fagots + which proved to be so inflammable, they were not of our setting. They were + the wrongs done to half the community, the settled resolution of the + minority to tax and vex the majority, the determination of a people who + had lived two generations in a country to claim that country entirely for + themselves. Behind them all there may have been the Dutch ambition to + dominate South Africa. It was no petty object for which Britain fought. + When a nation struggles uncomplainingly through months of disaster she may + claim to have proved her conviction of the justice and necessity of the + struggle. Should Dutch ideas or English ideas of government prevail + throughout that huge country? The one means freedom for a single race, the + other means equal rights to all white men beneath one common law. What + each means to the coloured races let history declare. This was the main + issue to be determined from the instant that the clock struck five upon + the afternoon of Wednesday, October the eleventh, eighteen hundred and + ninety-nine. That moment marked the opening of a war destined to determine + the fate of South Africa, to work great changes in the British Empire, to + seriously affect the future history of the world, and incidentally to + alter many of our views as to the art of war. It is the story of this war + which, with limited material but with much aspiration to care and candour, + I shall now endeavour to tell. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 5. TALANA HILL. + </h2> + <p> + It was on the morning of October 12th, amid cold and mist, that the Boer + camps at Sandspruit and Volksrust broke up, and the burghers rode to the + war. Some twelve thousand of them, all mounted, with two batteries of + eight Krupp guns each, were the invading force from the north, which hoped + later to be joined by the Freestaters and by a contingent of Germans and + Transvaalers who were to cross the Free State border. It was an hour + before dawn that the guns started, and the riflemen followed close behind + the last limber, so that the first light of day fell upon the black + sinuous line winding down between the hills. A spectator upon the occasion + says of them: 'Their faces were a study. For the most part the expression + worn was one of determination and bulldog pertinacity. No sign of fear + there, nor of wavering. Whatever else may be laid to the charge of the + Boer, it may never truthfully be said that he is a coward or a man + unworthy of the Briton's steel.' The words were written early in the + campaign, and the whole empire will endorse them to-day. Could we have + such men as willing fellow-citizens, they are worth more than all the gold + mines of their country. + </p> + <p> + This main Transvaal body consisted of the commando of Pretoria, which + comprised 1800 men, and those of Heidelberg, Middelburg, Krugersdorp, + Standerton, Wakkerstroom, and Ermelo, with the State Artillery, an + excellent and highly organised body who were provided with the best guns + that have ever been brought on to a battlefield. Besides their sixteen + Krupps, they dragged with them two heavy six-inch Creusot guns, which were + destined to have a very important effect in the earlier part of the + campaign. In addition to these native forces there were a certain number + of European auxiliaries. The greater part of the German corps were with + the Free State forces, but a few hundred came down from the north. There + was a Hollander corps of about two hundred and fifty and an Irish—or + perhaps more properly an Irish-American-corps of the same number, who rode + under the green flag and the harp. + </p> + <p> + The men might, by all accounts, be divided into two very different types. + There were the town Boers, smartened and perhaps a little enervated by + prosperity and civilisation, men of business and professional men, more + alert and quicker than their rustic comrades. These men spoke English + rather than Dutch, and indeed there were many men of English descent among + them. But the others, the most formidable both in their numbers and in + their primitive qualities, were the back-veld Boers, the sunburned, + tangle-haired, full-bearded farmers, the men of the Bible and the rifle, + imbued with the traditions of their own guerrilla warfare. These were + perhaps the finest natural warriors upon earth, marksmen, hunters, + accustomed to hard fare and a harder couch. They were rough in their ways + and speech, but, in spite of many calumnies and some few unpleasant + truths, they might compare with most disciplined armies in their humanity + and their desire to observe the usages of war. + </p> + <p> + A few words here as to the man who led this singular host. Piet Joubert + was a Cape Colonist by birth—a fellow countryman, like Kruger + himself, of those whom the narrow laws of his new country persisted in + regarding as outside the pale. He came from that French Huguenot blood + which has strengthened and refined every race which it has touched, and + from it he derived a chivalry and generosity which made him respected and + liked even by his opponents. In many native broils and in the British + campaign of 1881 he had shown himself a capable leader. His record in + standing out for the independence of the Transvaal was a very consistent + one, for he had not accepted office under the British, as Kruger had done, + but had remained always an irreconcilable. Tall and burly, with hard grey + eyes and a grim mouth half hidden by his bushy beard, he was a fine type + of the men whom he led. He was now in his sixty-fifth year, and the fire + of his youth had, as some of the burghers urged, died down within him; but + he was experienced, crafty, and warwise, never dashing and never + brilliant, but slow, steady, solid, and inexorable. + </p> + <p> + Besides this northern army there were two other bodies of burghers + converging upon Natal. One, consisting of the commandoes from Utrecht and + the Swaziland districts, had gathered at Vryheid on the flank of the + British position at Dundee. The other, much larger, not less probably than + six or seven thousand men, were the contingent from the Free State and a + Transvaal corps, together with Schiel's Germans, who were making their way + through the various passes, the Tintwa Pass, and Van Reenen's Pass, which + lead through the grim range of the Drakensberg and open out upon the more + fertile plains of Western Natal. The total force may have been something + between twenty and thirty thousand men. By all accounts they were of an + astonishingly high heart, convinced that a path of easy victory lay before + them, and that nothing could bar their way to the sea. If the British + commanders underrated their opponents, there is ample evidence that the + mistake was reciprocal. + </p> + <p> + A few words now as to the disposition of the British forces, concerning + which it must be borne in mind that Sir George White, though in actual + command, had only been a few days in the country before war was declared, + so that the arrangements fell to General Penn Symons, aided or hampered by + the advice of the local political authorities. The main position was at + Ladysmith, but an advance post was strongly held at Glencoe, which is five + miles from the station of Dundee and forty from Ladysmith. The reason for + this dangerous division of force was to secure each end of the Biggarsberg + section of the railway, and also to cover the important collieries of that + district. The positions chosen seem in each case to show that the British + commander was not aware of the number and power of the Boer guns, for each + was equally defensible against rifle fire and vulnerable to an artillery + attack. In the case of Glencoe it was particularly evident that guns upon + the hills above would, as they did, render the position untenable. This + outlying post was held by the 1st Leicester Regiment, the 2nd Dublin + Fusiliers, and the first battalion of Rifles, with the 18th Hussars, three + companies of mounted infantry, and three batteries of field artillery, the + 13th, 67th, and 69th. The 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers were on their way to + reinforce it, and arrived before the first action. Altogether the Glencoe + camp contained some four thousand men. + </p> + <p> + The main body of the army remained at Ladysmith. These consisted of the + 1st Devons, the 1st Liverpools, and the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, with the + 1st Gloucesters, the 2nd King's Royal Rifles, and the 2nd Rifle Brigade, + reinforced later by the Manchesters. The cavalry included the 5th Dragoon + Guards, the 5th Lancers, a detachment of 19th Hussars, the Natal + Carabineers, the Natal Mounted Police, and the Border Mounted Rifles, + reinforced later by the Imperial Light Horse, a fine body of men raised + principally among the refugees from the Rand. For artillery there were the + 21st, 42nd, and 53rd batteries of field artillery, and No. 10 Mountain + Battery, with the Natal Field Artillery, the guns of which were too light + to be of service, and the 23rd Company of Royal Engineers. The whole + force, some eight or nine thousand strong, was under the immediate command + of Sir George White, with Sir Archibald Hunter, fresh from the Soudan, + General French, and General Ian Hamilton as his lieutenants. + </p> + <p> + The first shock of the Boers, then, must fall upon 4000 men. If these + could be overwhelmed, there were 8000 more to be defeated or masked. Then + what was there between them and the sea? Some detachments of local + volunteers, the Durban Light Infantry at Colenso, and the Natal Royal + Rifles, with some naval volunteers at Estcourt. With the power of the + Boers and their mobility it is inexplicable how the colony was saved. We + are of the same blood, the Boers and we, and we show it in our failings. + Over-confidence on our part gave them the chance, and over-confidence on + theirs prevented them from instantly availing themselves of it. It passed, + never to come again. + </p> + <p> + The outbreak of war was upon October 11th. On the 12th the Boer forces + crossed the frontier both on the north and on the west. On the 13th they + occupied Charlestown at the top angle of Natal. On the 15th they had + reached Newcastle, a larger town some fifteen miles inside the border. + Watchers from the houses saw six miles of canvas-tilted bullock wagons + winding down the passes, and learned that this was not a raid but an + invasion. At the same date news reached the British headquarters of an + advance from the western passes, and of a movement from the Buffalo River + on the east. On the 13th Sir George White had made a reconnaissance in + force, but had not come in touch with the enemy. On the 15th six of the + Natal Police were surrounded and captured at one of the drifts of the + Buffalo River. On the 18th our cavalry patrols came into touch with the + Boer scouts at Acton Homes and Besters Station, these being the + voortrekkers of the Orange Free State force. On the 18th also a detachment + was reported from Hadders Spruit, seven miles north of Glencoe Camp. The + cloud was drifting up, and it could not be long before it would burst. + </p> + <p> + Two days later, on the early morning of October 20th, the forces came at + last into collision. At half-past three in the morning, well before + daylight, the mounted infantry picket at the junction of the roads from + Landmans and Vants Drifts was fired into by the Doornberg commando, and + retired upon its supports. Two companies of the Dublin Fusiliers were sent + out, and at five o'clock on a fine but misty morning the whole of Symons's + force was under arms with the knowledge that the Boers were pushing boldly + towards them. The khaki-clad lines of fighting men stood in their long + thin ranks staring up at the curves of the saddle-back hills to the north + and east of them, and straining their eyes to catch a glimpse of the + enemy. Why these same saddle-back hills were not occupied by our own + people is, it must be confessed, an insoluble mystery. In a hollow on one + flank were the 18th Hussars and the mounted infantry. On the other were + the eighteen motionless guns, limbered up and ready, the horses fidgeting + and stamping in the raw morning air. + </p> + <p> + And then suddenly—could that be they? An officer with a telescope + stared intently and pointed. Another and another turned a steady field + glass towards the same place. And then the men could see also, and a + little murmur of interest ran down the ranks. + </p> + <p> + A long sloping hill—Talana Hill—olive-green in hue, was + stretching away in front of them. At the summit it rose into a rounded + crest. The mist was clearing, and the curve was hard-outlined against the + limpid blue of the morning sky. On this, some two and a half miles or + three miles off, a little group of black dots had appeared. The clear edge + of the skyline had become serrated with moving figures. They clustered + into a knot, then opened again, and then— + </p> + <p> + There had been no smoke, but there came a long crescendo hoot, rising into + a shrill wail. The shell hummed over the soldiers like a great bee, and + sloshed into soft earth behind them. Then another—and yet another—and + yet another. But there was no time to heed them, for there was the + hillside and there the enemy. So at it again with the good old murderous + obsolete heroic tactics of the British tradition! There are times when, in + spite of science and book-lore, the best plan is the boldest plan, and it + is well to fly straight at your enemy's throat, facing the chance that + your strength may fail before you can grasp it. The cavalry moved off + round the enemy's left flank. The guns dashed to the front, unlimbered, + and opened fire. The infantry were moved round in the direction of + Sandspruit, passing through the little town of Dundee, where the women and + children came to the doors and windows to cheer them. It was thought that + the hill was more accessible from that side. The Leicesters and one field + battery—the 67th—were left behind to protect the camp and to + watch the Newcastle Road upon the west. At seven in the morning all was + ready for the assault. + </p> + <p> + Two military facts of importance had already been disclosed. One was that + the Boer percussion-shells were useless in soft ground, as hardly any of + them exploded; the other that the Boer guns could outrange our ordinary + fifteen-pounder field gun, which had been the one thing perhaps in the + whole British equipment upon which we were prepared to pin our faith. The + two batteries, the 13th and the 69th, were moved nearer, first to 3000, + and then at last to 2300 yards, at which range they quickly dominated the + guns upon the hill. Other guns had opened from another crest to the east + of Talana, but these also were mastered by the fire of the 13th Battery. + At 7.30 the infantry were ordered to advance, which they did in open + order, extended to ten paces. The Dublin Fusiliers formed the first line, + the Rifles the second, and the Irish Fusiliers the third. + </p> + <p> + The first thousand yards of the advance were over open grassland, where + the range was long, and the yellow brown of the khaki blended with the + withered veld. There were few casualties until the wood was reached, which + lay halfway up the long slope of the hill. It was a plantation of larches, + some hundreds of yards across and nearly as many deep. On the left side of + this wood—that is, the left side to the advancing troops—there + stretched a long nullah or hollow, which ran perpendicularly to the hill, + and served rather as a conductor of bullets than as a cover. So severe was + the fire at this point that both in the wood and in the nullah the troops + lay down to avoid it. An officer of Irish Fusiliers has narrated how in + trying to cut the straps from a fallen private a razor lent him for that + purpose by a wounded sergeant was instantly shot out of his hand. The + gallant Symons, who had refused to dismount, was shot through the stomach + and fell from his horse mortally wounded. With an excessive gallantry, he + had not only attracted the enemy's fire by retaining his horse, but he had + been accompanied throughout the action by an orderly bearing a red pennon. + 'Have they got the hill? Have they got the hill?' was his one eternal + question as they carried him dripping to the rear. It was at the edge of + the wood that Colonel Sherston met his end. + </p> + <p> + From now onwards it was as much a soldiers' battle as Inkermann. In the + shelter of the wood the more eager of the three battalions had pressed to + the front until the fringe of the trees was lined by men from all of them. + The difficulty of distinguishing particular regiments where all were clad + alike made it impossible in the heat of action to keep any sort of + formation. So hot was the fire that for the time the advance was brought + to a standstill, but the 69th battery, firing shrapnel at a range of 1400 + yards, subdued the rifle fire, and about half-past eleven the infantry + were able to push on once more. + </p> + <p> + Above the wood there was an open space some hundreds of yards across, + bounded by a rough stone wall built for herding cattle. A second wall ran + at right angles to this down towards the wood. An enfilading rifle fire + had been sweeping across this open space, but the wall in front does not + appear to have been occupied by the enemy, who held the kopje above it. To + avoid the cross fire the soldiers ran in single file under the shelter of + the wall, which covered them to the right, and so reached the other wall + across their front. Here there was a second long delay, the men dribbling + up from below, and firing over the top of the wall and between the chinks + of the stones. The Dublin Fusiliers, through being in a more difficult + position, had been unable to get up as quickly as the others, and most of + the hard-breathing excited men who crowded under the wall were of the + Rifles and of the Irish Fusiliers. The air was so full of bullets that it + seemed impossible to live upon the other side of this shelter. Two hundred + yards intervened between the wall and the crest of the kopje. And yet the + kopje had to be cleared if the battle were to be won. + </p> + <p> + Out of the huddled line of crouching men an officer sprang shouting, and a + score of soldiers vaulted over the wall and followed at his heels. It was + Captain Connor, of the Irish Fusiliers, but his personal magnetism carried + up with him some of the Rifles as well as men of his own command. He and + half his little forlorn hope were struck down—he, alas! to die the + same night—but there were other leaders as brave to take his place. + 'Forrard away, men, forrard away!' cried Nugent, of the Rifles. Three + bullets struck him, but he continued to drag himself up the + boulder-studded hill. Others followed, and others, from all sides they + came running, the crouching, yelling, khaki-clad figures, and the supports + rushed up from the rear. For a time they were beaten down by their own + shrapnel striking into them from behind, which is an amazing thing when + one considers that the range was under 2000 yards. It was here, between + the wall and the summit, that Colonel Gunning, of the Rifles, and many + other brave men met their end, some by our own bullets and some by those + of the enemy; but the Boers thinned away in front of them, and the anxious + onlookers from the plain below saw the waving helmets on the crest, and + learned at last that all was well. + </p> + <p> + But it was, it must be confessed, a Pyrrhic victory. We had our hill, but + what else had we? The guns which had been silenced by our fire had been + removed from the kopje. The commando which seized the hill was that of + Lucas Meyer, and it is computed that he had with him about 4000 men. This + figure includes those under the command of Erasmus, who made halfhearted + demonstrations against the British flank. If the shirkers be eliminated, + it is probable that there were not more than a thousand actual combatants + upon the hill. Of this number about fifty were killed and a hundred + wounded. The British loss at Talana Hill itself was 41 killed and 180 + wounded, but among the killed were many whom the army could ill spare. The + gallant but optimistic Symons, Gunning of the Rifles, Sherston, Connor, + Hambro, and many other brave men died that day. The loss of officers was + out of all proportion to that of the men. + </p> + <p> + An incident which occurred immediately after the action did much to rob + the British of the fruits of the victory. Artillery had pushed up the + moment that the hill was carried, and had unlimbered on Smith's Nek + between the two hills, from which the enemy, in broken groups of 50 and + 100, could be seen streaming away. A fairer chance for the use of shrapnel + has never been. But at this instant there ran from an old iron church on + the reverse side of the hill, which had been used all day as a Boer + hospital, a man with a white flag. It is probable that the action was in + good faith, and that it was simply intended to claim a protection for the + ambulance party which followed him. But the too confiding gunner in + command appears to have thought that an armistice had been declared, and + held his hand during those precious minutes which might have turned a + defeat into a rout. The chance passed, never to return. The double error + of firing into our own advance and of failing to fire into the enemy's + retreat makes the battle one which cannot be looked back to with + satisfaction by our gunners. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime some miles away another train of events had led to a + complete disaster to our small cavalry force—a disaster which robbed + our dearly bought infantry victory of much of its importance. That action + alone was undoubtedly a victorious one, but the net result of the day's + fighting cannot be said to have been certainly in our favour. It was + Wellington who asserted that his cavalry always got him into scrapes, and + the whole of British military history might furnish examples of what he + meant. Here again our cavalry got into trouble. Suffice it for the + civilian to chronicle the fact, and leave it to the military critic to + portion out the blame. + </p> + <p> + One company of mounted infantry (that of the Rifles) had been told off to + form an escort for the guns. The rest of the mounted infantry with part of + the 18th Hussars (Colonel Moller) had moved round the right flank until + they reached the right rear of the enemy. Such a movement, had Lucas Meyer + been the only opponent, would have been above criticism; but knowing, as + we did, that there were several commandoes converging upon Glencoe it was + obviously taking a very grave and certain risk to allow the cavalry to + wander too far from support. They were soon entangled in broken country + and attacked by superior numbers of the Boers. There was a time when they + might have exerted an important influence upon the action by attacking the + Boer ponies behind the hills, but the opportunity was allowed to pass. An + attempt was made to get back to the army, and a series of defensive + positions were held to cover the retreat, but the enemy's fire became too + hot to allow them to be retained. Every route save one appeared to be + blocked, so the horsemen took this, which led them into the heart of a + second commando of the enemy. Finding no way through, the force took up a + defensive position, part of them in a farm and part on a kopje which + overlooked it. + </p> + <p> + The party consisted of two troops of Hussars, one company of mounted + infantry of the Dublin Fusiliers, and one section of the mounted infantry + of the Rifles—about two hundred men in all. They were subjected to a + hot fire for some hours, many being killed and wounded. Guns were brought + up, and fired shell into the farmhouse. At 4.30 the force, being in a + perfectly hopeless position, laid down their arms. Their ammunition was + gone, many of their horses had stampeded, and they were hemmed in by very + superior numbers, so that no slightest slur can rest upon the survivors + for their decision to surrender, though the movements which brought them + to such a pass are more open to criticism. They were the vanguard of that + considerable body of humiliated and bitter-hearted men who were to + assemble at the capital of our brave and crafty enemy. The remainder of + the 18th Hussars, who under Major Knox had been detached from the main + force and sent across the Boer rear, underwent a somewhat similar + experience, but succeeded in extricating themselves with a loss of six + killed and ten wounded. Their efforts were by no means lost, as they + engaged the attention of a considerable body of Boers during the day and + were able to bring some prisoners back with them. + </p> + <p> + The battle of Talana Hill was a tactical victory but a strategic defeat. + It was a crude frontal attack without any attempt at even a feint of + flanking, but the valour of the troops, from general to private, carried + it through. The force was in a position so radically false that the only + use which they could make of a victory was to cover their own retreat. + From all points Boer commandoes were converging upon it, and already it + was understood that the guns at their command were heavier than any which + could be placed against them. This was made more clear on October 21st, + the day after the battle, when the force, having withdrawn overnight from + the useless hill which they had captured, moved across to a fresh position + on the far side of the railway. At four in the afternoon a very heavy gun + opened from a distant hill, altogether beyond the extreme range of our + artillery, and plumped shell after shell into our camp. It was the first + appearance of the great Creusot. An officer with several men of the + Leicesters, and some of our few remaining cavalry, were bit. The position + was clearly impossible, so at two in the morning of the 22nd the whole + force was moved to a point to the south of the town of Dundee. On the same + day a reconnaissance was made in the direction of Glencoe Station, but the + passes were found to be strongly occupied, and the little army marched + back again to its original position. The command had fallen to Colonel + Yule, who justly considered that his men were dangerously and uselessly + exposed, and that his correct strategy was to fall back, if it were still + possible, and join the main body at Ladysmith, even at the cost of + abandoning the two hundred sick and wounded who lay with General Symons in + the hospital at Dundee. It was a painful necessity, but no one who studies + the situation can have any doubt of its wisdom. The retreat was no easy + task, a march by road of some sixty or seventy miles through a very rough + country with an enemy pressing on every side. Its successful completion + without any loss or any demoralisation of the troops is perhaps as fine a + military exploit as any of our early victories. Through the energetic and + loyal co-operation of Sir George White, who fought the actions of + Elandslaagte and of Rietfontein in order to keep the way open for them, + and owing mainly to the skillful guidance of Colonel Dartnell, of the + Natal Police, they succeeded in their critical manoeuvre. On October 23rd + they were at Beith, on the 24th at Waselibank Spruit, on the 25th at + Sunday River, and next morning they marched, sodden with rain, plastered + with mud, dog-tired, but in the best of spirits, into Ladysmith amid the + cheers of their comrades. A battle, six days without settled sleep, four + days without a proper meal, winding up with a single march of thirty-two + miles over heavy ground and through a pelting rain storm—that was + the record of the Dundee column. They had fought and won, they had striven + and toiled to the utmost capacity of manhood, and the end of it all was + that they had reached the spot which they should never have left. But + their endurance could not be lost—no worthy deed is ever lost. Like + the light division, when they marched their fifty odd unbroken miles to be + present at Talavera, they leave a memory and a standard behind them which + is more important than success. It is by the tradition of such sufferings + and such endurance that others in other days are nerved to do the like. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 6. ELANDSLAAGTE AND RIETFONTEIN. + </h2> + <p> + While the Glencoe force had struck furiously at the army of Lucas Meyer, + and had afterwards by hard marching disengaged itself from the numerous + dangers which threatened it, its comrades at Ladysmith had loyally + co-operated in drawing off the attention of the enemy and keeping the line + of retreat open. + </p> + <p> + On October 20th—the same day as the Battle of Talana Hill—the + line was cut by the Boers at a point nearly midway between Dundee and + Ladysmith. A small body of horsemen were the forerunners of a considerable + commando, composed of Freestaters, Transvaalers, and Germans, who had + advanced into Natal through Botha's Pass under the command of General + Koch. They had with them the two Maxim-Nordenfelds which had been captured + from the Jameson raiders, and were now destined to return once more to + British hands. Colonel Schiel, the German artillerist, had charge of these + guns. + </p> + <p> + On the evening of that day General French, with a strong reconnoitering + party, including the Natal Carabineers, the 5th Lancers, and the 21st + battery, had defined the enemy's position. Next morning (the 21st) he + returned, but either the enemy had been reinforced during the night or he + had underrated them the day before, for the force which he took with him + was too weak for any serious attack. He had one battery of the Natal + artillery, with their little seven-pounder popguns, five squadrons of the + Imperial Horse, and, in the train which slowly accompanied his advance, + half a battalion of the Manchester Regiment. Elated by the news of Talana + Hill, and anxious to emulate their brothers of Dundee, the little force + moved out of Ladysmith in the early morning. + </p> + <p> + Some at least of the men were animated by feelings such as seldom find a + place in the breast of the British soldier as he marches into battle. A + sense of duty, a belief in the justice of his cause, a love for his + regiment and for his country, these are the common incentives of every + soldier. But to the men of the Imperial Light Horse, recruited as they + were from among the British refugees of the Rand, there was added a + burning sense of injustice, and in many cases a bitter hatred against the + men whose rule had weighed so heavily upon them. In this singular corps + the ranks were full of wealthy men and men of education, who, driven from + their peaceful vocations in Johannesburg, were bent upon fighting their + way back to them again. A most unmerited slur had been cast upon their + courage in connection with the Jameson raid—a slur which they and + other similar corps have washed out for ever in their own blood and that + of their enemy. Chisholm, a fiery little Lancer, was in command, with + Karri Davis and Wools-Sampson, the two stalwarts who had preferred + Pretoria Gaol to the favours of Kruger, as his majors. The troopers were + on fire at the news that a cartel had arrived in Ladysmith the night + before, purporting to come from the Johannesburg Boers and Hollanders, + asking what uniform the Light Horse wore, as they were anxious to meet + them in battle. These men were fellow townsmen and knew each other well. + They need not have troubled about the uniform, for before evening the + Light Horse were near enough for them to know their faces. + </p> + <p> + It was about eight o'clock on a bright summer morning that the small force + came in contact with a few scattered Boer outposts, who retired, firing, + before the advance of the Imperial Light Horse. As they fell back the + green and white tents of the invaders came into view upon the + russet-coloured hillside of Elandslaagte. Down at the red brick railway + station the Boers could be seen swarming out of the buildings in which + they had spent the night. The little Natal guns, firing with obsolete + black powder, threw a few shells into the station, one of which, it is + said, penetrated a Boer ambulance which could not be seen by the gunners. + The accident was to be regretted, but as no patients could have been in + the ambulance the mischance was not a serious one. + </p> + <p> + But the busy, smoky little seven-pounder guns were soon to meet their + master. Away up on the distant hillside, a long thousand yards beyond + their own furthest range, there was a sudden bright flash. No smoke, only + the throb of flame, and then the long sibilant scream of the shell, and + the thud as it buried itself in the ground under a limber. Such judgment + of range would have delighted the most martinet of inspectors at + Okehampton. Bang came another, and another, and another, right into the + heart of the battery. The six little guns lay back at their extremest + angle, and all barked together in impotent fury. Another shell pitched + over them, and the officer in command lowered his field-glass in despair + as he saw his own shells bursting far short upon the hillside. Jameson's + defeat does not seem to have been due to any defect in his artillery. + French, peering and pondering, soon came to the conclusion that there were + too many Boers for him, and that if those fifteen-pounders desired target + practice they should find some other mark than the Natal Field Artillery. + A few curt orders, and his whole force was making its way to the rear. + There, out of range of those perilous guns, they halted, the telegraph + wire was cut, a telephone attachment was made, and French whispered his + troubles into the sympathetic ear of Ladysmith. He did not whisper in + vain. What he had to say was that where he had expected a few hundred + riflemen he found something like two thousand, and that where he expected + no guns he found two very excellent ones. The reply was that by road and + by rail as many men as could be spared were on their way to join him. + </p> + <p> + Soon they began to drop in, those useful reinforcements—first the + Devons, quiet, business-like, reliable; then the Gordons, dashing, fiery, + brilliant. Two squadrons of the 5th Lancers, the 42nd R.F.A., the 21st + R.F.A., another squadron of Lancers, a squadron of the 5th Dragoon Guards—French + began to feel that he was strong enough for the task in front of him. He + had a decided superiority of numbers and of guns. But the others were on + their favourite defensive on a hill. It would be a fair fight and a deadly + one. + </p> + <p> + It was late after noon before the advance began. It was hard, among those + billowing hills, to make out the exact limits of the enemy's position. All + that was certain was that they were there, and that we meant having them + out if it were humanly possible. 'The enemy are there,' said Ian Hamilton + to his infantry; 'I hope you will shift them out before sunset—in + fact I know you will.' The men cheered and laughed. In long open lines + they advanced across the veld, while the thunder of the two batteries + behind them told the Boer gunners that it was their turn now to know what + it was to be outmatched. + </p> + <p> + The idea was to take the position by a front and a flank attack, but there + seems to have been some difficulty in determining which was the front and + which the flank. In fact, it was only by trying that one could know. + General White with his staff had arrived from Ladysmith, but refused to + take the command out of French's hands. It is typical of White's + chivalrous spirit that within ten days he refused to identify himself with + a victory when it was within his right to do so, and took the whole + responsibility for a disaster at which he was not present. Now he rode + amid the shells and watched the able dispositions of his lieutenant. + </p> + <p> + About half-past three the action had fairly begun. In front of the + advancing British there lay a rolling hill, topped by a further one. The + lower hill was not defended, and the infantry, breaking from column of + companies into open order, advanced over it. Beyond was a broad grassy + valley which led up to the main position, a long kopje flanked by a small + sugar-loaf one Behind the green slope which led to the ridge of death an + ominous and terrible cloud was driving up, casting its black shadow over + the combatants. There was the stillness which goes before some great + convulsion of nature. The men pressed on in silence, the soft thudding of + their feet and the rattle of their sidearms filling the air with a low and + continuous murmur. An additional solemnity was given to the attack by that + huge black cloud which hung before them. + </p> + <p> + The British guns had opened at a range of 4400 yards, and now against the + swarthy background there came the quick smokeless twinkle of the Boer + reply. It was an unequal fight, but gallantly sustained. A shot and + another to find the range; then a wreath of smoke from a bursting shell + exactly where the guns had been, followed by another and another. + Overmatched, the two Boer pieces relapsed into a sulky silence, broken now + and again by short spurts of frenzied activity. The British batteries + turned their attention away from them, and began to search the ridge with + shrapnel and prepare the way for the advancing infantry. + </p> + <p> + The scheme was that the Devonshires should hold the enemy in front while + the main attack from the left flank was carried out by the Gordons, the + Manchesters, and the Imperial Light Horse. The words 'front' and 'flank,' + however, cease to have any meaning with so mobile and elastic a force, and + the attack which was intended to come from the left became really a + frontal one, while the Devons found themselves upon the right flank of the + Boers. At the moment of the final advance the great black cloud had burst, + and a torrent of rain lashed into the faces of the men. Slipping and + sliding upon the wet grass, they advanced to the assault. + </p> + <p> + And now amid the hissing of the rain there came the fuller, more menacing + whine of the Mauser bullets, and the ridge rattled from end to end with + the rifle fire. Men fell fast, but their comrades pressed hotly on. There + was a long way to go, for the summit of the position was nearly 800 feet + above the level of the railway. The hillside, which had appeared to be one + slope, was really a succession of undulations, so that the advancing + infantry alternately dipped into shelter and emerged into a hail of + bullets. The line of advance was dotted with khaki-clad figures, some + still in death, some writhing in their agony. Amid the litter of bodies a + major of the Gordons, shot through the leg, sat philosophically smoking + his pipe. Plucky little Chisholm, Colonel of the Imperials, had fallen + with two mortal wounds as he dashed forward waving a coloured sash in the + air. So long was the advance and so trying the hill that the men sank + panting upon the ground, and took their breath before making another rush. + As at Talana Hill, regimental formation was largely gone, and men of the + Manchesters, Gordons, and Imperial Light Horse surged upwards in one long + ragged fringe, Scotchman, Englishman, and British Africander keeping pace + in that race of death. And now at last they began to see their enemy. Here + and there among the boulders in front of them there was the glimpse of a + slouched hat, or a peep at a flushed bearded face which drooped over a + rifle barrel. There was a pause, and then with a fresh impulse the wave of + men gathered themselves together and flung themselves forward. Dark + figures sprang up from the rocks in front. Some held up their rifles in + token of surrender. Some ran with heads sunk between their shoulders, + jumping and ducking among the rocks. The panting breathless climbers were + on the edge of the plateau. There were the two guns which had flashed so + brightly, silenced now, with a litter of dead gunners around them and one + wounded officer standing by a trail. A small body of the Boers still + resisted. Their appearance horrified some of our men. 'They were dressed + in black frock coats and looked like a lot of rather seedy business men,' + said a spectator. 'It seemed like murder to kill them.' Some surrendered, + and some fought to the death where they stood. Their leader Koch, an old + gentleman with a white beard, lay amidst the rocks, wounded in three + places. He was treated with all courtesy and attention, but died in + Ladysmith Hospital some days afterwards. + </p> + <p> + In the meanwhile the Devonshire Regiment had waited until the attack had + developed and had then charged the hill upon the flank, while the + artillery moved up until it was within 2000 yards of the enemy's position. + The Devons met with a less fierce resistance than the others, and swept up + to the summit in time to head off some of the fugitives. The whole of our + infantry were now upon the ridge. + </p> + <p> + But even so these dour fighters were not beaten. They clung desperately to + the further edges of the plateau, firing from behind the rocks. There had + been a race for the nearest gun between an officer of the Manchesters and + a drummer sergeant of the Gordons. The officer won, and sprang in triumph + on to the piece. Men of all regiments swarmed round yelling and cheering, + when upon their astonished ears there sounded the 'Cease fire' and then + the 'Retire.' It was incredible, and yet it pealed out again, unmistakable + in its urgency. With the instinct of discipline the men were slowly + falling back. And then the truth of it came upon the minds of some of + them. The crafty enemy had learned our bugle calls. 'Retire be damned! + shrieked a little bugler, and blew the 'Advance' with all the breath that + the hillside had left him. The men, who had retired a hundred yards and + uncovered the guns, flooded back over the plateau, and in the Boer camp + which lay beneath it a white flag showed that the game was up. A squadron + of the 5th Lancers and of the 5th Dragoon Guards, under Colonel Gore of + the latter regiment, had prowled round the base of the hill, and in the + fading light they charged through and through the retreating Boers, + killing several, and making from twenty to thirty prisoners. It was one of + the very few occasions in the war where the mounted Briton overtook the + mounted Boer. + </p> + <p> + 'What price Majuba?' was the cry raised by some of the infantry as they + dashed up to the enemy's position, and the action may indeed be said to + have been in some respects the converse of that famous fight. It is true + that there were many more British at Elandslaagte than Boers at Majuba, + but then the defending force was much more numerous also, and the British + had no guns there. It is true, also, that Majuba is very much more + precipitous than Elandslaagte, but then every practical soldier knows that + it is easier to defend a moderate glacis than an abrupt slope, which gives + cover under its boulders to the attacker while the defender has to crane + his head over the edge to look down. On the whole, this brilliant little + action may be said to have restored things to their true proportion, and + to have shown that, brave as the Boers undoubtedly are, there is no + military feat within their power which is not equally possible to the + British soldier. Talana Hill and Elandslaagte, fought on successive days, + were each of them as gallant an exploit as Majuba. + </p> + <p> + We had more to show for our victory than for the previous one at Dundee. + Two Maxim-Nordenfeld guns, whose efficiency had been painfully evident + during the action, were a welcome addition to our artillery. Two hundred + and fifty Boers were killed and wounded and about two hundred taken + prisoners, the loss falling most heavily upon the Johannesburgers, the + Germans, and the Hollanders. General Koch, Dr. Coster, Colonel Schiel, + Pretorius, and other well-known Transvaalers fell into our hands. Our own + casualty list consisted of 41 killed and 220 wounded, much the same number + as at Talana Hill, the heaviest losses falling upon the Gordon Highlanders + and the Imperial Light Horse. + </p> + <p> + In the hollow where the Boer tents had stood, amid the laagered wagons of + the vanquished, under a murky sky and a constant drizzle of rain, the + victors spent the night. Sleep was out of the question, for all night the + fatigue parties were searching the hillside and the wounded were being + carried in. Camp-fires were lit and soldiers and prisoners crowded round + them, and it is pleasant to recall that the warmest corner and the best of + their rude fare were always reserved for the downcast Dutchmen, while + words of rude praise and sympathy softened the pain of defeat. It is the + memory of such things which may in happier days be more potent than all + the wisdom of statesmen in welding our two races into one. + </p> + <p> + Having cleared the Boer force from the line of the railway, it is evident + that General White could not continue to garrison the point, as he was + aware that considerable forces were moving from the north, and his first + duty was the security of Ladysmith. Early next morning (October 22nd), + therefore, his weary but victorious troops returned to the town. Once + there he learned, no doubt, that General Yule had no intention of using + the broken railway for his retreat, but that he intended to come in a + circuitous fashion by road. White's problem was to hold tight to the town + and at the same time to strike hard at any northern force so as to prevent + them from interfering with Yule's retreat. It was in the furtherance of + this scheme that he fought upon October 24th the action of Rietfontein, an + engagement slight in itself, but important on account of the clear road + which was secured for the weary forces retiring from Dundee. + </p> + <p> + The army from the Free State, of which the commando vanquished at + Elandslaagte was the vanguard, had been slowly and steadily debouching + from the passes, and working south and eastwards to cut the line between + Dundee and Ladysmith. It was White's intention to prevent them from + crossing the Newcastle Road, and for this purpose he sallied out of + Ladysmith on Tuesday the 24th, having with him two regiments of cavalry, + the 5th Lancers and the 19th Hussars, the 42nd and 53rd field batteries + with the 10th mountain battery, four infantry regiments, the Devons, + Liverpools, Gloucesters, and 2nd King's Royal Rifles, the Imperial Light + Horse, and the Natal Volunteers—some four thousand men in all. + </p> + <p> + The enemy were found to be in possession of a line of hills within seven + miles of Ladysmith, the most conspicuous of which is called Tinta Inyoni. + It was no part of General White's plan to attempt to drive him from this + position—it is not wise generalship to fight always upon ground of + the enemy's choosing—but it was important to hold him where he was, + and to engage his attention during this last day of the march of the + retreating column. For this purpose, since no direct attack was intended, + the guns were of more importance than the infantry—and indeed the + infantry should, one might imagine, have been used solely as an escort for + the artillery. A desultory and inconclusive action ensued which continued + from nine in the morning until half-past one in the afternoon. A + well-directed fire of the Boer guns from the hills was dominated and + controlled by our field artillery, while the advance of their riflemen was + restrained by shrapnel. The enemy's guns were more easily marked down than + at Elandslaagte, as they used black powder. The ranges varied from three + to four thousand yards. Our losses in the whole action would have been + insignificant had it not happened that the Gloucester Regiment advanced + somewhat incautiously into the open and was caught in a cross fire of + musketry which struck down Colonel Wilford and fifty of his officers and + men. Within four days Colonel Dick-Cunyngham, of the Gordons, Colonel + Chisholm, of the Light Horse, Colonel Gunning, of the Rifles, and now + Colonel Wilford, of the Gloucesters, had all fallen at the head of their + regiments. In the afternoon General White, having accomplished his purpose + and secured the safety of the Dundee column while traversing the dangerous + Biggarsberg passes, withdrew his force to Ladysmith. We have no means of + ascertaining the losses of the Boers, but they were probably slight. On + our side we lost 109 killed and wounded, of which only 13 cases were + fatal. Of this total 64 belonged to the Gloucesters and 25 to the troops + raised in Natal. Next day, as already narrated, the whole British army was + re-assembled once more at Ladysmith, and the campaign was to enter upon a + new phase. + </p> + <p> + At the end of this first vigorous week of hostilities it is interesting to + sum up the net result. The strategical advantage had lain with the Boers. + They had made our position at Dundee untenable and had driven us back to + Ladysmith. They had the country and the railway for the northern quarter + of the colony in their possession. They had killed and wounded between six + and seven hundred of our men, and they had captured some two hundred of + our cavalry, while we had been compelled at Dundee to leave considerable + stores and our wounded, including General Penn Symons, who actually died + while a prisoner in their hands. On the other hand, the tactical + advantages lay with us. We had twice driven them from their positions, and + captured two of their guns. We had taken two hundred prisoners, and had + probably killed and wounded as many as we had lost. On the whole, the + honours of that week's fighting in Natal may be said to have been fairly + equal—which is more than we could claim for many a weary week to + come. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 7. THE BATTLE OF LADYSMITH. + </h2> + <p> + Sir George White had now reunited his force, and found himself in command + of a formidable little army some twelve thousand in number. His cavalry + included the 5th Lancers, the 5th Dragoons, part of the 18th and the whole + of the 19th Hussars, the Natal Carabineers, the Border Rifles, some + mounted infantry, and the Imperial Light Horse. Among his infantry were + the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Dublin Fusiliers, and the King's Royal + Rifles, fresh from the ascent of Talana Hill, the Gordons, the + Manchesters, and the Devons who had been blooded at Elandslaagte, the + Leicesters, the Liverpools, the 2nd battalion of the King's Royal Rifles, + the 2nd Rifle Brigade, and the Gloucesters, who had been so roughly + treated at Rietfontein. He had six batteries of excellent field artillery—the + 13th, 21st, 42nd, 53rd, 67th, 69th, and No. 10 Mountain Battery of screw + guns. No general could have asked for a more compact and workmanlike + little force. + </p> + <p> + It had been recognised by the British General from the beginning that his + tactics must be defensive, since he was largely outnumbered and since also + any considerable mishap to his force would expose the whole colony of + Natal to destruction. The actions of Elandslaagte and Rietfontein were + forced upon him in order to disengage his compromised detachment, but now + there was no longer any reason why he should assume the offensive. He knew + that away out on the Atlantic a trail of transports which already extended + from the Channel to Cape de Verde were hourly drawing nearer to him with + the army corps from England. In a fortnight or less the first of them + would be at Durban. It was his game, therefore, to keep his army intact, + and to let those throbbing engines and whirling propellers do the work of + the empire. Had he entrenched himself up to his nose and waited, it would + have paid him best in the end. + </p> + <p> + But so tame and inglorious a policy is impossible to a fighting soldier. + He could not with his splendid force permit himself to be shut in without + an action. What policy demands honour may forbid. On October 27th there + were already Boers and rumours of Boers on every side of him. Joubert with + his main body was moving across from Dundee. The Freestaters were to the + north and west. Their combined numbers were uncertain, but at least it was + already proved that they were far more numerous and also more formidable + than had been anticipated. We had had a taste of their artillery also, and + the pleasant delusion that it would be a mere useless encumbrance to a + Boer force had vanished for ever. It was a grave thing to leave the town + in order to give battle, for the mobile enemy might swing round and seize + it behind us. Nevertheless White determined to make the venture. + </p> + <p> + On the 29th the enemy were visibly converging upon the town. From a high + hill within rifleshot of the houses a watcher could see no fewer than six + Boer camps to the east and north. French, with his cavalry, pushed out + feelers, and coasted along the edge of the advancing host. His report + warned White that if he would strike before all the scattered bands were + united he must do so at once. The wounded were sent down to + Pietermaritzburg, and it would bear explanation why the non-combatants did + not accompany them. On the evening of the same day Joubert in person was + said to be only six miles off, and a party of his men cut the water supply + of the town. The Klip, however, a fair-sized river, runs through + Ladysmith, so that there was no danger of thirst. The British had inflated + and sent up a balloon, to the amazement of the back-veld Boers; its report + confirmed the fact that the enemy was in force in front of and around + them. + </p> + <p> + On the night of the 29th General White detached two of his best regiments, + the Irish Fusiliers and the Gloucesters, with No. 10 Mountain Battery, to + advance under cover of the darkness and to seize and hold a long ridge + called Nicholson's Nek, which lay about six miles to the north of + Ladysmith. Having determined to give battle on the next day, his object + was to protect his left wing against those Freestaters who were still + moving from the north and west, and also to keep a pass open by which his + cavalry might pursue the Boer fugitives in case of a British victory. This + small detached column numbered about a thousand men—whose fate will + be afterwards narrated. + </p> + <p> + At five o'clock on the morning of the 30th the Boers, who had already + developed a perfect genius for hauling heavy cannon up the most difficult + heights, opened fire from one of the hills which lie to the north of the + town. Before the shot was fired, the forces of the British had already + streamed out of Ladysmith to test the strength of the invaders. + </p> + <p> + White's army was divided into three columns. On the extreme left, quite + isolated from the others, was the small Nicholson's Nek detachment under + the command of Colonel Carleton of the Fusiliers (one of three gallant + brothers each of whom commands a British regiment). With him was Major + Adye of the staff. On the right British flank Colonel Grimwood commanded a + brigade composed of the 1st and 2nd battalions of the King's Royal Rifles, + the Leicesters, the Liverpools, and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. In the + centre Colonel Ian Hamilton commanded the Devons, the Gordons, the + Manchesters, and the 2nd battalion of the Rifle Brigade, which marched + direct into the battle from the train which had brought them from Durban. + Six batteries of artillery were massed in the centre under Colonel + Downing. French with the cavalry and mounted infantry was on the extreme + right, but found little opportunity for the use of the mounted arm that + day. + </p> + <p> + The Boer position, so far as it could be seen, was a formidable one. Their + centre lay upon one of the spurs of Signal Hill, about three miles from + the town. Here they had two forty-pounders and three other lighter guns, + but their artillery strength developed both in numbers and in weight of + metal as the day wore on. Of their dispositions little could be seen. An + observer looking westward might discern with his glass sprays of mounted + riflemen galloping here and there over the downs, and possibly small + groups where the gunners stood by their guns, or the leaders gazed down at + that town which they were destined to have in view for such a weary while. + On the dun-coloured plains before the town, the long thin lines, with an + occasional shifting sparkle of steel, showed where Hamilton's and + Grimwood's infantry were advancing. In the clear cold air of an African + morning every detail could be seen, down to the distant smoke of a train + toiling up the heavy grades which lead from Frere over the Colenso Bridge + to Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + The scrambling, inconsequential, unsatisfactory action which ensued is as + difficult to describe as it must have been to direct. The Boer front + covered some seven or eight miles, with kopjes, like chains of fortresses, + between. They formed a huge semicircle of which our advance was the chord, + and they were able from this position to pour in a converging artillery + fire which grew steadily hotter as the day advanced. In the early part of + the day our forty-two guns, working furiously, though with a want of + accuracy which may be due to those errors of refraction which are said to + be common in the limpid air of the veld, preserved their superiority. + There appears to have been a want of concentration about our fire, and at + some periods of the action each particular battery was firing at some + different point of the Boer half-circle. Sometimes for an hour on end the + Boer reply would die away altogether, only to break out with augmented + violence, and with an accuracy which increased our respect for their + training. Huge shells—the largest that ever burst upon a battlefield—hurled + from distances which were unattainable by our fifteen-pounders, enveloped + our batteries in smoke and flame. One enormous Creusot gun on Pepworth + Hill threw a 96-pound shell a distance of four miles, and several 40-pound + howitzers outweighted our field guns. And on the same day on which we were + so roughly taught how large the guns were which labour and good will could + haul on to the field of battle, we learned also that our enemy—to + the disgrace of our Board of Ordnance be it recorded—was more in + touch with modern invention than we were, and could show us not only the + largest, but also the smallest, shell which had yet been used. Would that + it had been our officials instead of our gunners who heard the devilish + little one-pound shells of the Vickers-Maxim automatic gun, exploding with + a continuous string of crackings and bangings, like a huge cracker, in + their faces and about their ears! + </p> + <p> + Up to seven o'clock our infantry had shown no disposition to press the + attack, for with so huge a position in front of them, and so many hills + which were held by the enemy, it was difficult to know what line of + advance should be taken, or whether the attack should not be converted + into a mere reconnaissance. Shortly after that hour, however, the Boers + decided the question by themselves developing a vigorous movement upon + Grimwood and the right flank. With field guns, Maxims, and rifle fire, + they closed rapidly in upon him. The centre column was drafted off, + regiment by regiment, to reinforce the right. The Gordons, Devons, + Manchesters, and three batteries were sent over to Grimwood's relief, and + the 5th Lancers, acting as infantry, assisted him to hold on. + </p> + <p> + At nine o'clock there was a lull, but it was evident that fresh commandoes + and fresh guns were continually streaming into the firing line. The + engagement opened again with redoubled violence, and Grimwood's three + advanced battalions fell back, abandoning the ridge which they had held + for five hours. The reason for this withdrawal was not that they could not + continue to hold their position, but it was that a message had just + reached Sir George White from Colonel Knox, commanding in Ladysmith, to + the effect that it looked as if the enemy was about to rush the town from + the other side. Crossing the open in some disorder, they lost heavily, and + would have done so more had not the 13th Field Battery, followed after an + interval by the 53rd, dashed forward, firing shrapnel at short ranges, in + order to cover the retreat of the infantry. Amid the bursting of the huge + 96-pound shells, and the snapping of the vicious little automatic + one-pounders, with a cross-fire of rifles as well, Abdy's and Dawkins' + gallant batteries swung round their muzzles, and hit back right and left, + flashing and blazing, amid their litter of dead horses and men. So severe + was the fire that the guns were obscured by the dust knocked up by the + little shells of the automatic gun. Then, when their work was done and the + retiring infantry had straggled over the ridge, the covering guns whirled + and bounded after them. So many horses had fallen that two pieces were + left until the teams could be brought back for them, which was + successfully done through the gallantry of Captain Thwaites. The action of + these batteries was one of the few gleams of light in a not too brilliant + day's work. With splendid coolness and courage they helped each other by + alternate retirements after the retreating infantry had passed them. The + 21st Battery (Blewitt's) also distinguished itself by its staunchness in + covering the retirement of the cavalry, while the 42nd (Goulburn's) + suffered the heaviest losses of any. On the whole, such honours as fell to + our lot were mainly with the gunners. + </p> + <p> + White must have been now uneasy for his position, and it had become + apparent that his only course was to fall back and concentrate upon the + town. His left flank was up in the air, and the sound of distant firing, + wafted over five miles of broken country, was the only message which + arrived from them. His right had been pushed back, and, most dangerous of + all, his centre had ceased to exist, for only the 2nd Rifle Brigade + remained there. What would happen if the enemy burst rudely through and + pushed straight for the town? It was the more possible, as the Boer + artillery had now proved itself to be far heavier than ours. That terrible + 96-pounder, serenely safe and out of range, was plumping its great + projectiles into the masses of retiring troops. The men had had little + sleep and little food, and this unanswerable fire was an ordeal for a + force which is retreating. A retirement may very rapidly become a rout + under such circumstances. It was with some misgivings that the officers + saw their men quicken their pace and glance back over their shoulders at + the whine and screech of the shell. They were still some miles from home, + and the plain was open. What could be done to give them some relief? + </p> + <p> + And at that very moment there came the opportune and unexpected answer. + That plume of engine smoke which the watcher had observed in the morning + had drawn nearer and nearer, as the heavy train came puffing and creaking + up the steep inclines. Then, almost before it had drawn up at the + Ladysmith siding, there had sprung from it a crowd of merry bearded + fellows, with ready hands and strange sea cries, pulling and hauling, with + rope and purchase to get out the long slim guns which they had lashed on + the trucks. Singular carriages were there, specially invented by Captain + Percy Scott, and labouring and straining, they worked furiously to get the + 12-pounder quick-firers into action. Then at last it was done, and the + long tubes swept upwards to the angle at which they might hope to reach + that monster on the hill at the horizon. Two of them craned their long + inquisitive necks up and exchanged repartees with the big Creusot. And so + it was that the weary and dispirited British troops heard a crash which + was louder and sharper than that of their field guns, and saw far away + upon the distant hill a great spurt of smoke and flame to show where the + shell had struck. Another and another and another—and then they were + troubled no more. Captain Hedworth Lambton and his men had saved the + situation. The masterful gun had met its own master and sank into silence, + while the somewhat bedraggled field force came trailing back into + Ladysmith, leaving three hundred of their number behind them. It was a + high price to pay, but other misfortunes were in store for us which made + the retirement of the morning seem insignificant. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime we may follow the unhappy fortunes of the small column + which had, as already described, been sent out by Sir George White in + order, if possible, to prevent the junction of the two Boer armies, and at + the same time to threaten the right wing of the main force, which was + advancing from the direction of Dundee, Sir George White throughout the + campaign consistently displayed one quality which is a charming one in an + individual, but may be dangerous in a commander. He was a confirmed + optimist. Perhaps his heart might have failed him in the dark days to come + had he not been so. But whether one considers the non-destruction of the + Newcastle Railway, the acquiescence in the occupation of Dundee, the + retention of the non combatants in Ladysmith until it was too late to get + rid of their useless mouths, or the failure to make any serious + preparations for the defence of the town until his troops were beaten back + into it, we see always the same evidence of a man who habitually hopes + that all will go well, and is in consequence remiss in making preparations + for their going ill. But unhappily in every one of these instances they + did go ill, though the slowness of the Boers enabled us, both at Dundee + and at Ladysmith, to escape what might have been disaster. + </p> + <p> + Sir George White has so nobly and frankly taken upon himself the blame of + Nicholson's Nek that an impartial historian must rather regard his + self-condemnation as having been excessive. The immediate causes of the + failure were undoubtedly the results of pure ill-fortune, and depended on + things outside his control. But it is evident that the strategic plan + which would justify the presence of this column at Nicholson's Nek was + based upon the supposition that the main army won their action at + Lombard's Kop. In that case White might swing round his right and pin the + Boers between himself and Nicholson's Nek. In any case he could then + re-unite with his isolated wing. But if he should lose his battle—what + then? What was to become of this detachment five miles up in the air? How + was it to be extricated? The gallant Irishman seems to have waved aside + the very idea of defeat. An assurance was, it is reported, given to the + leaders of the column that by eleven o'clock next morning they would be + relieved. So they would if White had won his action. But— + </p> + <p> + The force chosen to operate independently consisted of four and a half + companies of the Gloucester regiment, six companies of the Royal Irish + Fusiliers, and No. 10 Mountain Battery of six seven-pounder screw-guns. + They were both old soldier regiments from India, and the Fusiliers had + shown only ten days before at Talana Hill the stuff of which they were + made. Colonel Carleton, of the Fusiliers, to whose exertions much of the + success of the retreat from Dundee was due, commanded the column, with + Major Adye as staff officer. On the night of Sunday, October 29th, they + tramped out of Ladysmith, a thousand men, none better in the army. Little + they thought, as they exchanged a jest or two with the outlying pickets, + that they were seeing the last of their own armed countrymen for many a + weary month. + </p> + <p> + The road was irregular and the night was moonless. On either side the + black loom of the hills bulked vaguely through the darkness. The column + tramped stolidly along, the Fusiliers in front, the guns and Gloucesters + behind. Several times a short halt was called to make sure of the + bearings. At last, in the black cold hours which come between midnight and + morning, the column swung to the left out of the road. In front of them, + hardly visible, stretched a long black kopje. It was the very Nicholson's + Nek which they had come to occupy. Carleton and Adye must have heaved a + sigh of relief as they realised that they had actually struck it. The + force was but two hundred yards from the position, and all had gone + without a hitch. And yet in those two hundred yards there came an incident + which decided the fate both of their enterprise and of themselves. + </p> + <p> + Out of the darkness there blundered and rattled five horsemen, their + horses galloping, the loose stones flying around them. In the dim light + they were gone as soon as seen. Whence coming, whither going, no one + knows, nor is it certain whether it was design or ignorance or panic which + sent them riding so wildly through the darkness. Somebody fired. A + sergeant of the Fusiliers took the bullet through his hand. Some one else + shouted to fix bayonets. The mules which carried the spare ammunition + kicked and reared. There was no question of treachery, for they were led + by our own men, but to hold two frightened mules, one with either hand, is + a feat for a Hercules. They lashed and tossed and bucked themselves loose, + and an instant afterwards were flying helter skelter through the column. + Nearly all the mules caught the panic. In vain the men held on to their + heads. In the mad rush they were galloped over and knocked down by the + torrent of frightened creatures. In the gloom of that early hour the men + must have thought that they were charged by cavalry. The column was dashed + out of all military order as effectively as if a regiment of dragoons had + ridden over them. When the cyclone had passed, and the men had with many a + muttered curse gathered themselves into their ranks once more, they + realised how grave was the misfortune which had befallen them. There, + where those mad hoofs still rattled in the distance, were their spare + cartridges, their shells, and their cannon. A mountain gun is not drawn + upon wheels, but is carried in adjustable parts upon mule-back. A wheel + had gone south, a trail east, a chase west. Some of the cartridges were + strewn upon the road. Most were on their way back to Ladysmith. There was + nothing for it but to face this new situation and to determine what should + be done. + </p> + <p> + It has been often and naturally asked, why did not Colonel Carleton make + his way back at once upon the loss of his guns and ammunition, while it + was still dark? One or two considerations are evident. In the first place, + it is natural to a good soldier to endeavour to retrieve a situation + rather than to abandon his enterprise. His prudence, did he not do so, + might become the subject of public commendation, but might also provoke + some private comment. A soldier's training is to take chances, and to do + the best he can with the material at his disposal. Again, Colonel Carleton + and Major Adye knew the general plan of the battle which would be raging + within a very few hours, and they quite understood that by withdrawing + they would expose General White's left flank to attack from the forces + (consisting, as we know now, of the Orange Freestaters and of the + Johannesburg Police) who were coming from the north and west. He hoped to + be relieved by eleven, and he believed that, come what might, he could + hold out until then. These are the most obvious of the considerations + which induced Colonel Carleton to determine to carry out so far as he + could the programme which had been laid down for him and his command. He + marched up the hill and occupied the position. + </p> + <p> + His heart, however, must have sunk when he examined it. It was very large—too + large to be effectively occupied by the force which he commanded. The + length was about a mile and the breadth four hundred yards. Shaped roughly + like the sole of a boot, it was only the heel end which he could hope to + hold. Other hills all round offered cover for Boer riflemen. Nothing + daunted, however, he set his men to work at once building sangars with the + loose stones. With the full dawn and the first snapping of Boer Mausers + from the hills around they had thrown up some sort of rude defences which + they might hope to hold until help should come. + </p> + <p> + But how could help come when there was no means by which they could let + White know the plight in which they found themselves? They had brought a + heliograph with them, but it was on the back of one of those accursed + mules. The Boers were thick around them, and they could not send a + messenger. An attempt was made to convert a polished biscuit tin into a + heliograph, but with poor success. A Kaffir was dispatched with promises + of a heavy bribe, but he passed out of history. And there in the clear + cold morning air the balloon hung to the south of them where the first + distant thunder of White's guns was beginning to sound. If only they could + attract the attention of that balloon! Vainly they wagged flags at it. + Serene and unresponsive it brooded over the distant battle. + </p> + <p> + And now the Boers were thickening round them on every side. Christian de + Wet, a name soon to be a household word, marshaled the Boer attack, which + was soon strengthened by the arrival of Van Dam and his Police. At five + o'clock the fire began, at six it was warm, at seven warmer still. Two + companies of the Gloucesters lined a sangar on the tread of the sole, to + prevent any one getting too near to the heel. A fresh detachment of Boers, + firing from a range of nearly one thousand yards, took this defence in the + rear. Bullets fell among the men, and smacked up against the stone + breastwork. The two companies were withdrawn, and lost heavily in the open + as they crossed it. An incessant rattle and crackle of rifle fire came + from all round, drawing very slowly but steadily nearer. Now and then the + whisk of a dark figure from one boulder to another was all that ever was + seen of the attackers. The British fired slowly and steadily, for every + cartridge counted, but the cover of the Boers was so cleverly taken that + it was seldom that there was much to aim at. 'All you could ever see,' + says one who was present, 'were the barrels of the rifles.' There was time + for thought in that long morning, and to some of the men it may have + occurred what preparation for such fighting had they ever had in the + mechanical exercises of the parade ground, or the shooting of an annual + bagful of cartridges at exposed targets at a measured range. It is the + warfare of Nicholson's Nek, not that of Laffan's Plain, which has to be + learned in the future. + </p> + <p> + During those weary hours lying on the bullet-swept hill and listening to + the eternal hissing in the air and clicking on the rocks, the British + soldiers could see the fight which raged to the south of them. It was not + a cheering sight, and Carleton and Adye with their gallant comrades must + have felt their hearts grow heavier as they watched. The Boers' shells + bursting among the British batteries, the British shells bursting short of + their opponents. The Long Toms laid at an angle of forty-five plumped + their huge shells into the British guns at a range where the latter would + not dream of unlimbering. And then gradually the rifle fire died away + also, crackling more faintly as White withdrew to Ladysmith. At eleven + o'clock Carleton's column recognised that it had been left to its fate. As + early as nine a heliogram had been sent to them to retire as the + opportunity served, but to leave the hill was certainly to court + annihilation. + </p> + <p> + The men had then been under fire for six hours, and with their losses + mounting and their cartridges dwindling, all hope had faded from their + minds. But still for another hour, and yet another, and yet another, they + held doggedly on. Nine and a half hours they clung to that pile of stones. + The Fusiliers were still exhausted from the effect of their march from + Glencoe and their incessant work since. Many fell asleep behind the + boulders. Some sat doggedly with their useless rifles and empty pouches + beside them. Some picked cartridges off their dead comrades. What were + they fighting for? It was hopeless, and they knew it. But always there was + the honour of the flag, the glory of the regiment, the hatred of a proud + and brave man to acknowledge defeat. And yet it had to come. There were + some in that force who were ready for the reputation of the British army, + and for the sake of an example of military virtue, to die stolidly where + they stood, or to lead the 'Faugh-a-ballagh' boys, or the gallant 28th, in + one last death-charge with empty rifles against the unseen enemy. They may + have been right, these stalwarts. Leonidas and his three hundred did more + for the Spartan cause by their memory than by their living valour. Man + passes like the brown leaves, but the tradition of a nation lives on like + the oak that sheds them—and the passing of the leaves is nothing if + the bole be the sounder for it. But a counsel of perfection is easy at a + study table. There are other things to be said—the responsibility of + officers for the lives of their men, the hope that they may yet be of + service to their country. All was weighed, all was thought of, and so at + last the white flag went up. The officer who hoisted it could see no one + unhurt save himself, for all in his sangar were hit, and the others were + so placed that he was under the impression that they had withdrawn + altogether. Whether this hoisting of the flag necessarily compromised the + whole force is a difficult question, but the Boers instantly left their + cover, and the men in the sangars behind, some of whom had not been so + seriously engaged, were ordered by their officers to desist from firing. + In an instant the victorious Boers were among them. + </p> + <p> + It was not, as I have been told by those who were there, a sight which one + would wish to have seen or care now to dwell upon. Haggard officers + cracked their sword-blades and cursed the day that they had been born. + Privates sobbed with their stained faces buried in their hands. Of all + tests of discipline that ever they had stood, the hardest to many was to + conform to all that the cursed flapping handkerchief meant to them. + 'Father, father, we had rather have died,' cried the Fusiliers to their + priest. Gallant hearts, ill paid, ill thanked, how poorly do the + successful of the world compare with their unselfish loyalty and devotion! + </p> + <p> + But the sting of contumely or insult was not added to their misfortunes. + There is a fellowship of brave men which rises above the feuds of nations, + and may at last go far, we hope, to heal them. From every rock there rose + a Boer—strange, grotesque figures many of them—walnut-brown + and shaggy-bearded, and swarmed on to the hill. No term of triumph or + reproach came from their lips. 'You will not say now that the young Boer + cannot shoot,' was the harshest word which the least restrained of them + made use of. Between one and two hundred dead and wounded were scattered + over the hill. Those who were within reach of human help received all that + could be given. Captain Rice, of the Fusiliers, was carried wounded down + the hill on the back of one giant, and he has narrated how the man refused + the gold piece which was offered him. Some asked the soldiers for their + embroidered waist-belts as souvenirs of the day. They will for generations + remain as the most precious ornaments of some colonial farmhouse. Then the + victors gathered together and sang psalms, not jubilant but sad and + quavering. The prisoners, in a downcast column, weary, spent, and unkempt, + filed off to the Boer laager at Waschbank, there to take train for + Pretoria. And at Ladysmith a bugler of Fusiliers, his arm bound, the marks + of battle on his dress and person, burst in upon the camp with the news + that two veteran regiments had covered the flank of White's retreating + army, but at the cost of their own annihilation. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> + <img alt="2_orange_river_colony_south (135K)" src="images/2_orange_river_colony_south.jpg" + width="100%" /><br /></div> + + <h2> + CHAPTER 8. LORD METHUEN'S ADVANCE. + </h2> + <p> + At the end of a fortnight of actual hostilities in Natal the situation of + the Boer army was such as to seriously alarm the public at home, and to + cause an almost universal chorus of ill-natured delight from the press of + all European nations. Whether the reason was hatred of ourselves, or the + sporting instinct which backs the smaller against the larger, or the + influence of the ubiquitous Dr. Leyds and his secret service fund, it is + certain that the continental papers have never been so unanimous as in + their premature rejoicings over what, with an extraordinary want of + proportion, and ignorance of our national character, they imagined to be a + damaging blow to the British Empire. France, Russia, Austria, and Germany + were equally venomous against us, nor can the visit of the German Emperor, + though a courteous and timely action in itself, entirely atone for the + senseless bitterness of the press of the Fatherland. Great Britain was + roused out of her habitual apathy and disregard for foreign opinion by + this chorus of execration, and braced herself for a greater effort in + consequence. She was cheered by the sympathy of her friends in the United + States, and by the good wishes of the smaller nations of Europe, notably + of Italy, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, and Hungary. + </p> + <p> + The exact position at the end of this fortnight of hard slogging was that + a quarter of the colony of Natal and a hundred miles of railway were in + the hands of the enemy. Five distinct actions had been fought, none of + them perhaps coming within the fair meaning of a battle. Of these one had + been a distinct British victory, two had been indecisive, one had been + unfortunate, and one had been a positive disaster. We had lost about + twelve hundred prisoners and a battery of small guns. The Boers had lost + two fine guns and three hundred prisoners. Twelve thousand British troops + had been shut up in Ladysmith, and there was no serious force between the + invaders and the sea. Only in those distant transports, where the grimy + stokers shoveled and strove, were there hopes for the safety of Natal and + the honour of the Empire. In Cape Colony the loyalists waited with bated + breath, knowing well that there was nothing to check a Free State + invasion, and that if it came no bounds could be placed upon how far it + might advance, or what effect it might have upon the Dutch population. + </p> + <p> + Leaving Ladysmith now apparently within the grasp of the Boers, who had + settled down deliberately to the work of throttling it, the narrative must + pass to the western side of the seat of war, and give a consecutive + account of the events which began with the siege of Kimberley and led to + the ineffectual efforts of Lord Methuen's column to relieve it. + </p> + <p> + On the declaration of war two important movements had been made by the + Boers upon the west. One was the advance of a considerable body under the + formidable Cronje to attack Mafeking, an enterprise which demands a + chapter of its own. The other was the investment of Kimberley by a force + which consisted principally of Freestaters under the command of Wessels + and Botha. The place was defended by Colonel Kekewich, aided by the advice + and help of Mr. Cecil Rhodes, who had gallantly thrown himself into the + town by one of the last trains which reached it. As the founder and + director of the great De Beers diamond mines he desired to be with his + people in the hour of their need, and it was through his initiative that + the town had been provided with the rifles and cannon with which to + sustain the siege. + </p> + <p> + The troops which Colonel Kekewich had at his disposal consisted of four + companies of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (his own regiment), with + some Royal Engineers, a mountain battery, and two machine guns. In + addition there were the extremely spirited and capable local forces, a + hundred and twenty men of the Cape Police, two thousand Volunteers, a body + of Kimberley Light Horse, and a battery of light seven-pounder guns. There + were also eight Maxims which were mounted upon the huge mounds of debris + which surrounded the mines and formed most efficient fortresses. + </p> + <p> + A small reinforcement of police had, under tragic circumstances, reached + the town. Vryburg, the capital of British Bechuanaland, lies 145 miles to + the north of Kimberley. The town has strong Dutch sympathies, and on the + news of the approach of a Boer force with artillery it was evident that it + could not be held. Scott, the commandant of police, made some attempt to + organise a defence, but having no artillery and finding little sympathy, + he was compelled to abandon his charge to the invaders. The gallant Scott + rode south with his troopers, and in his humiliation and grief at his + inability to preserve his post he blew out his brains upon the journey. + Vryburg was immediately occupied by the Boers, and British Bechuanaland + was formally annexed to the South African Republic. This policy of the + instant annexation of all territories invaded was habitually carried out + by the enemy, with the idea that British subjects who joined them would in + this way be shielded from the consequences of treason. Meanwhile several + thousand Freestaters and Transvaalers with artillery had assembled round + Kimberley, and all news of the town was cut off. Its relief was one of the + first tasks which presented itself to the inpouring army corps. The + obvious base of such a movement must be Orange River, and there and at De + Aar the stores for the advance began to be accumulated. At the latter + place especially, which is the chief railway junction in the north of the + colony, enormous masses of provisions, ammunition, and fodder were + collected, with thousands of mules which the long arm of the British + Government had rounded up from many parts of the world. The guard over + these costly and essential supplies seems to have been a dangerously weak + one. Between Orange River and De Aar, which are sixty miles apart, there + were the 9th Lancers, the Royal Munsters, the 2nd King's Own Yorkshire + Light Infantry, and the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers, under three thousand + men in all, with two million pounds' worth of stores and the Free State + frontier within a ride of them. Verily if we have something to deplore in + this war we have much also to be thankful for. + </p> + <p> + Up to the end of October the situation was so dangerous that it is really + inexplicable that no advantage was taken of it by the enemy. Our main + force was concentrated to defend the Orange River railway bridge, which + was so essential for our advance upon Kimberley. This left only a single + regiment without guns for the defence of De Aar and the valuable stores. A + fairer mark for a dashing leader and a raid of mounted riflemen was never + seen. The chance passed, however, as so many others of the Boers' had + done. Early in November Colesberg and Naauwpoort were abandoned by our + small detachments, who concentrated at De Aar. The Berkshires joined the + Yorkshire Light Infantry, and nine field guns arrived also. General Wood + worked hard at the fortifying of the surrounding kopjes, until within a + week the place had been made tolerably secure. + </p> + <p> + The first collision between the opposing forces at this part of the seat + of war was upon November 10th, when Colonel Gough of the 9th Lancers made + a reconnaissance from Orange River to the north with two squadrons of his + own regiment, the mounted infantry of the Northumberland Fusiliers, the + Royal Munsters, and the North Lancashires, with a battery of field + artillery. To the east of Belmont, about fifteen miles off, he came on a + detachment of the enemy with a gun. To make out the Boer position the + mounted infantry galloped round one of their flanks, and in doing so + passed close to a kopje which was occupied by sharpshooters. A deadly fire + crackled suddenly out from among the boulders. Of six men hit four were + officers, showing how cool were the marksmen and how dangerous those dress + distinctions which will probably disappear hence forwards upon the field + of battle. Colonel Keith-Falconer of the Northumberlands, who had earned + distinction in the Soudan, was shot dead. So was Wood of the North + Lancashires. Hall and Bevan of the Northumberlands were wounded. An + advance by train of the troops in camp drove back the Boers and extricated + our small force from what might have proved a serious position, for the + enemy in superior numbers were working round their wings. The troops + returned to camp without any good object having been attained, but that + must be the necessary fate of many a cavalry reconnaissance. + </p> + <p> + On November 12th Lord Methuen arrived at Orange River and proceeded to + organise the column which was to advance to the relief of Kimberley. + General Methuen had had some previous South African experience when in + 1885 he had commanded a large body of irregular horse in Bechuanaland. His + reputation was that of a gallant fearless soldier. He was not yet + fifty-five years of age. + </p> + <p> + The force which gradually assembled at Orange River was formidable rather + from its quality than from its numbers. It included a brigade of Guards + (the 1st Scots Guards, 3rd Grenadiers, and 1st and 2nd Coldstreams), the + 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, the 2nd Northamptons, the 1st + Northumberlands, and a wing of the North Lancashires whose comrades were + holding out at Kimberley, with a naval brigade of seamen gunners and + marines. For cavalry he had the 9th Lancers, with detachments of mounted + infantry, and for artillery the 75th and 18th Batteries R.F.A. + </p> + <p> + Extreme mobility was aimed at in the column, and neither tents nor + comforts of any sort were permitted to officers or men—no light + matter in a climate where a tropical day is followed by an arctic night. + At daybreak on November 22nd the force, numbering about eight thousand + men, set off upon its eventful journey. The distance to Kimberley was not + more than sixty miles, and it is probable that there was not one man in + the force who imagined how long that march would take or how grim the + experiences would be which awaited them on the way. At the dawn of + Wednesday, November 22nd, Lord Methuen moved forward until he came into + touch with the Boer position at Belmont. It was surveyed that evening by + Colonel Willoughby Verner, and every disposition made to attack it in the + morning. + </p> + <p> + The force of the Boers was much inferior to our own, some two or three + thousand in all, but the natural strength of their position made it a + difficult one to carry, while it could not be left behind us as a menace + to our line of communications. A double row of steep hills lay across the + road to Kimberley, and it was along the ridges, snuggling closely among + the boulders, that our enemy was waiting for us. In their weeks of + preparation they had constructed elaborate shelter pits in which they + could lie in comparative safety while they swept all the level ground + around with their rifle fire. Mr. Ralph, the American correspondent, whose + letters were among the most vivid of the war, has described these lairs, + littered with straw and the debris of food, isolated from each other, and + each containing its grim and formidable occupant. 'The eyries of birds of + prey' is the phrase with which he brings them home to us. In these, with + nothing visible but their peering eyes and the barrels of their rifles, + the Boer marksmen crouched, and munched their biltong and their mealies as + the day broke upon the morning of the 23rd. With the light their enemy was + upon them. + </p> + <p> + It was a soldiers' battle in the good old primeval British style, an Alma + on a small scale and against deadlier weapons. The troops advanced in grim + silence against the savage-looking, rock-sprinkled, crag-topped position + which confronted them. They were in a fierce humour, for they had not + breakfasted, and military history from Agincourt to Talavera shows that + want of food wakens a dangerous spirit among British troops. A + Northumberland Fusilier exploded into words which expressed the gruffness + of his comrades. As a too energetic staff officer pranced before their + line he roared in his rough North-country tongue, 'Domn thee! Get thee to + hell, and let's fire!' In the golden light of the rising sun the men set + their teeth and dashed up the hills, scrambling, falling, cheering, + swearing, gallant men, gallantly led, their one thought to close with that + grim bristle of rifle-barrels which fringed the rocks above them. + </p> + <p> + Lord Methuen's intention had been an attack from front and from flank, but + whether from the Grenadiers losing their bearings, or from the mobility of + the Boers, which made a flank attack an impossibility, it is certain that + all became frontal. The battle resolved itself into a number of isolated + actions in which the various kopjes were rushed by different British + regiments, always with success and always with loss. The honours of the + fight, as tested by the grim record of the casualty returns, lay with the + Grenadiers, the Coldstreams, the Northumberlands, and the Scots Guards. + The brave Guardsmen lay thickly on the slopes, but their comrades crowned + the heights. The Boers held on desperately and fired their rifles in the + very faces of the stormers. One young officer had his jaw blown to pieces + by a rifle which almost touched him. Another, Blundell of the Guards, was + shot dead by a wounded desperado to whom he was offering his water-bottle. + At one point a white flag was waved by the defenders, on which the British + left cover, only to be met by a volley. It was there that Mr. E. F. + Knight, of the 'Morning Post,' became the victim of a double abuse of the + usages of war, since his wound, from which he lost his right arm, was from + an explosive bullet. The man who raised the flag was captured, and it says + much for the humanity of British soldiers that he was not bayoneted upon + the spot. Yet it is not fair to blame a whole people for the misdeeds of a + few, and it is probable that the men who descended to such devices, or who + deliberately fired upon our ambulances, were as much execrated by their + own comrades as by ourselves. + </p> + <p> + The victory was an expensive one, for fifty killed and two hundred wounded + lay upon the hillside, and, like so many of our skirmishes with the Boers, + it led to small material results. Their losses appear to have been much + about the same as ours, and we captured some fifty prisoners, whom the + soldiers regarded with the utmost interest. They were a sullen slouching + crowd rudely clad, and they represented probably the poorest of the + burghers, who now, as in the middle ages, suffer most in battle, since a + long purse means a good horse. Most of the enemy galloped very comfortably + away after the action, leaving a fringe of sharpshooters among the kopjes + to hold back our pursuing cavalry. The want of horsemen and the want of + horse artillery are the two reasons which Lord Methuen gives why the + defeat was not converted into a rout. As it was, the feelings of the + retreating Boers were exemplified by one of their number, who turned in + his saddle in order to place his outstretched fingers to his nose in + derision of the victors. He exposed himself to the fire of half a + battalion while doing so, but he probably was aware that with our present + musketry instruction the fire of a British half-battalion against an + individual is not a very serious matter. + </p> + <p> + The remainder of the 23rd was spent at Belmont Camp, and next morning an + advance was made to Enslin, some ten miles further on. Here lay the plain + of Enslin, bounded by a formidable line of kopjes as dangerous as those of + Belmont. Lancers and Rimington's Scouts, the feeble but very capable + cavalry of the Army, came in with the report that the hills were strongly + held. Some more hard slogging was in front of the relievers of Kimberley. + </p> + <p> + The advance had been on the line of the Cape Town to Kimberley Railway, + and the damage done to it by the Boers had been repaired to the extent of + permitting an armoured train with a naval gun to accompany the troops. It + was six o' clock upon the morning of Saturday the 25th that this gun came + into action against the kopjes, closely followed by the guns of the field + artillery. One of the lessons of the war has been to disillusion us as to + the effect of shrapnel fire. Positions which had been made theoretically + untenable have again and again been found to be most inconveniently + tenanted. Among the troops actually engaged the confidence in the effect + of shrapnel fire has steadily declined with their experience. Some other + method of artillery fire than the curving bullet from an exploding + shrapnel shell must be devised for dealing with men who lie close among + boulders and behind cover. + </p> + <p> + These remarks upon shrapnel might be included in the account of half the + battles of the war, but they are particularly apposite to the action at + Enslin. Here a single large kopje formed the key to the position, and a + considerable time was expended upon preparing it for the British assault, + by directing upon it a fire which swept the face of it and searched, as + was hoped, every corner in which a rifleman might lurk. One of the two + batteries engaged fired no fewer than five hundred rounds. Then the + infantry advance was ordered, the Guards being held in reserve on account + of their exertions at Belmont. The Northumberlands, Northamptons, North + Lancashires, and Yorkshires worked round upon the right, and, aided by the + artillery fire, cleared the trenches in their front. The honours of the + assault, however, must be awarded to the sailors and marines of the Naval + Brigade, who underwent such an ordeal as men have seldom faced and yet + come out as victors. To them fell the task of carrying that formidable + hill which had been so scourged by our artillery. With a grand rush they + swept up the slope, but were met by a horrible fire. Every rock spurted + flame, and the front ranks withered away before the storm of the Mauser. + An eye-witness has recorded that the brigade was hardly visible amid the + sand knocked up by the bullets. For an instant they fell back into cover, + and then, having taken their breath, up they went again, with a + deep-chested sailor roar. There were but four hundred in all, two hundred + seamen and two hundred marines, and the losses in that rapid rush were + terrible. Yet they swarmed up, their gallant officers, some of them little + boy-middies, cheering them on. Ethelston, the commander of the 'Powerful,' + was struck down. Plumbe and Senior of the Marines were killed. Captain + Prothero of the 'Doris' dropped while still yelling to his seamen to 'take + that kopje and be hanged to it!' Little Huddart, the middy, died a death + which is worth many inglorious years. Jones of the Marines fell wounded, + but rose again and rushed on with his men. It was on these gallant + marines, the men who are ready to fight anywhere and anyhow, moist or dry, + that the heaviest loss fell. When at last they made good their foothold + upon the crest of that murderous hill they had left behind them three + officers and eighty-eight men out of a total of 206—a loss within a + few minutes of nearly 50 per cent. The bluejackets, helped by the curve of + the hill, got off with a toll of eighteen of their number. Half the total + British losses of the action fell upon this little body of men, who upheld + most gloriously the honour and reputation of the service from which they + were drawn. With such men under the white ensign we leave our island homes + in safety behind us. + </p> + <p> + The battle of Enslin had cost us some two hundred of killed and wounded, + and beyond the mere fact that we had cleared our way by another stage + towards Kimberley it is difficult to say what advantage we had from it. We + won the kopjes, but we lost our men. The Boer killed and wounded were + probably less than half of our own, and the exhaustion and weakness of our + cavalry forbade us to pursue and prevented us from capturing their guns. + In three days the men had fought two exhausting actions in a waterless + country and under a tropical sun. Their exertions had been great and yet + were barren of result. Why this should be so was naturally the subject of + keen discussion both in the camp and among the public at home. It always + came back to Lord Methuen's own complaint about the absence of cavalry and + of horse artillery. Many very unjust charges have been hurled against our + War Office—a department which in some matters has done + extraordinarily and unexpectedly well—but in this question of the + delay in the despatch of our cavalry and artillery, knowing as we did the + extreme mobility of our enemy, there is certainly ground for an inquiry. + </p> + <p> + The Boers who had fought these two actions had been drawn mainly from the + Jacobsdal and Fauresmith commandoes, with some of the burghers from + Boshof. The famous Cronje, however, had been descending from Mafeking with + his old guard of Transvaalers, and keen disappointment was expressed by + the prisoners at Belmont and at Enslin that he had not arrived in time to + take command of them. There were evidences, however, at this latter + action, that reinforcements for the enemy were coming up and that the + labours of the Kimberley relief force were by no means at an end. In the + height of the engagement the Lancer patrols thrown out upon our right + flank reported the approach of a considerable body of Boer horsemen, who + took up a position upon a hill on our right rear. Their position there was + distinctly menacing, and Colonel Willoughby Verner was despatched by Lord + Methuen to order up the brigade of Guards. The gallant officer had the + misfortune in his return to injure himself seriously through a blunder of + his horse. His mission, however, succeeded in its effect, for the Guards + moving across the plain intervened in such a way that the reinforcements, + without an open attack, which would have been opposed to all Boer + traditions, could not help the defenders, and were compelled to witness + their defeat. This body of horsemen returned north next day and were no + doubt among those whom we encountered at the following action of the + Modder River. + </p> + <p> + The march from Orange River had begun on the Wednesday. On Thursday was + fought the action of Belmont, on Saturday that of Enslin. There was no + protection against the sun by day nor against the cold at night. Water was + not plentiful, and the quality of it was occasionally vile. The troops + were in need of a rest, so on Saturday night and Sunday they remained at + Enslin. On the Monday morning (November 27th) the weary march to Kimberley + was resumed. + </p> + <p> + On Monday, November 27th, at early dawn, the little British army, a + dust-coloured column upon the dusty veld, moved forwards again towards + their objective. That night they halted at the pools of Klipfontein, + having for once made a whole day's march without coming in touch with the + enemy. Hopes rose that possibly the two successive defeats had taken the + heart out of them and that there would be no further resistance to the + advance. Some, however, who were aware of the presence of Cronje, and of + his formidable character, took a juster view of the situation. And this + perhaps is where a few words might be said about the celebrated leader who + played upon the western side of the seat of war the same part which + Joubert did upon the east. + </p> + <p> + Commandant Cronje was at the time of the war sixty-five years of age, a + hard, swarthy man, quiet of manner, fierce of soul, with a reputation + among a nation of resolute men for unsurpassed resolution. His dark face + was bearded and virile, but sedate and gentle in expression. He spoke + little, but what he said was to the point, and he had the gift of those + fire-words which brace and strengthen weaker men. In hunting expeditions + and in native wars he had first won the admiration of his countrymen by + his courage and his fertility of resource. In the war of 1880 he had led + the Boers who besieged Potchefstroom, and he had pushed the attack with a + relentless vigour which was not hampered by the chivalrous usages of war. + Eventually he compelled the surrender of the place by concealing from the + garrison that a general armistice had been signed, an act which was + afterwards disowned by his own government. In the succeeding years he + lived as an autocrat and a patriarch amid his farms and his herds, + respected by many and feared by all. For a time he was Native Commissioner + and left a reputation for hard dealing behind him. Called into the field + again by the Jameson raid, he grimly herded his enemies into an impossible + position and desired, as it is stated, that the hardest measure should be + dealt out to the captives. This was the man, capable, crafty, iron-hard, + magnetic, who lay with a reinforced and formidable army across the path of + Lord Methuen's tired soldiers. It was a fair match. On the one side the + hardy men, the trained shots, a good artillery, and the defensive; on the + other the historical British infantry, duty, discipline, and a fiery + courage. With a high heart the dust-coloured column moved on over the + dusty veld. + </p> + <p> + So entirely had hills and Boer fighting become associated in the minds of + our leaders, that when it was known that Modder River wound over a plain, + the idea of a resistance there appears to have passed away from their + minds. So great was the confidence or so lax the scouting that a force + equaling their own in numbers had assembled with many guns within seven + miles of them, and yet the advance appears to have been conducted without + any expectation of impending battle. The supposition, obvious even to a + civilian, that a river would be a likely place to meet with an obstinate + resistance, seems to have been ignored. It is perhaps not fair to blame + the General for a fact which must have vexed his spirit more than ours—one's + sympathies go out to the gentle and brave man, who was heard calling out + in his sleep that he 'should have had those two guns'—but it is + repugnant to common sense to suppose that no one, neither the cavalry nor + the Intelligence Department, is at fault for so extraordinary a state of + ignorance. [Footnote: Later information makes it certain that the cavalry + did report the presence of the enemy to Lord Methuen.] On the morning of + Tuesday, November 28th, the British troops were told that they would march + at once, and have their breakfast when they reached the Modder River—a + grim joke to those who lived to appreciate it. + </p> + <p> + The army had been reinforced the night before by the welcome addition of + the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, which made up for the losses of the + week. It was a cloudless morning, and a dazzling sun rose in a deep blue + sky. The men, though hungry, marched cheerily, the reek of their + tobacco-pipes floating up from their ranks. It cheered them to see that + the murderous kopjes had, for the time, been left behind, and that the + great plain inclined slightly downwards to where a line of green showed + the course of the river. On the further bank were a few scattered + buildings, with one considerable hotel, used as a week-end resort by the + businessmen of Kimberley. It lay now calm and innocent, with its open + windows looking out upon a smiling garden; but death lurked at the windows + and death in the garden, and the little dark man who stood by the door, + peering through his glass at the approaching column, was the minister of + death, the dangerous Cronje. In consultation with him was one who was to + prove even more formidable, and for a longer time. Semitic in face, + high-nosed, bushy-bearded, and eagle-eyed, with skin burned brown by a + life of the veld—it was De la Rey, one of the trio of fighting + chiefs whose name will always be associated with the gallant resistance of + the Boers. He was there as adviser, but Cronje was in supreme command. + </p> + <p> + His dispositions had been both masterly and original. Contrary to the + usual military practice in the defence of rivers, he had concealed his men + upon both banks, placing, as it is stated, those in whose staunchness he + had least confidence upon the British side of the river, so that they + could only retreat under the rifles of their inexorable companions. The + trenches had been so dug with such a regard for the slopes of the ground + that in some places a triple line of fire was secured. His artillery, + consisting of several heavy pieces and a number of machine guns (including + one of the diabolical 'pompoms'), was cleverly placed upon the further + side of the stream, and was not only provided with shelter pits but had + rows of reserve pits, so that the guns could be readily shifted when their + range was found. Rows of trenches, a broadish river, fresh rows of + trenches, fortified houses, and a good artillery well worked and well + placed, it was a serious task which lay in front of the gallant little + army. The whole position covered between four and five miles. + </p> + <p> + An obvious question must here occur to the mind of every non-military + reader—Why should this position be attacked at all? Why should we + not cross higher up where there were no such formidable obstacles?' The + answer, so far as one can answer it, must be that so little was known of + the dispositions of our enemy that we were hopelessly involved in the + action before we knew of it, and that then it was more dangerous to + extricate the army than to push the attack. A retirement over that open + plain at a range of under a thousand yards would have been a dangerous and + disastrous movement. Having once got there, it was wisest and best to see + it through. + </p> + <p> + The dark Cronje still waited reflective in the hotel garden. Across the + veld streamed the lines of infantry, the poor fellows eager, after seven + miles of that upland air, for the breakfast which had been promised them. + It was a quarter to seven when our patrols of Lancers were fired upon. + There were Boers, then, between them and their meal! The artillery was + ordered up, the Guards were sent forward on the right, the 9th Brigade + under Pole-Carew on the left, including the newly arrived Argyll and + Sutherland Highlanders. They swept onwards into the fatal fire zone—and + then, and only then, there blazed out upon them four miles of rifles, + cannon, and machine guns, and they realised, from general to private, that + they had walked unwittingly into the fiercest battle yet fought in the + war. + </p> + <p> + Before the position was understood the Guards were within seven hundred + yards of the Boer trenches, and the other troops about nine hundred, on + the side of a very gentle slope which made it most difficult to find any + cover. In front of them lay a serene landscape, the river, the houses, the + hotel, no movement of men, no smoke—everything peaceful and deserted + save for an occasional quick flash and sparkle of flame. But the noise was + horrible and appalling. Men whose nerves had been steeled to the crash of + the big guns, or the monotonous roar of Maxims and the rattle of Mauser + fire, found a new terror in the malignant 'ploop-plooping' of the + automatic quick-firer. The Maxim of the Scots Guards was caught in the + hell-blizzard from this thing—each shell no bigger than a large + walnut, but flying in strings of a score—and men and gun were + destroyed in an instant. As to the rifle bullets the air was humming and + throbbing with them, and the sand was mottled like a pond in a shower. To + advance was impossible, to retire was hateful. The men fell upon their + faces and huddled close to the earth, too happy if some friendly ant-heap + gave them a precarious shelter. And always, tier above tier, the lines of + rifle fire rippled and palpitated in front of them. The infantry fired + also, and fired, and fired—but what was there to fire at? An + occasional eye and hand over the edge of a trench or behind a stone is no + mark at seven hundred yards. It would be instructive to know how many + British bullets found a billet that day. + </p> + <p> + The cavalry was useless, the infantry was powerless—there only + remained the guns. When any arm is helpless and harried it always casts an + imploring eye upon the guns, and rarely indeed is it that the gallant guns + do not respond. Now the 75th and 18th Field Batteries came rattling and + dashing to the front, and unlimbered at one thousand yards. The naval guns + were working at four thousand, but the two combined were insufficient to + master the fire of the pieces of large calibre which were opposed to them. + Lord Methuen must have prayed for guns as Wellington did for night, and + never was a prayer answered more dramatically. A strange battery came + lurching up from the British rear, unheralded, unknown, the weary gasping + horses panting at the traces, the men, caked with sweat and dirt, urging + them on into a last spasmodic trot. The bodies of horses which had died of + pure fatigue marked their course, the sergeants' horses tugged in the + gun-teams, and the sergeants staggered along by the limbers. It was the + 62nd Field Battery, which had marched thirty-two miles in eight hours, and + now, hearing the crash of battle in front of them, had with one last + desperate effort thrown itself into the firing line. Great credit is due + to Major Granet and his men. Not even those gallant German batteries who + saved the infantry at Spicheren could boast of a finer feat. + </p> + <p> + Now it was guns against guns, and let the best gunners win! We had + eighteen field-guns and the naval pieces against the concealed cannon of + the enemy. Back and forward flew the shells, howling past each other in + mid-air. The weary men of the 62nd Battery forgot their labours and + fatigues as they stooped and strained at their clay-coloured 15-pounders. + Half of them were within rifle range, and the limber horses were the + centre of a hot fire, as they were destined to be at a shorter range and + with more disastrous effect at the Tugela. That the same tactics should + have been adopted at two widely sundered points shows with what care the + details of the war had been pre-arranged by the Boer leaders. 'Before I + got my horses out,' says an officer, 'they shot one of my drivers and two + horses and brought down my own horse. When we got the gun round one of the + gunners was shot through the brain and fell at my feet. Another was shot + while bringing up shell. Then we got a look in.' The roar of the cannon + was deafening, but gradually the British were gaining the upper hand. Here + and there the little knolls upon the further side which had erupted into + constant flame lay cold and silent. One of the heavier guns was put out of + action, and the other had been withdrawn for five hundred yards. But the + infantry fire still crackled and rippled along the trenches, and the guns + could come no nearer with living men and horses. It was long past midday, + and that unhappy breakfast seemed further off than ever. + </p> + <p> + As the afternoon wore on, a curious condition of things was established. + The guns could not advance, and, indeed, it was found necessary to + withdraw them from a 1200 to a 2800-yard range, so heavy were the losses. + At the time of the change the 75th Battery had lost three officers out of + five, nineteen men, and twenty-two horses. The infantry could not advance + and would not retire. The Guards on the right were prevented from opening + out on the flank and getting round the enemy's line, by the presence of + the Riet River, which joins the Modder almost at a right angle. All day + they lay under a blistering sun, the sleet of bullets whizzing over their + heads. 'It came in solid streaks like telegraph wires,' said a graphic + correspondent. The men gossiped, smoked, and many of them slept. They lay + on the barrels of their rifles to keep them cool enough for use. Now and + again there came the dull thud of a bullet which had found its mark, and a + man gasped, or drummed with his feet; but the casualties at this point + were not numerous, for there was some little cover, and the piping bullets + passed for the most part overhead. + </p> + <p> + But in the meantime there had been a development upon the left which was + to turn the action into a British victory. At this side there was ample + room to extend, and the 9th Brigade spread out, feeling its way down the + enemy's line, until it came to a point where the fire was less murderous + and the approach to the river more in favour of the attack. Here the + Yorkshires, a party of whom under Lieutenant Fox had stormed a farmhouse, + obtained the command of a drift, over which a mixed force of Highlanders + and Fusiliers forced their way, led by their Brigadier in person. This + body of infantry, which does not appear to have exceeded five hundred in + number, were assailed both by the Boer riflemen and by the guns of both + parties, our own gunners being unaware that the Modder had been + successfully crossed. A small hamlet called Rosmead formed, however, a + point d'appui, and to this the infantry clung tenaciously, while + reinforcements dribbled across to them from the farther side. 'Now, boys, + who's for otter hunting?' cried Major Coleridge, of the North Lancashires, + as he sprang into the water. How gladly on that baking, scorching day did + the men jump into the river and splash over, to climb the opposite bank + with their wet khaki clinging to their figures! Some blundered into holes + and were rescued by grasping the unwound putties of their comrades. And so + between three and four o'clock a strong party of the British had + established their position upon the right flank of the Boers, and were + holding on like grim death with an intelligent appreciation that the + fortunes of the day depended upon their retaining their grip. + </p> + <p> + 'Hollo, here is a river!' cried Codrington when he led his forlorn hope to + the right and found that the Riet had to be crossed. 'I was given to + understand that the Modder was fordable everywhere,' says Lord Methuen in + his official despatch. One cannot read the account of the operations + without being struck by the casual, sketchy knowledge which cost us so + dearly. The soldiers slogged their way through, as they have slogged it + before; but the task might have been made much lighter for them had we but + clearly known what it was that we were trying to do. On the other hand, it + is but fair to Lord Methuen to say that his own personal gallantry and + unflinching resolution set the most stimulating example to his troops. No + General could have done more to put heart into his men. + </p> + <p> + And now, as the long weary scorching hungry day came to an end, the Boers + began at last to flinch from their trenches. The shrapnel was finding them + out and this force upon their flank filled them with vague alarm and with + fears for their precious guns. And so as night fell they stole across the + river, the cannon were withdrawn, the trenches evacuated, and next + morning, when the weary British and their anxious General turned + themselves to their grim task once more, they found a deserted village, a + line of empty houses, and a litter of empty Mauser cartridge-cases to show + where their tenacious enemy had stood. + </p> + <p> + Lord Methuen, in congratulating the troops upon their achievement, spoke + of 'the hardest-won victory in our annals of war,' and some such phrase + was used in his official despatch. It is hypercritical, no doubt, to look + too closely at a term used by a wounded man with the flush of battle still + upon him, but still a student of military history must smile at such a + comparison between this action and such others as Albuera or Inkerman, + where the numbers of British engaged were not dissimilar. A fight in which + five hundred men are killed and wounded cannot be classed in the same + category as those stern and desperate encounters where more of the victors + were carried than walked from the field of battle. And yet there were some + special features which will differentiate the fight at Modder River from + any of the hundred actions which adorn the standards of our regiments. It + was the third battle which the troops had fought within the week, they + were under fire for ten or twelve hours, were waterless under a tropical + sun, and weak from want of food. For the first time they were called upon + to face modern rifle fire and modern machine guns in the open. The result + tends to prove that those who hold that it will from now onwards be + impossible ever to make such frontal attacks as those which the English + made at the Alma or the French at Waterloo, are justified in their belief. + It is beyond human hardihood to face the pitiless beat of bullet and shell + which comes from modern quick-firing weapons. Had our flank not made a + lodgment across the river, it is impossible that we could have carried the + position. Once more, too, it was demonstrated how powerless the best + artillery is to disperse resolute and well-placed riflemen. Of the minor + points of interest there will always remain the record of the forced march + of the 62nd Battery, and artillerymen will note the use of gun-pits by the + Boers, which ensured that the range of their positions should never be + permanently obtained. + </p> + <p> + The honours of the day upon the side of the British rested with the Argyll + and Sutherland Highlanders, the Yorkshire Light Infantry, the 2nd + Coldstreams, and the artillery. Out of a total casualty list of about 450, + no fewer than 112 came from the gallant Argylls and 69 from the + Coldstreams. The loss of the Boers is exceedingly difficult to gauge, as + they throughout the war took the utmost pains to conceal it. The number of + desperate and long-drawn actions which have ended, according to the + official Pretorian account, in a loss of one wounded burgher may in some + way be better policy, but does not imply a higher standard of public + virtue, than those long lists which have saddened our hearts in the halls + of the War Office. What is certain is that the loss at Modder River could + not have been far inferior to our own, and that it arose almost entirely + from artillery fire, since at no time of the action were any large number + of their riflemen visible. So it ended, this long pelting match, Cronje + sullenly withdrawing under the cover of darkness with his resolute heart + filled with fierce determination for the future, while the British + soldiers threw themselves down on the ground which they occupied and slept + the sleep of exhaustion. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 9. BATTLE OF MAGERSFONTEIN. + </h2> + <p> + Lord Methuen's force had now fought three actions in the space of a single + week, losing in killed and wounded about a thousand men, or rather more + than one-tenth of its total numbers. Had there been evidence that the + enemy were seriously demoralised, the General would no doubt have pushed + on at once to Kimberley, which was some twenty miles distant. The + information which reached him was, however, that the Boers had fallen back + upon the very strong position of Spytfontein, that they were full of + fight, and that they had been strongly reinforced by a commando from + Mafeking. Under these circumstances Lord Methuen had no choice but to give + his men a well-earned rest, and to await reinforcements. There was no use + in reaching Kimberley unless he had completely defeated the investing + force. With the history of the first relief of Lucknow in his memory he + was on his guard against a repetition of such an experience. + </p> + <p> + It was the more necessary that Methuen should strengthen his position, + since with every mile which he advanced the more exposed did his line of + communications become to a raid from Fauresmith and the southern districts + of the Orange Free State. Any serious danger to the railway behind them + would leave the British Army in a very critical position, and precautions + were taken for the protection of the more vulnerable portions of the line. + It was well that this was so, for on the 8th of December Commandant + Prinsloo, of the Orange Free State, with a thousand horsemen and two light + seven-pounder guns, appeared suddenly at Enslin and vigorously attacked + the two companies of the Northampton Regiment who held the station. At the + same time they destroyed a couple of culverts and tore up three hundred + yards of the permanent way. For some hours the Northamptons under Captain + Godley were closely pressed, but a telegram had been despatched to Modder + Camp, and the 12th Lancers with the ubiquitous 62nd Battery were sent to + their assistance. The Boers retired with their usual mobility, and in ten + hours the line was completely restored. + </p> + <p> + Reinforcements were now reaching the Modder River force, which made it + more formidable than when it had started. A very essential addition was + that of the 12th Lancers and of G battery of Horse Artillery, which would + increase the mobility of the force and make it possible for the General to + follow up a blow after he had struck it. The magnificent regiments which + formed the Highland Brigade—the 2nd Black Watch, the 1st Gordons, + the 2nd Seaforths, and the 1st Highland Light Infantry had arrived under + the gallant and ill-fated Wauchope. Four five-inch howitzers had also come + to strengthen the artillery. At the same time the Canadians, the + Australians, and several line regiments were moved up on the line from De + Aar to Belmont. It appeared to the public at home that there was the + material for an overwhelming advance; but the ordinary observer, and even + perhaps the military critic, had not yet appreciated how great is the + advantage which is given by modern weapons to the force which acts upon + the defensive. With enormous pains Cronje and De la Rey were entrenching a + most formidable position in front of our advance, with a confidence, which + proved to be justified that it would be on their own ground and under + their own conditions that in this, as in the three preceding actions, we + should engage them. + </p> + <p> + On the morning of Saturday, December 9th, the British General made an + attempt to find out what lay in front of him amid that semicircle of + forbidding hills. To this end he sent out a reconnaissance in the early + morning, which included G Battery Horse Artillery, the 9th Lancers, and + the ponderous 4.7 naval gun, which, preceded by the majestic march of + thirty-two bullocks and attended by eighty seamen gunners, creaked + forwards over the plain. What was there to shoot at in those sunlit + boulder-strewn hills in front? They lay silent and untenanted in the glare + of the African day. In vain the great gun exploded its huge shell with its + fifty pounds of lyddite over the ridges, in vain the smaller pieces + searched every cleft and hollow with their shrapnel. No answer came from + the far-stretching hills. Not a flash or twinkle betrayed the fierce bands + who lurked among the boulders. The force returned to camp no wiser than + when it left. + </p> + <p> + There was one sight visible every night to all men which might well nerve + the rescuers in their enterprise. Over the northern horizon, behind those + hills of danger, there quivered up in the darkness one long, flashing, + quivering beam, which swung up and down, and up again like a seraphic + sword-blade. It was Kimberley praying for help, Kimberley solicitous for + news. Anxiously, distractedly, the great De Beers searchlight dipped and + rose. And back across the twenty miles of darkness, over the hills where + Cronje lurked, there came that other southern column of light which + answered, and promised, and soothed. 'Be of good heart, Kimberley. We are + here! The Empire is behind us. We have not forgotten you. It may be days, + or it may be weeks, but rest assured that we are coming.' + </p> + <p> + About three in the afternoon of Sunday, December 10th, the force which was + intended to clear a path for the army through the lines of Magersfontein + moved out upon what proved to be its desperate enterprise. The 3rd or + Highland Brigade included the Black Watch, the Seaforths, the Argyll and + Sutherlands, and the Highland Light Infantry. The Gordons had only arrived + in camp that day, and did not advance until next morning. Besides the + infantry, the 9th Lancers, the mounted infantry, and all the artillery + moved to the front. It was raining hard, and the men with one blanket + between two soldiers bivouacked upon the cold damp ground, about three + miles from the enemy's position. At one o'clock, without food, and + drenched, they moved forwards through the drizzle and the darkness to + attack those terrible lines. Major Benson, R.A., with two of Rimington's + scouts, led them on their difficult way. + </p> + <p> + Clouds drifted low in the heavens, and the falling rain made the darkness + more impenetrable. The Highland Brigade was formed into a column—the + Black Watch in front, then the Seaforths, and the other two behind. To + prevent the men from straggling in the night the four regiments were + packed into a mass of quarter column as densely as was possible, and the + left guides held a rope in order to preserve the formation. With many a + trip and stumble the ill-fated detachment wandered on, uncertain where + they were going and what it was that they were meant to do. Not only among + the rank and file, but among the principal officers also, there was the + same absolute ignorance. Brigadier Wauchope knew, no doubt, but his voice + was soon to be stilled in death. The others were aware, of course, that + they were advancing either to turn the enemy's trenches or to attack them, + but they may well have argued from their own formation that they could not + be near the riflemen yet. Why they should be still advancing in that dense + clump we do not now know, nor can we surmise what thoughts were passing + through the mind of the gallant and experienced chieftain who walked + beside them. There are some who claim on the night before to have seen + upon his strangely ascetic face that shadow of doom which is summed up in + the one word 'fey.' The hand of coming death may already have lain cold + upon his soul. Out there, close beside him, stretched the long trench, + fringed with its line of fierce, staring, eager faces, and its bristle of + gun-barrels. They knew he was coming. They were ready. They were waiting. + But still, with the dull murmur of many feet, the dense column, nearly + four thousand strong, wandered onwards through the rain and the darkness, + death and mutilation crouching upon their path. + </p> + <p> + It matters not what gave the signal, whether it was the flashing of a + lantern by a Boer scout, or the tripping of a soldier over wire, or the + firing of a gun in the ranks. It may have been any, or it may have been + none, of these things. As a matter of fact I have been assured by a Boer + who was present that it was the sound of the tins attached to the alarm + wires which disturbed them. However this may be, in an instant there + crashed out of the darkness into their faces and ears a roar of + point-blank fire, and the night was slashed across with the throbbing + flame of the rifles. At the moment before this outflame some doubt as to + their whereabouts seems to have flashed across the mind of their leaders. + The order to extend had just been given, but the men had not had time to + act upon it. The storm of lead burst upon the head and right flank of the + column, which broke to pieces under the murderous volley. Wauchope was + shot, struggled up, and fell once more for ever. Rumour has placed words + of reproach upon his dying lips, but his nature, both gentle and + soldierly, forbids the supposition. 'What a pity!' was the only utterance + which a brother Highlander ascribes to him. Men went down in swathes, and + a howl of rage and agony, heard afar over the veld, swelled up from the + frantic and struggling crowd. By the hundred they dropped—some dead, + some wounded, some knocked down by the rush and sway of the broken ranks. + It was a horrible business. At such a range and in such a formation a + single Mauser bullet may well pass through many men. A few dashed + forwards, and were found dead at the very edges of the trench. The few + survivors of companies A, B, and C of the Black Watch appear to have never + actually retired, but to have clung on to the immediate front of the Boer + trenches, while the remains of the other five companies tried to turn the + Boer flank. Of the former body only six got away unhurt in the evening + after lying all day within two hundred yards of the enemy. The rest of the + brigade broke and, disentangling themselves with difficulty from the dead + and the dying, fled back out of that accursed place. Some, the most + unfortunate of all, became caught in the darkness in the wire defences, + and were found in the morning hung up 'like crows,' as one spectator + describes it, and riddled with bullets. + </p> + <p> + Who shall blame the Highlanders for retiring when they did? Viewed, not by + desperate and surprised men, but in all calmness and sanity, it may well + seem to have been the very best thing which they could do. Dashed into + chaos, separated from their officers, with no one who knew what was to be + done, the first necessity was to gain shelter from this deadly fire, which + had already stretched six hundred of their number upon the ground. The + danger was that men so shaken would be stricken with panic, scatter in the + darkness over the face of the country, and cease to exist as a military + unit. But the Highlanders were true to their character and their + traditions. There was shouting in the darkness, hoarse voices calling for + the Seaforths, for the Argylls, for Company C, for Company H, and + everywhere in the gloom there came the answer of the clansmen. Within half + an hour with the break of day the Highland regiments had re-formed, and, + shattered and weakened, but undaunted, prepared to renew the contest. Some + attempt at an advance was made upon the right, ebbing and flowing, one + little band even reaching the trenches and coming back with prisoners and + reddened bayonets. For the most part the men lay upon their faces, and + fired when they could at the enemy; but the cover which the latter kept + was so excellent that an officer who expended 120 rounds has left it upon + record that he never once had seen anything positive at which to aim. + Lieutenant Lindsay brought the Seaforths' Maxim into the firing-line, and, + though all her crew except two were hit, it continued to do good service + during the day. The Lancers' Maxim was equally staunch, though it also was + left finally with only the lieutenant in charge and one trooper to work + it. + </p> + <p> + Fortunately the guns were at hand, and, as usual, they were quick to come + to the aid of the distressed. The sun was hardly up before the howitzers + were throwing lyddite at 4000 yards, the three field batteries (18th, + 62nd, 75th) were working with shrapnel at a mile, and the troop of Horse + Artillery was up at the right front trying to enfilade the trenches. The + guns kept down the rifle-fire, and gave the wearied Highlanders some + respite from their troubles. The whole situation had resolved itself now + into another Battle of Modder River. The infantry, under a fire at from + six hundred to eight hundred paces, could not advance and would not + retire. The artillery only kept the battle going, and the huge naval gun + from behind was joining with its deep bark in the deafening uproar. But + the Boers had already learned—and it is one of their most valuable + military qualities that they assimilate their experience so quickly—that + shell fire is less dangerous in a trench than among rocks. These trenches, + very elaborate in character, had been dug some hundreds of yards from the + foot of the hills, so that there was hardly any guide to our artillery + fire. Yet it is to the artillery fire that all the losses of the Boers + that day were due. The cleverness of Cronje's disposition of his trenches + some hundred yards ahead of the kopjes is accentuated by the fascination + which any rising object has for a gunner. Prince Kraft tells the story of + how at Sadowa he unlimbered his guns two hundred yards in front of the + church of Chlum, and how the Austrian reply fire almost invariably pitched + upon the steeple. So our own gunners, even at a two thousand-yard mark, + found it difficult to avoid overshooting the invisible line, and hitting + the obvious mark behind. + </p> + <p> + As the day wore on reinforcements of infantry came up from the force which + had been left to guard the camp. The Gordons arrived with the first and + second battalions of the Coldstream Guards, and all the artillery was + moved nearer to the enemy's position. At the same time, as there were some + indications of an attack upon our right flank, the Grenadier Guards with + five companies of the Yorkshire Light Infantry were moved up in that + direction, while the three remaining companies of Barter's Yorkshiremen + secured a drift over which the enemy might cross the Modder. This + threatening movement upon our right flank, which would have put the + Highlanders into an impossible position had it succeeded, was most + gallantly held back all morning, before the arrival of the Guards and the + Yorkshires, by the mounted infantry and the 12th Lancers, skirmishing on + foot. It was in this long and successful struggle to cover the flank of + the 3rd Brigade that Major Milton, Major Ray, and many another brave man + met his end. The Coldstreams and Grenadiers relieved the pressure upon + this side, and the Lancers retired to their horses, having shown, not for + the first time, that the cavalryman with a modern carbine can at a pinch + very quickly turn himself into a useful infantry soldier. Lord Airlie + deserves all praise for his unconventional use of his men, and for the + gallantry with which he threw both himself and them into the most critical + corner of the fight. + </p> + <p> + While the Coldstreams, the Grenadiers, and the Yorkshire Light Infantry + were holding back the Boer attack upon our right flank the indomitable + Gordons, the men of Dargai, furious with the desire to avenge their + comrades of the Highland Brigade, had advanced straight against the + trenches and succeeded without any very great loss in getting within four + hundred yards of them. But a single regiment could not carry the position, + and anything like a general advance upon it was out of the question in + broad daylight after the punishment which we had received. Any plans of + the sort which may have passed through Lord Methuen's mind were driven + away for ever by the sudden unordered retreat of the stricken brigade. + They had been very roughly handled in this, which was to most of them + their baptism of fire, and they had been without food and water under a + burning sun all day. They fell back rapidly for a mile, and the guns were + for a time left partially exposed. Fortunately the lack of initiative on + the part of the Boers which has stood our friend so often came in to save + us from disaster and humiliation. It is due to the brave unshaken face + which the Guards presented to the enemy that our repulse did not deepen + into something still more serious. + </p> + <p> + The Gordons and the Scots Guards were still in attendance upon the guns, + but they had been advanced very close to the enemy's trenches, and there + were no other troops in support. Under these circumstances it was + imperative that the Highlanders should rally, and Major Ewart with other + surviving officers rushed among the scattered ranks and strove hard to + gather and to stiffen them. The men were dazed by what they had undergone, + and Nature shrank back from that deadly zone where the bullets fell so + thickly. But the pipes blew, and the bugles sang, and the poor tired + fellows, the backs of their legs so flayed and blistered by lying in the + sun that they could hardly bend them, hobbled back to their duty. They + worked up to the guns once more, and the moment of danger passed. + </p> + <p> + But as the evening wore on it became evident that no attack could succeed, + and that therefore there was no use in holding the men in front of the + enemy's position. The dark Cronje, lurking among his ditches and his + barbed wire, was not to be approached, far less defeated. There are some + who think that, had we held on there as we did at the Modder River, the + enemy would again have been accommodating enough to make way for us during + the night, and the morning would have found the road clear to Kimberley. I + know no grounds for such an opinion—but several against it. At + Modder Cronje abandoned his lines, knowing that he had other and stronger + ones behind him. At Magersfontein a level plain lay behind the Boer + position, and to abandon it was to give up the game altogether. Besides, + why should he abandon it? He knew that he had hit us hard. We had made + absolutely no impression upon his defences. Is it likely that he would + have tamely given up all his advantages and surrendered the fruits of his + victory without a struggle? It is enough to mourn a defeat without the + additional agony of thinking that a little more perseverance might have + turned it into a victory. The Boer position could only be taken by + outflanking it, and we were not numerous enough nor mobile enough to + outflank it. There lay the whole secret of our troubles, and no + conjectures as to what might under other circumstances have happened can + alter it. + </p> + <p> + About half-past five the Boer guns, which had for some unexplained reason + been silent all day, opened upon the cavalry. Their appearance was a + signal for the general falling back of the centre, and the last attempt to + retrieve the day was abandoned. The Highlanders were dead-beat; the + Coldstreams had had enough; the mounted infantry was badly mauled. There + remained the Grenadiers, the Scots Guards, and two or three line regiments + who were available for a new attack. There are occasions, such as Sadowa, + where a General must play his last card. There are others where with + reinforcements in his rear, he can do better by saving his force and + trying once again. General Grant had an axiom that the best time for an + advance was when you were utterly exhausted, for that was the moment when + your enemy was probably utterly exhausted too, and of two such forces the + attacker has the moral advantage. Lord Methuen determined—and no + doubt wisely—that it was no occasion for counsels of desperation. + His men were withdrawn—in some cases withdrew themselves—outside + the range of the Boer guns, and next morning saw the whole force with + bitter and humiliated hearts on their way back to their camp at Modder + River. + </p> + <p> + The repulse of Magersfontein cost the British nearly a thousand men, + killed, wounded, and missing, of which over seven hundred belonged to the + Highlanders. Fifty-seven officers had fallen in that brigade alone, + including their Brigadier and Colonel Downman of the Gordons. Colonel + Codrington of the Coldstreams was wounded early, fought through the + action, and came back in the evening on a Maxim gun. Lord Winchester of + the same battalion was killed, after injudiciously but heroically exposing + himself all day. The Black Watch alone had lost nineteen officers and over + three hundred men killed and wounded, a catastrophe which can only be + matched in all the bloody and glorious annals of that splendid regiment by + their slaughter at Ticonderoga in 1757, when no fewer than five hundred + fell before Montcalm's muskets. Never has Scotland had a more grievous day + than this of Magersfontein. She has always given her best blood with + lavish generosity for the Empire, but it may be doubted if any single + battle has ever put so many families of high and low into mourning from + the Tweed to the Caithness shore. There is a legend that when sorrow comes + upon Scotland the old Edinburgh Castle is lit by ghostly lights and gleams + white at every window in the mirk of midnight. If ever the watcher could + have seen so sinister a sight, it should have been on this, the fatal + night of December 11, 1899. As to the Boer loss it is impossible to + determine it. Their official returns stated it to be seventy killed and + two hundred and fifty wounded, but the reports of prisoners and deserters + placed it at a very much higher figure. One unit, the Scandinavian corps, + was placed in an advanced position at Spytfontein, and was overwhelmed by + the Seaforths, who killed, wounded, or took the eighty men of whom it was + composed. The stories of prisoners and of deserters all speak of losses + very much higher than those which have been officially acknowledged. + </p> + <p> + In his comments upon the battle next day Lord Methuen was said to have + given offence to the Highland Brigade, and the report was allowed to go + uncontradicted until it became generally accepted. It arose, however, from + a complete misunderstanding of the purport of Lord Methuen's remarks, in + which he praised them, as he well might, for their bravery, and condoled + with them over the wreck of their splendid regiments. The way in which + officers and men hung on under conditions to which no troops have ever + been exposed was worthy of the highest traditions of the British army. + From the death of Wauchope in the early morning, until the assumption of + the command of the brigade by Hughes-Hallett in the late afternoon, no one + seems to have taken the direction. 'My lieutenant was wounded and my + captain was killed,' says a private. 'The General was dead, but we stayed + where we were, for there was no order to retire.' That was the story of + the whole brigade, until the flanking movement of the Boers compelled them + to fall back. + </p> + <p> + The most striking lesson of the engagement is the extreme bloodiness of + modern warfare under some conditions, and its bloodlessness under others. + Here, out of a total of something under a thousand casualties seven + hundred were incurred in about five minutes, and the whole day of shell, + machine-gun, and rifle fire only furnished the odd three hundred. So also + at Ladysmith the British forces (White's column) were under heavy fire + from 5.30 to 11.30, and the loss again was something under three hundred. + With conservative generalship the losses of the battles of the future will + be much less than those of the past, and as a consequence the battles + themselves will last much longer, and it will be the most enduring rather + than the most fiery which will win. The supply of food and water to the + combatants will become of extreme importance to keep them up during the + prolonged trials of endurance, which will last for weeks rather than days. + On the other hand, when a General's force is badly compromised, it will be + so punished that a quick surrender will be the only alternative to + annihilation. + </p> + <p> + On the subject of the quarter-column formation which proved so fatal to + us, it must be remembered that any other form of advance is hardly + possible during a night attack, though at Tel-el-Kebir the exceptional + circumstance of the march being over an open desert allowed the troops to + move for the last mile or two in a more extended formation. A line of + battalion double-company columns is most difficult to preserve in the + darkness, and any confusion may lead to disaster. The whole mistake lay in + a miscalculation of a few hundred yards in the position of the trenches. + Had the regiments deployed five minutes earlier it is probable (though by + no means certain) that the position would have been carried. + </p> + <p> + The action was not without those examples of military virtue which soften + a disaster, and hold out a brighter promise for the future. The Guards + withdrew from the field as if on parade, with the Boer shells bursting + over their ranks. Fine, too, was the restraint of G Battery of Horse + Artillery on the morning after the battle. An armistice was understood to + exist, but the naval gun, in ignorance of it, opened on our extreme left. + The Boers at once opened fire upon the Horse Artillery, who, recognising + the mistake, remained motionless and unlimbered in a line, with every + horse, and gunner and driver in his place, without taking any notice of + the fire, which presently slackened and stopped as the enemy came to + understand the situation. It is worthy of remark that in this battle the + three field batteries engaged, as well as G Battery, R.H.A., each fired + over 1000 rounds and remained for 30 consecutive hours within 1500 yards + of the Boer position. + </p> + <p> + But of all the corps who deserve praise, there was none more gallant than + the brave surgeons and ambulance bearers, who encounter all the dangers + and enjoy none of the thrills of warfare. All day under fire these men + worked and toiled among the wounded. Beevor, Ensor, Douglas, Probyn—all + were equally devoted. It is almost incredible, and yet it is true, that by + ten o'clock on the morning after the battle, before the troops had + returned to camp, no fewer than five hundred wounded were in the train and + on their way to Cape Town. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 10. THE BATTLE OF STORMBERG. + </h2> + <p> + Some attempt has now been made to sketch the succession of events which + had ended in the investment of Ladysmith in northern Natal, and also to + show the fortunes of the force which on the western side of the seat of + war attempted to advance to the relief of Kimberley. The distance between + these forces may be expressed in terms familiar to the European reader by + saying that it was that which separates Paris from Frankfort, or to the + American by suggesting that Ladysmith was at Boston and that Methuen was + trying to relieve Philadelphia. Waterless deserts and rugged mountain + ranges divided the two scenes of action. In the case of the British there + could be no connection between the two movements, but the Boers by a land + journey of something over a hundred miles had a double choice of a route + by which Cronje and Joubert might join hands, either by the + Bloemfontein-Johannesburg-Laing's Nek Railway, or by the direct line from + Harrismith to Ladysmith. The possession of these internal lines should + have been of enormous benefit to the Boers, enabling them to throw the + weight of their forces unexpectedly from the one flank to the other. + </p> + <p> + In a future chapter it will be recorded how the Army Corps arriving from + England was largely diverted into Natal in order in the first instance to + prevent the colony from being overrun, and in the second to rescue the + beleaguered garrison. In the meantime it is necessary to deal with the + military operations in the broad space between the eastern and western + armies. + </p> + <p> + After the declaration of war there was a period of some weeks during which + the position of the British over the whole of the northern part of Cape + Colony was full of danger. Immense supplies had been gathered at De Aar + which were at the mercy of a Free State raid, and the burghers, had they + possessed a cavalry leader with the dash of a Stuart or a Sheridan, might + have dealt a blow which would have cost us a million pounds' worth of + stores and dislocated the whole plan of campaign. However, the chance was + allowed to pass, and when, on November 1st, the burghers at last in a + leisurely fashion sauntered over the frontier, arrangements had been made + by reinforcement and by concentration to guard the vital points. The + objects of the British leaders, until the time for a general advance + should come, were to hold the Orange River Bridge (which opened the way to + Kimberley), to cover De Aar Junction, where the stores were, to protect at + all costs the line of railway which led from Cape Town to Kimberley, and + to hold on to as much as possible of those other two lines of railway + which led, the one through Colesberg and the other through Stormberg, into + the Free State. The two bodies of invaders who entered the colony moved + along the line of these two railways, the one crossing the Orange River at + Norval's Pont and the other at Bethulie. They enlisted many recruits among + the Cape Colony Dutch as they advanced, and the scanty British forces fell + back in front of them, abandoning Colesberg on the one line and Stormberg + on the other. We have, then, to deal with the movements of two British + detachments. The one which operated on the Colesberg line—which was + the more vital of the two, as a rapid advance of the Boers upon that line + would have threatened the precious Cape Town to Kimberley connection—consisted + almost entirely of mounted troops, and was under the command of the same + General French who had won the battle of Elandslaagte. By an act of + foresight which was only too rare upon the British side in the earlier + stages of this war, French, who had in the recent large manoeuvres on + Salisbury Plain shown great ability as a cavalry leader, was sent out of + Ladysmith in the very last train which made its way through. His + operations, with his instructive use of cavalry and horse artillery, may + be treated separately. + </p> + <p> + The other British force which faced the Boers who were advancing through + Stormberg was commanded by General Gatacre, a man who bore a high + reputation for fearlessness and tireless energy, though he had been + criticised, notably during the Soudan campaign, for having called upon his + men for undue and unnecessary exertion. 'General Back-acher' they called + him, with rough soldierly chaff. A glance at his long thin figure, his + gaunt Don Quixote face, and his aggressive jaw would show his personal + energy, but might not satisfy the observer that he possessed those + intellectual gifts which qualify for high command. At the action of the + Atbara he, the brigadier in command, was the first to reach and to tear + down with his own hands the zareeba of the enemy—a gallant exploit + of the soldier, but a questionable position for the General. The man's + strength and his weakness lay in the incident. + </p> + <p> + General Gatacre was nominally in command of a division, but so cruelly had + his men been diverted from him, some to Buller in Natal and some to + Methuen, that he could not assemble more than a brigade. Falling back + before the Boer advance, he found himself early in December at + Sterkstroom, while the Boers occupied the very strong position of + Stormberg, some thirty miles to the north of him. With the enemy so near + him it was Gatacre's nature to attack, and the moment that he thought + himself strong enough he did so. No doubt he had private information as to + the dangerous hold which the Boers were getting upon the colonial Dutch, + and it is possible that while Buller and Methuen were attacking east and + west they urged Gatacre to do something to hold the enemy in the centre. + On the night of December 9th he advanced. + </p> + <p> + The fact that he was about to do so, and even the hour of the start, + appear to have been the common property of the camp some days before the + actual move. The 'Times' correspondent under the date December 7th details + all that it is intended to do. It is to the credit of our Generals as men, + but to their detriment as soldiers, that they seem throughout the campaign + to have shown extraordinarily little power of dissimulation. They did the + obvious, and usually allowed it to be obvious what they were about to do. + One thinks of Napoleon striking at Egypt; how he gave it abroad that the + real object of the expedition was Ireland, but breathed into the ears of + one or two intimates that in very truth it was bound for Genoa. The + leading official at Toulon had no more idea where the fleet and army of + France had gone than the humblest caulker in the yard. However, it is not + fair to expect the subtlety of the Corsican from the downright Saxon, but + it remains strange and deplorable that in a country filled with spies any + one should have known in advance that a so-called 'surprise' was about to + be attempted. + </p> + <p> + The force with which General Gatacre advanced consisted of the 2nd + Northumberland Fusiliers, 960 strong, with one Maxim; the 2nd Irish + Rifles, 840 strong, with one Maxim, and 250 Mounted Infantry. There were + two batteries of Field Artillery, the 74th and 77th. The total force was + well under 3000 men. About three in the afternoon the men were entrained + in open trucks under a burning sun, and for some reason, at which the + impetuous spirit of the General must have chafed, were kept waiting for + three hours. At eight o'clock they detrained at Molteno, and thence after + a short rest and a meal they started upon the night march which was + intended to end at the break of day at the Boer trenches. One feels as if + one were describing the operations of Magersfontein once again and the + parallel continues to be painfully exact. + </p> + <p> + It was nine o'clock and pitch dark when the column moved out of Molteno + and struck across the black gloom of the veld, the wheels of the guns + being wrapped in hide to deaden the rattle. It was known that the distance + was not more than ten miles, and so when hour followed hour and the guides + were still unable to say that they had reached their point it must have + become perfectly evident that they had missed their way. The men were + dog-tired, a long day's work had been followed by a long night's march, + and they plodded along drowsily through the darkness. The ground was + broken and irregular. The weary soldiers stumbled as they marched. + Daylight came and revealed the column still looking for its objective, the + fiery General walking in front and leading his horse behind him. It was + evident that his plans had miscarried, but his energetic and hardy + temperament would not permit him to turn back without a blow being struck. + However one may commend his energy, one cannot but stand aghast at his + dispositions. The country was wild and rocky, the very places for those + tactics of the surprise and the ambuscade in which the Boers excelled. And + yet the column still plodded aimlessly on in its dense formation, and if + there were any attempt at scouting ahead and on the flanks the result + showed how ineffectively it was carried out. It was at a quarter past four + in the clear light of a South African morning that a shot, and then + another, and then a rolling crash of musketry, told that we were to have + one more rough lesson of the result of neglecting the usual precautions of + warfare. High up on the face of a steep line of hill the Boer riflemen lay + hid, and from a short range their fire scourged our exposed flank. The men + appear to have been chiefly colonial rebels, and not Boers of the + backveld, and to that happy chance it may be that the comparative + harmlessness of their fire was due. Even now, in spite of the surprise, + the situation might have been saved had the bewildered troops and their + harried officers known exactly what to do. It is easy to be wise after the + event, but it appears now that the only course that could commend itself + would be to extricate the troops from their position, and then, if thought + feasible, to plan an attack. Instead of this a rush was made at the + hillside, and the infantry made their way some distance up it only to find + that there were positive ledges in front of them which could not be + climbed. The advance was at a dead stop, and the men lay down under the + boulders for cover from the hot fire which came from inaccessible marksmen + above them. Meanwhile the artillery had opened behind them, and their fire + (not for the first time in this campaign) was more deadly to their friends + than to their foes. At least one prominent officer fell among his men, + torn by British shrapnel bullets. Talana Hill and Modder River have shown + also, though perhaps in a less tragic degree, that what with the long + range of modern artillery fire, and what with the difficulty of locating + infantry who are using smokeless powder, it is necessary that officers + commanding batteries should be provided with the coolest heads and the + most powerful glasses of any men in the service, for a responsibility + which will become more and more terrific rests upon their judgment. + </p> + <p> + The question now, since the assault had failed, was how to extricate the + men from their position. Many withdrew down the hill, running the gauntlet + of the enemy's fire as they emerged from the boulders on to the open + ground, while others clung to their positions, some from a soldierly hope + that victory might finally incline to them, others because it was clearly + safer to lie among the rocks than to cross the bullet-swept spaces beyond. + Those portions of the force who extricated themselves do not appear to + have realised how many of their comrades had remained behind, and so as + the gap gradually increased between the men who were stationary and the + men who fell back all hope of the two bodies reuniting became impossible. + All the infantry who remained upon the hillside were captured. The rest + rallied at a point fifteen hundred yards from the scene of the surprise, + and began an orderly retreat to Molteno. + </p> + <p> + In the meanwhile three powerful Boer guns upon the ridge had opened fire + with great accuracy, but fortunately with defective shells. Had the + enemy's contractors been as trustworthy as their gunners in this campaign, + our losses would have been very much heavier, and it is possible that here + we catch a glimpse of some consequences of that corruption which was one + of the curses of the country. The guns were moved with great smartness + along the ridge, and opened fire again and again, but never with great + result. Our own batteries, the 74th and 77th, with our handful of mounted + men, worked hard in covering the retreat and holding back the enemy's + pursuit. + </p> + <p> + It is a sad subject to discuss, but it is the one instance in a campaign + containing many reverses which amounts to demoralisation among the troops + engaged. The Guards marching with the steadiness of Hyde Park off the + field of Magersfontein, or the men of Nicholson's Nek chafing because they + were not led in a last hopeless charge, are, even in defeat, object + lessons of military virtue. But here fatigue and sleeplessness had taken + all fire and spirit out of the men. They dropped asleep by the roadside + and had to be prodded up by their exhausted officers. Many were taken + prisoners in their slumber by the enemy who gleaned behind them. Units + broke into small straggling bodies, and it was a sorry and bedraggled + force which about ten o'clock came wandering into Molteno. The place of + honour in the rear was kept throughout by the Irish Rifles, who preserved + some military formation to the end. Our losses in killed and wounded were + not severe—military honour would have been less sore had they been + more so. Twenty-six killed, sixty-eight wounded—that is all. But + between the men on the hillside and the somnambulists of the column, six + hundred, about equally divided between the Irish Rifles and the + Northumberland Fusiliers, had been left as prisoners. Two guns, too, had + been lost in the hurried retreat. + </p> + <p> + It is not for the historian—especially for a civilian historian—to + say a word unnecessarily to aggravate the pain of that brave man who, + having done all that personal courage could do, was seen afterwards + sobbing on the table of the waiting-room at Molteno, and bewailing his + 'poor men.' He had a disaster, but Nelson had one at Teneriffe and + Napoleon at Acre, and built their great reputations in spite of it. But + the one good thing of a disaster is that by examining it we may learn to + do better in the future, and so it would indeed be a perilous thing if we + agreed that our reverses were not a fit subject for open and frank + discussion. + </p> + <p> + It is not to the detriment of an enterprise that it should be daring and + call for considerable physical effort on the part of those who are engaged + in it. On the contrary, the conception of such plans is one of the signs + of a great military mind. But in the arranging of the details the same + military mind should assiduously occupy itself in foreseeing and + preventing every unnecessary thing which may make the execution of such a + plan more difficult. The idea of a swift sudden attack upon Stormberg was + excellent—the details of the operation are continually open to + criticism. + </p> + <p> + How far the Boers suffered at Stormberg is unknown to us, but there seems + in this instance no reason to doubt their own statement that their losses + were very slight. At no time was any body of them exposed to our fire, + while we, as usual, fought in the open. Their numbers were probably less + than ours, and the quality of their shooting and want of energy in pursuit + make the defeat the more galling. On the other hand, their guns were + served with skill and audacity. They consisted of commandos from Bethulie, + Rouxville, and Smithfield, under the orders of Olivier, with those + colonials whom they had seduced from their allegiance. + </p> + <p> + This defeat of General Gatacre's, occurring, as it did, in a disaffected + district and one of great strategic importance, might have produced the + worst consequences. + </p> + <p> + Fortunately no very evil result followed. No doubt the recruiting of + rebels was helped, but there was no forward movement and Molteno remained + in our hands. In the meanwhile Gatacre's force was reinforced by a fresh + battery, the 79th, and by a strong regiment, the Derbyshires, so that with + the 1st Royal Scots and the wing of the Berkshires he was strong enough to + hold his own until the time for a general advance should come. So in the + Stormberg district, as at the Modder River, the same humiliating and + absurd position of stalemate was established. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 11. BATTLE OF COLENSO. + </h2> + <p> + Two serious defeats had within the week been inflicted upon the British + forces in South Africa. Cronje, lurking behind his trenches and his barbed + wire entanglements barred Methuen's road to Kimberley, while in the + northern part of Cape Colony Gatacre's wearied troops had been defeated + and driven by a force which consisted largely of British subjects. But the + public at home steeled their hearts and fixed their eyes steadily upon + Natal. There was their senior General and there the main body of their + troops. As brigade after brigade and battery after battery touched at Cape + Town, and were sent on instantly to Durban, it was evident that it was in + this quarter that the supreme effort was to be made, and that there the + light might at last break. In club, and dining room, and railway car—wherever + men met and talked—the same words might be heard: 'Wait until Buller + moves.' The hopes of a great empire lay in the phrase. + </p> + <p> + It was upon October 30th that Sir George White had been thrust back into + Ladysmith. On November 2nd telegraphic communication with the town was + interrupted. On November 3rd the railway line was cut. On November 10th + the Boers held Colenso and the line of the Tugela. On the 14th was the + affair of the armoured train. On the 18th the enemy were near Estcourt. On + the 21st they had reached the Mooi River. On the 23rd Hildyard attacked + them at Willow Grange. All these actions will be treated elsewhere. This + last one marks the turn of the tide. From then onwards Sir Redvers Buller + was massing his troops at Chieveley in preparation for a great effort to + cross the river and to relieve Ladysmith, the guns of which, calling from + behind the line of northern hills, told their constant tale of restless + attack and stubborn defence. + </p> + <p> + But the task was as severe a one as the most fighting General could ask + for. On the southern side the banks formed a long slope which could be + shaved as with a razor by the rifle fire of the enemy. How to advance + across that broad open zone was indeed a problem. It was one of many + occasions in this war in which one wondered why, if a bullet-proof shield + capable of sheltering a lying man could be constructed, a trial should not + be given to it. Alternate rushes of companies with a safe rest after each + rush would save the troops from the continued tension of that deadly never + ending fire. However, it is idle to discuss what might have been done to + mitigate their trials. The open ground had to be passed, and then they + came to—not the enemy, but a broad and deep river, with a single + bridge, probably undermined, and a single ford, which was found not to + exist in practice. Beyond the river was tier after tier of hills, crowned + with stone walls and seamed with trenches, defended by thousands of the + best marksmen in the world, supported by an admirable artillery. If, in + spite of the advance over the open and in spite of the passage of the + river, a ridge could still be carried, it was only to be commanded by the + next; and so, one behind the other, like the billows of the ocean, a + series of hills and hollows rolled northwards to Ladysmith. All attacks + must be in the open. All defence was from under cover. Add to this, that + the young and energetic Louis Botha was in command of the Boers. It was a + desperate task, and yet honour forbade that the garrison should be left to + its fate. The venture must be made. + </p> + <p> + The most obvious criticism upon the operation is that if the attack must + be made it should not be made under the enemy's conditions. We seem almost + to have gone out of our way to make every obstacle—the glacislike + approach, the river, the trenches—as difficult as possible. Future + operations were to prove that it was not so difficult to deceive Boer + vigilance and by rapid movements to cross the Tugela. A military authority + has stated, I know not with what truth, that there is no instance in + history of a determined army being stopped by the line of a river, and + from Wellington at the Douro to the Russians on the Danube many examples + of the ease with which they may be passed will occur to the reader. But + Buller had some exceptional difficulties with which to contend. He was + weak in mounted troops, and was opposed to an enemy of exceptional + mobility who might attack his flank and rear if he exposed them. He had + not that great preponderance of numbers which came to him later, and which + enabled him to attempt a wide turning movement. One advantage he had, the + possession of a more powerful artillery, but his heaviest guns were + naturally his least mobile, and the more direct his advance the more + effective would his guns be. For these or other reasons he determined upon + a frontal attack on the formidable Boer position, and he moved out of + Chieveley Camp for that purpose at daybreak on Friday, December 15th. + </p> + <p> + The force which General Buller led into action was the finest which any + British general had handled since the battle of the Alma. Of infantry he + had four strong brigades: the 2nd (Hildyard's) consisting of the 2nd + Devons, the 2nd Queen's or West Surrey, the 2nd West Yorkshire, and the + 2nd East Surrey; the 4th Brigade (Lyttelton's) comprising the 2nd + Cameronians, the 3rd Rifles, the 1st Durhams, and the 1st Rifle Brigade; + the 5th Brigade (Hart's) with the 1st Inniskilling Fusiliers, the 1st + Connaught Rangers, 2nd Dublin Fusiliers, and the Border Regiment, this + last taking the place of the 2nd Irish Rifles, who were with Gatacre. + There remained the 6th Brigade (Barton's), which included the 2nd Royal + Fusiliers, the 2nd Scots Fusiliers, the 1st Welsh Fusiliers, and the 2nd + Irish Fusiliers—in all about 16,000 infantry. The mounted men, who + were commanded by Lord Dundonald, included the 13th Hussars, the 1st + Royals, Bethune's Mounted Infantry, Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry, three + squadrons of South African Horse, with a composite regiment formed from + the mounted infantry of the Rifles and of the Dublin Fusiliers with + squadrons of the Natal Carabineers and the Imperial Light Horse. These + irregular troops of horse might be criticised by martinets and pedants, + but they contained some of the finest fighting material in the army, some + urged on by personal hatred of the Boers and some by mere lust of + adventure. As an example of the latter one squadron of the South African + Horse was composed almost entirely of Texan muleteers, who, having come + over with their animals, had been drawn by their own gallant spirit into + the fighting line of their kinsmen. + </p> + <p> + Cavalry was General Buller's weakest arm, but his artillery was strong + both in its quality and its number of guns. There were five batteries (30 + guns) of the Field Artillery, the 7th, 14th, 63rd, 64th, and 66th. Besides + these there were no fewer than sixteen naval guns from H.M.S. 'Terrible'—fourteen + of which were 12-pounders, and the other two of the 4.7 type which had + done such good service both at Ladysmith and with Methuen. The whole force + which moved out from Chieveley Camp numbered about 21,000 men. + </p> + <p> + The work which was allotted to the army was simple in conception, however + terrible it might prove in execution. There were two points at which the + river might be crossed, one three miles off on the left, named Bridle + Drift, the other straight ahead at the Bridge of Colenso. The 5th or Irish + Brigade was to endeavour to cross at Bridle Drift, and then to work down + the river bank on the far side so as to support the 2nd or English + Brigade,—which was to cross at Colenso. The 4th Brigade was to + advance between these, so as to help either which should be in + difficulties. Meanwhile on the extreme right the mounted troops under + Dundonald were to cover the flank and to attack Hlangwane Hill, a + formidable position held strongly by the enemy upon the south bank of the + Tugela. The remaining Fusilier brigade of infantry was to support this + movement on the right. The guns were to cover the various attacks, and if + possible gain a position from which the trenches might be enfiladed. This, + simply stated, was the work which lay before the British army. In the + bright clear morning sunshine, under a cloudless blue sky, they advanced + with high hopes to the assault. Before them lay the long level plain, then + the curve of the river, and beyond, silent and serene, like some peaceful + dream landscape, stretched the lines and lines of gently curving hills. It + was just five o'clock in the morning when the naval guns began to bay, and + huge red dustclouds from the distant foothills showed where the lyddite + was bursting. No answer came back, nor was there any movement upon the + sunlit hills. It was almost brutal, this furious violence to so gentle and + unresponsive a countryside. In no place could the keenest eye detect a + sign of guns or men, and yet death lurked in every hollow and crouched by + every rock. + </p> + <p> + It is so difficult to make a modern battle intelligible when fought, as + this was, over a front of seven or eight miles, that it is best perhaps to + take the doings of each column in turn, beginning with the left flank, + where Hart's Irish Brigade had advanced to the assault of Bridle Drift. + </p> + <p> + Under an unanswered and therefore an unaimed fire from the heavy guns the + Irish infantry moved forward upon the points which they had been ordered + to attack. The Dublins led, then the Connaughts, the Inniskillings, and + the Borderers. Incredible as it may appear after the recent experiences of + Magersfontein and of Stormberg, the men in the two rear regiments appear + to have been advanced in quarter column, and not to have deployed until + after the enemy's fire had opened. Had shrapnel struck this close + formation, as it was within an ace of doing, the loss of life must have + been as severe as it was unnecessary. + </p> + <p> + On approaching the Drift—the position or even the existence of which + does not seem to have been very clearly defined—it was found that + the troops had to advance into a loop formed by the river, so that they + were exposed to a very heavy cross-fire upon their right flank, while they + were rained on by shrapnel from in front. No sign of the enemy could be + seen, though the men were dropping fast. It is a weird and soul-shaking + experience to advance over a sunlit and apparently a lonely countryside, + with no slightest movement upon its broad face, while the path which you + take is marked behind you by sobbing, gasping, writhing men, who can only + guess by the position of their wounds whence the shots came which struck + them down. All round, like the hissing of fat in the pan, is the + monotonous crackle and rattle of the Mausers; but the air is full of it, + and no one can define exactly whence it comes. Far away on some hill upon + the skyline there hangs the least gauzy veil of thin smoke to indicate + whence the six men who have just all fallen together, as if it were some + grim drill, met their death. Into such a hell-storm as this it was that + the soldiers have again and again advanced in the course of this war, but + it may be questioned whether they will not prove to be among the last of + mortals to be asked to endure such an ordeal. Other methods of attack must + be found or attacks must be abandoned, for smokeless powder, quick-firing + guns, and modern rifles make it all odds on the defence! + </p> + <p> + The gallant Irishmen pushed on, flushed with battle and careless for their + losses, the four regiments clubbed into one, with all military + organisation rapidly disappearing, and nothing left but their gallant + spirit and their furious desire to come to hand-grips with the enemy. + Rolling on in a broad wave of shouting angry men, they never winced from + the fire until they had swept up to the bank of the river. Northern + Inniskilling and Southern man of Connaught, orange and green, Protestant + and Catholic, Celt and Saxon, their only rivalry now was who could shed + his blood most freely for the common cause. How hateful seem those + provincial politics and narrow sectarian creeds which can hold such men + apart! + </p> + <p> + The bank of the river had been gained, but where was the ford? The water + swept broad and unruffled in front of them, with no indication of + shallows. A few dashing fellows sprang in, but their cartridges and rifles + dragged them to the bottom. One or two may even have struggled through to + the further side, but on this there is a conflict of evidence. It may be, + though it seems incredible, that the river had been partly dammed to + deepen the Drift, or, as is more probable, that in the rapid advance and + attack the position of the Drift was lost. However this may be, the troops + could find no ford, and they lay down, as had been done in so many + previous actions, unwilling to retreat and unable to advance, with the + same merciless pelting from front and flank. In every fold and behind + every anthill the Irishmen lay thick and waited for better times. There + are many instances of their cheery and uncomplaining humour. Colonel + Brooke, of the Connaughts, fell at the head of his men. Private + Livingstone helped to carry him into safety, and then, his task done, he + confessed to having 'a bit of a rap meself,' and sank fainting with a + bullet through his throat. Another sat with a bullet through both legs. + 'Bring me a tin whistle and I'll blow ye any tune ye like,' he cried, + mindful of the Dargai piper. Another with his arm hanging by a tendon + puffed morosely at his short black pipe. Every now and then, in face of + the impossible, the fiery Celtic valour flamed furiously upwards. 'Fix + bayonets, men, and let us make a name for ourselves,' cried a colour + sergeant, and he never spoke again. For five hours, under the tropical + sun, the grimy parched men held on to the ground they had occupied. + British shells pitched short and fell among them. A regiment in support + fired at them, not knowing that any of the line were so far advanced. Shot + at from the front, the flank, and the rear, the 5th Brigade held grimly + on. + </p> + <p> + But fortunately their orders to retire were at hand, and it is certain + that had they not reached them the regiments would have been uselessly + destroyed where they lay. It seems to have been Buller himself, who showed + extraordinary and ubiquitous personal energy during the day, that ordered + them to fall back. As they retreated there was an entire absence of haste + and panic, but officers and men were hopelessly jumbled up, and General + Hart—whose judgment may occasionally be questioned, but whose cool + courage was beyond praise—had hard work to reform the splendid + brigade which six hours before had tramped out of Chieveley Camp. Between + five and six hundred of them had fallen—a loss which approximates to + that of the Highland Brigade at Magersfontein. The Dublins and the + Connaughts were the heaviest sufferers. + </p> + <p> + So much for the mishap of the 5th Brigade. It is superfluous to point out + that the same old omissions were responsible for the same old results. Why + were the men in quarter column when advancing against an unseen foe? Why + had no scouts gone forward to be certain of the position of the ford? + Where were the clouds of skirmishers which should precede such an advance? + The recent examples in the field and the teachings of the text-books were + equally set at naught, as they had been, and were to be, so often in this + campaign. There may be a science of war in the lecture-rooms at Camberley, + but very little of it found its way to the veld. The slogging valour of + the private, the careless dash of the regimental officer—these were + our military assets—but seldom the care and foresight of our + commanders. It is a thankless task to make such comments, but the one + great lesson of the war has been that the army is too vital a thing to + fall into the hands of a caste, and that it is a national duty for every + man to speak fearlessly and freely what he believes to be the truth. + </p> + <p> + Passing from the misadventure of the 5th Brigade we come as we move from + left to right upon the 4th, or Lyttelton's Brigade, which was instructed + not to attack itself but to support the attack on either side of it. With + the help of the naval guns it did what it could to extricate and cover the + retreat of the Irishmen, but it could play no very important part in the + action, and its losses were insignificant. On its right in turn Hildyard's + English Brigade had developed its attack upon Colenso and the bridge. The + regiments under Hildyard's lead were the 2nd West Surrey, the 2nd Devons + (whose first battalion was doing so well with the Ladysmith force), the + East Surreys, and the West Yorkshires. The enemy had evidently anticipated + the main attack on this position, and not only were the trenches upon the + other side exceptionally strong, but their artillery converged upon the + bridge, at least a dozen heavy pieces, besides a number of quick-firers, + bearing upon it. The Devons and the Queens, in open order (an extended + line of khaki dots, blending so admirably with the plain that they were + hardly visible when they halted), led the attack, being supported by the + East Surrey and the West Yorkshires. Advancing under a very heavy fire the + brigade experienced much the same ordeal as their comrades of Hart's + brigade, which was mitigated by the fact that from the first they + preserved their open order in columns of half-companies extended to six + paces, and that the river in front of them did not permit that right flank + fire which was so fatal to the Irishmen. With a loss of some two hundred + men the leading regiments succeeded in reaching Colenso, and the West + Surrey, advancing by rushes of fifty yards at a time, had established + itself in the station, but a catastrophe had occurred at an earlier hour + to the artillery which was supporting it which rendered all further + advance impossible. For the reason of this we must follow the fortunes of + the next unit upon their right. + </p> + <p> + This consisted of the important body of artillery who had been told off to + support the main attack. It comprised two field batteries, the 14th and + the 66th, under the command of Colonel Long, and six naval guns (two of + 4.7, and four 12-pounders) under Lieutenant Ogilvy of the 'Terrible.' Long + has the record of being a most zealous and dashing officer, whose handling + of the Egyptian artillery at the battle of the Atbara had much to do with + the success of the action. Unfortunately, these barbarian campaigns, in + which liberties may be taken with impunity, leave an evil tradition, as + the French have found with their Algerians. Our own close formations, our + adherence to volley firing, and in this instance the use of our artillery + all seem to be legacies of our savage wars. Be the cause what it may, at + an early stage of the action Long's guns whirled forwards, outstripped the + infantry brigades upon their flanks, left the slow-moving naval guns with + their ox-teams behind them, and unlimbered within a thousand yards of the + enemy's trenches. From this position he opened fire upon Fort Wylie, which + was the centre of that portion of the Boer position which faced him. + </p> + <p> + But his two unhappy batteries were destined not to turn the tide of + battle, as he had hoped, but rather to furnish the classic example of the + helplessness of artillery against modern rifle fire. Not even Mercer's + famous description of the effect of a flank fire upon his troop of horse + artillery at Waterloo could do justice to the blizzard of lead which broke + over the two doomed batteries. The teams fell in heaps, some dead, some + mutilated, and mutilating others in their frantic struggles. One driver, + crazed with horror, sprang on a leader, cut the traces and tore madly off + the field. But a perfect discipline reigned among the vast majority of the + gunners, and the words of command and the laying and working of the guns + were all as methodical as at Okehampton. Not only was there a most deadly + rifle fire, partly from the lines in front and partly from the village of + Colenso upon their left flank, but the Boer automatic quick-firers found + the range to a nicety, and the little shells were crackling and banging + continually over the batteries. Already every gun had its litter of dead + around it, but each was still fringed by its own group of furious officers + and sweating desperate gunners. Poor Long was down, with a bullet through + his arm and another through his liver. 'Abandon be damned! We don't + abandon guns!' was his last cry as they dragged him into the shelter of a + little donga hard by. Captain Goldie dropped dead. So did Lieutenant + Schreiber. Colonel Hunt fell, shot in two places. Officers and men were + falling fast. The guns could not be worked, and yet they could not be + removed, for every effort to bring up teams from the shelter where the + limbers lay ended in the death of the horses. The survivors took refuge + from the murderous fire in that small hollow to which Long had been + carried, a hundred yards or so from the line of bullet-splashed cannon. + One gun on the right was still served by four men who refused to leave it. + They seemed to bear charmed lives, these four, as they strained and + wrestled with their beloved 15-pounder, amid the spurting sand and the + blue wreaths of the bursting shells. Then one gasped and fell against the + trail, and his comrade sank beside the wheel with his chin upon his + breast. The third threw up his hands and pitched forward upon his face; + while the survivor, a grim powder-stained figure, stood at attention + looking death in the eyes until he too was struck down. A useless + sacrifice, you may say; but while the men who saw them die can tell such a + story round the camp fire the example of such deaths as these does more + than clang of bugle or roll of drum to stir the warrior spirit of our + race. + </p> + <p> + For two hours the little knot of heart-sick humiliated officers and men + lay in the precarious shelter of the donga and looked out at the + bullet-swept plain and the line of silent guns. Many of them were wounded. + Their chief lay among them, still calling out in his delirium for his + guns. They had been joined by the gallant Baptie, a brave surgeon, who + rode across to the donga amid a murderous fire, and did what he could for + the injured men. Now and then a rush was made into the open, sometimes in + the hope of firing another round, sometimes to bring a wounded comrade in + from the pitiless pelt of the bullets. How fearful was that lead-storm may + be gathered from the fact that one gunner was found with sixty-four wounds + in his body. Several men dropped in these sorties, and the disheartened + survivors settled down once more in the donga. + </p> + <p> + The hope to which they clung was that their guns were not really lost, but + that the arrival of infantry would enable them to work them once more. + Infantry did at last arrive, but in such small numbers that it made the + situation more difficult instead of easing it. Colonel Bullock had brought + up two companies of the Devons to join the two companies (A and B) of + Scots Fusiliers who had been the original escort of the guns, but such a + handful could not turn the tide. They also took refuge in the donga, and + waited for better times. + </p> + <p> + In the meanwhile the attention of Generals Buller and Clery had been + called to the desperate position of the guns, and they had made their way + to that further nullah in the rear where the remaining limber horses and + drivers were. This was some distance behind that other donga in which + Long, Bullock, and their Devons and gunners were crouching. 'Will any of + you volunteer to save the guns?' cried Buller. Corporal Nurse, Gunner + Young, and a few others responded. The desperate venture was led by three + aides-de-camp of the Generals, Congreve, Schofield, and Roberts, the only + son of the famous soldier. Two gun teams were taken down; the horses + galloping frantically through an infernal fire, and each team succeeded in + getting back with a gun. But the loss was fearful. Roberts was mortally + wounded. Congreve has left an account which shows what a modern rifle fire + at a thousand yards is like. 'My first bullet went through my left sleeve + and made the joint of my elbow bleed, next a clod of earth caught me smack + on the right arm, then my horse got one, then my right leg one, then my + horse another, and that settled us.' The gallant fellow managed to crawl + to the group of castaways in the donga. Roberts insisted on being left + where he fell, for fear he should hamper the others. + </p> + <p> + In the meanwhile Captain Reed, of the 7th Battery, had arrived with two + spare teams of horses, and another determined effort was made under his + leadership to save some of the guns. But the fire was too murderous. + Two-thirds of his horses and half his men, including himself, were struck + down, and General Buller commanded that all further attempts to reach the + abandoned batteries should be given up. Both he and General Clery had been + slightly wounded, and there were many operations over the whole field of + action to engage their attention. But making every allowance for the + pressure of many duties and for the confusion and turmoil of a great + action, it does seem one of the most inexplicable incidents in British + military history that the guns should ever have been permitted to fall + into the hands of the enemy. It is evident that if our gunners could not + live under the fire of the enemy it would be equally impossible for the + enemy to remove the guns under a fire from a couple of battalions of our + infantry. There were many regiments which had hardly been engaged, and + which could have been advanced for such a purpose. The men of the Mounted + Infantry actually volunteered for this work, and none could have been more + capable of carrying it out. There was plenty of time also, for the guns + were abandoned about eleven and the Boers did not venture to seize them + until four. Not only could the guns have been saved, but they might, one + would think, have been transformed into an excellent bait for a trap to + tempt the Boers out of their trenches. It must have been with fear and + trembling that Cherry Emmett and his men first approached them, for how + could they believe that such incredible good fortune had come to them? + However, the fact, humiliating and inexplicable, is that the guns were so + left, that the whole force was withdrawn, and that not only the ten + cannon, but also the handful of Devons, with their Colonel, and the + Fusiliers were taken prisoners in the donga which had sheltered them all + day. + </p> + <p> + We have now, working from left to right, considered the operations of + Hart's Brigade at Bridle Drift, of Lyttelton's Brigade in support, of + Hildyard's which attacked Colenso, and of the luckless batteries which + were to have helped him. There remain two bodies of troops upon the right, + the further consisting of Dundonald's mounted men who were to attack + Hlangwane Hill, a fortified Boer position upon the south of the river, + while Barton's Brigade was to support it and to connect this attack with + the central operations. + </p> + <p> + Dundonald's force was entirely too weak for such an operation as the + capture of the formidable entrenched hill, and it is probable that the + movement was meant rather as a reconnaissance than as an assault. He had + not more than a thousand men in all, mostly irregulars, and the position + which faced him was precipitous and entrenched, with barbed-wire + entanglements and automatic guns. But the gallant colonials were out on + their first action, and their fiery courage pushed the attack home. + Leaving their horses, they advanced a mile and a half on foot before they + came within easy range of the hidden riflemen, and learned the lesson + which had been taught to their comrades all along the line, that given + approximately equal numbers the attack in the open has no possible chance + against the concealed defence, and that the more bravely it is pushed the + more heavy is the repulse. The irregulars carried themselves like old + soldiers, they did all that mortal man could do, and they retired coolly + and slowly with the loss of 130 of the brave troopers. The 7th Field + Battery did all that was possible to support the advance and cover the + retirement. In no single place, on this day of disaster, did one least + gleam of success come to warm the hearts and reward the exertions of our + much-enduring men. + </p> + <p> + Of Barton's Brigade there is nothing to be recorded, for they appear + neither to have supported the attack upon Hlangwane Hill on the one side + nor to have helped to cover the ill-fated guns on the other. Barton was + applied to for help by Dundonald, but refused to detach any of his troops. + If General Buller's real idea was a reconnaissance in force in order to + determine the position and strength of the Boer lines, then of course his + brigadiers must have felt a reluctance to entangle their brigades in a + battle which was really the result of a misunderstanding. On the other + hand, if, as the orders of the day seem to show, a serious engagement was + always intended, it is strange that two brigades out of four should have + played so insignificant a part. To Barton's Brigade was given the + responsibility of seeing that no right flank attack was carried out by the + Boers, and this held it back until it was clear that no such attack was + contemplated. After that one would have thought that, had the situation + been appreciated, at least two battalions might have been spared to cover + the abandoned guns with their rifle fire. Two companies of the Scots + Fusiliers did share the fortunes of the guns. Two others, and one of the + Irish Fusiliers, acted in support, but the brigade as a whole, together + with the 1st Royals and the 13th Hussars, might as well have been at + Aldershot for any bearing which their work had upon the fortunes of the + day. + </p> + <p> + And so the first attempt at the relief of Ladysmith came to an end. At + twelve o'clock all the troops upon the ground were retreating for the + camp. There was nothing in the shape of rout or panic, and the withdrawal + was as orderly as the advance; but the fact remained that we had just 1200 + men in killed, wounded, and missing, and had gained absolutely nothing. We + had not even the satisfaction of knowing that we had inflicted as well as + endured punishment, for the enemy remained throughout the day so cleverly + concealed that it is doubtful whether more than a hundred casualties + occurred in their ranks. Once more it was shown how weak an arm is + artillery against an enemy who lies in shelter. + </p> + <p> + Our wounded fortunately bore a high proportion to our killed, as they + always will do when it is rifle fire rather than shell fire which is + effective. Roughly we had 150 killed and about 720 wounded. A more + humiliating item is the 250 or so who were missing. These men were the + gunners, the Devons, and the Scots Fusiliers, who were taken in the donga + together with small bodies from the Connaughts, the Dublins, and other + regiments who, having found some shelter, were unable to leave it, and + clung on until the retirement of their regiments left them in a hopeless + position. Some of these small knots of men were allowed to retire in the + evening by the Boers, who seemed by no means anxious to increase the + number of their prisoners. Colonel Thackeray, of the Inniskilling + Fusiliers, found himself with a handful of his men surrounded by the + enemy, but owing to their good humour and his own tact he succeeded in + withdrawing them in safety. The losses fell chiefly on Hart's Brigade, + Hildyard's Brigade, and the colonial irregulars, who bore off the honours + of the fight. + </p> + <p> + In his official report General Buller states that were it not for the + action of Colonel Long and the subsequent disaster to the artillery he + thought that the battle might have been a successful one. This is a hard + saying, and throws perhaps too much responsibility upon the gallant but + unfortunate gunner. There have been occasions in the war when greater dash + upon the part of our artillery might have changed the fate of the day, and + it is bad policy to be too severe upon the man who has taken a risk and + failed. The whole operation, with its advance over the open against a + concealed enemy with a river in his front, was so absolutely desperate + that Long may have seen that only desperate measures could save the + situation. To bring guns into action in front of the infantry without + having clearly defined the position of the opposing infantry must always + remain one of the most hazardous ventures of war. 'It would certainly be + mere folly,' says Prince Kraft, 'to advance artillery to within 600 or 800 + yards of a position held by infantry unless the latter were under the fire + of infantry from an even shorter range.' This 'mere folly' is exactly what + Colonel Long did, but it must be remembered in extenuation that he shared + with others the idea that the Boers were up on the hills, and had no + inkling that their front trenches were down at the river. With the + imperfect means at his disposal he did such scouting as he could, and if + his fiery and impetuous spirit led him into a position which cost him so + dearly it is certainly more easy for the critic to extenuate his fault + than that subsequent one which allowed the abandoned guns to fall into the + hands of the enemy. Nor is there any evidence that the loss of these guns + did seriously affect the fate of the action, for at those other parts of + the field where the infantry had the full and unceasing support of the + artillery the result was not more favourable than at the centre. + </p> + <p> + So much for Colenso. A more unsatisfactory and in some ways inexplicable + action is not to be found in the range of British military history. And + the fuller the light which has been poured upon it, the more extraordinary + does the battle appear. There are a preface and a sequel to the action + which have put a severe strain upon the charity which the British public + has always shown that it is prepared to extend to a defeated General. The + preface is that General Buller sent word to General White that he proposed + to attack upon the 17th, while the actual attack was delivered upon the + 15th, so that the garrison was not prepared to make that demonstration + which might have prevented the besiegers from sending important + reinforcements to Botha, had he needed them. The sequel is more serious. + Losing all heart at his defeat, General Buller, although he had been + officially informed that White had provisions for seventy days, sent a + heliogram advising the surrender of the garrison. White's first reply, + which deserves to live with the anecdote of Nelson's telescope at his + blind eye, was to the effect that he believed the enemy had been tampering + with Buller's messages. To this Buller despatched an amended message, + which with Sir George White's reply, is here appended: + </p> + <p> + Message of December 16th, as altered by that of December 17th, 1899. + </p> + <p> + 'I tried Colenso yesterday, but failed; the enemy is too strong for my + force except with siege operations, and these will take one full month to + prepare. Can you last so long? + </p> + <p> + 'How many days can you hold out? I suggest you firing away as much + ammunition as you can, and making best terms you can. I can remain here if + you have alternative suggestion, but unaided I cannot break in. I find my + infantry cannot fight more than ten miles from camp, and then only if + water can be got, and it is scarce here. Whatever happens, recollect to + burn your cipher, decipher, and code books, and all deciphered messages.' + </p> + <p> + From Sir G. White to Sir R. Buller. December 16th, 1899. + </p> + <p> + 'Yours of today received and understood. My suggestion is that you take up + strongest available position that will enable you to keep touch of the + enemy and harass him constantly with artillery fire, and in other ways as + much as possible. I can make food last for much longer than a month, and + will not think of making terms till I am forced to. You may have hit enemy + harder than you think. All our native spies report that your artillery + fire made considerable impression on enemy. Have your losses been very + heavy? If you lose touch of enemy, it will immensely increase his + opportunities of crushing me, and have worst effect elsewhere. While you + are in touch with him and in communication with me, he has both of our + forces to reckon with. Make every effort to get reinforcements as early as + possible, including India, and enlist every man in both colonies who will + serve and can ride. Things may look brighter. The loss of 12,000 men here + would be a heavy blow to England. We must not yet think of it. I fear I + could not cut my way to you. Enteric fever is increasing alarmingly here. + There are now 180 cases, all within last month. Answer fully. I am keeping + everything secret for the present till I know your plans.' + </p> + <p> + Much allowance is to be made for a man who is staggering under the mental + shock of defeat and the physical exertions which Buller had endured. That + the Government made such allowance is clear from the fact that he was not + instantly recalled. And yet the cold facts are that we have a British + General, at the head of 25,000 men, recommending another General, at the + head of 12,000 men only twelve miles off, to lay down his arms to an army + which was certainly very inferior in numbers to the total British force; + and this because he had once been defeated, although he knew that there + was still time for the whole resources of the Empire to be poured into + Natal in order to prevent so shocking a disaster. Such is a plain + statement of the advice which Buller gave and which White rejected. For + the instant the fate not only of South Africa but even, as I believe, of + the Empire hung upon the decision of the old soldier in Ladysmith, who had + to resist the proposals of his own General as sternly as the attacks of + the enemy. He who sorely needed help and encouragement became, as his + message shows, the helper and the encourager. It was a tremendous test, + and Sir George White came through it with a staunchness and a loyalty + which saved us not only from overwhelming present disaster, but from a + hideous memory which must have haunted British military annals for + centuries to come. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 12. THE DARK HOUR. + </h2> + <p> + The week which extended from December 10th to December 17th, 1899, was the + blackest one known during our generation, and the most disastrous for + British arms during the century. We had in the short space of seven days + lost, beyond all extenuation or excuse, three separate actions. No single + defeat was of vital importance in itself, but the cumulative effect, + occurring as they did to each of the main British forces in South Africa, + was very great. The total loss amounted to about three thousand men and + twelve guns, while the indirect effects in the way of loss of prestige to + ourselves and increased confidence and more numerous recruits to our enemy + were incalculable. + </p> + <p> + It is singular to glance at the extracts from the European press at that + time and to observe the delight and foolish exultation with which our + reverses were received. That this should occur in the French journals is + not unnatural, since our history has been largely a contest with that + Power, and we can regard with complacency an enmity which is the tribute + to our success. Russia, too, as the least progressive of European States, + has a natural antagonism of thought, if not of interests, to the Power + which stands most prominently for individual freedom and liberal + institutions. The same poor excuse may be made for the organs of the + Vatican. But what are we to say of the insensate railing of Germany, a + country whose ally we have been for centuries? In the days of Marlborough, + in the darkest hours of Frederick the Great, in the great world struggle + of Napoleon, we have been the brothers-in-arms of these people. So with + the Austrians also. If both these countries were not finally swept from + the map by Napoleon, it is largely to British subsidies and British + tenacity that they owe it. And yet these are the folk who turned most + bitterly against us at the only time in modern history when we had a + chance of distinguishing our friends from our foes. Never again, I trust, + on any pretext will a British guinea be spent or a British soldier or + sailor shed his blood for such allies. The political lesson of this writer + has been that we should make ourselves strong within the empire, and let + all outside it, save only our kinsmen of America, go their own way and + meet their own fate without let or hindrance from us. It is amazing to + find that even the Americans could understand the stock from which they + are themselves sprung so little that such papers as the 'New York Herald' + should imagine that our defeat at Colenso was a good opportunity for us to + terminate the war. The other leading American journals, however, took a + more sane view of the situation, and realised that ten years of such + defeats would not find the end either of our resolution or of our + resources. + </p> + <p> + In the British Islands and in the empire at large our misfortunes were met + by a sombre but unalterable determination to carry the war to a successful + conclusion and to spare no sacrifices which could lead to that end. Amid + the humiliation of our reverses there was a certain undercurrent of + satisfaction that the deeds of our foemen should at least have made the + contention that the strong was wantonly attacking the weak an absurd one. + Under the stimulus of defeat the opposition to the war sensibly decreased. + It had become too absurd even for the most unreasonable platform orator to + contend that a struggle had been forced upon the Boers when every fresh + detail showed how thoroughly they had prepared for such a contingency and + how much we had to make up. Many who had opposed the war simply on that + sporting instinct which backs the smaller against the larger began to + realise that what with the geographical position of these people, what + with the nature of their country, and what with the mobility, number, and + hardihood of their forces, we had undertaken a task which would + necessitate such a military effort as we had never before been called upon + to make. When Kipling at the dawn of the war had sung of 'fifty thousand + horse and foot going to Table Bay,' the statement had seemed extreme. Now + it was growing upon the public mind that four times this number would not + be an excessive estimate. But the nation rose grandly to the effort. Their + only fear, often and loudly expressed, was that Parliament would deal too + tamely with the situation and fail to demand sufficient sacrifices. Such + was the wave of feeling over the country that it was impossible to hold a + peace meeting anywhere without a certainty of riot. The only London daily + which had opposed the war, though very ably edited, was overborne by the + general sentiment and compelled to change its line. In the provinces also + opposition was almost silent, and the great colonies were even more + unanimous than the mother country. Misfortune had solidified us where + success might have caused a sentimental opposition. + </p> + <p> + On the whole, the energetic mood of the nation was reflected by the + decided measures of the Government. Before the deep-sea cables had told us + the lists of our dead, steps had been taken to prove to the world how + great were our latent resources and how determined our spirit. On December + 18th, two days after Colenso, the following provisions were made for + carrying on the campaign. + </p> + <p> + 1. That as General Buller's hands were full in Natal the supervision and + direction of the whole campaign should be placed in the hands of Lord + Roberts, with Lord Kitchener as his chief of staff. Thus the famous old + soldier and the famous young one were called together to the assistance of + the country. + </p> + <p> + 2. That all the remaining army reserves should be called out. + </p> + <p> + 3. That the 7th Division (10,000 men) should be despatched to Africa, and + that an 8th Division should be formed ready for service. + </p> + <p> + 4. That considerable artillery reinforcements, including a howitzer + brigade, should go out. + </p> + <p> + 5. That eleven Militia battalions be sent abroad. + </p> + <p> + 6. That a strong contingent of Volunteers be sent out. + </p> + <p> + 7. That a Yeomanry mounted force be despatched. + </p> + <p> + 8. That mounted corps be raised at the discretion of the + Commander-in-Chief in South Africa. + </p> + <p> + 9. That the patriotic offers of further contingents from the colonies be + gratefully accepted. + </p> + <p> + By these measures it was calculated that from seventy to a hundred + thousand men would be added to our South African armies, the numbers of + which were already not short of a hundred thousand. + </p> + <p> + It is one thing, however, to draw up paper reinforcements, and it is + another, in a free country where no compulsion would be tolerated, to turn + these plans into actual regiments and squadrons. But if there were any who + doubted that this ancient nation still glowed with the spirit of its youth + his fears must soon have passed away. For this far-distant war, a war of + the unseen foe and of the murderous ambuscade, there were so many + volunteers that the authorities were embarrassed by their numbers and + their pertinacity. It was a stimulating sight to see those long queues of + top-hatted, frock-coated young men who waited their turn for the orderly + room with as much desperate anxiety as if hard fare, a veld bed, and Boer + bullets were all that life had that was worth the holding. Especially the + Imperial Yeomanry, a corps of riders and shots, appealed to the sporting + instincts of our race. Many could ride and not shoot, many could shoot and + not ride, more candidates were rejected than were accepted, and yet in a + very short time eight thousand men from every class were wearing the grey + coats and bandoliers. This singular and formidable force was drawn from + every part of England and Scotland, with a contingent of hard-riding Irish + fox-hunters. Noblemen and grooms rode knee to knee in the ranks, and the + officers included many well-known country gentlemen and masters of hounds. + Well horsed and well armed, a better force for the work in hand could not + be imagined. So high did the patriotism run that corps were formed in + which the men not only found their own equipment but contributed their pay + to the war fund. Many young men about town justified their existence for + the first time. In a single club, which is peculiarly consecrated to the + jeunesse doree, three hundred members rode to the wars. + </p> + <p> + Without waiting for these distant but necessary reinforcements, the + Generals in Africa had two divisions to look to, one of which was actually + arriving while the other was on the sea. These formed the 5th Division + under Sir Charles Warren, and the 6th Division under General Kelly-Kenny. + Until these forces should arrive it was obviously best that the three + armies should wait, for, unless there should be pressing need of help on + the part of the besieged garrisons or imminent prospects of European + complications, every week which passed was in our favour. There was + therefore a long lull in the war, during which Methuen strengthened his + position at Modder River, Gatacre held his own at Sterkstroom, and Buller + built up his strength for another attempt at the relief of Ladysmith. The + only connected series of operations during that time were those of General + French in the neighbourhood of Colesberg, an account of which will be + found in their entirety elsewhere. A short narrative may be given here of + the doings of each of these forces until the period of inaction came to an + end. + </p> + <p> + Methuen after the repulse at Magersfontein had fallen back upon the lines + of Modder River, and had fortified them in such a way that he felt himself + secure against assault. Cronje, on the other hand, had extended his + position both to the right and to the left, and had strengthened the works + which we had already found so formidable. In this way a condition of + inaction was established which was really very much to our advantage, + since Methuen retained his communications by rail, while all supplies to + Cronje had to come a hundred miles by road. The British troops, and + especially the Highland Brigade, were badly in need of a rest after the + very severe ordeal which they had undergone. General Hector Macdonald, + whose military record had earned the soldierly name of 'Fighting Mac,' was + sent for from India to take the place of the ill-fated Wauchope. Pending + his arrival and that of reinforcements, Methuen remained quiet, and the + Boers fortunately followed his example. From over the northern horizon + those silver flashes of light told that Kimberley was dauntless in the + present and hopeful of the future. On January 1st the British post of + Kuruman fell, by which twelve officers and 120 police were captured. The + town was isolated, and its capture could have no effect upon the general + operations, but it is remarkable as the only capture of a fortified post + up to this point made by the Boers. + </p> + <p> + The monotony of the long wait was broken by one dashing raid carried out + by a detachment from Methuen's line of communications. This force + consisted of 200 Queenslanders, 100 Canadians (Toronto Company), 40 + mounted Munster Fusiliers, a New South Wales Ambulance, and 200 of the + Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry with one horse battery. This singular + force, so small in numbers and yet raked from the ends of the earth, was + under the command of Colonel Pilcher. Moving out suddenly and rapidly from + Belmont, it struck at the extreme right of the Boer line, which consisted + of a laager occupied by the colonial rebels of that part of the country. + Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm of the colonists at the prospect of + action. 'At last!' was the cry which went up from the Canadians when they + were ordered to advance. The result was an absolute success. The rebels + broke and fled, their camp was taken, and forty of them fell into our + hands. Our own loss was slight, three killed and a few wounded. The flying + column occupied the town of Douglas and hoisted the British flag there; + but it was decided that the time had not yet come when it could be held, + and the force fell back upon Belmont. The rebel prisoners were sent down + to Cape Town for trial. The movement was covered by the advance of a force + under Babington from Methuen's force. This detachment, consisting of the + 9th and 12th Lancers, with some mounted infantry and G troop of Horse + Artillery, prevented any interference with Pilcher's force from the north. + It is worthy of record that though the two bodies of troops were operating + at a distance of thirty miles, they succeeded in preserving a telephonic + connection, seventeen minutes being the average time taken over question + and reply. + </p> + <p> + Encouraged by this small success, Methuen's cavalry on January 9th made + another raid over the Free State border, which is remarkable for the fact + that, save in the case of Colonel Plumer's Rhodesian Force, it was the + first time that the enemy's frontier had been violated. The expedition + under Babington consisted of the same regiments and the same battery which + had covered Pilcher's advance. The line taken was a south-easterly one, so + as to get far round the left flank of the Boer position. With the aid of a + party of the Victorian Mounted Rifles a considerable tract of country was + overrun, and some farmhouses destroyed. The latter extreme measure may + have been taken as a warning to the Boers that such depredations as they + had carried out in parts of Natal could not pass with impunity, but both + the policy and the humanity of such a course appear to be open to + question, and there was some cause for the remonstrance which President + Kruger shortly after addressed to us upon the subject. The expedition + returned to Modder Camp at the end of two days without having seen the + enemy. Save for one or two similar cavalry reconnaissances, an occasional + interchange of long-range shells, a little sniping, and one or two false + alarms at night, which broke the whole front of Magersfontein into yellow + lines of angry light, nothing happened to Methuen's force which is worthy + of record up to the time of that movement of General Hector Macdonald to + Koodoosberg which may be considered in connection with Lord Roberts's + decisive operations, of which it was really a part. + </p> + <p> + The doings of General Gatacre's force during the long interval which + passed between his disaster at Stormberg and the final general advance may + be rapidly chronicled. Although nominally in command of a division, + Gatacre's troops were continually drafted off to east and to west, so that + it was seldom that he had more than a brigade under his orders. During the + weeks of waiting, his force consisted of three field batteries, the 74th, + 77th, and 79th, some mounted police and irregular horse, the remains of + the Royal Irish Rifles and the 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers, the 1st Royal + Scots, the Derbyshire regiment, and the Berkshires, the whole amounting to + about 5500 men, who had to hold the whole district from Sterkstroom to + East London on the coast, with a victorious enemy in front and a + disaffected population around. Under these circumstances he could not + attempt to do more than to hold his ground at Sterkstroom, and this he did + unflinchingly until the line of the Boer defence broke down. Scouting and + raiding expeditions, chiefly organised by Captain De Montmorency—whose + early death cut short the career of one who possessed every quality of a + partisan leader—broke the monotony of inaction. During the week + which ended the year a succession of small skirmishes, of which the town + of Dordrecht was the centre, exercised the troops in irregular warfare. + </p> + <p> + On January 3rd the Boer forces advanced and attacked the camp of the Cape + Mounted Police, which was some eight miles in advance of Gatacre's main + position. The movement, however, was a half-hearted one, and was beaten + off with small loss upon their part and less upon ours. From then onwards + no movement of importance took place in Gatacre's column until the general + advance along the whole line had cleared his difficulties from in front of + him. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime General Buller had also been playing a waiting game, and, + secure in the knowledge that Ladysmith could still hold out, he had been + building up his strength for a second attempt to relieve the hard-pressed + and much-enduring garrison. After the repulse at Colenso, Hildyard's and + Barton's brigades had remained at Chieveley with the mounted infantry, the + naval guns, and two field batteries. The rest of the force retired to + Frere, some miles in the rear. Emboldened by their success, the Boers sent + raiding parties over the Tugela on either flank, which were only checked + by our patrols being extended from Springfield on the west to Weenen on + the east. A few plundered farmhouses and a small list of killed and + wounded horsemen on either side were the sole result of these spasmodic + and half-hearted operations. + </p> + <p> + Time here as elsewhere was working for the British, for reinforcements + were steadily coming to Buller's army. By the new year Sir Charles + Warren's division (the 5th) was nearly complete at Estcourt, whence it + could reach the front at any moment. This division included the 10th + brigade, consisting of the Imperial Light Infantry, 2nd Somersets, the 2nd + Dorsets, and the 2nd Middlesex; also the 11th, called the Lancashire + Brigade, formed by the 2nd Royal Lancaster, the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers, + the 1st South Lancashire, and the York and Lancaster. The division also + included the 14th Hussars and the 19th, 20th, and 28th batteries of Field + Artillery. Other batteries of artillery, including one howitzer battery, + came to strengthen Buller's force, which amounted now to more than 30,000 + men. Immense transport preparations had to be made, however, before the + force could have the mobility necessary for a flank march, and it was not + until January 11th that General Buller's new plans for advance could be + set into action. Before describing what these plans were and the + disappointing fate which awaited them, we will return to the story of the + siege of Ladysmith, and show how narrowly the relieving force escaped the + humiliation—some would say the disgrace—of seeing the town + which looked to them for help fall beneath their very eyes. That this did + not occur is entirely due to the fierce tenacity and savage endurance of + the disease-ridden and half-starved men who held on to the frail lines + which covered it. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 13. THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH. + </h2> + <p> + Monday, October 30th, 1899, is not a date which can be looked back to with + satisfaction by any Briton. In a scrambling and ill-managed action we had + lost our detached left wing almost to a man, while our right had been + hustled with no great loss but with some ignominy into Ladysmith. Our guns + had been outshot, our infantry checked, and our cavalry paralysed. Eight + hundred prisoners may seem no great loss when compared with a Sedan, or + even with an Ulm; but such matters are comparative, and the force which + laid down its arms at Nicholson's Nek is the largest British force which + has surrendered since the days of our great grandfathers, when the + egregious Duke of York commanded in Flanders. + </p> + <p> + Sir George White was now confronted with the certainty of an investment, + an event for which apparently no preparation had been made, since with an + open railway behind him so many useless mouths had been permitted to + remain in the town. Ladysmith lies in a hollow and is dominated by a ring + of hills, some near and some distant. The near ones were in our hands, but + no attempt had been made in the early days of the war to fortify and hold + Bulwana, Lombard's Kop, and the other positions from which the town might + be shelled. Whether these might or might not have been successfully held + has been much disputed by military men, the balance of opinion being that + Bulwana, at least, which has a water-supply of its own, might have been + retained. This question, however, was already academic, as the outer hills + were in the hands of the enemy. As it was, the inner line—Caesar's + Camp, Wagon Hill, Rifleman's Post, and round to Helpmakaar Hill—made + a perimeter of fourteen miles, and the difficulty of retaining so + extensive a line goes far to exonerate General White, not only for + abandoning the outer hills, but also for retaining his cavalry in the + town. + </p> + <p> + After the battle of Ladysmith and the retreat of the British, the Boers in + their deliberate but effective fashion set about the investment of the + town, while the British commander accepted the same as inevitable, content + if he could stem and hold back from the colony the threatened flood of + invasion. On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday the commandoes + gradually closed in upon the south and east, harassed by some cavalry + operations and reconnaissances upon our part, the effect of which was much + exaggerated by the press. On Thursday, November 2nd, the last train + escaped under a brisk fire, the passengers upon the wrong side of the + seats. At 2 P.M. on the same day the telegraph line was cut, and the + lonely town settled herself somberly down to the task of holding off the + exultant Boers until the day—supposed to be imminent—when the + relieving army should appear from among the labyrinth of mountains which + lay to the south of them. Some there were who, knowing both the enemy and + the mountains, felt a cold chill within their hearts as they asked + themselves how an army was to come through, but the greater number, from + General to private, trusted implicitly in the valour of their comrades and + in the luck of the British Army. + </p> + <p> + One example of that historical luck was ever before their eyes in the + shape of those invaluable naval guns which had arrived so dramatically at + the very crisis of the fight, in time to check the monster on Pepworth + Hill and to cover the retreat of the army. But for them the besieged must + have lain impotent under the muzzles of the huge Creusots. But in spite of + the naive claims put forward by the Boers to some special Providence—a + process which a friendly German critic described as 'commandeering the + Almighty'—it is certain that in a very peculiar degree, in the early + months of this war there came again and again a happy chance, or a + merciful interposition, which saved the British from disaster. Now in this + first week of November, when every hill, north and south and east and + west, flashed and smoked, and the great 96-pound shells groaned and + screamed over the town, it was to the long thin 4.7's and to the hearty + bearded men who worked them, that soldiers and townsfolk looked for help. + These guns of Lambton's, supplemented by two old-fashioned 6.3 howitzers + manned by survivors from No. 10 Mountain Battery, did all that was + possible to keep down the fire of the heavy Boer guns. If they could not + save, they could at least hit back, and punishment is not so bad to bear + when one is giving as well as receiving. + </p> + <p> + By the end of the first week of November the Boers had established their + circle of fire. On the east of the town, broken by the loops of the Klip + River, is a broad green plain, some miles in extent, which furnished + grazing ground for the horses and cattle of the besieged. Beyond it rises + into a long flat-topped hill the famous Bulwana, upon which lay one great + Creusot and several smaller guns. To the north, on Pepworth Hill, was + another Creusot, and between the two were the Boer batteries upon + Lombard's Kop. The British naval guns were placed upon this side, for, as + the open loop formed by the river lies at this end, it is the part of the + defences which is most liable to assault. From thence all round the west + down to Besters in the south was a continuous series of hills, each + crowned with Boer guns, which, if they could not harm the distant town, + were at least effective in holding the garrison to its lines. So + formidable were these positions that, amid much outspoken criticism, it + has never been suggested that White would have been justified with a + limited garrison in incurring the heavy loss of life which must have + followed an attempt to force them. + </p> + <p> + The first few days of the siege were clouded by the death of Lieutenant + Egerton of the 'Powerful,' one of the most promising officers in the Navy. + One leg and the other foot were carried off, as he lay upon the sandbag + parapet watching the effect of our fire. 'There's an end of my cricket,' + said the gallant sportsman, and he was carried to the rear with a cigar + between his clenched teeth. + </p> + <p> + On November 3rd a strong cavalry reconnaissance was pushed down the + Colenso road to ascertain the force which the enemy had in that direction. + Colonel Brocklehurst took with him the 18th and 19th Hussars, the 5th + Lancers and the 5th Dragoon Guards, with the Light Horse and the Natal + Volunteers. Some desultory fighting ensued which achieved no end, and was + chiefly remarkable for the excellent behaviour of the Colonials, who + showed that they were the equals of the Regulars in gallantry and their + superiors in the tactics which such a country requires. The death of Major + Taunton, Captain Knapp, and young Brabant, the son of the General who did + such good service at a later stage of the war, was a heavy price to pay + for the knowledge that the Boers were in considerable strength to the + south. + </p> + <p> + By the end of this week the town had already settled down to the routine + of the siege. General Joubert, with the chivalry which had always + distinguished him, had permitted the garrison to send out the + non-combatants to a place called Intombi Camp (promptly named Funkersdorp + by the facetious) where they were safe from the shells, though the burden + of their support still fell of course upon the much-tried commissariat. + The hale and male of the townsfolk refused for the most part to avoid the + common danger, and clung tenaciously to their shot-torn village. + Fortunately the river has worn down its banks until it runs through a deep + channel, in the sides of which it was found to be possible to hollow out + caves which were practically bomb-proof. Here for some months the + townsfolk led a troglodytic existence, returning to their homes upon that + much appreciated seventh day of rest which was granted to them by their + Sabbatarian besiegers. + </p> + <p> + The perimeter of the defence had been divided off so that each corps might + be responsible for its own section. To the south was the Manchester + Regiment upon the hill called Caesar's Camp. Between Lombard's Kop and the + town, on the north-east, were the Devons. To the north, at what seemed the + vulnerable point, were the Rifle Brigade, the Rifles, and the remains of + the 18th Hussars. To the west were the 5th Lancers, 19th Hussars, and 5th + Dragoon Guards. The rest of the force was encamped round the outskirts of + the town. + </p> + <p> + There appears to have been some idea in the Boer mind that the mere fact + that they held a dominant position over the town would soon necessitate + the surrender of the army. At the end of a week they had realised, + however, just as the British had, that a siege lay before both. Their fire + upon the town was heavy but not deadly, though it became more effective as + the weeks went on. Their practice at a range of five miles was exceedingly + accurate. At the same time their riflemen became more venturesome, and on + Tuesday, November 7th, they made a half-hearted attack upon the + Manchesters' position on the south, which was driven back without + difficulty. On the 9th, however, their attempt was of a more serious and + sustained character. It began with a heavy shell-fire and with a + demonstration of rifle-fire from every side, which had for its object the + prevention of reinforcements for the true point of danger, which again was + Caesar's Camp at the south. It is evident that the Boers had from the + beginning made up their minds that here lay the key of the position, as + the two serious attacks—that of November 9th and that of January 6th—were + directed upon this point. + </p> + <p> + The Manchesters at Caesar's Camp had been reinforced by the 1st battalion + 60th Rifles, who held the prolongation of the same ridge, which is called + Waggon Hill. With the dawn it was found that the Boer riflemen were within + eight hundred yards, and from then till evening a constant fire was + maintained upon the hill. The Boer, however, save when the odds are all in + his favour, is not, in spite of his considerable personal bravery, at his + best in attack. His racial traditions, depending upon the necessity for + economy of human life, are all opposed to it. As a consequence two + regiments well posted were able to hold them off all day with a loss which + did not exceed thirty killed and wounded, while the enemy, exposed to the + shrapnel of the 42nd battery, as well as the rifle-fire of the infantry, + must have suffered very much more severely. The result of the action was a + well-grounded belief that in daylight there was very little chance of the + Boers being able to carry the lines. As the date was that of the Prince of + Wales's birthday, a salute of twenty-one shotted naval guns wound up a + successful day. + </p> + <p> + The failure of the attempt upon Ladysmith seems to have convinced the + enemy that a waiting game, in which hunger, shell-fire, and disease were + their allies, would be surer and less expensive than an open assault. From + their distant hilltops they continued to plague the town, while garrison + and citizens sat grimly patient, and learned to endure if not to enjoy the + crash of the 96-pound shells, and the patter of shrapnel upon their + corrugated-iron roofs. The supplies were adequate, and the besieged were + fortunate in the presence of a first-class organiser, Colonel Ward of + Islington fame, who with the assistance of Colonel Stoneman systematised + the collection and issue of all the food, civil and military, so as to + stretch it to its utmost. With rain overhead and mud underfoot, chafing at + their own idleness and humiliated by their own position, the soldiers + waited through the weary weeks for the relief which never came. On some + days there was more shell-fire, on some less; on some there was sniping, + on some none; on some they sent a little feeler of cavalry and guns out of + the town, on most they lay still—such were the ups and downs of life + in Ladysmith. The inevitable siege paper, 'The Ladysmith Lyre,' appeared, + and did something to relieve the monotony by the exasperation of its + jokes. Night, morning, and noon the shells rained upon the town until the + most timid learned fatalism if not bravery. The crash of the percussion, + and the strange musical tang of the shrapnel sounded ever in their ears. + With their glasses the garrison could see the gay frocks and parasols of + the Boer ladies who had come down by train to see the torture of the + doomed town. + </p> + <p> + The Boers were sufficiently numerous, aided by their strong positions and + excellent artillery, to mask the Ladysmith force and to sweep on at once + to the conquest of Natal. Had they done so it is hard to see what could + have prevented them from riding their horses down to salt water. A few + odds and ends, half battalions and local volunteers, stood between them + and Durban. But here, as on the Orange River, a singular paralysis seems + to have struck them. When the road lay clear before them the first + transports of the army corps were hardly past St. Vincent, but before they + had made up their mind to take that road the harbour of Durban was packed + with our shipping and ten thousand men had thrown themselves across their + path. + </p> + <p> + For a moment we may leave the fortunes of Ladysmith to follow this + southerly movement of the Boers. Within two days of the investment of the + town they had swung round their left flank and attacked Colenso, twelve + miles south, shelling the Durban Light Infantry out of their post with a + long-range fire. The British fell back twenty-seven miles and concentrated + at Estcourt, leaving the all-important Colenso railway-bridge in the hands + of the enemy. From this onwards they held the north of the Tugela, and + many a widow wore crepe before we got our grip upon it once more. Never + was there a more critical week in the war, but having got Colenso the + Boers did little more. They formally annexed the whole of Northern Natal + to the Orange Free State—a dangerous precedent when the tables + should be turned. With amazing assurance the burghers pegged out farms for + themselves and sent for their people to occupy these newly won estates. + </p> + <p> + On November 5th the Boers had remained so inert that the British returned + in small force to Colenso and removed some stores—which seems to + suggest that the original retirement was premature. Four days passed in + inactivity—four precious days for us—and on the evening of the + fourth, November 9th, the watchers on the signal station at Table Mountain + saw the smoke of a great steamer coming past Robben Island. It was the + 'Roslin Castle' with the first of the reinforcements. Within the week the + 'Moor,' 'Yorkshire,' 'Aurania,' 'Hawarden Castle,' 'Gascon,' 'Armenian,' + 'Oriental,' and a fleet of others had passed for Durban with 15,000 men. + Once again the command of the sea had saved the Empire. + </p> + <p> + But, now that it was too late, the Boers suddenly took the initiative, and + in dramatic fashion. North of Estcourt, where General Hildyard was being + daily reinforced from the sea, there are two small townlets, or at least + geographical (and railway) points. Frere is about ten miles north of + Estcourt, and Chieveley is five miles north of that and about as far to + the south of Colenso. On November 15th an armoured train was despatched + from Estcourt to see what was going on up the line. Already one disaster + had befallen us in this campaign on account of these clumsy contrivances, + and a heavier one was now to confirm the opinion that, acting alone, they + are totally inadmissible. As a means of carrying artillery for a force + operating upon either flank of them, with an assured retreat behind, there + may be a place for them in modern war, but as a method of scouting they + appear to be the most inefficient and also the most expensive that has + ever been invented. An intelligent horseman would gather more information, + be less visible, and retain some freedom as to route. After our experience + the armoured train may steam out of military history. + </p> + <p> + The train contained ninety Dublin Fusiliers, eighty Durban Volunteers, and + ten sailors, with a naval 7-pounder gun. Captain Haldane of the Gordons, + Lieutenant Frankland (Dublin Fusiliers), and Winston Churchill, the + well-known correspondent, accompanied the expedition. What might have been + foreseen occurred. The train steamed into the advancing Boer army, was + fired upon, tried to escape, found the rails blocked behind it, and upset. + Dublins and Durbans were shot helplessly out of their trucks, under a + heavy fire. A railway accident is a nervous thing, and so is an ambuscade, + but the combination of the two must be appalling. Yet there were brave + hearts which rose to the occasion. Haldane and Frankland rallied the + troops, and Churchill the engine-driver. The engine was disentangled and + sent on with its cab full of wounded. Churchill, who had escaped upon it, + came gallantly back to share the fate of his comrades. The dazed shaken + soldiers continued a futile resistance for some time, but there was + neither help nor escape and nothing for them but surrender. The most + Spartan military critic cannot blame them. A few slipped away besides + those who escaped upon the engine. Our losses were two killed, twenty + wounded, and about eighty taken. It is remarkable that of the three + leaders both Haldane and Churchill succeeded in escaping from Pretoria. + </p> + <p> + A double tide of armed men was now pouring into Southern Natal. From + below, trainload after trainload of British regulars were coming up to the + danger point, feted and cheered at every station. Lonely farmhouses near + the line hung out their Union Jacks, and the folk on the stoep heard the + roar of the choruses as the great trains swung upon their way. From above + the Boers were flooding down, as Churchill saw them, dour, resolute, + riding silently through the rain, or chanting hymns round their camp fires—brave + honest farmers, but standing unconsciously for mediaevalism and + corruption, even as our rough-tongued Tommies stood for civilisation, + progress, and equal rights for all men. + </p> + <p> + The invading force, the numbers of which could not have exceeded some few + thousands, formidable only for their mobility, lapped round the more + powerful but less active force at Estcourt, and struck behind it at its + communications. There was for a day or two some discussion as to a further + retreat, but Hildyard, strengthened by the advice and presence of Colonel + Long, determined to hold his ground. On November 21st the raiding Boers + were as far south as Nottingham Road, a point thirty miles south of + Estcourt and only forty miles north of the considerable city of + Pietermaritzburg. The situation was serious. Either the invaders must be + stopped, or the second largest town in the colony would be in their hands. + From all sides came tales of plundered farms and broken households. Some + at least of the raiders behaved with wanton brutality. Smashed pianos, + shattered pictures, slaughtered stock, and vile inscriptions, all exhibit + a predatory and violent side to the paradoxical Boer character. [Footnote: + More than once I have heard the farmers in the Free State acknowledge that + the ruin which had come upon them was a just retribution for the excesses + of Natal.] + </p> + <p> + The next British post behind Hildyard's at Estcourt was Barton's upon the + Mooi River, thirty miles to the south. Upon this the Boers made a + half-hearted attempt, but Joubert had begun to realise the strength of the + British reinforcements and the impossibility with the numbers at his + disposal of investing a succession of British posts. He ordered Botha to + withdraw from Mooi River and begin his northerly trek. + </p> + <p> + The turning-point of the Boer invasion of Natal was marked, though we + cannot claim that it was caused, by the action of Willow Grange. This was + fought by Hildyard and Walter Kitchener in command of the Estcourt + garrison, against about 2000 of the invaders under Louis Botha. The troops + engaged were the East and West Surreys (four companies of the latter), the + West Yorkshires, the Durban Light Infantry, No. 7 battery R.F.A., two + naval guns, and some hundreds of Colonial Horse. + </p> + <p> + The enemy being observed to have a gun upon a hill within striking + distance of Estcourt, this force set out on November 22nd to make a night + attack and to endeavour to capture it. The hill was taken without + difficulty, but it was found that the gun had been removed. A severe + counter-attack was made at daylight by the Boers, and the troops were + compelled with no great loss and less glory to return to the town. The + Surreys and the Yorkshires behaved very well, but were placed in a + difficult position and were badly supported by the artillery. Martyn's + Mounted Infantry covered the retirement with great gallantry, but the + skirmish ended in a British loss of fourteen killed and fifty wounded or + missing, which was certainly more than that of the Boers. From this + indecisive action of Willow Grange the Boer invasion receded until General + Buller, coming to the front on November 27th, found that the enemy was + once more occupying the line of the Tugela. He himself moved up to Frere, + where he devoted his time and energies to the collection of that force + with which he was destined, after three failures, to make his way into + Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + One unexpected and little known result of the Boer expedition into + Southern Natal was that their leader, the chivalrous Joubert, injured + himself through his horse stumbling, and was physically incapacitated for + the remainder of the campaign. He returned almost immediately to Pretoria, + leaving the command of the Tugela in the hands of Louis Botha. + </p> + <p> + Leaving Buller to organise his army at Frere, and the Boer commanders to + draw their screen of formidable defences along the Tugela, we will return + once more to the fortunes of the unhappy town round which the interest of + the world, and possibly the destiny of the Empire, were centering. It is + very certain that had Ladysmith fallen, and twelve thousand British + soldiers with a million pounds' worth of stores fallen into the hands of + the invaders, we should have been faced with the alternative of abandoning + the struggle, or of reconquering South Africa from Cape Town northwards. + South Africa is the keystone of the Empire, and for the instant Ladysmith + was the keystone of South Africa. But the courage of the troops who held + the shell-torn townlet, and the confidence of the public who watched them, + never faltered for an instant. + </p> + <p> + December 8th was marked by a gallant exploit on the part of the + beleaguered garrison. Not a whisper had transpired of the coming sortie, + and a quarter of an hour before the start officers engaged had no idea of + it. O si sic omnia! At ten o'clock a band of men slipped out of the town. + There were six hundred of them, all irregulars, drawn from the Imperial + Light Horse, the Natal Carabineers, and the Border Mounted Rifles, under + the command of Hunter, youngest and most dashing of British Generals. + Edwardes and Boyston were the subcommanders. The men had no knowledge of + where they were going or what they had to do, but they crept silently + along under a drifting sky, with peeps of a quarter moon, over a + mimosa-shadowed plain. At last in front of them there loomed a dark mass—it + was Gun Hill, from which one of the great Creusots had plagued them. A + strong support (four hundred men) was left at the base of the hill, and + the others, one hundred Imperials, one hundred Borders and Carabineers, + ten Sappers, crept upwards with Major Henderson as guide. A Dutch outpost + challenged, but was satisfied by a Dutch-speaking Carabineer. Higher and + higher the men crept, the silence broken only by the occasional slip of a + stone or the rustle of their own breathing. Most of them had left their + boots below. Even in the darkness they kept some formation, and the right + wing curved forward to outflank the defence. Suddenly a Mauser crack and a + spurt of flame—then another and another! 'Come on, boys! Fix + bayonets!' yelled Karri Davies. There were no bayonets, but that was a + detail. At the word the gunners were off, and there in the darkness in + front of the storming party loomed the enormous gun, gigantic in that + uncertain light. Out with the huge breech-block! Wrap the long lean muzzle + round with a collar of gun-cotton! Keep the guard upon the run until the + work is done! Hunter stood by with a night light in his hand until the + charge was in position, and then, with a crash which brought both armies + from their tents, the huge tube reared up on its mountings and toppled + backwards into the pit. A howitzer lurked beside it, and this also was + blown into ruin. The attendant Maxim was dragged back by the exultant + captors, who reached the town amid shoutings and laughter with the first + break of day. One man wounded, the gallant Henderson, is the cheap price + for the best-planned and most dashing exploit of the war. Secrecy in + conception, vigour in execution—they are the root ideas of the + soldier's craft. So easily was the enterprise carried out, and so + defective the Boer watch, that it is probable that if all the guns had + been simultaneously attacked the Boers might have found themselves without + a single piece of ordnance in the morning. [Footnote: The destruction of + the Creusot was not as complete as was hoped. It was taken back to + Pretoria, three feet were sawn off the muzzle, and a new breech-block + provided. The gun was then sent to Kimberley, and it was the heavy cannon + which arrived late in the history of that siege and caused considerable + consternation among the inhabitants.] + </p> + <p> + On the same morning (December 9th) a cavalry reconnaissance was pushed in + the direction of Pepworth Hill. The object no doubt was to ascertain + whether the enemy were still present in force, and the terrific roll of + the Mausers answered it in the affirmative. Two killed and twenty wounded + was the price which we paid for the information. There had been three such + reconnaissances in the five weeks of the siege, and it is difficult to see + what advantage they gave or how they are to be justified. Far be it for + the civilian to dogmatise upon such matters, but one can repeat, and to + the best of one's judgment endorse, the opinion of the vast majority of + officers. + </p> + <p> + There were heart burnings among the Regulars that the colonial troops + should have gone in front of them, so their martial jealousy was allayed + three nights later by the same task being given to them. Four companies of + the 2nd Rifle Brigade were the troops chosen, with a few sappers and + gunners, the whole under the command of Colonel Metcalfe of the same + battalion. A single gun, the 4.7 howitzer upon Surprise Hill, was the + objective. Again there was the stealthy advance through the darkness, + again the support was left at the bottom of the hill, again the two + companies carefully ascended, again there was the challenge, the rush, the + flight, and the gun was in the hands of the stormers. + </p> + <p> + Here and only here the story varies. For some reason the fuse used for the + guncotton was defective, and half an hour elapsed before the explosion + destroyed the howitzer. When it came it came very thoroughly, but it was a + weary time in coming. Then our men descended the hill, but the Boers were + already crowding in upon them from either side. The English cries of the + soldiers were answered in English by the Boers, and slouch hat or helmet + dimly seen in the mirk was the only badge of friend or foe. A singular + letter is extant from young Reitz (the son of the Transvaal secretary), + who was present. According to his account there were but eight Boers + present, but assertion or contradiction equally valueless in the darkness + of such a night, and there are some obvious discrepancies in his + statement. 'We fired among them,' says Reitz. 'They stopped and all cried + out “Rifle Brigade.” Then one of them said “Charge!” One officer, Captain + Paley, advanced, though he had two bullet wounds already. Joubert gave him + another shot and he fell on the top of us. Four Englishmen got hold of Jan + Luttig and struck him on the head with their rifles and stabbed him in the + stomach with a bayonet. He seized two of them by the throat and shouted + “Help, boys!” His two nearest comrades shot two of them, and the other two + bolted. Then the English came up in numbers, about eight hundred, along + the footpath' (there were two hundred on the hill, but the exaggeration is + pardonable in the darkness), 'and we lay as quiet as mice along the bank. + Farther on the English killed three of our men with bayonets and wounded + two. In the morning we found Captain Paley and twenty-two of them killed + and wounded.' It seems evident that Reitz means that his own little party + were eight men, and not that that represented the force which intercepted + the retiring riflemen. Within his own knowledge five of his countrymen + were killed in the scuffle, so the total loss was probably considerable. + Our own casualties were eleven dead, forty-three wounded, and six + prisoners, but the price was not excessive for the howitzer and for the + morale which arises from such exploits. Had it not been for that + unfortunate fuse, the second success might have been as bloodless as the + first. 'I am sorry,' said a sympathetic correspondent to the stricken + Paley. 'But we got the gun,' Paley whispered, and he spoke for the + Brigade. + </p> + <p> + Amid the shell-fire, the scanty rations, the enteric and the dysentery, + one ray of comfort had always brightened the garrison. Buller was only + twelve miles away—they could hear his guns—and when his + advance came in earnest their sufferings would be at an end. But now in an + instant this single light was shut off and the true nature of their + situation was revealed to them. Buller had indeed moved...but backwards. + He had been defeated at Colenso, and the siege was not ending but + beginning. With heavier hearts but undiminished resolution the army and + the townsfolk settled down to the long, dour struggle. The exultant enemy + replaced their shattered guns and drew their lines closer still round the + stricken town. + </p> + <p> + A record of the siege onwards until the break of the New Year centres upon + the sordid details of the sick returns and of the price of food. Fifty on + one day, seventy on the next, passed under the hands of the overworked and + devoted doctors. Fifteen hundred, and later two thousand, of the garrison + were down. The air was poisoned by foul sewage and dark with obscene + flies. They speckled the scanty food. Eggs were already a shilling each, + cigarettes sixpence, whisky five pounds a bottle: a city more free from + gluttony and drunkenness has never been seen. + </p> + <p> + Shell-fire has shown itself in this war to be an excellent ordeal for + those who desire martial excitement with a minimum of danger. But now and + again some black chance guides a bomb—one in five thousand perhaps—to + a most tragic issue. Such a deadly missile falling among Boers near + Kimberley is said to have slain nine and wounded seventeen. In Ladysmith + too there are days to be marked in red when the gunner shot better than he + knew. One shell on December 17th killed six men (Natal Carabineers), + wounded three, and destroyed fourteen horses. The grisly fact has been + recorded that five separate human legs lay upon the ground. On December + 22nd another tragic shot killed five and wounded twelve of the Devons. On + the same day four officers of the 5th Lancers (including the Colonel) and + one sergeant were wounded—a most disastrous day. A little later it + was again the turn of the Devons, who lost one officer killed and ten + wounded. Christmas set in amid misery, hunger, and disease, the more + piteous for the grim attempts to amuse the children and live up to the + joyous season, when the present of Santa Claus was too often a 96-pound + shell. On the top of all other troubles it was now known that the heavy + ammunition was running short and must be husbanded for emergencies. There + was no surcease, however, in the constant hail which fell upon the town. + Two or three hundred shells were a not unusual daily allowance. The + monotonous bombardment with which the New Year had commenced was soon to + be varied by a most gallant and spirit-stirring clash of arms. On January + 6th the Boers delivered their great assault upon Ladysmith—an onfall + so gallantly made and gallantly met that it deserves to rank among the + classic fights of British military history. It is a tale which neither + side need be ashamed to tell. Honour to the sturdy infantry who held their + grip so long, and honour also to the rough men of the veld, who, led by + untrained civilians, stretched us to the utmost capacity of our endurance. + </p> + <p> + It may be that the Boers wished once for all to have done at all costs + with the constant menace to their rear, or it may be that the deliberate + preparations of Buller for his second advance had alarmed them, and that + they realised that they must act quickly if they were to act at all. At + any rate, early in the New Year a most determined attack was decided upon. + The storming party consisted of some hundreds of picked volunteers from + the Heidelberg (Transvaal) and Harrismith (Free State) contingents, led by + de Villiers. They were supported by several thousand riflemen, who might + secure their success or cover their retreat. Eighteen heavy guns had been + trained upon the long ridge, one end of which has been called Caesar's + Camp and the other Waggon Hill. This hill, three miles long, lay to the + south of the town, and the Boers had early recognised it as being the most + vulnerable point, for it was against it that their attack of November 9th + had been directed. Now, after two months, they were about to renew the + attempt with greater resolution against less robust opponents. At twelve + o'clock our scouts heard the sounds of the chanting of hymns in the Boer + camps. At two in the morning crowds of barefooted men were clustering + round the base of the ridge, and threading their way, rifle in hand, among + the mimosa-bushes and scattered boulders which cover the slope of the + hill. Some working parties were moving guns into position, and the noise + of their labour helped to drown the sound of the Boer advance. Both at + Caesar's Camp, the east end of the ridge, and at Waggon Hill, the west end + (the points being, I repeat, three miles apart), the attack came as a + complete surprise. The outposts were shot or driven in, and the stormers + were on the ridge almost as soon as their presence was detected. The line + of rocks blazed with the flash of their guns. + </p> + <p> + Caesar's Camp was garrisoned by one sturdy regiment, the Manchesters, + aided by a Colt automatic gun. The defence had been arranged in the form + of small sangars, each held by from ten to twenty men. Some few of these + were rushed in the darkness, but the Lancashire men pulled themselves + together and held on strenuously to those which remained. The crash of + musketry woke the sleeping town, and the streets resounded with the + shouting of the officers and the rattling of arms as the men mustered in + the darkness and hurried to the points of danger. + </p> + <p> + Three companies of the Gordons had been left near Caesar's Camp, and + these, under Captain Carnegie, threw themselves into the struggle. Four + other companies of Gordons came up in support from the town, losing upon + the way their splendid colonel, Dick-Cunyngham, who was killed by a chance + shot at three thousand yards, on this his first appearance since he had + recovered from his wounds at Elandslaagte. Later four companies of the + Rifle Brigade were thrown into the firing line, and a total of two and a + half infantry battalions held that end of the position. It was not a man + too much. With the dawn of day it could be seen that the Boers held the + southern and we the northern slopes, while the narrow plateau between + formed a bloody debatable ground. Along a front of a quarter of a mile + fierce eyes glared and rifle barrels flashed from behind every rock, and + the long fight swayed a little back or a little forward with each upward + heave of the stormers or rally of the soldiers. For hours the combatants + were so near that a stone or a taunt could be thrown from one to the + other. Some scattered sangars still held their own, though the Boers had + passed them. One such, manned by fourteen privates of the Manchester + Regiment, remained untaken, but had only two defenders left at the end of + the bloody day. + </p> + <p> + With the coming of the light the 53rd Field Battery, the one which had + already done so admirably at Lombard's Kop, again deserved well of its + country. It was impossible to get behind the Boers and fire straight at + their position, so every shell fired had to skim over the heads of our own + men upon the ridge and so pitch upon the reverse slope. Yet so accurate + was the fire, carried on under an incessant rain of shells from the big + Dutch gun on Bulwana, that not one shot miscarried and that Major Abdy and + his men succeeded in sweeping the further slope without loss to our own + fighting line. Exactly the same feat was equally well performed at the + other end of the position by Major Blewitt's 21st Battery, which was + exposed to an even more searching fire than the 53rd. Any one who has seen + the iron endurance of British gunners and marvelled at the answering shot + which flashes out through the very dust of the enemy's exploding shell, + will understand how fine must have been the spectacle of these two + batteries working in the open, with the ground round them sharded with + splinters. Eye-witnesses have left it upon record that the sight of Major + Blewitt strolling up and down among his guns, and turning over with his + toe the last fallen section of iron, was one of the most vivid and + stirring impressions which they carried from the fight. Here also it was + that the gallant Sergeant Bosley, his arm and his leg stricken off by a + Boer shell, cried to his comrades to roll his body off the trail and go on + working the gun. + </p> + <p> + At the same time as—or rather earlier than—the onslaught upon + Caesar's Camp a similar attack had been made with secrecy and + determination upon the western end of the position called Waggon Hill. The + barefooted Boers burst suddenly with a roll of rifle-fire into the little + garrison of Imperial Light Horse and Sappers who held the position. + Mathias of the former, Digby-Jones and Dennis of the latter, showed that + 'two in the morning' courage which Napoleon rated as the highest of + military virtues. They and their men were surprised but not disconcerted, + and stood desperately to a slogging match at the closest quarters. + Seventeen Sappers were down out of thirty, and more than half the little + body of irregulars. This end of the position was feebly fortified, and it + is surprising that so experienced and sound a soldier as Ian Hamilton + should have left it so. The defence had no marked advantage as compared + with the attack, neither trench, sangar, nor wire entanglement, and in + numbers they were immensely inferior. Two companies of the 60th Rifles and + a small body of the ubiquitous Gordons happened to be upon the hill and + threw themselves into the fray, but they were unable to turn the tide. Of + thirty-three Gordons under Lieutenant MacNaughten thirty were wounded. + [Footnote: The Gordons and the Sappers were there that morning to + re-escort one of Lambton's 4.7 guns, which was to be mounted there. Ten + seamen were with the gun, and lost three of their number in the defence.] + As our men retired under the shelter of the northern slope they were + reinforced by another hundred and fifty Gordons under the stalwart + Miller-Wallnutt, a man cast in the mould of a Berserk Viking. To their aid + also came two hundred of the Imperial Light Horse, burning to assist their + comrades. Another half-battalion of Rifles came with them. At each end of + the long ridge the situation at the dawn of day was almost identical. In + each the stormers had seized one side, but were brought to a stand by the + defenders upon the other, while the British guns fired over the heads of + their own infantry to rake the further slope. + </p> + <p> + It was on the Waggon Hill side, however, that the Boer exertions were most + continuous and strenuous and our own resistance most desperate. There + fought the gallant de Villiers, while Ian Hamilton rallied the defenders + and led them in repeated rushes against the enemy's line. Continually + reinforced from below, the Boers fought with extraordinary resolution. + Never will any one who witnessed that Homeric contest question the valour + of our foes. It was a murderous business on both sides. Edwardes of the + Light Horse was struck down. In a gun-emplacement a strange encounter took + place at point-blank range between a group of Boers and of Britons. De + Villiers of the Free State shot Miller-Wallnut dead, Ian Hamilton fired at + de Villiers with his revolver and missed him. Young Albrecht of the Light + Horse shot de Villiers. A Boer named de Jaeger shot Albrecht. Digby-Jones + of the Sappers shot de Jaeger. Only a few minutes later the gallant lad, + who had already won fame enough for a veteran, was himself mortally + wounded, and Dennis, his comrade in arms and in glory, fell by his side. + </p> + <p> + There has been no better fighting in our time than that upon Waggon Hill + on that January morning, and no better fighters than the Imperial Light + Horsemen who formed the centre of the defence. Here, as at Elandslaagte, + they proved themselves worthy to stand in line with the crack regiments of + the British army. + </p> + <p> + Through the long day the fight maintained its equilibrium along the summit + of the ridge, swaying a little that way or this, but never amounting to a + repulse of the stormers or to a rout of the defenders. So intermixed were + the combatants that a wounded man more than once found himself a rest for + the rifles of his enemies. One unfortunate soldier in this position + received six more bullets from his own comrades in their efforts to reach + the deadly rifleman behind him. At four o'clock a huge bank of clouds + which had towered upwards unheeded by the struggling men burst suddenly + into a terrific thunderstorm with vivid lightnings and lashing rain. It is + curious that the British victory at Elandslaagte was heralded by just such + another storm. Up on the bullet-swept hill the long fringes of fighting + men took no more heed of the elements than would two bulldogs who have + each other by the throat. Up the greasy hillside, foul with mud and with + blood, came the Boer reserves, and up the northern slope came our own + reserve, the Devon Regiment, fit representatives of that virile county. + Admirably led by Park, their gallant Colonel, the Devons swept the Boers + before them, and the Rifles, Gordons, and Light Horse joined in the wild + charge which finally cleared the ridge. + </p> + <p> + But the end was not yet. The Boer had taken a risk over this venture, and + now he had to pay the stakes. Down the hill he passed, crouching, darting, + but the spruits behind him were turned into swirling streams, and as he + hesitated for an instant upon the brink the relentless sleet of bullets + came from behind. Many were swept away down the gorges and into the Klip + River, never again to be accounted for in the lists of their field-cornet. + The majority splashed through, found their horses in their shelter, and + galloped off across the great Bulwana Plain, as fairly beaten in as fair a + fight as ever brave men were yet. + </p> + <p> + The cheers of victory as the Devons swept the ridge had heartened the + weary men upon Caesar's Camp to a similar effort. Manchesters, Gordons, + and Rifles, aided by the fire of two batteries, cleared the long-debated + position. Wet, cold, weary, and without food for twenty-six hours, the + bedraggled Tommies stood yelling and waving, amid the litter of dead and + of dying. + </p> + <p> + It was a near thing. Had the ridge fallen the town must have followed, and + history perhaps have been changed. In the old stiff-rank Majuba days we + should have been swept in an hour from the position. But the wily man + behind the rock was now to find an equally wily man in front of him. The + soldier had at last learned something of the craft of the hunter. He clung + to his shelter, he dwelled on his aim, he ignored his dressings, he laid + aside the eighteenth-century traditions of his pigtailed ancestor, and he + hit the Boers harder than they had been hit yet. No return may ever come + to us of their losses on that occasion; 80 dead bodies were returned to + them from the ridge alone, while the slopes, the dongas, and the river + each had its own separate tale. No possible estimate can make it less than + three hundred killed and wounded, while many place it at a much higher + figure. Our own casualties were very serious and the proportion of dead to + wounded unusually high, owing to the fact that the greater part of the + wounds were necessarily of the head. In killed we lost 13 officers, 135 + men. In wounded 28 officers, 244 men—a total of 420, Lord Ava, the + honoured Son of an honoured father, the fiery Dick-Cunyngham, stalwart + Miller-Wallnutt, the brave boy sappers Digby-Jones and Dennis, Adams and + Packman of the Light Horse, the chivalrous Lafone—we had to mourn + quality as well as numbers. The grim test of the casualty returns shows + that it was to the Imperial Light Horse (ten officers down, and the + regiment commanded by a junior captain), the Manchesters, the Gordons, the + Devons, and the 2nd Rifle Brigade that the honours of the day are due. + </p> + <p> + In the course of the day two attacks had been made upon other points of + the British position, the one on Observation Hill on the north, the other + on the Helpmakaar position on the east. Of these the latter was never + pushed home and was an obvious feint, but in the case of the other it was + not until Schutte, their commander, and forty or fifty men had been killed + and wounded, that the stormers abandoned their attempt. At every point the + assailants found the same scattered but impenetrable fringe of riflemen, + and the same energetic batteries waiting for them. + </p> + <p> + Throughout the Empire the course of this great struggle was watched with + the keenest solicitude and with all that painful emotion which springs + from impotent sympathy. By heliogram to Buller, and so to the farthest + ends of that great body whose nerves are the telegraphic wires, there came + the announcement of the attack. Then after an interval of hours came + 'everywhere repulsed, but fighting continues.' Then, 'Attack continues. + Enemy reinforced from the south.' Then 'Attack renewed. Very hard + pressed.' There the messages ended for the day, leaving the Empire black + with apprehension. The darkest forecasts and most dreary anticipations + were indulged by the most temperate and best-informed London papers. For + the first time the very suggestion that the campaign might be above our + strength was made to the public. And then at last there came the official + news of the repulse of the assault. Far away at Ladysmith, the weary men + and their sorely tried officers gathered to return thanks to God for His + manifold mercies, but in London also hearts were stricken solemn by the + greatness of the crisis, and lips long unused to prayer joined in the + devotions of the absent warriors. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 14. THE COLESBERG OPERATIONS. + </h2> + <p> + Of the four British armies in the field I have attempted to tell the story + of the western one which advanced to help Kimberley, of the eastern one + which was repulsed at Colenso, and of the central one which was checked at + Stormberg. There remains one other central one, some account of which must + now be given. + </p> + <p> + It was, as has already been pointed out, a long three weeks after the + declaration of war before the forces of the Orange Free State began to + invade Cape Colony. But for this most providential delay it is probable + that the ultimate fighting would have been, not among the mountains and + kopjes of Stormberg and Colesberg, but amid those formidable passes which + lie in the Hex Valley, immediately to the north of Cape Town, and that the + armies of the invader would have been doubled by their kinsmen of the + Colony. The ultimate result of the war must have been the same, but the + sight of all South Africa in flames might have brought about those + Continental complications which have always been so grave a menace. + </p> + <p> + The invasion of the Colony was at two points along the line of the two + railways which connect the countries, the one passing over the Orange + River at Norval's Pont and the other at Bethulie, about forty miles to the + eastward. There were no British troops available (a fact to be considered + by those, if any remain, who imagine that the British entertained any + design against the Republics), and the Boers jogged slowly southward amid + a Dutch population who hesitated between their unity of race and speech + and their knowledge of just and generous treatment by the Empire. A large + number were won over by the invaders, and, like all apostates, + distinguished themselves by their virulence and harshness towards their + loyal neighbours. Here and there in towns which were off the railway line, + in Barkly East or Ladygrey, the farmers met together with rifle and + bandolier, tied orange puggarees round their hats, and rode off to join + the enemy. Possibly these ignorant and isolated men hardly recognised what + it was that they were doing. They have found out since. In some of the + border districts the rebels numbered ninety per cent of the Dutch + population. + </p> + <p> + In the meanwhile, the British leaders had been strenuously endeavouring to + scrape together a few troops with which to make some stand against the + enemy. For this purpose two small forces were necessary—the one to + oppose the advance through Bethulie and Stormberg, the other to meet the + invaders, who, having passed the river at Norval's Pont, had now occupied + Colesberg. The former task was, as already shown, committed to General + Gatacre. The latter was allotted to General French, the victor of + Elandslaagte, who had escaped in the very last train from Ladysmith, and + had taken over this new and important duty. French's force assembled at + Arundel and Gatacre's at Sterkstroom. It is with the operations of the + former that we have now to deal. + </p> + <p> + General French, for whom South Africa has for once proved not the grave + but the cradle of a reputation, had before the war gained some name as a + smart and energetic cavalry officer. There were some who, watching his + handling of a considerable body of horse at the great Salisbury manoeuvres + in 1898, conceived the highest opinion of his capacity, and it was due to + the strong support of General Buller, who had commanded in these peaceful + operations, that French received his appointment for South Africa. In + person he is short and thick, with a pugnacious jaw. In character he is a + man of cold persistence and of fiery energy, cautious and yet audacious, + weighing his actions well, but carrying them out with the dash which + befits a mounted leader. He is remarkable for the quickness of his + decision—'can think at a gallop,' as an admirer expressed it. Such + was the man, alert, resourceful, and determined, to whom was entrusted the + holding back of the Colesberg Boers. + </p> + <p> + Although the main advance of the invaders was along the lines of the two + railways, they ventured, as they realised how weak the forces were which + opposed them, to break off both to the east and west, occupying Dordrecht + on one side and Steynsberg on the other. Nothing of importance accrued + from the possession of these points, and our attention may be concentrated + upon the main line of action. + </p> + <p> + French's original force was a mere handful of men, scraped together from + anywhere. Naauwpoort was his base, and thence he made a reconnaissance by + rail on November 23rd towards Arundel, the next hamlet along the line, + taking with him a company of the Black Watch, forty mounted infantry, and + a troop of the New South Wales Lancers. Nothing resulted from the + expedition save that the two forces came into touch with each other, a + touch which was sustained for months under many vicissitudes, until the + invaders were driven back once more over Norval's Pont. Finding that + Arundel was weakly held, French advanced up to it, and established his + camp there towards the end of December, within six miles of the Boer lines + at Rensburg, to the south of Colesberg. His mission—with his present + forces—was to prevent the further advance of the enemy into the + Colony, but he was not strong enough yet to make a serious attempt to + drive them out. + </p> + <p> + Before the move to Arundel on December 13th his detachment had increased + in size, and consisted largely of mounted men, so that it attained a + mobility very unusual for a British force. On December 13th there was an + attempt upon the part of the Boers to advance south, which was easily held + by the British Cavalry and Horse Artillery. The country over which French + was operating is dotted with those singular kopjes which the Boer loves—kopjes + which are often so grotesque in shape that one feels as if they must be + due to some error of refraction when one looks at them. But, on the other + hand, between these hills there lie wide stretches of the green or russet + savanna, the noblest field that a horseman or a horse gunner could wish. + The riflemen clung to the hills, French's troopers circled warily upon the + plain, gradually contracting the Boer position by threatening to cut off + this or that outlying kopje, and so the enemy was slowly herded into + Colesberg. The small but mobile British force covered a very large area, + and hardly a day passed that one or other part of it did not come in + contact with the enemy. With one regiment of infantry (the Berkshires) to + hold the centre, his hard-riding Tasmanians, New Zealanders, and + Australians, with the Scots Greys, the Inniskillings, and the Carabineers, + formed an elastic but impenetrable screen to cover the Colony. They were + aided by two batteries, O and R, of Horse Artillery. Every day General + French rode out and made a close personal examination of the enemy's + position, while his scouts and outposts were instructed to maintain the + closest possible touch. + </p> + <p> + On December 30th the enemy abandoned Rensburg, which had been their + advanced post, and concentrated at Colesberg, upon which French moved his + force up and seized Rensburg. The very next day, December 31st, he began a + vigorous and long-continued series of operations. At five o'clock on + Sunday evening he moved out of Rensburg camp, with R and half of O + batteries R.H.A., the 10th Hussars, the Inniskillings, and the Berkshires, + to take up a position on the west of Colesberg. At the same time Colonel + Porter, with the half-battery of O, his own regiment (the Carabineers), + and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, left camp at two on the Monday morning + and took a position on the enemy's left flank. The Berkshires under Major + McCracken seized the hill, driving a Boer picket off it, and the Horse + enfiladed the enemy's right flank, and after a risky artillery duel + succeeded in silencing his guns. Next morning, however (January 2nd, + 1900), it was found that the Boers, strongly reinforced, were back near + their old positions, and French had to be content to hold them and to wait + for more troops. + </p> + <p> + These were not long in coming, for the Suffolk Regiment had arrived, + followed by the Composite Regiment (chosen from the Household Cavalry) and + the 4th Battery R.F.A. The Boers, however, had also been reinforced, and + showed great energy in their effort to break the cordon which was being + drawn round them. Upon the 4th a determined effort was made by about a + thousand of them under General Schoeman to turn the left flank of the + British, and at dawn it was actually found that they had eluded the + vigilance of the outposts and had established themselves upon a hill to + the rear of the position. They were shelled off of it, however, by the + guns of O Battery, and in their retreat across the plain they were pursued + by the 10th Hussars and by one squadron of the Inniskillings, who cut off + some of the fugitives. At the same time, De Lisle with his mounted + infantry carried the position which they had originally held. In this + successful and well-managed action the Boer loss was ninety, and we took + in addition twenty-one prisoners. Our own casualties amounted only to six + killed, including Major Harvey of the 10th, and to fifteen wounded. + </p> + <p> + Encouraged by this success an attempt was made by the Suffolk Regiment to + carry a hill which formed the key of the enemy's position. The town of + Colesberg lies in a basin surrounded by a ring of kopjes, and the + possession by us of any one of them would have made the place untenable. + The plan has been ascribed to Colonel Watson of the Suffolks, but it is + time that some protest should be raised against this devolution of + responsibility upon subordinates in the event of failure. When success has + crowned our arms we have been delighted to honour our general; but when + our efforts end in failure our attention is called to Colonel Watson, + Colonel Long, or Colonel Thorneycroft. It is fairer to state that in this + instance General French ordered Colonel Watson to make a night attack upon + the hill. + </p> + <p> + The result was disastrous. At midnight four companies in canvas shoes or + in their stocking feet set forth upon their venture, and just before dawn + they found themselves upon the slope of the hill. They were in a formation + of quarter column with files extended to two paces; H Company was leading. + When half-way up a warm fire was opened upon them in the darkness. Colonel + Watson gave the order to retire, intending, as it is believed, that the + men should get under the shelter of the dead ground which they had just + quitted, but his death immediately afterwards left matters in a confused + condition. The night was black, the ground broken, a hail of bullets + whizzing through the ranks. Companies got mixed in the darkness and + contradictory orders were issued. The leading company held its ground, + though each of the officers, Brett, Carey, and Butler, was struck down. + The other companies had retired, however, and the dawn found this fringe + of men, most of them wounded, lying under the very rifles of the Boers. + Even then they held out for some time, but they could neither advance, + retire, or stay where they were without losing lives to no purpose, so the + survivors were compelled to surrender. There is better evidence here than + at Magersfontein that the enemy were warned and ready. Every one of the + officers engaged, from the Colonel to the boy subaltern, was killed, + wounded, or taken. Eleven officers and one hundred and fifty men were our + losses in this unfortunate but not discreditable affair, which proves once + more how much accuracy and how much secrecy is necessary for a successful + night attack. Four companies of the regiment were sent down to Port + Elizabeth to re-officer, but the arrival of the 1st Essex enabled French + to fill the gap which had been made in his force. + </p> + <p> + In spite of this annoying check, French continued to pursue his original + design of holding the enemy in front and working round him on the east. On + January 9th, Porter, of the Carabineers, with his own regiment, two + squadrons of Household Cavalry, the New Zealanders, the New South Wales + Lancers, and four guns, took another step forward and, after a skirmish, + occupied a position called Slingersfontein, still further to the north and + east, so as to menace the main road of retreat to Norval's Pont. Some + skirmishing followed, but the position was maintained. On the 15th the + Boers, thinking that this long extension must have weakened us, made a + spirited attack upon a position held by New Zealanders and a company of + the 1st Yorkshires, this regiment having been sent up to reinforce French. + The attempt was met by a volley and a bayonet charge. Captain Orr, of the + Yorkshires, was struck down; but Captain Madocks, of the New Zealanders, + who behaved with conspicuous gallantry at a critical instant, took + command, and the enemy was heavily repulsed. Madocks engaged in a + point-blank rifle duel with the frock-coated top-hatted Boer leader, and + had the good fortune to kill his formidable opponent. Twenty-one Boer dead + and many wounded left upon the field made a small set-off to the disaster + of the Suffolks. + </p> + <p> + The next day, however (January 16th), the scales of fortune, which swung + alternately one way and the other, were again tipped against us. It is + difficult to give an intelligible account of the details of these + operations, because they were carried out by thin fringes of men covering + on both sides a very large area, each kopje occupied as a fort, and the + intervening plains patrolled by cavalry. + </p> + <p> + As French extended to the east and north the Boers extended also to + prevent him from outflanking them, and so the little armies stretched and + stretched until they were two long mobile skirmishing lines. The actions + therefore resolve themselves into the encounters of small bodies and the + snapping up of exposed patrols—a game in which the Boer aptitude for + guerrilla tactics gave them some advantage, though our own cavalry quickly + adapted themselves to the new conditions. On this occasion a patrol of + sixteen men from the South Australian Horse and New South Wales Lancers + fell into an ambush, and eleven were captured. Of the remainder, three + made their way back to camp, while one was killed and one was wounded. + </p> + <p> + The duel between French on the one side and Schoeman and Lambert on the + other was from this onwards one of maneuvering rather than of fighting. + The dangerously extended line of the British at this period, over thirty + miles long, was reinforced, as has been mentioned, by the 1st Yorkshire + and later by the 2nd Wiltshire and a section of the 37th Howitzer Battery. + There was probably no very great difference in numbers between the two + little armies, but the Boers now, as always, were working upon internal + lines. The monotony of the operations was broken by the remarkable feat of + the Essex Regiment, which succeeded by hawsers and good-will in getting + two 15-pounder guns of the 4th Field Battery on to the top of Coleskop, a + hill which rises several hundred feet from the plain and is so precipitous + that it is no small task for an unhampered man to climb it. From the + summit a fire, which for some days could not be localised by the Boers, + was opened upon their laagers, which had to be shifted in consequence. + This energetic action upon the part of our gunners may be set off against + those other examples where commanders of batteries have shown that they + had not yet appreciated what strong tackle and stout arms can accomplish. + The guns upon Coleskop not only dominated all the smaller kopjes for a + range of 9000 yards, but completely commanded the town of Colesberg, which + could not however, for humanitarian and political reasons, be shelled. + </p> + <p> + By gradual reinforcements the force under French had by the end of January + attained the respectable figure of ten thousand men, strung over a large + extent of country. His infantry consisted of the 2nd Berkshires, 1st Royal + Irish, 2nd Wiltshires, 2nd Worcesters, 1st Essex, and 1st Yorkshires; his + cavalry, of the 10th Hussars, the 6th Dragoon Guards, the Inniskillings, + the New Zealanders, the N.S. W. Lancers, some Rimington Guides, and the + composite Household Regiment; his artillery, the R and O batteries of + R.H.A., the 4th R.F.A., and a section of the 37th Howitzer Battery. At the + risk of tedium I have repeated the units of this force, because there are + no operations during the war, with the exception perhaps of those of the + Rhodesian Column, concerning which it is so difficult to get a clear + impression. The fluctuating forces, the vast range of country covered, and + the petty farms which give their names to positions, all tend to make the + issue vague and the narrative obscure. The British still lay in a + semicircle extending from Slingersfontein upon the right to Kloof Camp + upon the left, and the general scheme of operations continued to be an + enveloping movement upon the right. General Clements commanded this + section of the forces, while the energetic Porter carried out the + successive advances. The lines had gradually stretched until they were + nearly fifty miles in length, and something of the obscurity in which the + operations have been left is due to the impossibility of any single + correspondent having a clear idea of what was occurring over so extended a + front. + </p> + <p> + On January 25th French sent Stephenson and Brabazon to push a + reconnaissance to the north of Colesberg, and found that the Boers were + making a fresh position at Rietfontein, nine miles nearer their own + border. A small action ensued, in which we lost ten or twelve of the + Wiltshire Regiment, and gained some knowledge of the enemy's dispositions. + For the remainder of the month the two forces remained in a state of + equilibrium, each keenly on its guard, and neither strong enough to + penetrate the lines of the other. General French descended to Cape Town to + aid General Roberts in the elaboration of that plan which was soon to + change the whole military situation in South Africa. + </p> + <p> + Reinforcements were still dribbling into the British force, Hoad's + Australian Regiment, which had been changed from infantry to cavalry, and + J battery R.H.A. from India, being the last arrivals. But very much + stronger reinforcements had arrived for the Boers—so strong that + they were able to take the offensive. De la Rey had left the Modder with + three thousand men, and their presence infused new life into the defenders + of Colesberg. At the moment, too, that the Modder Boers were coming to + Colesberg, the British had begun to send cavalry reinforcements to the + Modder in preparation for the march to Kimberley, so that Clements's Force + (as it had now become) was depleted at the very instant when that of the + enemy was largely increased. The result was that it was all they could do + not merely to hold their own, but to avoid a very serious disaster. + </p> + <p> + The movements of De la Rey were directed towards turning the right of the + position. On February 9th and 10th the mounted patrols, principally the + Tasmanians, the Australians, and the Inniskillings, came in contact with + the Boers, and some skirmishing ensued, with no heavy loss upon either + side. A British patrol was surrounded and lost eleven prisoners, + Tasmanians and Guides. On the 12th the Boer turning movement developed + itself, and our position on the right at Slingersfontein was strongly + attacked. + </p> + <p> + The key of the British position at this point was a kopje held by three + companies of the 2nd Worcester Regiment. Upon this the Boers made a fierce + onslaught, but were as fiercely repelled. They came up in the dark between + the set of moon and rise of sun, as they had done at the great assault of + Ladysmith, and the first dim light saw them in the advanced sangars. The + Boer generals do not favour night attacks, but they are exceedingly fond + of using darkness for taking up a good position and pushing onwards as + soon as it is possible to see. This is what they did upon this occasion, + and the first intimation which the outposts had of their presence was the + rush of feet and loom of figures in the cold misty light of dawn. The + occupants of the sangars were killed to a man, and the assailants rushed + onwards. As the sun topped the line of the veld half the kopje was in + their possession. Shouting and firing, they pressed onwards. + </p> + <p> + But the Worcester men were steady old soldiers, and the battalion + contained no less than four hundred and fifty marksmen in its ranks. Of + these the companies upon the hill had their due proportion, and their fire + was so accurate that the Boers found themselves unable to advance any + further. Through the long day a desperate duel was maintained between the + two lines of riflemen. Colonel Cuningham and Major Stubbs were killed + while endeavouring to recover the ground which had been lost. Hovel and + Bartholomew continued to encourage their men, and the British fire became + so deadly that that of the Boers was dominated. Under the direction of + Hacket Pain, who commanded the nearest post, guns of J battery were + brought out into the open and shelled the portion of the kopje which was + held by the Boers. The latter were reinforced, but could make no advance + against the accurate rifle fire with which they were met. The Bisley + champion of the battalion, with a bullet through his thigh, expended a + hundred rounds before sinking from loss of blood. It was an excellent + defence, and a pleasing exception to those too frequent cases where an + isolated force has lost heart in face of a numerous and persistent foe. + With the coming of darkness the Boers withdrew with a loss of over two + hundred killed and wounded. Orders had come from Clements that the whole + right wing should be drawn in, and in obedience to them the remains of the + victorious companies were called in by Hacket Pain, who moved his force by + night in the direction of Rensburg. The British loss in the action was + twenty-eight killed and nearly a hundred wounded or missing, most of which + was incurred when the sangars were rushed in the early morning. + </p> + <p> + While this action was fought upon the extreme right of the British + position another as severe had occurred with much the same result upon the + extreme left, where the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment was stationed. Some + companies of this regiment were isolated upon a kopje and surrounded by + the Boer riflemen when the pressure upon them was relieved by a desperate + attack by about a hundred of the Victorian Rifles. The gallant Australians + lost Major Eddy and six officers out of seven, with a large proportion of + their men, but they proved once for all that amid all the scattered + nations who came from the same home there is not one with a more fiery + courage and a higher sense of martial duty than the men from the great + island continent. It is the misfortune of the historian when dealing with + these contingents that, as a rule, by their very nature they were employed + in detached parties in fulfilling the duties which fall to the lot of + scouts and light cavalry—duties which fill the casualty lists but + not the pages of the chronicler. Be it said, however, once for all that + throughout the whole African army there was nothing but the utmost + admiration for the dash and spirit of the hard-riding, straight-shooting + sons of Australia and New Zealand. In a host which held many brave men + there were none braver than they. + </p> + <p> + It was evident from this time onwards that the turning movement had + failed, and that the enemy had developed such strength that we were + ourselves in imminent danger of being turned. The situation was a most + serious one: for if Clements's force could be brushed aside there would be + nothing to keep the enemy from cutting the communications of the army + which Roberts had assembled for his march into the Free State. Clements + drew in his wings hurriedly and concentrated his whole force at Rensburg. + It was a difficult operation in the face of an aggressive enemy, but the + movements were well timed and admirably carried out. There is always the + possibility of a retreat degenerating into a panic, and a panic at that + moment would have been a most serious matter. One misfortune occurred, + through which two companies of the Wiltshire regiment were left without + definite orders, and were cut off and captured after a resistance in which + a third of their number was killed and wounded. No man in that trying time + worked harder than Colonel Carter of the Wiltshires (the night of the + retreat was the sixth which he had spent without sleep), and the loss of + the two companies is to be set down to one of those accidents which may + always occur in warfare. Some of the Inniskilling Dragoons and Victorian + Mounted Rifles were also cut off in the retreat, but on the whole Clements + was very fortunate in being able to concentrate his scattered army with so + few mishaps. The withdrawal was heartbreaking to the soldiers who had + worked so hard and so long in extending the lines, but it might be + regarded with equanimity by the Generals, who understood that the greater + strength the enemy developed at Colesberg the less they would have to + oppose the critical movements which were about to be carried out in the + west. Meanwhile Coleskop had also been abandoned, the guns removed, and + the whole force on February 14th passed through Rensburg and fell back + upon Arundel, the spot from which six weeks earlier French had started + upon this stirring series of operations. It would not be fair, however, to + suppose that they had failed because they ended where they began. Their + primary object had been to prevent the further advance of the Freestaters + into the colony, and, during the most critical period of the war, this had + been accomplished with much success and little loss. At last the pressure + had become so severe that the enemy had to weaken the most essential part + of their general position in order to relieve it. The object of the + operations had really been attained when Clements found himself back at + Arundel once more. French, the stormy petrel of the war, had flitted on + from Cape Town to Modder River, where a larger prize than Colesberg + awaited him. Clements continued to cover Naauwport, the important railway + junction, until the advance of Roberts's army caused a complete reversal + of the whole military situation. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 15. SPION KOP. + </h2> + <p> + Whilst Methuen and Gatacre were content to hold their own at the Modder + and at Sterkstroom, and whilst the mobile and energetic French was herding + the Boers into Colesberg, Sir Redvers Buller, the heavy, obdurate, + inexplicable man, was gathering and organising his forces for another + advance upon Ladysmith. Nearly a month had elapsed since the evil day when + his infantry had retired, and his ten guns had not, from the frontal + attack upon Colenso. Since then Sir Charles Warren's division of infantry + and a considerable reinforcement of artillery had come to him. And yet in + view of the terrible nature of the ground in front of him, of the fighting + power of the Boers, and of the fact that they were always acting upon + internal lines, his force even now was, in the opinion of competent + judges, too weak for the matter in hand. + </p> + <p> + There remained, however, several points in his favour. His excellent + infantry were full of zeal and of confidence in their chief. It cannot be + denied, however much we may criticise some incidents in his campaign, that + he possessed the gift of impressing and encouraging his followers, and, in + spite of Colenso, the sight of his square figure and heavy impassive face + conveyed an assurance of ultimate victory to those around him. In + artillery he was very much stronger than before, especially in weight of + metal. His cavalry was still weak in proportion to his other arms. When at + last he moved out on January 10th to attempt to outflank the Boers, he + took with him nineteen thousand infantry, three thousand cavalry, and + sixty guns, which included six howitzers capable of throwing a 50-pound + lyddite shell, and ten long-range naval pieces. Barton's Brigade and other + troops were left behind to hold the base and line of communications. + </p> + <p> + An analysis of Buller's force shows that its details were as follows:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Clery's Division. + Hildyard's Brigade. + 2nd West Surrey. + 2nd Devonshire. + 2nd West Yorkshire. + 2nd East Surrey. + Hart's Brigade. + 1st Inniskilling Fusiliers. + 1st Border Regiment. + 1st Connaught Rangers. + 2nd Dublin Fusiliers. + Field Artillery, three batteries, 19th, 28th, 63rd; one squadron + 13th Hussars; Royal Engineers. + + Warren's Division. + Lyttelton's Brigade. + 2nd Cameronians. + 3rd King's Royal Rifles. + 1st Durham Light Infantry. + 1st Rifle Brigade. + Woodgate's Brigade. + 2nd Royal Lancaster. + 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers. + 1st South Lancashire. + York and Lancasters. + Field Artillery, three batteries, 7th, 78th, 73rd; one squadron + 13th Hussars. + + Corps Troops. + Coke's Brigade. + Imperial Light Infantry. + 2nd Somersets. + 2nd Dorsets. + 2nd Middlesex. + 61st Howitzer Battery; two 4.7 naval guns; eight naval 12-pounder guns; + one squadron 13th Hussars; Royal Engineers. + + Cavalry. + 1st Royal Dragoons. + 14th Hussars. + Four squadrons South African Horse. + One squadron Imperial Light Horse. + Bethune's Mounted Infantry. + Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry. + One squadron Natal Carabineers. + One squadron Natal Police. + One company King's Royal Rifles Mounted Infantry. + Six machine guns. +</pre> + <p> + This is the force whose operations I shall attempt to describe. + </p> + <p> + About sixteen miles to the westward of Colenso there is a ford over the + Tugela River which is called Potgieter's Drift. General Buller's apparent + plan was to seize this, together with the ferry which runs at this point, + and so to throw himself upon the right flank of the Colenso Boers. Once + over the river there is one formidable line of hills to cross, but if this + were passed there would be comparatively easy ground until the Ladysmith + hills were reached. With high hopes Buller and his men sallied out upon + their adventure. + </p> + <p> + Dundonald's cavalry force pushed rapidly forwards, crossed the Little + Tugela, a tributary of the main river, at Springfield, and established + themselves upon the hills which command the drift. Dundonald largely + exceeded his instructions in going so far, and while we applaud his + courage and judgment in doing so, we must remember and be charitable to + those less fortunate officers whose private enterprise has ended in + disaster and reproof. There can be no doubt that the enemy intended to + hold all this tract, and that it was only the quickness of our initial + movements which forestalled them. Early in the morning a small party of + the South African Horse, under Lieutenant Carlisle, swam the broad river + under fire and brought back the ferry boat, an enterprise which was + fortunately bloodless, but which was most coolly planned and gallantly + carried out. The way was now open to our advance, and could it have been + carried out as rapidly as it had begun the Boers might conceivably have + been scattered before they could concentrate. It was not the fault of the + infantry that it was not so. They were trudging, mud-spattered and jovial, + at the very heels of the horses, after a forced march which was one of the + most trying of the whole campaign. But an army of 20,000 men cannot be + conveyed over a river twenty miles from any base without elaborate + preparations being made to feed them. The roads were in such a state that + the wagons could hardly move, heavy rain had just fallen, and every stream + was swollen into a river; bullocks might strain, and traction engines + pant, and horses die, but by no human means could the stores be kept up if + the advance guard were allowed to go at their own pace. And so, having + ensured an ultimate crossing of the river by the seizure of Mount Alice, + the high hill which commands the drift, the forces waited day after day, + watching in the distance the swarms of strenuous dark figures who dug and + hauled and worked upon the hillsides opposite, barring the road which they + would have to take. Far away on the horizon a little shining point + twinkled amid the purple haze, coming and going from morning to night. It + was the heliograph of Ladysmith, explaining her troubles and calling for + help, and from the heights of Mount Alice an answering star of hope + glimmered and shone, soothing, encouraging, explaining, while the stern + men of the veld dug furiously at their trenches in between. 'We are + coming! We are coming!' cried Mount Alice. 'Over our bodies,' said the men + with the spades and mattocks. + </p> + <p> + On Thursday, January 12th, Dundonald seized the heights, on the 13th the + ferry was taken and Lyttelton's Brigade came up to secure that which the + cavalry had gained. On the 14th the heavy naval guns were brought up to + cover the crossing. On the 15th Coke's Brigade and other infantry + concentrated at the drift. On the 16th the four regiments of Lyttelton's + Brigade went across, and then, and only then, it began to be apparent that + Buller's plan was a more deeply laid one than had been thought, and that + all this business of Potgieter's Drift was really a demonstration in order + to cover the actual crossing which was to be effected at a ford named + Trichard's Drift, five miles to the westward. Thus, while Lyttelton's and + Coke's Brigades were ostentatiously attacking Potgieter's from in front, + three other brigades (Hart's, Woodgate's, and Hildyard's) were marched + rapidly on the night of the 16th to the real place of crossing, to which + Dundonald's cavalry had already ridden. There, on the 17th, a pontoon + bridge had been erected, and a strong force was thrown over in such a way + as to turn the right of the trenches in front of Potgieter's. It was + admirably planned and excellently carried out, certainly the most + strategic movement, if there could be said to have been any strategic + movement upon the British side, in the campaign up to that date. On the + 18th the infantry, the cavalry, and most of the guns were safely across + without loss of life. The Boers, however, still retained their formidable + internal lines, and the only result of a change of position seemed to be + to put them to the trouble of building a new series of those terrible + entrenchments at which they had become such experts. After all the + combinations the British were, it is true, upon the right side of the + river, but they were considerably further from Ladysmith than when they + started. There are times, however, when twenty miles are less than + fourteen, and it was hoped that this might prove to be among them. But the + first step was the most serious one, for right across their front lay the + Boer position upon the edge of a lofty plateau, with the high peak of + Spion Kop forming the left corner of it. If once that main ridge could be + captured or commanded, it would carry them halfway to the goal. It was for + that essential line of hills that two of the most dogged races upon earth + were about to contend. An immediate advance might have secured the + position at once, but, for some reason which is inexplicable, an aimless + march to the left was followed by a retirement to the original position of + Warren's division, and so two invaluable days were wasted. We have the + positive assurance of Commandant Edwards, who was Chief of Staff to + General Botha, that a vigorous turning movement upon the left would at + this time have completely outflanked the Boer position and opened a way to + Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + A small success, the more welcome for its rarity, came to the British arms + on this first day. Dundonald's men had been thrown out to cover the left + of the infantry advance and to feel for the right of the Boer position. A + strong Boer patrol, caught napping for once, rode into an ambuscade of the + irregulars. Some escaped, some held out most gallantly in a kopje, but the + final result was a surrender of twenty-four unwounded prisoners, and the + finding of thirteen killed and wounded, including de Mentz, the + field-cornet of Heilbron. Two killed and two wounded were the British + losses in this well-managed affair. Dundonald's force then took its + position upon the extreme left of Warren's advance. + </p> + <p> + The British were now moving upon the Boers in two separate bodies, the one + which included Lyttelton's and Coke's Brigades from Potgieter's Drift, + making what was really a frontal attack, while the main body under Warren, + who had crossed at Trichard's Drift, was swinging round upon the Boer + right. Midway between the two movements the formidable bastion of Spion + Kop stood clearly outlined against the blue Natal sky. The heavy naval + guns on Mount Alice (two 4.7's and eight twelve-pounders) were so placed + as to support either advance, and the howitzer battery was given to + Lyttelton to help the frontal attack. For two days the British pressed + slowly but steadily on to the Boers under the cover of an incessant rain + of shells. Dour and long-suffering the Boers made no reply, save with + sporadic rifle-fire, and refused until the crisis should come to expose + their great guns to the chance of injury. + </p> + <p> + On January 19th Warren's turning movement began to bring him into closer + touch with the enemy, his thirty-six field guns and the six howitzers + which had returned to him crushing down the opposition which faced him. + The ground in front of him was pleated into long folds, and his advance + meant the carrying of ridge after ridge. In the earlier stages of the war + this would have entailed a murderous loss; but we had learned our lesson, + and the infantry now, with intervals of ten paces, and every man choosing + his own cover, went up in proper Boer form, carrying position after + position, the enemy always retiring with dignity and decorum. There was no + victory on one side or rout on the other—only a steady advance and + an orderly retirement. That night the infantry slept in their fighting + line, going on again at three in the morning, and light broke to find not + only rifles, but the long-silent Boer guns all blazing at the British + advance. Again, as at Colenso, the brunt of the fighting fell upon Hart's + Irish Brigade, who upheld that immemorial tradition of valour with which + that name, either in or out of the British service, has invariably been + associated. Upon the Lancashire Fusiliers and the York and Lancasters came + also a large share of the losses and the glory. Slowly but surely the + inexorable line of the British lapped over the ground which the enemy had + held. A gallant colonial, Tobin of the South African Horse, rode up one + hill and signaled with his hat that it was clear. His comrades followed + closely at his heels, and occupied the position with the loss of Childe, + their Major. During this action Lyttelton had held the Boers in their + trenches opposite to him by advancing to within 1500 yards of them, but + the attack was not pushed further. On the evening of this day, January + 20th, the British had gained some miles of ground, and the total losses + had been about three hundred killed and wounded. The troops were in good + heart, and all promised well for the future. Again the men lay where they + had fought, and again the dawn heard the crash of the great guns and the + rattle of the musketry. + </p> + <p> + The operations of this day began with a sustained cannonade from the field + batteries and 61st Howitzer Battery, which was as fiercely answered by the + enemy. About eleven the infantry began to go forward with an advance which + would have astonished the martinets of Aldershot, an irregular fringe of + crawlers, wrigglers, writhers, crouchers, all cool and deliberate, giving + away no points in this grim game of death. Where now were the officers + with their distinctive dresses and flashing swords, where the valiant + rushes over the open, where the men who were too proud to lie down?—the + tactics of three months ago seemed as obsolete as those of the Middle + Ages. All day the line undulated forward, and by evening yet another strip + of rock-strewn ground had been gained, and yet another train of ambulances + was bearing a hundred of our wounded back to the base hospitals at Frere. + It was on Hildyard's Brigade on the left that the fighting and the losses + of this day principally fell. By the morning of January 22nd the regiments + were clustering thickly all round the edges of the Boer main position, and + the day was spent in resting the weary men, and in determining at what + point the final assault should be delivered. On the right front, + commanding the Boer lines on either side, towered the stark eminence of + Spion Kop, so called because from its summit the Boer voortrekkers had + first in 1835 gazed down upon the promised land of Natal. If that could + only be seized and held! Buller and Warren swept its bald summit with + their field-glasses. It was a venture. But all war is a venture; and the + brave man is he who ventures most. One fiery rush and the master-key of + all these locked doors might be in our keeping. That evening there came a + telegram to London which left the whole Empire in a hush of anticipation. + Spion Kop was to be attacked that night. + </p> + <p> + The troops which were selected for the task were eight companies of the + 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers, six of the 2nd Royal Lancasters, two of the 1st + South Lancashires, 180 of Thorneycroft's, and half a company of Sappers. + It was to be a North of England job. + </p> + <p> + Under the friendly cover of a starless night the men, in Indian file, like + a party of Iroquois braves upon the war trail, stole up the winding and + ill-defined path which led to the summit. Woodgate, the Lancashire + Brigadier, and Blomfield of the Fusiliers led the way. It was a severe + climb of 2000 feet, coming after arduous work over broken ground, but the + affair was well-timed, and it was at that blackest hour which precedes the + dawn that the last steep ascent was reached. The Fusiliers crouched down + among the rocks to recover their breath, and saw far down in the plain + beneath them the placid lights which showed where their comrades were + resting. A fine rain was falling, and rolling clouds hung low over their + heads. The men with unloaded rifles and fixed bayonets stole on once more, + their bodies bent, their eyes peering through the mirk for the first sign + of the enemy—that enemy whose first sign has usually been a + shattering volley. Thorneycroft's men with their gallant leader had + threaded their way up into the advance. Then the leading files found that + they were walking on the level. The crest had been gained. + </p> + <p> + With slow steps and bated breath, the open line of skirmishers stole + across it. Was it possible that it had been entirely abandoned? Suddenly a + raucous shout of 'Wie da?' came out of the darkness, then a shot, then a + splutter of musketry and a yell, as the Fusiliers sprang onwards with + their bayonets. The Boer post of Vryheid burghers clattered and scrambled + away into the darkness, and a cheer that roused both the sleeping armies + told that the surprise had been complete and the position won. + </p> + <p> + In the grey light of the breaking day the men advanced along the narrow + undulating ridge, the prominent end of which they had captured. Another + trench faced them, but it was weakly held and abandoned. Then the men, + uncertain what remained beyond, halted and waited for full light to see + where they were, and what the work was which lay before them—a fatal + halt, as the result proved, and yet one so natural that it is hard to + blame the officer who ordered it. Indeed, he might have seemed more + culpable had he pushed blindly on, and so lost the advantage which had + been already gained. + </p> + <p> + About eight o'clock, with the clearing of the mist, General Woodgate saw + how matters stood. The ridge, one end of which he held, extended away, + rising and falling for some miles. Had he the whole of the end plateau, + and had he guns, he might hope to command the rest of the position. But he + held only half the plateau, and at the further end of it the Boers were + strongly entrenched. The Spion Kop mountain was really the salient or + sharp angle of the Boer position, so that the British were exposed to a + cross fire both from the left and right. Beyond were other eminences which + sheltered strings of riflemen and several guns. The plateau which the + British held was very much narrower than was usually represented in the + press. In many places the possible front was not much more than a hundred + yards wide, and the troops were compelled to bunch together, as there was + not room for a single company to take an extended formation. The cover + upon this plateau was scanty, far too scanty for the force upon it, and + the shell fire—especially the fire of the pom-poms—soon became + very murderous. To mass the troops under the cover of the edge of the + plateau might naturally suggest itself, but with great tactical skill the + Boer advanced line from Commandant Prinsloo's Heidelberg and Carolina + commandos kept so aggressive an attitude that the British could not weaken + the lines opposed to them. Their skirmishers were creeping round too in + such a way that the fire was really coming from three separate points, + left, centre, and right, and every corner of the position was searched by + their bullets. Early in the action the gallant Woodgate and many of his + Lancashire men were shot down. The others spread out and held on, firing + occasionally at the whisk of a rifle-barrel or the glimpse of a + broad-brimmed hat. + </p> + <p> + From morning to midday, the shell, Maxim, and rifle fire swept across the + kop in a continual driving shower. The British guns in the plain below + failed to localise the position of the enemy's, and they were able to vent + their concentrated spite upon the exposed infantry. No blame attaches to + the gunners for this, as a hill intervened to screen the Boer artillery, + which consisted of five big guns and two pom-poms. + </p> + <p> + Upon the fall of Woodgate, Thorneycroft, who bore the reputation of a + determined fighter, was placed at the suggestion of Buller in charge of + the defence of the hill, and he was reinforced after noon by Coke's + brigade, the Middlesex, the Dorsets, and the Somersets, together with the + Imperial Light Infantry. The addition of this force to the defenders of + the plateau tended to increase the casualty returns rather than the + strength of the defence. Three thousand more rifles could do nothing to + check the fire of the invisible cannon, and it was this which was the main + source of the losses, while on the other hand the plateau had become so + cumbered with troops that a shell could hardly fail to do damage. There + was no cover to shelter them and no room for them to extend. The pressure + was most severe upon the shallow trenches in the front, which had been + abandoned by the Boers and were held by the Lancashire Fusiliers. They + were enfiladed by rifle and cannon, and the dead and wounded outnumbered + the hale. So close were the skirmishers that on at least one occasion Boer + and Briton found themselves on each side of the same rock. Once a handful + of men, tormented beyond endurance, sprang up as a sign that they had had + enough, but Thorneycroft, a man of huge physique, rushed forward to the + advancing Boers. 'You may go to hell!' he yelled. 'I command here, and + allow no surrender. Go on with your firing.' Nothing could exceed the + gallantry of Louis Botha's men in pushing the attack. Again and again they + made their way up to the British firing line, exposing themselves with a + recklessness which, with the exception of the grand attack upon Ladysmith, + was unique in our experience of them. About two o'clock they rushed one + trench occupied by the Fusiliers and secured the survivors of two + companies as prisoners, but were subsequently driven out again. A detached + group of the South Lancashires was summoned to surrender. 'When I + surrender,' cried Colour-Sergeant Nolan, 'it will be my dead body!' Hour + after hour of the unintermitting crash of the shells among the rocks and + of the groans and screams of men torn and burst by the most horrible of + all wounds had shaken the troops badly. Spectators from below who saw the + shells pitching at the rate of seven a minute on to the crowded plateau + marvelled at the endurance which held the devoted men to their post. Men + were wounded and wounded and wounded yet again, and still went on + fighting. Never since Inkerman had we had so grim a soldier's battle. The + company officers were superb. Captain Muriel of the Middlesex was shot + through the check while giving a cigarette to a wounded man, continued to + lead his company, and was shot again through the brain. Scott Moncrieff of + the same regiment was only disabled by the fourth bullet which hit him. + Grenfell of Thorneycroft's was shot, and exclaimed, 'That's all right. + It's not much.' A second wound made him remark, 'I can get on all right.' + The third killed him. Ross of the Lancasters, who had crawled from a + sickbed, was found dead upon the furthest crest. Young Murray of the + Scottish Rifles, dripping from five wounds, still staggered about among + his men. And the men were worthy of such officers. 'No retreat! No + retreat!' they yelled when some of the front line were driven in. In all + regiments there are weaklings and hang-backs, and many a man was wandering + down the reverse slopes when he should have been facing death upon the + top, but as a body British troops have never stood firm through a more + fiery ordeal than on that fatal hill... + </p> + <p> + The position was so bad that no efforts of officers or men could do + anything to mend it. They were in a murderous dilemma. If they fell back + for cover the Boer riflemen would rush the position. If they held their + ground this horrible shell fire must continue, which they had no means of + answering. Down at Gun Hill in front of the Boer position we had no fewer + than five batteries, the 78th, 7th, 73rd, 63rd, and 61st howitzer, but a + ridge intervened between them and the Boer guns which were shelling Spion + Kop, and this ridge was strongly entrenched. The naval guns from distant + Mount Alice did what they could, but the range was very long, and the + position of the Boer guns uncertain. The artillery, situated as it was, + could not save the infantry from the horrible scourging which they were + enduring. + </p> + <p> + There remains the debated question whether the British guns could have + been taken to the top. Mr. Winston Churchill, the soundness of whose + judgment has been frequently demonstrated during the war, asserts that it + might have been done. Without venturing to contradict one who was + personally present, I venture to think that there is strong evidence to + show that it could not have been done without blasting and other measures, + for which there was no possible time. Captain Hanwell of the 78th R.F.A., + upon the day of the battle had the very utmost difficulty with the help of + four horses in getting a light Maxim on to the top, and his opinion, with + that of other artillery officers, is that the feat was an impossible one + until the path had been prepared. When night fell Colonel Sim was + despatched with a party of Sappers to clear the track and to prepare two + emplacements upon the top, but in his advance he met the retiring + infantry. + </p> + <p> + Throughout the day reinforcements had pushed up the hill, until two full + brigades had been drawn into the fight. From the other side of the ridge + Lyttelton sent up the Scottish Rifles, who reached the summit, and added + their share to the shambles upon the top. As the shades of night closed + in, and the glare of the bursting shells became more lurid, the men lay + extended upon the rocky ground, parched and exhausted. They were + hopelessly jumbled together, with the exception of the Dorsets, whose + cohesion may have been due to superior discipline, less exposure, or to + the fact that their khaki differed somewhat in colour from that of the + others. Twelve hours of so terrible an experience had had a strange effect + upon many of the men. Some were dazed and battle-struck, incapable of + clear understanding. Some were as incoherent as drunkards. Some lay in an + overpowering drowsiness. The most were doggedly patient and + long-suffering, with a mighty longing for water obliterating every other + emotion. + </p> + <p> + Before evening fell a most gallant and successful attempt had been made by + the third battalion of the King's Royal Rifles from Lyttelton's Brigade to + relieve the pressure upon their comrades on Spion Kop. In order to draw + part of the Boer fire away they ascended from the northern side and + carried the hills which formed a continuation of the same ridge. The + movement was meant to be no more than a strong demonstration, but the + riflemen pushed it until, breathless but victorious, they stood upon the + very crest of the position, leaving nearly a hundred dead or dying to show + the path which they had taken. Their advance being much further than was + desired, they were recalled, and it was at the moment that Buchanan + Riddell, their brave Colonel, stood up to read Lyttelton's note that he + fell with a Boer bullet through his brain, making one more of those + gallant leaders who died as they had lived, at the head of their + regiments. Chisholm, Dick-Cunyngham, Downman, Wilford, Gunning, Sherston, + Thackeray, Sitwell, MacCarthy O'Leary, Airlie—they have led their + men up to and through the gates of death. It was a fine exploit of the 3rd + Rifles. 'A finer bit of skirmishing, a finer bit of climbing, and a finer + bit of fighting, I have never seen,' said their Brigadier. It is certain + that if Lyttelton had not thrown his two regiments into the fight the + pressure upon the hill-top might have become unendurable; and it seems + also certain that if he had only held on to the position which the Rifles + had gained, the Boers would never have reoccupied Spion Kop. + </p> + <p> + And now, under the shadow of night, but with the shells bursting thickly + over the plateau, the much-tried Thorneycroft had to make up his mind + whether he should hold on for another such day as he had endured, or + whether now, in the friendly darkness, he should remove his shattered + force. Could he have seen the discouragement of the Boers and the + preparations which they had made for retirement, he would have held his + ground. But this was hidden from him, while the horror of his own losses + was but too apparent. Forty per cent of his men were down. Thirteen + hundred dead and dying are a grim sight upon a wide-spread battle-field, + but when this number is heaped upon a confined space, where from a single + high rock the whole litter of broken and shattered bodies can be seen, and + the groans of the stricken rise in one long droning chorus to the ear, + then it is an iron mind indeed which can resist such evidence of disaster. + In a harder age Wellington was able to survey four thousand bodies piled + in the narrow compass of the breach of Badajos, but his resolution was + sustained by the knowledge that the military end for which they fell had + been accomplished. Had his task been unfinished it is doubtful whether + even his steadfast soul would not have flinched from its completion. + Thorneycroft saw the frightful havoc of one day, and he shrank from the + thought of such another. 'Better six battalions safely down the hill than + a mop up in the morning,' said he, and he gave the word to retire. One who + had met the troops as they staggered down has told me how far they were + from being routed. In mixed array, but steadily and in order, the long + thin line trudged through the darkness. Their parched lips would not + articulate, but they whispered 'Water! Where is water?' as they toiled + upon their way. At the bottom of the hill they formed into regiments once + more, and marched back to the camp. In the morning the blood-spattered + hill-top, with its piles of dead and of wounded, were in the hands of + Botha and his men, whose valour and perseverance deserved the victory + which they had won. There is no doubt now that at 3 A.M. of that morning + Botha, knowing that the Rifles had carried Burger's position, regarded the + affair as hopeless, and that no one was more astonished than he when he + found, on the report of two scouts, that it was a victory and not a defeat + which had come to him. + </p> + <p> + How shall we sum up such an action save that it was a gallant attempt, + gallantly carried out, and as gallantly met? On both sides the results of + artillery fire during the war have been disappointing, but at Spion Kop + beyond all question it was the Boer guns which won the action for them. So + keen was the disappointment at home that there was a tendency to criticise + the battle with some harshness, but it is difficult now, with the evidence + at our command, to say what was left undone which could have altered the + result. Had Thorneycroft known all that we know, he would have kept his + grip upon the hill. On the face of it one finds it difficult to understand + why so momentous a decision, upon which the whole operations depended, + should have been left entirely to the judgment of one who in the morning + had been a simple Lieutenant-Colonel. 'Where are the bosses?' cried a + Fusilier, and the historian can only repeat the question. General Warren + was at the bottom of the hill. Had he ascended and determined that the + place should still be held, he might have sent down the wearied troops, + brought up smaller numbers of fresh ones, ordered the Sappers to deepen + the trenches, and tried to bring up water and guns. It was for the + divisional commander to lay his hand upon the reins at so critical an + instant, to relieve the weary man who had struggled so hard all day. + </p> + <p> + The subsequent publication of the official despatches has served little + purpose, save to show that there was a want of harmony between Buller and + Warren, and that the former lost all confidence in his subordinate during + the course of the operations. In these papers General Buller expresses the + opinion that had Warren's operations been more dashing, he would have + found his turning movement upon the left a comparatively easy matter. In + this judgment he would probably have the concurrence of most military + critics. He adds, however, 'On the 19th, I ought to have assumed command + myself. I saw that things were not going well—indeed, everyone saw + that. I blame myself now for not having done so. I did not, because, if I + did, I should discredit General Warren in the estimation of the troops, + and, if I were shot, and he had to withdraw across the Tugela, and they + had lost confidence in him, the consequences might be very serious. I must + leave it to higher authority whether this argument was a sound one.' It + needs no higher authority than common-sense to say that the argument is an + absolutely unsound one. No consequences could be more serious than that + the operations should miscarry and Ladysmith remain unrelieved, and such + want of success must in any case discredit Warren in the eyes of his + troops. Besides, a subordinate is not discredited because his chief steps + in to conduct a critical operation. However, these personal controversies + may be suffered to remain in that pigeon-hole from which they should never + have been drawn. + </p> + <p> + On account of the crowding of four thousand troops into a space which + might have afforded tolerable cover for five hundred the losses in the + action were very heavy, not fewer than fifteen hundred being killed, + wounded, or missing, the proportion of killed being, on account of the + shell fire, abnormally high. The Lancashire Fusiliers were the heaviest + sufferers, and their Colonel Blomfield was wounded and fell into the hands + of the enemy. The Royal Lancasters also lost heavily. Thorneycroft's had + 80 men hit out of 180 engaged. The Imperial Light Infantry, a raw corps of + Rand refugees who were enduring their baptism of fire, lost 130 men. In + officers the losses were particularly heavy, 60 being killed or wounded. + The Boer returns show some 50 killed and 150 wounded, which may not be far + from the truth. Without the shell fire the British losses might not have + been much more. + </p> + <p> + General Buller had lost nearly two thousand men since he had crossed the + Tugela, and his purpose was still unfulfilled. Should he risk the loss of + a large part of his force in storming the ridges in front of him, or + should he recross the river and try for an easier route elsewhere? To the + surprise and disappointment both of the public and of the army, he chose + the latter course, and by January 27th he had fallen back, unmolested by + the Boers, to the other side of the Tugela. It must be confessed that his + retreat was admirably conducted, and that it was a military feat to bring + his men, his guns, and his stores in safety over a broad river in the face + of a victorious enemy. Stolid and unmoved, his impenetrable demeanour + restored serenity and confidence to the angry and disappointed troops. + There might well be heavy hearts among both them and the public. After a + fortnight's campaign, and the endurance of great losses and hardships, + both Ladysmith and her relievers found themselves no better off than when + they started. Buller still held the commanding position of Mount Alice, + and this was all that he had to show for such sacrifices and such + exertions. Once more there came a weary pause while Ladysmith, sick with + hope deferred, waited gloomily upon half-rations of horse-flesh for the + next movement from the South. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 16. VAALKRANZ. + </h2> + <p> + Neither General Buller nor his troops appeared to be dismayed by the + failure of their plans, or by the heavy losses which were entailed by the + movement which culminated at Spion Kop. The soldiers grumbled, it is true, + at not being let go, and swore that even if it cost them two-thirds of + their number they could and would make their way through this labyrinth of + hills with its fringe of death. So doubtless they might. But from first to + last their General had shown a great—some said an exaggerated—respect + for human life, and he had no intention of winning a path by mere + slogging, if there were a chance of finding one by less bloody means. On + the morrow of his return he astonished both his army and the Empire by + announcing that he had found the key to the position and that he hoped to + be in Ladysmith in a week. Some rejoiced in the assurance. Some shrugged + their shoulders. Careless of friends or foes, the stolid Buller proceeded + to work out his new combination. + </p> + <p> + In the next few days reinforcements trickled in which more than made up + for the losses of the preceding week. A battery of horse artillery, two + heavy guns, two squadrons of the 14th Hussars, and infantry drafts to the + number of twelve or fourteen hundred men came to share the impending glory + or disaster. On the morning of February 5th the army sallied forth once + more to have another try to win a way to Ladysmith. It was known that + enteric was rife in the town, that shell and bullet and typhoid germ had + struck down a terrible proportion of the garrison, and that the rations of + starved horse and commissariat mule were running low. With their comrades—in + many cases their linked battalions—in such straits within fifteen + miles of them, Buller's soldiers had high motives to brace them for a + supreme effort. + </p> + <p> + The previous attempt had been upon the line immediately to the west of + Spion Kop. If, however, one were to follow to the east of Spion Kop, one + would come upon a high mountain called Doornkloof. Between these two + peaks, there lies a low ridge, called Brakfontein, and a small detached + hill named Vaalkranz. Buller's idea was that if he could seize this small + Vaalkranz, it would enable him to avoid the high ground altogether and + pass his troops through on to the plateau beyond. He still held the Ford + at Potgieter's and commanded the country beyond with heavy guns on Mount + Alice and at Swartz Kop, so that he could pass troops over at his will. He + would make a noisy demonstration against Brakfontein, then suddenly seize + Vaalkranz, and so, as he hoped, hold the outer door which opened on to the + passage to Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + The getting of the guns up Swartz Kop was a preliminary which was as + necessary as it was difficult. A road was cut, sailors, engineers, and + gunners worked with a will under the general direction of Majors Findlay + and Apsley Smith. A mountain battery, two field guns, and six naval + 12-pounders were slung up by steel hawsers, the sailors yeo-hoing on the + halliards. The ammunition was taken up by hand. At six o'clock on the + morning of the 5th the other guns opened a furious and probably harmless + fire upon Brakfontein, Spion Kop, and all the Boer positions opposite to + them. Shortly afterwards the feigned attack upon Brakfontein was commenced + and was sustained with much fuss and appearance of energy until all was + ready for the development of the true one. Wynne's Brigade, which had been + Woodgate's, recovered already from its Spion Kop experience, carried out + this part of the plan, supported by six batteries of field artillery, one + howitzer battery, and two 4.7 naval guns. Three hours later a telegram was + on its way to Pretoria to tell how triumphantly the burghers had driven + back an attack which was never meant to go forward. The infantry retired + first, then the artillery in alternate batteries, preserving a beautiful + order and decorum. The last battery, the 78th, remained to receive the + concentrated fire of the Boer guns, and was so enveloped in the dust of + the exploding shells that spectators could only see a gun here or a limber + there. Out of this whirl of death it quietly walked, without a bucket out + of its place, the gunners drawing one wagon, the horses of which had + perished, and so effected a leisurely and contemptuous withdrawal. The + gallantry of the gunners has been one of the most striking features of the + war, but it has never been more conspicuous than in this feint at + Brakfontein. + </p> + <p> + While the attention of the Boers was being concentrated upon the + Lancashire men, a pontoon bridge was suddenly thrown across the river at a + place called Munger's Drift, some miles to the eastward. Three infantry + brigades, those of Hart, Lyttelton, and Hildyard, had been massed all + ready to be let slip when the false attack was sufficiently absorbing. The + artillery fire (the Swartz Kop guns, and also the batteries which had been + withdrawn from the Brakfontein demonstration) was then turned suddenly, + with the crashing effect of seventy pieces, upon the real object of + attack, the isolated Vaalkranz. It is doubtful whether any position has + ever been subjected to so terrific a bombardment, for the weight of metal + thrown by single guns was greater than that of a whole German battery in + the days of their last great war. The 4-pounders and 6-pounders of which + Prince Kraft discourses would have seemed toys beside these mighty + howitzers and 4.7's. Yet though the hillside was sharded off in great + flakes, it is doubtful if this terrific fire inflicted much injury upon + the cunning and invisible riflemen with whom we had to contend. + </p> + <p> + About midday the infantry began to stream across the bridge, which had + been most gallantly and efficiently constructed under a warm fire, by a + party of sappers, under the command of Major Irvine. The attack was led by + the Durham Light Infantry of Lyttelton's Brigade, followed by the 1st + Rifle Brigade, with the Scottish and 3rd Rifles in support. Never did the + old Light Division of Peninsular fame go up a Spanish hillside with + greater spirit and dash than these, their descendants, facing the slope of + Vaalkranz. In open order they moved across the plain, with a superb + disregard of the crash and patter of the shrapnel, and then up they went, + the flitting figures, springing from cover to cover, stooping, darting, + crouching, running, until with their glasses the spectators on Swartz Kop + could see the gleam of the bayonets and the strain of furious rushing men + upon the summit, as the last Boers were driven from their trenches. The + position was gained, but little else. Seven officers and seventy men were + lying killed and wounded among the boulders. A few stricken Boers, five + unwounded prisoners, and a string of Basuto ponies were the poor fruits of + victory—those and the arid hill from which so much had been hoped, + and so little was to be gained. + </p> + <p> + It was during this advance that an incident occurred of a more picturesque + character than is usual in modern warfare. The invisibility of combatants + and guns, and the absorption of the individual in the mass, have robbed + the battle-field of those episodes which adorned, if they did not justify + it. On this occasion, a Boer gun, cut off by the British advance, flew out + suddenly from behind its cover, like a hare from its tussock, and raced + for safety across the plain. Here and there it wound, the horses stretched + to their utmost, the drivers stooping and lashing, the little gun bounding + behind. To right to left, behind and before, the British shells burst, + lyddite and shrapnel, crashing and riving. Over the lip of a hollow, the + gallant gun vanished, and within a few minutes was banging away once more + at the British advance. With cheers and shouts and laughter, the British + infantrymen watched the race for shelter, their sporting spirit rising + high above all racial hatred, and hailing with a 'gone to ground' whoop + the final disappearance of the gun. + </p> + <p> + The Durhams had cleared the path, but the other regiments of Lyttelton's + Brigade followed hard at their heels, and before night they had firmly + established themselves upon the hill. But the fatal slowness which had + marred General Buller's previous operations again prevented him from + completing his success. Twice at least in the course of these operations + there is evidence of sudden impulse to drop his tools in the midst of his + task and to do no more for the day. So it was at Colenso, where an order + was given at an early hour for the whole force to retire, and the guns + which might have been covered by infantry fire and withdrawn after + nightfall were abandoned. So it was also at a critical moment at this + action at Vaalkranz. In the original scheme of operations it had been + planned that an adjoining hill, called the Green Hill, which partly + commanded Vaalkranz, should be carried also. The two together made a + complete position, while singly each was a very bad neighbour to the + other. On the aide-de-camp riding up, however, to inquire from General + Buller whether the time had come for this advance, he replied, 'We have + done enough for the day,' and left out this essential portion of his + original scheme, with the result that all miscarried. + </p> + <p> + Speed was the most essential quality for carrying out his plan + successfully. So it must always be with the attack. The defence does not + know where the blow is coming, and has to distribute men and guns to cover + miles of ground. The attacker knows where he will hit, and behind a screen + of outposts he can mass his force and throw his whole strength against a + mere fraction of that of his enemy. But in order to do so he must be + quick. One tiger spring must tear the centre out of the line before the + flanks can come to its assistance. If time is given, if the long line can + concentrate, if the scattered guns can mass, if lines of defence can be + reduplicated behind, then the one great advantage which the attack + possesses is thrown away. Both at the second and at the third attempts of + Buller the British movements were so slow that had the enemy been the + slowest instead of the most mobile of armies, they could still always have + made any dispositions which they chose. Warren's dawdling in the first + days of the movement which ended at Spion Kop might with an effort be + condoned on account of possible difficulties of supply, but it would + strain the ingenuity of the most charitable critic to find a sufficient + reason for the lethargy of Vaalkranz. Though daylight comes a little after + four, the operations were not commenced before seven. Lyttelton's Brigade + had stormed the hill at two, and nothing more was done during the long + evening, while officers chafed and soldiers swore, and the busy Boers + worked furiously to bring up their guns and to bar the path which we must + take. General Buller remarked a day or two later that the way was not + quite so easy as it had been. One might have deduced the fact without the + aid of a balloon. + </p> + <p> + The brigade then occupied Vaalkranz and erected sangars and dug trenches. + On the morning of the 6th, the position of the British force was not + dissimilar to that of Spion Kop. Again they had some thousands of men upon + a hill-top, exposed to shell fire from several directions and without any + guns upon the hill to support them. In one or two points the situation was + modified in their favour, and hence their escape from loss and disaster. A + more extended position enabled the infantry to avoid bunching, but in + other respects the situation was parallel to that in which they had found + themselves a fortnight before. + </p> + <p> + The original plan was that the taking of Vaalkranz should be the first + step towards the outflanking of Brakfontein and the rolling up of the + whole Boer position. But after the first move the British attitude became + one of defence rather than of attack. Whatever the general and ultimate + effect of these operations may have been, it is beyond question that their + contemplation was annoying and bewildering in the extreme to those who + were present. The position on February 6th was this. Over the river upon + the hill was a single British brigade, exposed to the fire of one enormous + gun—a 96-pound Creusot, the longest of all Long Toms—which was + stationed upon Doornkloof, and of several smaller guns and pom-poms which + spat at them from nooks and crevices of the hills. On our side were + seventy-two guns, large and small, all very noisy and impotent. It is not + too much to say, as it appears to me, that the Boers have in some ways + revolutionised our ideas in regard to the use of artillery, by bringing a + fresh and healthy common-sense to bear upon a subject which had been + unduly fettered by pedantic rules. The Boer system is the single stealthy + gun crouching where none can see it. The British system is the six brave + guns coming into action in line of full interval, and spreading out into + accurate dressing visible to all men. 'Always remember,' says one of our + artillery maxims, 'that one gun is no gun.' Which is prettier on a + field-day, is obvious, but which is business—let the many duels + between six Boer guns and sixty British declare. With black powder it was + useless to hide the gun, as its smoke must betray it. With smokeless + powder the guns are so invisible that it was only by the detection with + powerful glasses of the dust from the trail on the recoil that the + officers were ever able to localise the guns against which they were + fighting. But if the Boers had had six guns in line, instead of one behind + that kopje, and another between those distant rocks, it would not have + been so difficult to say where they were. Again, British traditions are + all in favour of planting guns close together. At this very action of + Vaalkranz the two largest guns were so placed that a single shell bursting + between them would have disabled them both. The officer who placed them + there, and so disregarded in a vital matter the most obvious dictates of + common-sense, would probably have been shocked by any want of technical + smartness, or irregularity in the routine drill. An over-elaboration of + trifles, and a want of grip of common-sense, and of adaptation to new + ideas, is the most serious and damaging criticism which can be levelled + against our army. That the function of infantry is to shoot, and not to + act like spearmen in the Middle Ages; that the first duty of artillery is + so far as is possible to be invisible—these are two of the lessons + which have been driven home so often during the war, that even our + hidebound conservatism can hardly resist them. + </p> + <p> + Lyttelton's Brigade, then, held Vaalkranz; and from three parts of the + compass there came big shells and little shells, with a constant shower of + long-range rifle bullets. Behind them, and as useful as if it had been on + Woolwich Common, there was drawn up an imposing mass of men, two infantry + divisions, and two brigades of cavalry, all straining at the leash, + prepared to shed their blood until the spruits ran red with it, if only + they could win their way to where their half-starved comrades waited for + them. But nothing happened. Hours passed and nothing happened. An + occasional shell from the big gun plumped among them. One, through some + freak of gunnery, lobbed slowly through a division, and the men whooped + and threw their caps at it as it passed. The guns on Swartz Kop, at a + range of nearly five miles, tossed shells at the monster on Doornkloof, + and finally blew up his powder magazine amid the applause of the infantry. + For the army it was a picnic and a spectacle. + </p> + <p> + But it was otherwise with the men up on Vaalkranz. In spite of sangar and + trench, that cross fire was finding them out; and no feint or + demonstration on either side came to draw the concentrated fire from their + position. Once there was a sudden alarm at the western end of the hill, + and stooping bearded figures with slouch hats and bandoliers were right up + on the ridge before they could be stopped, so cleverly had their advance + been conducted. But a fiery rush of Durhams and Rifles cleared the crest + again, and it was proved once more how much stronger is the defence than + the attack. Nightfall found the position unchanged, save that another + pontoon bridge had been constructed during the day. Over this Hildyard's + Brigade marched to relieve Lyttelton's, who came back for a rest under the + cover of the Swartz Kop guns. Their losses in the two days had been under + two hundred and fifty, a trifle if any aim were to be gained, but + excessive for a mere demonstration. + </p> + <p> + That night Hildyard's men supplemented the defences made by Lyttelton, and + tightened their hold upon the hill. One futile night attack caused them + for an instant to change the spade for the rifle. When in the morning it + was found that the Boers had, as they naturally would, brought up their + outlying guns, the tired soldiers did not regret their labours of the + night. It was again demonstrated how innocuous a thing is a severe shell + fire, if the position be an extended one with chances of cover. A total of + forty killed and wounded out of a strong brigade was the result of a long + day under an incessant cannonade. And then at nightfall came the + conclusion that the guns were too many, that the way was too hard, and + down came all their high hopes with the order to withdraw once more across + that accursed river. Vaalkranz was abandoned, and Hildyard's Brigade, + seething with indignation, was ordered back once more to its camp. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 17. BULLER'S FINAL ADVANCE. + </h2> + <p> + The heroic moment of the siege of Ladysmith was that which witnessed the + repulse of the great attack. The epic should have ended at that dramatic + instant. But instead of doing so the story falls back to an anticlimax of + crowded hospitals, slaughtered horses, and sporadic shell fire. For + another six weeks of inactivity the brave garrison endured all the sordid + evils which had steadily grown from inconvenience to misfortune and from + misfortune to misery. Away in the south they heard the thunder of Buller's + guns, and from the hills round the town they watched with pale faces and + bated breath the tragedy of Spion Kop, preserving a firm conviction that a + very little more would have transformed it into their salvation. Their + hearts sank with the sinking of the cannonade, and rose again with the + roar of Vaalkranz. But Vaalkranz also failed them, and they waited on in + the majesty of their hunger and their weakness for the help which was to + come. + </p> + <p> + It has been already narrated how General Buller had made his three + attempts for the relief of the city. The General who was inclined to + despair was now stimulated by despatches from Lord Roberts, while his + army, who were by no means inclined to despair, were immensely cheered by + the good news from the Kimberley side. Both General and army prepared for + a last supreme effort. This time, at least, the soldiers hoped that they + would be permitted to burst their way to the help of their starving + comrades or leave their bones among the hills which had faced them so + long. All they asked was a fight to a finish, and now they were about to + have one. General Buller had tried the Boers' centre, he had tried their + extreme right, and now he was about to try their extreme left. There were + some obvious advantages on this side which make it surprising that it was + not the first to be attempted. In the first place, the enemy's main + position upon that flank was at Hlangwane mountain, which is to the south + of the Tugela, so that in case of defeat the river ran behind them. In the + second, Hlangwane mountain was the one point from which the Boer position + at Colenso could be certainly enfiladed, and therefore the fruits of + victory would be greater on that flank than on the other. Finally, the + operations could be conducted at no great distance from the railhead, and + the force would be exposed to little danger of having its flank attacked + or its communications cut, as was the case in the Spion Kop advance. + Against these potent considerations there is only to be put the single + fact that the turning of the Boer right would threaten the Freestaters' + line of retreat. On the whole, the balance of advantage lay entirely with + the new attempt, and the whole army advanced to it with a premonition of + success. Of all the examples which the war has given of the enduring + qualities of the British troops there is none more striking than the + absolute confidence and whole hearted delight with which, after three + bloody repulses, they set forth upon another venture. + </p> + <p> + On February 9th the movements were started which transferred the greater + part of the force from the extreme left to the centre and right. By the + 11th Lyttelton's (formerly Clery's) second division and Warren's fifth + division had come eastward, leaving Burn Murdoch's cavalry brigade to + guard the Western side. On the 12th Lord Dundonald, with all the colonial + cavalry, two battalions of infantry, and a battery, made a strong + reconnaissance towards Hussar Hill, which is the nearest of the several + hills which would have to be occupied in order to turn the position. The + hill was taken, but was abandoned again by General Buller after he had + used it for some hours as an observatory. A long-range action between the + retiring cavalry and the Boers ended in a few losses upon each side. + </p> + <p> + What Buller had seen during the hour or two which he had spent with his + telescope upon Hussar Hill had evidently confirmed him in his views, for + two days later (February 14th) the whole army set forth for this point. By + the morning of the 15th twenty thousand men were concentrated upon the + sides and spurs of this eminence. On the 16th the heavy guns were in + position, and all was ready for the advance. + </p> + <p> + Facing them now were the formidable Boer lines of Hlangwane Hill and Green + Hill, which would certainly cost several thousands of men if they were to + take them by direct storm. Beyond them, upon the Boer flank, were the + hills of Monte Christo and Cingolo, which appeared to be the extreme + outside of the Boer position. The plan was to engage the attention of the + trenches in front by a terrific artillery fire and the threat of an + assault, while at the same time sending the true flank attack far round to + carry the Cingolo ridge, which must be taken before any other hill could + be approached. + </p> + <p> + On the 17th, in the early morning, with the first tinge of violet in the + east, the irregular cavalry and the second division (Lyttelton's) with + Wynne's Brigade started upon their widely curving flanking march. The + country through which they passed was so broken that the troopers led + their horses in single file, and would have found themselves helpless in + face of any resistance. Fortunately, Cingolo Hill was very weakly held, + and by evening both our horsemen and our infantry had a firm grip upon it, + thus turning the extreme left flank of the Boer position. For once their + mountainous fortresses were against them, for a mounted Boer force is so + mobile that in an open position, such as faced Methuen, it is very hard + and requires great celerity of movement ever to find a flank at all. On a + succession of hills, however, it was evident that some one hill must mark + the extreme end of their line, and Buller had found it at Cingolo. Their + answer to this movement was to throw their flank back so as to face the + new position. + </p> + <p> + Even now, however, the Boer leaders had apparently not realised that this + was the main attack, or it is possible that the intervention of the river + made it difficult for them to send reinforcements. However that may be, it + is certain that the task which the British found awaiting them on the 18th + proved to be far easier than they had dared to hope. The honours of the + day rested with Hildyard's English Brigade (East Surrey, West Surrey, West + Yorkshires, and 2nd Devons). In open order and with a rapid advance, + taking every advantage of the cover—which was better than is usual + in South African warfare—they gained the edge of the Monte Christo + ridge, and then swiftly cleared the crest. One at least of the regiments + engaged, the Devons, was nerved by the thought that their own first + battalion was waiting for them at Ladysmith. The capture of the hill made + the line of trenches which faced Buller untenable, and he was at once able + to advance with Barton's Fusilier Brigade and to take possession of the + whole Boer position of Hlangwane and Green Hill. It was not a great + tactical victory, for they had no trophies to show save the worthless + debris of the Boer camps. But it was a very great strategical victory, for + it not only gave them the whole south side of the Tugela, but also the + means of commanding with their guns a great deal of the north side, + including those Colenso trenches which had blocked the way so long. A + hundred and seventy killed and wounded (of whom only fourteen were killed) + was a trivial price for such a result. At last from the captured ridges + the exultant troops could see far away the haze which lay over the roofs + of Ladysmith, and the besieged, with hearts beating high with hope, turned + their glasses upon the distant mottled patches which told them that their + comrades were approaching. + </p> + <p> + By February 20th the British had firmly established themselves along the + whole south bank of the river, Hart's brigade had occupied Colenso, and + the heavy guns had been pushed up to more advanced positions. The crossing + of the river was the next operation, and the question arose where it + should be crossed. The wisdom which comes with experience shows us now + that it would have been infinitely better to have crossed on their extreme + left flank, as by an advance upon this line we should have turned their + strong Pieters position just as we had already turned their Colenso one. + With an absolutely master card in our hand we refused to play it, and won + the game by a more tedious and perilous process. The assumption seems to + have been made (on no other hypothesis can one understand the facts) that + the enemy were demoralised and that the positions would not be strongly + held. Our flanking advantage was abandoned and a direct advance was + ordered from Colenso, involving a frontal attack upon the Pieters + position. + </p> + <p> + On February 21st Buller threw his pontoon bridge over the river near + Colenso, and the same evening his army began to cross. It was at once + evident that the Boer resistance had by no means collapsed. Wynne's + Lancashire Brigade were the first across, and found themselves hotly + engaged before nightfall. The low kopjes in front of them were blazing + with musketry fire. The brigade held its own, but lost the Brigadier (the + second in a month) and 150 rank and file. Next morning the main body of + the infantry was passed across, and the army was absolutely committed to + the formidable and unnecessary enterprise of fighting its way straight to + Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + The force in front had weakened, however, both in numbers and in morale. + Some thousands of the Freestaters had left in order to defend their own + country from the advance of Roberts, while the rest were depressed by as + much of the news as was allowed by their leaders to reach them. But the + Boer is a tenacious fighter, and many a brave man was still to fall before + Buller and White should shake hands in the High Street of Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + The first obstacle which faced the army, after crossing the river, was a + belt of low rolling ground, which was gradually cleared by the advance of + our infantry. As night closed in the advance lines of Boers and British + were so close to each other that incessant rifle fire was maintained until + morning, and at more than one point small bodies of desperate riflemen + charged right up to the bayonets of our infantry. The morning found us + still holding our positions all along the line, and as more and more of + our infantry came up and gun after gun roared into action we began to push + our stubborn enemy northwards. On the 21st the Dorsets, Middlesex, and + Somersets had borne the heat of the day. On the 22nd it was the Royal + Lancasters, followed by the South Lancashires, who took up the running. It + would take the patience and also the space of a Kinglake in this + scrambling broken fight to trace the doings of those groups of men who + strove and struggled through the rifle fire. All day a steady advance was + maintained over the low kopjes, until by evening we were faced by the more + serious line of the Pieter's Hills. The operations had been carried out + with a monotony of gallantry. Always the same extended advance, always the + same rattle of Mausers and clatter of pom-poms from a ridge, always the + same victorious soldiers on the barren crest, with a few crippled Boers + before them and many crippled comrades behind. They were expensive + triumphs, and yet every one brought them nearer to their goal. And now, + like an advancing tide, they lapped along the base of Pieter's Hill. Could + they gather volume enough to carry themselves over? The issue of the + long-drawn battle and the fate of Ladysmith hung upon the question. + </p> + <p> + Brigadier Fitzroy Hart, to whom the assault was entrusted, is in some ways + as singular and picturesque a type as has been evolved in the war. A dandy + soldier, always the picture of neatness from the top of his helmet to the + heels of his well-polished brown boots, he brings to military matters the + same precision which he affects in dress. Pedantic in his accuracy, he + actually at the battle of Colenso drilled the Irish Brigade for half an + hour before leading them into action, and threw out markers under a deadly + fire in order that his change from close to extended formation might be + academically correct. The heavy loss of the Brigade at this action was to + some extent ascribed to him and affected his popularity; but as his men + came to know him better, his romantic bravery, his whimsical soldierly + humour, their dislike changed into admiration. His personal disregard for + danger was notorious and reprehensible. 'Where is General Hart?' asked + some one in action. 'I have not seen him, but I know where you will find + him. Go ahead of the skirmish line and you will see him standing on a + rock,' was the answer. He bore a charmed life. It was a danger to be near + him. 'Whom are you going to?' 'General Hart,' said the aide-de-camp. 'Then + good-bye!' cried his fellows. A grim humour ran through his nature. It is + gravely recorded and widely believed that he lined up a regiment on a + hill-top in order to teach them not to shrink from fire. Amid the laughter + of his Irishmen, he walked through the open files of his firing line + holding a laggard by the ear. This was the man who had put such a spirit + into the Irish Brigade that amid that army of valiant men there were none + who held such a record. 'Their rushes were the quickest, their rushes were + the longest, and they stayed the shortest time under cover,' said a shrewd + military observer. To Hart and his brigade was given the task of clearing + the way to Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + The regiments which he took with him on his perilous enterprise were the + 1st Inniskilling Fusiliers, the 2nd Dublin Fusiliers, the 1st Connaught + Rangers, and the Imperial Light Infantry, the whole forming the famous 5th + Brigade. They were already in the extreme British advance, and now, as + they moved forwards, the Durham Light Infantry and the 1st Rifle Brigade + from Lyttelton's Brigade came up to take their place. The hill to be taken + lay on the right, and the soldiers were compelled to pass in single file + under a heavy fire for more than a mile until they reached the spot which + seemed best for their enterprise. There, short already of sixty of their + comrades, they assembled and began a cautious advance upon the lines of + trenches and sangars which seamed the brown slope above them. + </p> + <p> + For a time they were able to keep some cover, and the casualties were + comparatively few. But now at last, as the evening sun threw a long shadow + from the hills, the leading regiment, the Inniskillings, found themselves + at the utmost fringe of boulders with a clear slope between them and the + main trench of the enemy. Up there where the shrapnel was spurting and the + great lyddite shells crashing they could dimly see a line of bearded faces + and the black dots of the slouch hats. With a yell the Inniskillings + sprang out, carried with a rush the first trench, and charged desperately + onwards for the second one. It was a supremely dashing attack against a + supremely steady resistance, for among all their gallant deeds the Boers + have never fought better than on that February evening. Amid such a + smashing shell fire as living mortals have never yet endured they stood + doggedly, these hardy men of the veld, and fired fast and true into the + fiery ranks of the Irishmen. The yell of the stormers was answered by the + remorseless roar of the Mausers and the deep-chested shouts of the + farmers. Up and up surged the infantry, falling, rising, dashing + bull-headed at the crackling line of the trench. But still the bearded + faces glared at them over the edge, and still the sheet of lead pelted + through their ranks. The regiment staggered, came on, staggered again, was + overtaken by supporting companies of the Dublins and the Connaughts, came + on, staggered once more, and finally dissolved into shreds, who ran + swiftly back for cover, threading their way among their stricken comrades. + Never on this earth was there a retreat of which the survivors had less + reason to be ashamed. They had held on to the utmost capacity of human + endurance. Their Colonel, ten officers, and more than half the regiment + were lying on the fatal hill. Honour to them, and honour also to the + gallant Dutchmen who, rooted in the trenches, had faced the rush and fury + of such an onslaught! Today to them, tomorrow to us—but it is for a + soldier to thank the God of battles for worthy foes. + </p> + <p> + It is one thing, however, to repulse the British soldier and it is another + to rout him. Within a few hundred yards of their horrible ordeal at + Magersfontein the Highlanders reformed into a military body. So now the + Irishmen fell back no further than the nearest cover, and there held + grimly on to the ground which they had won. If you would know the + advantage which the defence has over the attack, then do you come and + assault this line of tenacious men, now in your hour of victory and + exultation, friend Boer! Friend Boer did attempt it, and skilfully too, + moving a flanking party to sweep the position with their fire. But the + brigade, though sorely hurt, held them off without difficulty, and was + found on the morning of the 24th to be still lying upon the ground which + they had won. + </p> + <p> + Our losses had been very heavy, Colonel Thackeray of the Inniskillings, + Colonel Sitwell of the Dublins, three majors, twenty officers, and a total + of about six hundred out of 1200 actually engaged. To take such punishment + and to remain undemoralised is the supreme test to which troops can be + put. Could the loss have been avoided? By following the original line of + advance from Monte Christo, perhaps, when we should have turned the + enemy's left. But otherwise no. The hill was in the way and had to be + taken. In the war game you cannot play without a stake. You lose and you + pay forfeit, and where the game is fair the best player is he who pays + with the best grace. The attack was well prepared, well delivered, and + only miscarried on account of the excellence of the defence. We proved + once more what we had proved so often before, that all valour and all + discipline will not avail in a frontal attack against brave coolheaded men + armed with quick-firing rifles. + </p> + <p> + While the Irish Brigade assaulted Railway Hill an attack had been made + upon the left, which was probably meant as a demonstration to keep the + Boers from reinforcing their comrades rather than as an actual attempt + upon their lines. Such as it was, however, it cost the life of at least + one brave soldier, for Colonel Thorold, of the Welsh Fusiliers, was among + the fallen. Thorold, Thackeray, and Sitwell in one evening. Who can say + that British colonels have not given their men a lead? + </p> + <p> + The army was now at a deadlock. Railway Hill barred the way, and if Hart's + men could not carry it by assault it was hard to say who could. The 24th + found the two armies facing each other at this critical point, the + Irishmen still clinging to the slopes of the hill and the Boers lining the + top. Fierce rifle firing broke out between them during the day, but each + side was well covered and lay low. The troops in support suffered + somewhat, however, from a random shell fire. Mr. Winston Churchill has + left it upon record that within his own observation three of their + shrapnel shells fired at a venture on to the reverse slope of a hill + accounted for nineteen men and four horses. The enemy can never have known + how hard those three shells had hit us, and so we may also believe that + our artillery fire has often been less futile than it appeared. + </p> + <p> + General Buller had now realised that it was no mere rearguard action which + the Boers were fighting, but that their army was standing doggedly at bay; + so he reverted to that flanking movement which, as events showed, should + never have been abandoned. Hart's Irish Brigade was at present almost the + right of the army. His new plan—a masterly one—was to keep + Hart pinning the Boers at that point, and to move his centre and left + across the river, and then back to envelope the left wing of the enemy. By + this manoeuvre Hart became the extreme left instead of the extreme right, + and the Irish Brigade would be the hinge upon which the whole army should + turn. It was a large conception, finely carried out. The 24th was a day of + futile shell fire—and of plans for the future. The heavy guns were + got across once more to the Monte Christo ridge and to Hlangwane, and + preparations made to throw the army from the west to the east. The enemy + still snarled and occasionally snapped in front of Hart's men, but with + four companies of the 2nd Rifle Brigade to protect their flanks their + position remained secure. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime, through a contretemps between our outposts and the Boers, + no leave had been given to us to withdraw our wounded, and the unfortunate + fellows, some hundreds of them, had lain between the lines in agonies of + thirst for thirty-six hours—one of the most painful incidents of the + campaign. Now, upon the 25th, an armistice was proclaimed, and the crying + needs of the survivors were attended to. On the same day the hearts of our + soldiers sank within them as they saw the stream of our wagons and guns + crossing the river once more. What, were they foiled again? Was the blood + of these brave men to be shed in vain? They ground their teeth at the + thought. The higher strategy was not for them, but back was back and + forward was forward, and they knew which way their proud hearts wished to + go. + </p> + <p> + The 26th was occupied by the large movements of troops which so complete a + reversal of tactics necessitated. Under the screen of a heavy artillery + fire, the British right became the left and the left the right. A second + pontoon bridge was thrown across near the old Boer bridge at Hlangwane, + and over it was passed a large force of infantry, Barton's Fusilier + Brigade, Kitchener's (vice Wynne's, vice Woodgate's) Lancashire Brigade, + and two battalions of Norcott's (formerly Lyttelton's) Brigade. Coke's + Brigade was left at Colenso to prevent a counter attack upon our left + flank and communications. In this way, while Hart with the Durhams and the + 1st Rifle Brigade held the Boers in front, the main body of the army was + rapidly swung round on to their left flank. By the morning of the 27th all + were in place for the new attack. + </p> + <p> + Opposite the point where the troops had been massed were three Boer hills; + one, the nearest, may for convenience sake be called Barton's Hill. As the + army had formerly been situated the assault upon this hill would have been + a matter of extreme difficulty; but now, with the heavy guns restored to + their commanding position, from which they could sweep its sides and + summits, it had recovered its initial advantage. In the morning sunlight + Barton's Fusiliers crossed the river, and advanced to the attack under a + screaming canopy of shells. Up they went and up, darting and crouching, + until their gleaming bayonets sparkled upon the summit. The masterful + artillery had done its work, and the first long step taken in this last + stage of the relief of Ladysmith. The loss had been slight and the + advantage enormous. After they had gained the summit the Fusiliers were + stung and stung again by clouds of skirmishers who clung to the flanks of + the hill, but their grip was firm and grew firmer with every hour. + </p> + <p> + Of the three Boer hills which had to be taken the nearest (or eastern one) + was now in the hands of the British. The furthest (or western one) was + that on which the Irish Brigade was still crouching, ready at any moment + for a final spring which would take them over the few hundred yards which + separated them from the trenches. Between the two intervened a central + hill, as yet untouched. Could we carry this the whole position would be + ours. Now for the final effort! Turn every gun upon it, the guns of Monte + Christo, the guns of Hlangwane! Turn every rifle upon it—the rifles + of Barton's men, the rifles of Hart's men, the carbines of the distant + cavalry! Scalp its crown with the machine-gun fire! And now up with you, + Lancashire men, Norcott's men! The summit or a glorious death, for beyond + that hill your suffering comrades are awaiting you! Put every bullet and + every man and all of fire and spirit that you are worth into this last + hour; for if you fail now you have failed for ever, and if you win, then + when your hairs are white your blood will still run warm when you think of + that morning's work. The long drama had drawn to an end, and one short + day's work is to show what that end was to be. + </p> + <p> + But there was never a doubt of it. Hardly for one instant did the advance + waver at any point of its extended line. It was the supreme instant of the + Natal campaign, as, wave after wave, the long lines of infantry went + shimmering up the hill. On the left the Lancasters, the Lancashire + Fusiliers, the South Lancashires, the York and Lancasters, with a burr of + north country oaths, went racing for the summit. Spion Kop and a thousand + comrades were calling for vengeance. 'Remember, men, the eyes of + Lancashire are watching you,' cried the gallant MacCarthy O'Leary. The old + 40th swept on, but his dead body marked the way which they had taken. On + the right the East Surrey, the Cameronians, the 3rd Rifles, the 1st Rifle + Brigade, the Durhams, and the gallant Irishmen, so sorely stricken and yet + so eager, were all pressing upwards and onwards. The Boer fire lulls, it + ceases—they are running! Wild hat-waving men upon the Hlangwane + uplands see the silhouette of the active figures of the stormers along the + sky-line and know that the position is theirs. Exultant soldiers dance and + cheer upon the ridge. The sun is setting in glory over the great + Drakensberg mountains, and so also that night set for ever the hopes of + the Boer invaders of Natal. Out of doubt and chaos, blood and labour, had + come at last the judgment that the lower should not swallow the higher, + that the world is for the man of the twentieth and not of the seventeenth + century. After a fortnight of fighting the weary troops threw themselves + down that night with the assurance that at last the door was ajar and the + light breaking through. One more effort and it would be open before them. + </p> + <p> + Behind the line of hills which had been taken there extended a great plain + as far as Bulwana—that evil neighbour who had wrought such harm upon + Ladysmith. More than half of the Pieters position had fallen into Buller's + hands on the 27th, and the remainder had become untenable. The Boers had + lost some five hundred in killed, wounded, and prisoners. [Footnote: + Accurate figures will probably never be obtained, but a well-known Boer in + Pretoria informed me that Pieters was the most expensive fight to them of + the whole war. ] It seemed to the British General and his men that one + more action would bring them safely into Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + But here they miscalculated, and so often have we miscalculated on the + optimistic side in this campaign that it is pleasing to find for once that + our hopes were less than the reality. The Boers had been beaten—fairly + beaten and disheartened. It will always be a subject for conjecture + whether they were so entirely on the strength of the Natal campaign, or + whether the news of the Cronje disaster from the western side had warned + them that they must draw in upon the east. For my own part I believe that + the honour lies with the gallant men of Natal, and that, moving on these + lines, they would, Cronje or no Cronje, have forced their way in triumph + to Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + And now the long-drawn story draws to a swift close. Cautiously feeling + their way with a fringe of horse, the British pushed over the great plain, + delayed here and there by the crackle of musketry, but finding always that + the obstacle gave way and vanished as they approached it. At last it + seemed clear to Dundonald that there really was no barrier between his + horsemen and the beleaguered city. With a squadron of Imperial Light Horse + and a squadron of Natal Carabineers he rode on until, in the gathering + twilight, the Ladysmith picket challenged the approaching cavalry, and the + gallant town was saved. + </p> + <p> + It is hard to say which had shown the greater endurance, the rescued or + their rescuers. The town, indefensible, lurking in a hollow under + commanding hills, had held out for 118 days. They had endured two assaults + and an incessant bombardment, to which, towards the end, owing to the + failure of heavy ammunition, they were unable to make any adequate reply. + It was calculated that 16, 000 shells had fallen within the town. In two + successful sorties they had destroyed three of the enemy's heavy guns. + They had been pressed by hunger, horseflesh was already running short, and + they had been decimated by disease. More than 2000 cases of enteric and + dysentery had been in hospital at one time, and the total number of + admissions had been nearly as great as the total number of the garrison. + One-tenth of the men had actually died of wounds or disease. Ragged, + bootless, and emaciated, there still lurked in the gaunt soldiers the + martial spirit of warriors. On the day after their relief 2000 of them set + forth to pursue the Boers. One who helped to lead them has left it on + record that the most piteous sight that he has ever seen was these wasted + men, stooping under their rifles and gasping with the pressure of their + accoutrements, as they staggered after their retreating enemy. A + Verestschagen might find a subject these 2000 indomitable men with their + emaciated horses pursuing a formidable foe. It is God's mercy they failed + to overtake them. + </p> + <p> + If the record of the besieged force was great, that of the relieving army + was no less so. Through the blackest depths of despondency and failure + they had struggled to absolute success. At Colenso they had lost 1200 men, + at Spion Kop 1700, at Vaalkranz 400, and now, in this last long-drawn + effort, 1600 more. Their total losses were over 5000 men, more than 20 per + cent of the whole army. Some particular regiments had suffered horribly. + The Dublin and Inniskilling Fusiliers headed the roll of honour with only + five officers and 40 per cent of the men left standing. Next to them the + Lancashire Fusiliers and the Royal Lancasters had been the hardest hit. It + speaks well for Buller's power of winning and holding the confidence of + his men that in the face of repulse after repulse the soldiers still went + into battle as steadily as ever under his command. + </p> + <p> + On March 3rd Buller's force entered Ladysmith in state between the lines + of the defenders. For their heroism the Dublin Fusiliers were put in the + van of the procession, and it is told how, as the soldiers who lined the + streets saw the five officers and small clump of men, the remains of what + had been a strong battalion, realising, for the first time perhaps, what + their relief had cost, many sobbed like children. With cheer after cheer + the stream of brave men flowed for hours between banks formed by men as + brave. But for the purposes of war the garrison was useless. A month of + rest and food would be necessary before they could be ready to take the + field once more. + </p> + <p> + So the riddle of the Tugela had at last been solved. Even now, with all + the light which has been shed upon the matter, it is hard to apportion + praise and blame. To the cheerful optimism of Symons must be laid some of + the blame of the original entanglement; but man is mortal, and he laid + down his life for his mistake. White, who had been but a week in the + country, could not, if he would, alter the main facts of the military + situation. He did his best, committed one or two errors, did brilliantly + on one or two points, and finally conducted the defence with a tenacity + and a gallantry which are above all praise. It did not, fortunately, + develop into an absolutely desperate affair, like Massena's defence of + Genoa, but a few more weeks would have made it a military tragedy. He was + fortunate in the troops whom he commanded—half of them old soldiers + from India—[Footnote: An officer in high command in Ladysmith has + told me, as an illustration of the nerve and discipline of the troops, + that though false alarms in the Boer trenches were matters of continual + occurrence from the beginning to the end of the siege, there was not one + single occasion when the British outposts made a mistake.]—and + exceedingly fortunate in his officers, French (in the operations before + the siege), Archibald Hunter, Ian Hamilton, Hedworth Lambton, + Dick-Cunyngham, Knox, De Courcy Hamilton, and all the other good men and + true who stood (as long as they could stand) by his side. Above all, he + was fortunate in his commissariat officers, and it was in the offices of + Colonels Ward and Stoneman as much as in the trenches and sangars of + Caesar's Camp that the siege was won. + </p> + <p> + Buller, like White, had to take the situation as he found it. It is well + known that his own belief was that the line of the Tugela was the true + defence of Natal. When he reached Africa, Ladysmith was already + beleaguered, and he, with his troops, had to abandon the scheme of direct + invasion and to hurry to extricate White's division. Whether they might + not have been more rapidly extricated by keeping to the original plan is a + question which will long furnish an excellent subject for military debate. + Had Buller in November known that Ladysmith was capable of holding out + until March, is it conceivable that he, with his whole army corps and as + many more troops as he cared to summon from England, would not have made + such an advance in four months through the Free State as would necessitate + the abandonment of the sieges both of Kimberley and of Ladysmith? If the + Boers persisted in these sieges they could not possibly place more than + 20,000 men on the Orange River to face 60, 000 whom Buller could have had + there by the first week in December. Methuen's force, French's force, + Gatacre's force, and the Natal force, with the exception of garrisons for + Pietermaritzburg and Durban, would have assembled, with a reserve of + another sixty thousand men in the colony or on the sea ready to fill the + gaps in his advance. Moving over a flat country with plenty of flanking + room, it is probable that he would have been in Bloemfontein by Christmas + and at the Vaal River late in January. What could the Boers do then? They + might remain before Ladysmith, and learn that their capital and their gold + mines had been taken in their absence. Or they might abandon the siege and + trek back to defend their own homes. This, as it appears to a civilian + critic, would have been the least expensive means of fighting them; but + after all the strain had to come somewhere, and the long struggle of + Ladysmith may have meant a more certain and complete collapse in the + future. At least, by the plan actually adopted we saved Natal from total + devastation, and that must count against a great deal. + </p> + <p> + Having taken his line, Buller set about his task in a slow, deliberate, + but pertinacious fashion. It cannot be denied, however, that the + pertinacity was largely due to the stiffening counsel of Roberts and the + soldierly firmness of White who refused to acquiesce in the suggestion of + surrender. Let it be acknowledged that Buller's was the hardest problem of + the war, and that he solved it. The mere acknowledgment goes far to soften + criticism. But the singular thing is that in his proceedings he showed + qualities which had not been generally attributed to him, and was wanting + in those very points which the public had imagined to be characteristic of + him. He had gone out with the reputation of a downright John Bull fighter, + who would take punishment or give it, but slog his way through without + wincing. There was no reason for attributing any particular strategical + ability to him. But as a matter of fact, setting the Colenso attempt + aside, the crossing for the Spion Kop enterprise, the withdrawal of the + compromised army, the Vaalkranz crossing with the clever feint upon + Brakfontein, the final operations, and especially the complete change of + front after the third day of Pieters, were strategical movements largely + conceived and admirably carried out. On the other hand, a hesitation in + pushing onwards, and a disinclination to take a risk or to endure heavy + punishment, even in the case of temporary failure, were consistent + characteristics of his generalship. The Vaalkranz operations are + particularly difficult to defend from the charge of having been needlessly + slow and half-hearted. This 'saturnine fighter,' as he had been called, + proved to be exceedingly sensitive about the lives of his men—an + admirable quality in itself, but there are occasions when to spare them + to-day is to needlessly imperil them tomorrow. The victory was his, and + yet in the very moment of it he displayed the qualities which marred him. + With two cavalry brigades in hand he did not push the pursuit of the + routed Boers with their guns and endless streams of wagons. It is true + that he might have lost heavily, but it is true also that a success might + have ended the Boer invasion of Natal, and the lives of our troopers would + be well spent in such a venture. If cavalry is not to be used in pursuing + a retiring enemy encumbered with much baggage, then its day is indeed + past. + </p> + <p> + The relief of Ladysmith stirred the people of the Empire as nothing, save + perhaps the subsequent relief of Mafeking, has done during our generation. + Even sober unemotional London found its soul for once and fluttered with + joy. Men, women, and children, rich and poor, clubman and cabman, joined + in the universal delight. The thought of our garrison, of their + privations, of our impotence to relieve them, of the impending humiliation + to them and to us, had lain dark for many months across our spirits. It + had weighed upon us, until the subject, though ever present in our + thoughts, was too painful for general talk. And now, in an instant, the + shadow was lifted. The outburst of rejoicing was not a triumph over the + gallant Boers. But it was our own escape from humiliation, the knowledge + that the blood of our sons had not been shed in vain, above all the + conviction that the darkest hour had now passed and that the light of + peace was dimly breaking far away—that was why London rang with joy + bells that March morning, and why those bells echoed back from every town + and hamlet, in tropical sun and in Arctic snow, over which the flag of + Britain waved. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 18. THE SIEGE AND RELIEF OF KIMBERLEY. + </h2> + <p> + It has already been narrated how, upon the arrival of the army corps from + England, the greater part was drafted to Natal, while some went to the + western side, and started under Lord Methuen upon the perilous enterprise + of the relief of Kimberley. It has also been shown how, after three + expensive victories, Lord Methuen's force met with a paralysing reverse, + and was compelled to remain inactive within twenty miles of the town which + they had come to succour. Before I describe how that succour did + eventually arrive, some attention must be paid to the incidents which had + occurred within the city. + </p> + <p> + 'I am directed to assure you that there is no reason for apprehending that + Kimberley or any part of the colony either is, or in any contemplated + event will be, in danger of attack. Mr. Schreiner is of opinion that your + fears are groundless and your anticipations in the matter entirely without + foundation.' Such is the official reply to the remonstrance of the + inhabitants, when, with the shadow of war dark upon them, they appealed + for help. It is fortunate, however, that a progressive British town has + usually the capacity for doing things for itself without the intervention + of officials. Kimberley was particularly lucky in being the centre of the + wealthy and alert De Beers Company, which had laid in sufficient + ammunition and supplies to prevent the town from being helpless in the + presence of the enemy. But the cannon were popguns, firing a 7-pound shell + for a short range, and the garrison contained only seven hundred regulars, + while the remainder were mostly untrained miners and artisans. Among them, + however, there was a sprinkling of dangerous men from the northern wars, + and all were nerved by a knowledge that the ground which they defended was + essential to the Empire. Ladysmith was no more than any other strategic + position, but Kimberley was unique, the centre of the richest tract of + ground for its size in the whole world. Its loss would have been a heavy + blow to the British cause, and an enormous encouragement to the Boers. + </p> + <p> + On October 12th, several hours after the expiration of Kruger's ultimatum, + Cecil Rhodes threw himself into Kimberley. This remarkable man, who stood + for the future of South Africa as clearly as the Dopper Boer stood for its + past, had, both in features and in character, some traits which may, + without extravagance, be called Napoleonic. The restless energy, the + fertility of resource, the attention to detail, the wide sweep of mind, + the power of terse comment—all these recall the great emperor. So + did the simplicity of private life in the midst of excessive wealth. And + so finally did a want of scruple where an ambition was to be furthered, + shown, for example, in that enormous donation to the Irish party by which + he made a bid for their parliamentary support, and in the story of the + Jameson raid. A certain cynicism of mind and a grim humour complete the + parallel. But Rhodes was a Napoleon of peace. The consolidation of South + Africa under the freest and most progressive form of government was the + large object on which he had expended his energies and his fortune but the + development of the country in every conceivable respect, from the building + of a railway to the importation of a pedigree bull, engaged his + unremitting attention. + </p> + <p> + It was on October 15th that the fifty thousand inhabitants of Kimberley + first heard the voice of war. It rose and fell in a succession of horrible + screams and groans which travelled far over the veld, and the outlying + farmers marvelled at the dreadful clamour from the sirens and the hooters + of the great mines. Those who have endured all—the rifle, the + cannon, and the hunger—have said that those wild whoops from the + sirens were what had tried their nerve the most. + </p> + <p> + The Boers in scattered bands of horsemen were thick around the town, and + had blocked the railroad. They raided cattle upon the outskirts, but made + no attempt to rush the defence. The garrison, who, civilian and military, + approached four thousand in number, lay close in rifle pit and redoubt + waiting for an attack which never came. The perimeter to be defended was + about eight miles, but the heaps of tailings made admirable + fortifications, and the town had none of those inconvenient heights around + it which had been such bad neighbours to Ladysmith. Picturesque + surroundings are not favourable to defence. + </p> + <p> + On October 24th the garrison, finding that no attack was made, determined + upon a reconnaissance. The mounted force, upon which most of the work and + of the loss fell, consisted of the Diamond Fields Horse, a small number of + Cape Police, a company of Mounted Infantry, and a body called the + Kimberley Light Horse. With two hundred and seventy volunteers from this + force Major Scott-Turner, a redoubtable fighter, felt his way to the north + until he came in touch with the Boers. The latter, who were much superior + in numbers, manoeuvred to cut him off, but the arrival of two companies of + the North Lancashire Regiment turned the scale in our favour. We lost + three killed and twenty-one wounded in the skirmish. The Boer loss is + unknown, but their commander Botha was slain. + </p> + <p> + On November 4th Commandant Wessels formally summoned the town, and it is + asserted that he gave Colonel Kekewich leave to send out the women and + children. That officer has been blamed for not taking advantage of the + permission—or at the least for not communicating it to the civil + authorities. As a matter of fact the charge rests upon a misapprehension. + In Wessels' letter a distinction is made between Africander and English + women, the former being offered an asylum in his camp. This offer was made + known, and half a dozen persons took advantage of it. The suggestion, + however, in the case of the English carried with it no promise that they + would be conveyed to Orange River, and a compliance with it would have put + them as helpless hostages into the hands of the enemy. As to not + publishing the message it is not usual to publish such official documents, + but the offer was shown to Mr. Rhodes, who concurred in the impossibility + of accepting it. + </p> + <p> + It is difficult to allude to this subject without touching upon the + painful but notorious fact that there existed during the siege + considerable friction between the military authorities and a section of + the civilians, of whom Mr. Rhodes was chief. Among other characteristics + Rhodes bore any form of restraint very badly, and chafed mightily when + unable to do a thing in the exact way which he considered best. He may + have been a Napoleon of peace, but his warmest friends could never + describe him as a Napoleon of war, for his military forecasts have been + erroneous, and the management of the Jameson fiasco certainly inspired no + confidence in the judgment of any one concerned. That his intentions were + of the best, and that he had the good of the Empire at heart, may be + freely granted; but that these motives should lead him to cabal against, + and even to threaten, the military governor, or that he should attempt to + force Lord Roberts's hand in a military operation, was most deplorable. + Every credit may be given to him for all his aid to the military—he + gave with a good grace what the garrison would otherwise have had to + commandeer—but it is a fact that the town would have been more + united, and therefore stronger, without his presence. Colonel Kekewich and + his chief staff officer, Major O'Meara, were as much plagued by intrigue + within as by the Boers without. + </p> + <p> + On November 7th the bombardment of the town commenced from nine 9-pounder + guns to which the artillery of the garrison could give no adequate reply. + The result, however, of a fortnight's fire, during which seven hundred + shells were discharged, was the loss of two non-combatants. The question + of food was recognised as being of more importance than the enemy's fire. + An early relief appeared probable, however, as the advance of Methuen's + force was already known. One pound of bread, two ounces of sugar, and half + a pound of meat were allowed per head. It was only on the small children + that the scarcity of milk told with tragic effect. At Ladysmith, at + Mafeking, and at Kimberley hundreds of these innocents were sacrificed. + </p> + <p> + November 25th was a red-letter day with the garrison, who made a sortie + under the impression that Methuen was not far off, and that they were + assisting his operations. The attack was made upon one of the Boer + positions by a force consisting of a detachment of the Light Horse and of + the Cape Police, and their work was brilliantly successful. The actual + storming of the redoubt was carried out by some forty men, of whom but + four were killed. They brought back thirty-three prisoners as a proof of + their victory, but the Boer gun, as usual, escaped us. In this brilliant + affair Scott-Turner was wounded, which did not prevent him, only three + days later, from leading another sortie, which was as disastrous as the + first had been successful. Save under very exceptional circumstances it is + in modern warfare long odds always upon the defence, and the garrison + would probably have been better advised had they refrained from attacking + the fortifications of their enemy—a truth which Baden-Powell learned + also at Game Tree Hill. As it was, after a temporary success the British + were blown back by the fierce Mauser fire, and lost the indomitable + Scott-Turner, with twenty-one of his brave companions killed and + twenty-eight wounded, all belonging to the colonial corps. The Empire may + reflect with pride that the people in whose cause mainly they fought + showed themselves by their gallantry and their devotion worthy of any + sacrifice which has been made. + </p> + <p> + Again the siege settled down to a monotonous record of decreasing rations + and of expectation. On December 10 there came a sign of hope from the + outside world. Far on the southern horizon a little golden speck shimmered + against the blue African sky. It was Methuen's balloon gleaming in the + sunshine. Next morning the low grumble of distant cannon was the sweetest + of music to the listening citizens. But days passed without further news, + and it was not for more than a week that they learned of the bloody + repulse of Magersfontein, and that help was once more indefinitely + postponed. Heliographic communication had been opened with the relieving + army, and it is on record that the first message flashed through from the + south was a question about the number of a horse. With inconceivable + stupidity this has been cited as an example of military levity and + incapacity. Of course the object of the question was a test as to whether + they were really in communication with the garrison. It must be confessed + that the town seems to have contained some very querulous and unreasonable + people. + </p> + <p> + The New Year found the beleaguered city reduced to a quarter of a pound of + meat per head, while the health of the inhabitants began to break down + under their confinement. Their interest, however, was keenly aroused by + the attempt made in the De Beers workshops to build a gun which might + reach their opponents. This remarkable piece of ordnance, constructed by + an American named Labram by the help of tools manufactured for the purpose + and of books found in the town, took the shape eventually of a 28 lb. + rifled gun, which proved to be a most efficient piece of artillery. With + grim humour, Mr. Rhodes's compliments had been inscribed upon the shells—a + fair retort in view of the openly expressed threat of the enemy that in + case of his capture they would carry him in a cage to Pretoria. + </p> + <p> + The Boers, though held off for a time by this unexpected piece of + ordnance, prepared a terrible answer to it. On February 7th an enormous + gun, throwing a 96 lb. shell, opened from Kamfersdam, which is four miles + from the centre of the town. The shells, following the evil precedent of + the Germans in 1870, were fired not at the forts, but into the thickly + populated city. Day and night these huge missiles exploded, shattering the + houses and occasionally killing or maiming the occupants. Some thousands + of the women and children were conveyed down the mines, where, in the + electric-lighted tunnels, they lay in comfort and safety. One surprising + revenge the Boers had, for by an extraordinary chance one of the few men + killed by their gun was the ingenious Labram who had constructed the + 28-pounder. By an even more singular chance, Leon, who was responsible for + bringing the big Boer gun, was struck immediately afterwards by a + long-range rifle-shot from the garrison. + </p> + <p> + The historian must be content to give a tame account of the siege of + Kimberley, for the thing itself was tame. Indeed 'siege' is a misnomer, + for it was rather an investment or a blockade. Such as it was, however, + the inhabitants became very restless under it, and though there were never + any prospects of surrender the utmost impatience began to be manifested at + the protracted delay on the part of the relief force. It was not till + later that it was understood how cunningly Kimberley had been used as a + bait to hold the enemy until final preparations had been made for his + destruction. + </p> + <p> + And at last the great day came. It is on record how dramatic was the + meeting between the mounted outposts of the defenders and the advance + guard of the relievers, whose advent seems to have been equally unexpected + by friend and foe. A skirmish was in progress on February 15th between a + party of the Kimberley Light Horse and of the Boers, when a new body of + horsemen, unrecognised by either side, appeared upon the plain and opened + fire upon the enemy. One of the strangers rode up to the patrol. 'What the + dickens does K.L. H. mean on your shoulder-strap?' he asked. 'It means + Kimberley Light Horse. Who are you?' 'I am one of the New Zealanders.' + Macaulay in his wildest dream of the future of the much-quoted New + Zealander never pictured him as heading a rescue force for the relief of a + British town in the heart of Africa. + </p> + <p> + The population had assembled to watch the mighty cloud of dust which + rolled along the south-eastern horizon. What was it which swept westwards + within its reddish heart? Hopeful and yet fearful they saw the huge bank + draw nearer and nearer. An assault from the whole of Cronje's army was the + thought which passed through many a mind. And then the dust-cloud thinned, + a mighty host of horsemen spurred out from it, and in the extended + far-flung ranks the glint of spearheads and the gleam of scabbards told of + the Hussars and Lancers, while denser banks on either flank marked the + position of the whirling guns. Wearied and spent with a hundred miles' + ride the dusty riders and the panting, dripping horses took fresh heart as + they saw the broad city before them, and swept with martial rattle and + jingle towards the cheering crowds. Amid shouts and tears French rode into + Kimberley while his troopers encamped outside the town. + </p> + <p> + To know how this bolt was prepared and how launched, the narrative must go + back to the beginning of the month. At that period Methuen and his men + were still faced by Cronje and his entrenched forces, who, in spite of + occasional bombardments, held their position between Kimberley and the + relieving army. French, having handed over the operations at Colesberg to + Clements, had gone down to Cape Town to confer with Roberts and Kitchener. + Thence they all three made their way to the Modder River, which was + evidently about to be the base of a more largely conceived series of + operations than any which had yet been undertaken. + </p> + <p> + In order to draw the Boer attention away from the thunderbolt which was + about to fall upon their left flank, a strong demonstration ending in a + brisk action was made early in February upon the extreme right of Cronje's + position. The force, consisting of the Highland Brigade, two squadrons of + the 9th Lancers, No. 7 Co. Royal Engineers, and the 62nd Battery, was + under the command of the famous Hector Macdonald. 'Fighting Mac' as he was + called by his men, had joined his regiment as a private, and had worked + through the grades of corporal, sergeant, captain, major, and colonel, + until now, still in the prime of his manhood, he found himself riding at + the head of a brigade. A bony, craggy Scotsman, with a square fighting + head and a bulldog jaw, he had conquered the exclusiveness and routine of + the British service by the same dogged qualities which made him formidable + to Dervish and to Boer. With a cool brain, a steady nerve, and a proud + heart, he is an ideal leader of infantry, and those who saw him manoeuvre + his brigade in the crisis of the battle of Omdurman speak of it as the one + great memory which they carried back from the engagement. On the field of + battle he turns to the speech of his childhood, the jagged, rasping, + homely words which brace the nerves of the northern soldier. This was the + man who had come from India to take the place of poor Wauchope, and to put + fresh heart into the gallant but sorely stricken brigade. + </p> + <p> + The four regiments which composed the infantry of the force—the + Black Watch, the Argyll and Sutherlands, the Seaforths, and the Highland + Light Infantry—left Lord Methuen's camp on Saturday, February 3rd, + and halted at Fraser's Drift, passing on next day to Koodoosberg. The day + was very hot, and the going very heavy, and many men fell out, some never + to return. The drift (or ford) was found, however, to be undefended, and + was seized by Macdonald, who, after pitching camp on the south side of the + river, sent out strong parties across the drift to seize and entrench the + Koodoosberg and some adjacent kopjes which, lying some three-quarters of a + mile to the north-west of the drift formed the key of the position. A few + Boer scouts were seen hurrying with the news of his coming to the head + laager. + </p> + <p> + The effect of these messages was evident by Tuesday (February 6th), when + the Boers were seen to be assembling upon the north bank. By next morning + they were there in considerable numbers, and began an attack upon a crest + held by the Seaforths. Macdonald threw two companies of the Black Watch + and two of the Highland Light Infantry into the fight. The Boers made + excellent practice with a 7-pounder mountain gun, and their rifle fire, + considering the good cover which our men had, was very deadly. Poor Tait, + of the Black Watch, good sportsman and gallant soldier, with one wound + hardly healed upon his person, was hit again. 'They've got me this time,' + were his dying words. Blair, of the Seaforths, had his carotid cut by a + shrapnel bullet, and lay for hours while the men of his company took turns + to squeeze the artery. But our artillery silenced the Boer gun, and our + infantry easily held their riflemen. Babington with the cavalry brigade + arrived from the camp about 1.30, moving along the north bank of the + river. In spite of the fact that men and horses were weary from a tiring + march, it was hoped by Macdonald's force that they would work round the + Boers and make an attempt to capture either them or their gun. But the + horsemen seem not to have realised the position of the parties, or that + possibility of bringing off a considerable coup, so the action came to a + tame conclusion, the Boers retiring unpursued from their attack. On + Thursday, February 8th, they were found to have withdrawn, and on the same + evening our own force was recalled, to the surprise and disappointment of + the public at home, who had not realised that in directing their attention + to their right flank the column had already produced the effect upon the + enemy for which they had been sent. They could not be left there, as they + were needed for those great operations which were pending. It was on the + 9th that the brigade returned; on the 10th they were congratulated by Lord + Roberts in person; and on the 11th those new dispositions were made which + were destined not only to relieve Kimberley, but to inflict a blow upon + the Boer cause from which it was never able to recover. + </p> + <p> + Small, brown, and wrinkled, with puckered eyes and alert manner, Lord + Roberts in spite of his sixty-seven years preserves the figure and energy + of youth. The active open-air life of India keeps men fit for the saddle + when in England they would only sit their club armchairs, and it is hard + for any one who sees the wiry figure and brisk step of Lord Roberts to + realise that he has spent forty-one years of soldiering in what used to be + regarded as an unhealthy climate. He had carried into late life the habit + of martial exercise, and a Russian traveller has left it on record that + the sight which surprised him most in India was to see the veteran + commander of the army ride forth with his spear and carry off the peg with + the skill of a practised trooper. In his early youth he had shown in the + Mutiny that he possessed the fighting energy of the soldier to a + remarkable degree, but it was only in the Afghan War of 1880 that he had + an opportunity of proving that he had rarer and more valuable gifts, the + power of swift resolution and determined execution. At the crisis of the + war he and his army disappeared entirely from the public ken only to + emerge dramatically as victors at a point three hundred miles distant from + where they had vanished. + </p> + <p> + It is not only as a soldier, but as a man, that Lord Roberts possesses + some remarkable characteristics. He has in a supreme degree that magnetic + quality which draws not merely the respect but the love of those who know + him. In Chaucer's phrase, he is a very perfect gentle knight. Soldiers and + regimental officers have for him a feeling of personal affection such as + the unemotional British Army has never had for any leader in the course of + our history. His chivalrous courtesy, his unerring tact, his kindly + nature, his unselfish and untiring devotion to their interests have all + endeared him to those rough loyal natures, who would follow him with as + much confidence and devotion as the grognards of the Guard had in the case + of the Great Emperor. There were some who feared that in Roberts's case, + as in so many more, the donga and kopje of South Africa might form the + grave and headstone of a military reputation, but far from this being so + he consistently showed a wide sweep of strategy and a power of conceiving + the effect of scattered movements over a great extent of country which + have surprised his warmest admirers. In the second week of February his + dispositions were ready, and there followed the swift series of blows + which brought the Boers upon their knees. Of these we shall only describe + here the exploits of the fine force of cavalry which, after a ride of a + hundred miles, broke out of the heart of that reddish dustcloud and swept + the Boer besiegers away from hard-pressed Kimberley. + </p> + <p> + In order to strike unexpectedly, Lord Roberts had not only made a strong + demonstration at Koodoosdrift, at the other end of the Boer line, but he + had withdrawn his main force some forty miles south, taking them down by + rail to Belmont and Enslin with such secrecy that even commanding officers + had no idea whither the troops were going. The cavalry which had come from + French's command at Colesberg had already reached the rendezvous, + travelling by road to Naauwpoort, and thence by train. This force + consisted of the Carabineers, New South Wales Lancers, Inniskillings, + composite regiment of Household Cavalry, 10th Hussars, with some mounted + infantry and two batteries of Horse Artillery, making a force of nearly + three thousand sabres. To this were added the 9th and 12th Lancers from + Modder River, the 16th Lancers from India, the Scots Greys, which had been + patrolling Orange River from the beginning of the war, Rimington's Scouts, + and two brigades of mounted infantry under Colonels Ridley and Hannay. The + force under this latter officer had a severe skirmish on its way to the + rendezvous and lost fifty or sixty in killed, wounded, and missing. Five + other batteries of Horse Artillery were added to the force, making seven + in all, with a pontoon section of Royal Engineers. The total number of men + was about five thousand. By the night of Sunday, February 11th, this + formidable force had concentrated at Ramdam, twenty miles north-east of + Belmont, and was ready to advance. At two in the morning of Monday, + February 12th, the start was made, and the long sinuous line of + night-riders moved off over the shadowy veld, the beat of twenty thousand + hoofs, the clank of steel, and the rumble of gunwheels and tumbrils + swelling into a deep low roar like the surge upon the shingle. + </p> + <p> + Two rivers, the Riet and the Modder, intervened between French and + Kimberley. By daylight on the 12th the head of his force had reached + Waterval Drift, which was found to be defended by a body of Boers with a + gun. Leaving a small detachment to hold them, French passed his men over + Dekiel's Drift, higher up the stream, and swept the enemy out of his + position. This considerable force of Boers had come from Jacobsdal, and + were just too late to get into position to resist the crossing. Had we + been ten minutes later, the matter would have been much more serious. At + the cost of a very small loss he held both sides of the ford, but it was + not until midnight that the whole long column was brought across, and + bivouacked upon the northern bank. In the morning the strength of the + force was enormously increased by the arrival of one more horseman. It was + Roberts himself, who had ridden over to give the men a send-off, and the + sight of his wiry erect figure and mahogany face sent them full of fire + and confidence upon their way. + </p> + <p> + But the march of this second day (February 13th) was a military operation + of some difficulty. Thirty long waterless miles had to be done before they + could reach the Modder, and it was possible that even then they might have + to fight an action before winning the drift. The weather was very hot, and + through the long day the sun beat down from an unclouded sky, while the + soldiers were only shaded by the dust-bank in which they rode. A broad + arid plain, swelling into stony hills, surrounded them on every side. Here + and there in the extreme distance, mounted figures moved over the vast + expanse—Boer scouts who marked in amazement the advance of this + great array. Once or twice these men gathered together, and a sputter of + rifle fire broke out upon our left flank, but the great tide swept on and + carried them with it. Often in this desolate land the herds of mottled + springbok and of grey rekbok could be seen sweeping over the plain, or + stopping with that curiosity upon which the hunter trades, to stare at the + unwonted spectacle. + </p> + <p> + So all day they rode, hussars, dragoons, and lancers, over the withered + veld, until men and horses drooped with the heat and the exertion. A front + of nearly two miles was kept, the regiments moving two abreast in open + order; and the sight of this magnificent cloud of horsemen sweeping over + the great barren plain was a glorious one. The veld had caught fire upon + the right, and a black cloud of smoke with a lurid heart to it covered the + flank. The beat of the sun from above and the swelter of dust from below + were overpowering. Gun horses fell in the traces and died of pure + exhaustion. The men, parched and silent, but cheerful, strained their eyes + to pierce the continual mirage which played over the horizon, and to catch + the first glimpse of the Modder. At last, as the sun began to slope down + to the west, a thin line of green was discerned, the bushes which skirt + the banks of that ill-favoured stream. With renewed heart the cavalry + pushed on and made for the drift, while Major Rimington, to whom the + onerous duty of guiding the force had been entrusted, gave a sigh of + relief as he saw that he had indeed struck the very point at which he had + aimed. + </p> + <p> + The essential thing in the movements had been speed—to reach each + point before the enemy could concentrate to oppose them. Upon this it + depended whether they would find five hundred or five thousand waiting on + the further bank. It must have been with anxious eyes that French watched + his first regiment ride down to Klip Drift. If the Boers should have had + notice of his coming and have transferred some of their 40-pounders, he + might lose heavily before he forced the stream. But this time, at last, he + had completely outmanoeuvred them. He came with the news of his coming, + and Broadwood with the 12th Lancers rushed the drift. The small Boer force + saved itself by flight, and the camp, the wagons, and the supplies + remained with the victors. On the night of the 13th he had secured the + passage of the Modder, and up to the early morning the horses and the guns + were splashing through its coffee-coloured waters. + </p> + <p> + French's force had now come level to the main position of the Boers, but + had struck it upon the extreme left wing. The extreme right wing, thanks + to the Koodoosdrift demonstration, was fifty miles off, and this line was + naturally very thinly held, save only at the central position of + Magersfontein. Cronje could not denude this central position, for he saw + Methuen still waiting in front of him, and in any case Klip Drift is + twenty-five miles from Magersfontein. But the Boer left wing, though + scattered, gathered into some sort of cohesion on Wednesday (February + 14th), and made an effort to check the victorious progress of the cavalry. + It was necessary on this day to rest at Klip Drift, until Kelly-Kenny + should come up with the infantry to hold what had been gained. All day the + small bodies of Boers came riding in and taking up positions between the + column and its objective. + </p> + <p> + Next morning the advance was resumed, the column being still forty miles + from Kimberley with the enemy in unknown force between. Some four miles + out French came upon their position, two hills with a long low nek + between, from which came a brisk rifle fire supported by artillery. But + French was not only not to be stopped, but could not even be retarded. + Disregarding the Boer fire completely the cavalry swept in wave after wave + over the low nek, and so round the base of the hills. The Boer riflemen + upon the kopjes must have seen a magnificent military spectacle as + regiment after regiment, the 9th Lancers leading, all in very open order, + swept across the plain at a gallop, and so passed over the nek. A few + score horses and half as many men were left behind them, but forty or + fifty Boers were cut down in the pursuit. It appears to have been one of + the very few occasions during the campaign when that obsolete and absurd + weapon the sword was anything but a dead weight to its bearer. + </p> + <p> + And now the force had a straight run in before it, for it had outpaced any + further force of Boers which may have been advancing from the direction of + Magersfontein. The horses, which had come a hundred miles in four days + with insufficient food and water, were so done that it was no uncommon + sight to see the trooper not only walking to ease his horse, but carrying + part of his monstrous weight of saddle gear. But in spite of fatigue the + force pressed on until in the afternoon a distant view was seen, across + the reddish plain, of the brick houses and corrugated roofs of Kimberley. + The Boer besiegers cleared off in front of it, and that night (February + 15th) the relieving column camped on the plain two miles away, while + French and his staff rode in to the rescued city. + </p> + <p> + The war was a cruel one for the cavalry, who were handicapped throughout + by the nature of the country and by the tactics of the enemy. They are + certainly the branch of the service which had least opportunity for + distinction. The work of scouting and patrolling is the most dangerous + which a soldier can undertake, and yet from its very nature it can find no + chronicler. The war correspondent, like Providence, is always with the big + battalions, and there never was a campaign in which there was more + unrecorded heroism, the heroism of the picket and of the vedette which + finds its way into no newspaper paragraph. But in the larger operations of + the war it is difficult to say that cavalry, as cavalry, have justified + their existence. In the opinion of many the tendency of the future will be + to convert the whole force into mounted infantry. How little is required + to turn our troopers into excellent foot soldiers was shown at + Magersfontein, where the 12th Lancers, dismounted by the command of their + colonel, Lord Airlie, held back the threatened flank attack all the + morning. A little training in taking cover, leggings instead of boots, and + a rifle instead of a carbine would give us a formidable force of twenty + thousand men who could do all that our cavalry does, and a great deal more + besides. It is undoubtedly possible on many occasions in this war, at + Colesberg, at Diamond Hill, to say 'Here our cavalry did well.' They are + brave men on good horses, and they may be expected to do well. But the + champion of the cavalry cause must point out the occasions where the + cavalry did something which could not have been done by the same number of + equally brave and equally well-mounted infantry. Only then will the + existence of the cavalry be justified. The lesson both of the South + African and of the American civil war is that the light horseman who is + trained to fight on foot is the type of the future. + </p> + <p> + A few more words as a sequel to this short sketch of the siege and relief + of Kimberley. Considerable surprise has been expressed that the great gun + at Kamfersdam, a piece which must have weighed many tons and could not + have been moved by bullock teams at a rate of more than two or three miles + an hour, should have eluded our cavalry. It is indeed a surprising + circumstance, and yet it was due to no inertia on the part of our leaders, + but rather to one of the finest examples of Boer tenacity in the whole + course of the war. The instant that Kekewich was sure of relief he + mustered every available man and sent him out to endeavour to get the gun. + It had already been removed, and its retreat was covered by the strong + position of Dronfield, which was held both by riflemen and by light + artillery. Finding himself unable to force it, Murray, the commander of + the detachment, remained in front of it. Next morning (Friday) at three + o'clock the weary men and horses of two of French's brigades were afoot + with the same object. But still the Boers were obstinately holding on to + Dronfield, and still their position was too strong to force, and too + extended to get round with exhausted horses. It was not until the night + after that the Boers abandoned their excellent rearguard action, leaving + one light gun in the hands of the Cape Police, but having gained such a + start for their heavy one that French, who had other and more important + objects in view, could not attempt to follow it. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 19. PAARDEBERG. + </h2> + <p> + Lord Roberts's operations, prepared with admirable secrecy and carried out + with extreme energy, aimed at two different results, each of which he was + fortunate enough to attain. The first was that an overpowering force of + cavalry should ride round the Boer position and raise the siege of + Kimberley: the fate of this expedition has already been described. The + second was that the infantry, following hard on the heels of the cavalry, + and holding all that they had gained, should establish itself upon + Cronje's left flank and cut his connection with Bloemfontein. It is this + portion of the operations which has now to be described. + </p> + <p> + The infantry force which General Roberts had assembled was a very + formidable one. The Guards he had left under Methuen in front of the lines + of Magersfontein to contain the Boer force. With them he had also left + those regiments which had fought in the 9th Brigade in all Methuen's + actions. These, as will be remembered, were the 1st Northumberland + Fusiliers, the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, the 2nd Northamptons, and one + wing of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. These stayed to hold Cronje + in his position. + </p> + <p> + There remained three divisions of infantry, one of which, the ninth, was + made up on the spot. These were constituted in this way: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Sixth Division (Kelly-Kenny). + 12th Brigade (Knox). + Oxford Light Infantry. + Gloucesters (2nd). + West Riding. + Buffs. + 18th Brigade (Stephenson). + Essex. + Welsh. + Warwicks. + Yorks Seventh Division (Tucker). + 14th Brigade (Chermside). + Scots Borderers. + Lincolns. + Hampshires. + Norfolks. + 15th Brigade (Wavell). + North Staffords. + Cheshires. + S. Wales Borderers. + East Lancashires Ninth Division (Colvile). + Highland Brigade (Macdonald). + Black Watch. + Argyll and Sutherlands. + Seaforths. + Highland Light Infantry. + 19th Brigade (Smith-Dorrien). + Gordons. + Canadians. + Shropshire Light Infantry. + Cornwall Light Infantry. +</pre> + <p> + With these were two brigade divisions of artillery under General Marshall, + the first containing the 18th, 62nd, and 75th batteries (Colonel Hall), + the other the 76th, 81st, and 82nd (Colonel McDonnell). Besides these + there were a howitzer battery, a naval contingent of four 4.7 guns and + four 12-pounders under Captain Bearcroft of the 'Philomel.' The force was + soon increased by the transfer of the Guards and the arrival of more + artillery; but the numbers which started on Monday, February 12th, + amounted roughly to twenty-five thousand foot and eight thousand horse + with 98 guns—a considerable army to handle in a foodless and almost + waterless country. Seven hundred wagons drawn by eleven thousand mules and + oxen, all collected by the genius for preparation and organisation which + characterises Lord Kitchener, groaned and creaked behind the columns. + </p> + <p> + Both arms had concentrated at Ramdam, the cavalry going down by road, and + the infantry by rail as far as Belmont or Enslin. On Monday, February + 12th, the cavalry had started, and on Tuesday the infantry were pressing + hard after them. The first thing was to secure a position upon Cronje's + flank, and for that purpose the 6th Division and the 9th (Kelly-Kenny's + and Colvile's) pushed swiftly on and arrived on Thursday, February 15th, + at Klip Drift on the Modder, which had only been left by the cavalry that + same morning. It was obviously impossible to leave Jacobsdal in the hands + of the enemy on our left flank, so the 7th Division (Tucker's) turned + aside to attack the town. Wavell's brigade carried the place after a sharp + skirmish, chiefly remarkable for the fact that the City Imperial + Volunteers found themselves under fire for the first time and bore + themselves with the gallantry of the old train-bands whose descendants + they are. Our loss was two killed and twenty wounded, and we found + ourselves for the first time firmly established in one of the enemy's + towns. In the excellent German hospital were thirty or forty of our + wounded. + </p> + <p> + On the afternoon of Thursday, February 15th, our cavalry, having left Klip + Drift in the morning, were pushing hard for Kimberley. At Klip Drift was + Kelly-Kenny's 6th Division. South of Klip Drift at Wegdraai was Colvile's + 9th Division, while the 7th Division was approaching Jacobsdal. Altogether + the British forces were extended over a line of forty miles. The same + evening saw the relief of Kimberley and the taking of Jacobsdal, but it + also saw the capture of one of our convoys by the Boers, a dashing exploit + which struck us upon what was undoubtedly our vulnerable point. + </p> + <p> + It has never been cleared up whence the force of Boers came which appeared + upon our rear on that occasion. It seems to have been the same body which + had already had a skirmish with Hannay's Mounted Infantry as they went up + from Orange River to join the rendezvous at Ramdam. The balance of + evidence is that they had not come from Colesberg or any distant point, + but that they were a force under the command of Piet De Wet, the younger + of two famous brothers. Descending to Waterval Drift, the ford over the + Riet, they occupied a line of kopjes, which ought, one would have + imagined, to have been carefully guarded by us, and opened a brisk fire + from rifles and guns upon the convoy as it ascended the northern bank of + the river. Numbers of bullocks were soon shot down, and the removal of the + hundred and eighty wagons made impossible. The convoy, which contained + forage and provisions, had no guard of its own, but the drift was held by + Colonel Ridley with one company of Gordons and one hundred and fifty + mounted infantry without artillery, which certainly seems an inadequate + force to secure the most vital and vulnerable spot in the line of + communications of an army of forty thousand men. The Boers numbered at the + first some five or six hundred men, but their position was such that they + could not be attacked. On the other hand they were not strong enough to + leave their shelter in order to drive in the British guard, who, lying in + extended order between the wagons and the assailants, were keeping up a + steady and effective fire. Captain Head, of the East Lancashire Regiment, + a fine natural soldier, commanded the British firing line, and neither he + nor any of his men doubted that they could hold off the enemy for an + indefinite time. In the course of the afternoon reinforcements arrived for + the Boers, but Kitchener's Horse and a field battery came back and + restored the balance of power. In the evening the latter swayed altogether + in favour of the British, as Tucker appeared upon the scene with the whole + of the 14th Brigade; but as the question of an assault was being debated a + positive order arrived from Lord Roberts that the convoy should be + abandoned and the force return. + </p> + <p> + If Lord Roberts needed justification for this decision, the future course + of events will furnish it. One of Napoleon's maxims in war was to + concentrate all one's energies upon one thing at one time. Roberts's aim + was to outflank and possibly to capture Cronje's army. If he allowed a + brigade to be involved in a rearguard action, his whole swift-moving plan + of campaign might be dislocated. It was very annoying to lose a hundred + and eighty wagons, but it only meant a temporary inconvenience. The plan + of campaign was the essential thing. Therefore he sacrificed his convoy + and hurried his troops upon their original mission. It was with heavy + hearts and bitter words that those who had fought so long abandoned their + charge, but now at least there are probably few of them who do not agree + in the wisdom of the sacrifice. Our loss in this affair was between fifty + and sixty killed and wounded. The Boers were unable to get rid of the + stores, and they were eventually distributed among the local farmers and + recovered again as the British forces flowed over the country. Another + small disaster occurred to us on the preceding day in the loss of fifty + men of E company of Kitchener's Horse, which had been left as a guard to a + well in the desert. + </p> + <p> + But great events were coming to obscure those small checks which are + incidental to a war carried out over immense distances against a mobile + and enterprising enemy. Cronje had suddenly become aware of the net which + was closing round him. To the dark fierce man who had striven so hard to + make his line of kopjes impregnable it must have been a bitter thing to + abandon his trenches and his rifle pits. But he was crafty as well as + tenacious, and he had the Boer horror of being cut off—an hereditary + instinct from fathers who had fought on horseback against enemies on foot. + If at any time during the last ten weeks Methuen had contained him in + front with a thin line of riflemen with machine guns, and had thrown the + rest of his force on Jacobsdal and the east, he would probably have + attained the same result. Now at the rumour of English upon his flank + Cronje instantly abandoned his position and his plans, in order to restore + those communications with Bloemfontein upon which he depended for his + supplies. With furious speed he drew in his right wing, and then, one huge + mass of horsemen, guns, and wagons, he swept through the gap between the + rear of the British cavalry bound for Kimberley and the head of the + British infantry at Klip Drift. There was just room to pass, and at it he + dashed with the furious energy of a wild beast rushing from a trap. A + portion of his force with his heavy guns had gone north round Kimberley to + Warrenton; many of the Freestaters also had slipped away and returned to + their farms. The remainder, numbering about six thousand men, the majority + of whom were Transvaalers, swept through between the British forces. + </p> + <p> + This movement was carried out on the night of February 15th, and had it + been a little quicker it might have been concluded before we were aware of + it. But the lumbering wagons impeded it, and on the Friday morning, + February 16th, a huge rolling cloud of dust on the northern veld, moving + from west to east, told our outposts at Klip Drift that Cronje's army had + almost slipped through our fingers. Lord Kitchener, who was in command at + Klip Drift at the moment, instantly unleashed his mounted infantry in + direct pursuit, while Knox's brigade sped along the northern bank of the + river to cling on to the right haunch of the retreating column. Cronje's + men had made a night march of thirty miles from Magersfontein, and the + wagon bullocks were exhausted. It was impossible, without an absolute + abandonment of his guns and stores, for him to get away from his pursuers. + </p> + <p> + This was no deer which they were chasing, however, but rather a grim old + Transvaal wolf, with his teeth flashing ever over his shoulder. The sight + of those distant white-tilted wagons fired the blood of every mounted + infantryman, and sent the Oxfords, the Buffs, the West Ridings, and the + Gloucesters racing along the river bank in the glorious virile air of an + African morning. But there were kopjes ahead, sown with fierce Dopper + Boers, and those tempting wagons were only to be reached over their + bodies. The broad plain across which the English were hurrying was + suddenly swept with a storm of bullets. The long infantry line extended + yet further and lapped round the flank of the Boer position, and once more + the terrible duet of the Mauser and the Lee-Metford was sung while the + 81st field battery hurried up in time to add its deep roar to their higher + chorus. With fine judgment Cronje held on to the last moment of safety, + and then with a swift movement to the rear seized a further line two miles + off, and again snapped back at his eager pursuers. All day the grim and + weary rearguard stalled off the fiery advance of the infantry, and at + nightfall the wagons were still untaken. The pursuing force to the north + of the river was, it must be remembered, numerically inferior to the + pursued, so that in simply retarding the advance of the enemy and in + giving other British troops time to come up, Knox's brigade was doing + splendid work. Had Cronje been well advised or well informed, he would + have left his guns and wagons in the hope that by a swift dash over the + Modder he might still bring his army away in safety. He seems to have + underrated both the British numbers and the British activity. + </p> + <p> + On the night then of Friday, February 16th, Cronje lay upon the northern + bank of the Modder, with his stores and guns still intact, and no enemy in + front of him, though Knox's brigade and Hannay's Mounted Infantry were + behind. It was necessary for Cronje to cross the river in order to be on + the line for Bloemfontein. As the river tended to the north the sooner he + could cross the better. On the south side of the river, however, were + considerable British forces, and the obvious strategy was to hurry them + forward and to block every drift at which he could get over. The river + runs between very deep banks, so steep that one might almost describe them + as small cliffs, and there was no chance of a horseman, far less a wagon, + crossing at any point save those where the convenience of traffic and the + use of years had worn sloping paths down to the shallows. The British knew + exactly therefore what the places were which had to be blocked. On the use + made of the next few hours the success or failure of the whole operation + must depend. + </p> + <p> + The nearest drift to Cronje was only a mile or two distant, Klipkraal the + name; next to that the Paardeberg Drift; next to that the Wolveskraal + Drift, each about seven miles from the other. Had Cronje pushed on + instantly after the action, he might have got across at Klipkraal. But + men, horses, and bullocks were equally exhausted after a long twenty-four + hours' marching and fighting. He gave his weary soldiers some hours' rest, + and then, abandoning seventy-eight of his wagons, he pushed on before + daylight for the farthest off of the three fords (Wolveskraal Drift). + Could he reach and cross it before his enemies, he was safe. The Klipkraal + Drift had in the meanwhile been secured by the Buffs, the West Ridings, + and the Oxfordshire Light Infantry after a spirited little action which, + in the rapid rush of events, attracted less attention than it deserved. + The brunt of the fighting fell upon the Oxfords, who lost ten killed and + thirty-nine wounded. It was not a waste of life, however, for the action, + though small and hardly recorded, was really a very essential one in the + campaign. + </p> + <p> + But Lord Roberts's energy had infused itself into his divisional + commanders, his brigadiers, his colonels, and so down to the humblest + Tommy who tramped and stumbled through the darkness with a devout faith + that 'Bobs' was going to catch 'old Cronje' this time. The mounted + infantry had galloped round from the north to the south of the river, + crossing at Klip Drift and securing the southern end of Klipkraal. Thither + also came Stephenson's brigade from Kelly-Kenny's Division, while Knox, + finding in the morning that Cronje was gone, marched along the northern + bank to the same spot. As Klipkraal was safe, the mounted infantry pushed + on at once and secured the southern end of the Paardeberg Drift, whither + they were followed the same evening by Stephenson and Knox. There remained + only the Wolveskraal Drift to block, and this had already been done by as + smart a piece of work as any in the war. Wherever French has gone he has + done well, but his crowning glory was the movement from Kimberley to head + off Cronje's retreat. + </p> + <p> + The exertions which the mounted men had made in the relief of Kimberley + have been already recorded. They arrived there on Thursday with their + horses dead beat. They were afoot at three o'clock on Friday morning, and + two brigades out of three were hard at work all day in an endeavour to + capture the Dronfield position. Yet when on the same evening an order came + that French should start again instantly from Kimberley and endeavour to + head Cronje's army off, he did not plead inability, as many a commander + might, but taking every man whose horse was still fit to carry him + (something under two thousand out of a column which had been at least five + thousand strong), he started within a few hours and pushed on through the + whole night. Horses died under their riders, but still the column marched + over the shadowy veld under the brilliant stars. By happy chance or + splendid calculation they were heading straight for the one drift which + was still open to Cronje. It was a close thing. At midday on Saturday the + Boer advance guard was already near to the kopjes which command it. But + French's men, still full of fight after their march of thirty miles, threw + themselves in front and seized the position before their very eyes. The + last of the drifts was closed. If Cronje was to get across now, he must + crawl out of his trench and fight under Roberts's conditions, or he might + remain under his own conditions until Roberts's forces closed round him. + With him lay the alternative. In the meantime, still ignorant of the + forces about him, but finding himself headed off by French, he made his + way down to the river and occupied a long stretch of it between Paardeberg + Drift and Wolveskraal Drift, hoping to force his way across. This was the + situation on the night of Saturday, February 17th. + </p> + <p> + In the course of that night the British brigades, staggering with fatigue + but indomitably resolute to crush their evasive enemy, were converging + upon Paardeberg. The Highland Brigade, exhausted by a heavy march over + soft sand from Jacobsdal to Klip Drift, were nerved to fresh exertions by + the word 'Magersfontein,' which flew from lip to lip along the ranks, and + pushed on for another twelve miles to Paardeberg. Close at their heels + came Smith-Dorrien's 19th Brigade, comprising the Shropshires, the + Cornwalls, the Gordons, and the Canadians, probably the very finest + brigade in the whole army. They pushed across the river and took up their + position upon the north bank. The old wolf was now fairly surrounded. On + the west the Highlanders were south of the river, and Smith-Dorrien on the + north. On the east Kelly-Kenny's Division was to the south of the river, + and French with his cavalry and mounted infantry were to the north of it. + Never was a general in a more hopeless plight. Do what he would, there was + no possible loophole for escape. + </p> + <p> + There was only one thing which apparently should not have been done, and + that was to attack him. His position was a formidable one. Not only were + the banks of the river fringed with his riflemen under excellent cover, + but from these banks there extended on each side a number of dongas, which + made admirable natural trenches. The only possible attack from either side + must be across a level plain at least a thousand or fifteen hundred yards + in width, where our numbers would only swell our losses. It must be a bold + soldier and a far bolder civilian, who would venture to question an + operation carried out under the immediate personal direction of Lord + Kitchener; but the general consensus of opinion among critics may justify + that which might be temerity in the individual. Had Cronje not been + tightly surrounded, the action with its heavy losses might have been + justified as an attempt to hold him until his investment should be + complete. There seems, however, to be no doubt that he was already + entirely surrounded, and that, as experience proved, we had only to sit + round him to insure his surrender. It is not given to the greatest man to + have every soldierly gift equally developed, and it may be said without + offence that Lord Kitchener's cool judgment upon the actual field of + battle has not yet been proved as conclusively as his longheaded power of + organisation and his iron determination. + </p> + <p> + Putting aside the question of responsibility, what happened on the morning + of Sunday, February 18th, was that from every quarter an assault was urged + across the level plains, to the north and to the south, upon the lines of + desperate and invisible men who lay in the dongas and behind the banks of + the river. Everywhere there was a terrible monotony about the experiences + of the various regiments which learned once again the grim lessons of + Colenso and Modder River. We surely did not need to prove once more what + had already been so amply proved, that bravery can be of no avail against + concealed riflemen well entrenched, and that the more hardy is the attack + the heavier must be the repulse. Over the long circle of our attack Knox's + brigade, Stephenson's brigade, the Highland brigade, Smith-Dorrien's + brigade all fared alike. In each case there was the advance until they + were within the thousand-yard fire zone, then the resistless sleet of + bullets which compelled them to get down and to keep down. Had they even + then recognised that they were attempting the impossible, no great harm + might have been done, but with generous emulation the men of the various + regiments made little rushes, company by company, towards the river bed, + and found themselves ever exposed to a more withering fire. On the + northern bank Smith-Dorrien's brigade, and especially the Canadian + regiment, distinguished themselves by the magnificent tenacity with which + they persevered in their attack. The Cornwalls of the same brigade swept + up almost to the river bank in a charge which was the admiration of all + who saw it. If the miners of Johannesburg had given the impression that + the Cornishman is not a fighter, the record of the county regiment in the + war has for ever exploded the calumny. Men who were not fighters could + have found no place in Smith-Dorrien's brigade or in the charge of + Paardeberg. + </p> + <p> + While the infantry had been severely handled by the Boer riflemen, our + guns, the 76th, 81st, and 82nd field batteries, with the 65th howitzer + battery, had been shelling the river bed, though our artillery fire proved + as usual to have little effect against scattered and hidden riflemen. At + least, however, it distracted their attention, and made their fire upon + the exposed infantry in front of them less deadly. Now, as in Napoleon's + time, the effect of the guns is moral rather than material. About midday + French's horse-artillery guns came into action from the north. Smoke and + flames from the dongas told that some of our shells had fallen among the + wagons and their combustible stores. + </p> + <p> + The Boer line had proved itself to be unshakable on each face, but at its + ends the result of the action was to push them up, and to shorten the + stretch of the river which was held by them. On the north bank + Smith-Dorrien's brigade gained a considerable amount of ground. At the + other end of the position the Welsh, Yorkshire, and Essex regiments of + Stephenson's brigade did some splendid work, and pushed the Boers for some + distance down the river bank. A most gallant but impossible charge was + made by Colonel Hannay and a number of mounted infantry against the + northern bank. He was shot with the majority of his followers. General + Knox of the 12th Brigade and General Macdonald of the Highlanders were + among the wounded. Colonel Aldworth of the Cornwalls died at the head of + his men. A bullet struck him dead as he whooped his West Countrymen on to + the charge. Eleven hundred killed and wounded testified to the fire of our + attack and the grimness of the Boer resistance. The distribution of the + losses among the various battalions—eighty among the Canadians, + ninety in the West Riding Regiment, one hundred and twenty in the + Seaforths, ninety in the Yorkshires, seventy-six in the Argyll and + Sutherlands, ninety-six in the Black Watch, thirty-one in the + Oxfordshires, fifty-six in the Cornwalls, forty-six in the Shropshires—shows + how universal was the gallantry, and especially how well the Highland + Brigade carried itself. It is to be feared that they had to face, not only + the fire of the enemy, but also that of their own comrades on the further + side of the river. A great military authority has stated that it takes + many years for a regiment to recover its spirit and steadiness if it has + been heavily punished, and yet within two months of Magersfontein we find + the indomitable Highlanders taking without flinching the very bloodiest + share of this bloody day—and this after a march of thirty miles with + no pause before going into action. A repulse it may have been, but they + hear no name of which they may be more proud upon the victory scroll of + their colours. + </p> + <p> + What had we got in return for our eleven hundred casualties? We had + contracted the Boer position from about three miles to less than two. So + much was to the good, as the closer they lay the more effective our + artillery fire might be expected to be. But it is probable that our + shrapnel alone, without any loss of life, might have effected the same + thing. It is easy to be wise after the event, but it does certainly appear + that with our present knowledge the action at Paardeberg was as + unnecessary as it was expensive. The sun descended on Sunday, February + 18th, upon a bloody field and crowded field hospitals, but also upon an + unbroken circle of British troops still hemming in the desperate men who + lurked among the willows and mimosas which drape the brown steep banks of + the Modder. + </p> + <p> + There was evidence during the action of the presence of an active Boer + force to the south of us, probably the same well-handled and enterprising + body which had captured our convoy at Waterval. A small party of + Kitchener's Horse was surprised by this body, and thirty men with four + officers were taken prisoners. Much has been said of the superiority of + South African scouting to that of the British regulars, but it must be + confessed that a good many instances might be quoted in which the + colonials, though second to none in gallantry, have been defective in that + very quality in which they were expected to excel. + </p> + <p> + This surprise of our cavalry post had more serious consequences than can + be measured by the loss of men, for by it the Boers obtained possession of + a strong kopje called Kitchener's Hill, lying about two miles distant on + the south-east of our position. The movement was an admirable one + strategically upon their part, for it gave their beleaguered comrades a + first station on the line of their retreat. Could they only win their way + to that kopje, a rearguard action might be fought from there which would + cover the escape of at least a portion of the force. De Wet, if he was + indeed responsible for the manoeuvres of these Southern Boers, certainly + handled his small force with a discreet audacity which marks him as the + born leader which he afterwards proved himself to be. + </p> + <p> + If the position of the Boers was desperate on Sunday, it was hopeless on + Monday, for in the course of the morning Lord Roberts came up, closely + followed by the whole of Tucker's Division (7th) from Jacobsdal. Our + artillery also was strongly reinforced. The 18th, 62nd, and 75th field + batteries came up with three naval 4.7 guns and two naval 12-pounders. + Thirty-five thousand men with sixty guns were gathered round the little + Boer army. It is a poor spirit which will not applaud the supreme + resolution with which the gallant farmers held out, and award to Cronje + the title of one of the most grimly resolute leaders of whom we have any + record in modern history. + </p> + <p> + For a moment it seemed as if his courage was giving way. On Monday morning + a message was transmitted by him to Lord Kitchener asking for a + twenty-four hours' armistice. The answer was of course a curt refusal. To + this he replied that if we were so inhuman as to prevent him from burying + his dead there was nothing for him save surrender. An answer was given + that a messenger with power to treat should be sent out, but in the + interval Cronje had changed his mind, and disappeared with a snarl of + contempt into his burrows. It had become known that women and children + were in the laager, and a message was sent offering them a place of + safety, but even to this a refusal was given. The reasons for this last + decision are inconceivable. + </p> + <p> + Lord Roberts's dispositions were simple, efficacious, and above all + bloodless. Smith-Dorrien's brigade, who were winning in the Western army + something of the reputation which Hart's Irishmen had won in Natal, were + placed astride of the river to the west, with orders to push gradually up, + as occasion served, using trenches for their approach. Chermside's brigade + occupied the same position on the east. Two other divisions and the + cavalry stood round, alert and eager, like terriers round a rat-hole, + while all day the pitiless guns crashed their common shell, their + shrapnel, and their lyddite into the river-bed. Already down there, amid + slaughtered oxen and dead horses under a burning sun, a horrible pest-hole + had been formed which sent its mephitic vapours over the countryside. + Occasionally the sentries down the river saw amid the brown eddies of the + rushing water the floating body of a Boer which had been washed away from + the Golgotha above. Dark Cronje, betrayer of Potchefstroom, iron-handed + ruler of natives, reviler of the British, stern victor of Magersfontein, + at last there has come a day of reckoning for you! + </p> + <p> + On Wednesday, the 21st, the British, being now sure of their grip of + Cronje, turned upon the Boer force which had occupied the hill to the + south-east of the drift. It was clear that this force, unless driven away, + would be the vanguard of the relieving army which might be expected to + assemble from Ladysmith, Bloemfontein, Colesberg, or wherever else the + Boers could detach men. Already it was known that reinforcements who had + left Natal whenever they heard that the Free State was invaded were + drawing near. It was necessary to crush the force upon the hill before it + became too powerful. For this purpose the cavalry set forth, Broadwood + with the 10th Hussars, 12th Lancers, and two batteries going round on one + side, while French with the 9th and 16th Lancers, the Household Cavalry, + and two other batteries skirted the other. A force of Boers was met and + defeated, while the defenders of the hill were driven off with + considerable loss. In this well-managed affair the enemy lost at least a + hundred, of whom fifty were prisoners. On Friday, February 23rd, another + attempt at rescue was made from the south, but again it ended disastrously + for the Boers. A party attacked a kopje held by the Yorkshire regiment and + were blown back by a volley, upon which they made for a second kopje, + where the Buffs gave them an even rougher reception. Eighty prisoners were + marched in. Meantime hardly a night passed that some of the Boers did not + escape from their laager and give themselves up to our pickets. At the end + of the week we had taken six hundred in all. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime the cordon was being drawn ever tighter, and the fire + became heavier and more deadly, while the conditions of life in that + fearful place were such that the stench alone might have compelled + surrender. Amid the crash of tropical thunderstorms, the glare of + lightning, and the furious thrashing of rain there was no relaxation of + British vigilance. A balloon floating overhead directed the fire, which + from day to day became more furious, culminating on the 26th with the + arrival of four 5-inch howitzers. But still there came no sign from the + fierce Boer and his gallant followers. Buried deep within burrows in the + river bank the greater part of them lay safe from the shells, but the + rattle of their musketry when the outposts moved showed that the trenches + were as alert as ever. The thing could only have one end, however, and + Lord Roberts, with admirable judgment and patience, refused to hurry it at + the expense of the lives of his soldiers. + </p> + <p> + The two brigades at either end of the Boer lines had lost no chance of + pushing in, and now they had come within striking distance. On the night + of February 26th it was determined that Smith-Dorrien's men should try + their luck. The front trenches of the British were at that time seven + hundred yards from the Boer lines. They were held by the Gordons and by + the Canadians, the latter being the nearer to the river. It is worth while + entering into details as to the arrangement of the attack, as the success + of the campaign was at least accelerated by it. The orders were that the + Canadians were to advance, the Gordons to support, and the Shropshires to + take such a position on the left as would outflank any counter attack upon + the part of the Boers. The Canadians advanced in the darkness of the early + morning before the rise of the moon. The front rank held their rifles in + the left hand and each extended right hand grasped the sleeve of the man + next it. The rear rank had their rifles slung and carried spades. Nearest + the river bank were two companies (G and H.) who were followed by the 7th + company of Royal Engineers carrying picks and empty sand bags. The long + line stole through a pitchy darkness, knowing that at any instant a blaze + of fire such as flamed before the Highlanders at Magersfontein might crash + out in front of them. A hundred, two, three, four, five hundred paces were + taken. They knew that they must be close upon the trenches. If they could + only creep silently enough, they might spring upon the defenders + unannounced. On and on they stole, step by step, praying for silence. + Would the gentle shuffle of feet be heard by the men who lay within + stone-throw of them? Their hopes had begun to rise when there broke upon + the silence of the night a resonant metallic rattle, the thud of a falling + man, an empty clatter! They had walked into a line of meat-cans slung upon + a wire. By measurement it was only ninety yards from the trench. At that + instant a single rifle sounded, and the Canadians hurled themselves down + upon the ground. Their bodies had hardly touched it when from a line six + hundred yards long there came one furious glare of rifle fire, with a hiss + like water on a red-hot plate, of speeding bullets. In that terrible red + light the men as they lay and scraped desperately for cover could see the + heads of the Boers pop up and down, and the fringe of rifle barrels quiver + and gleam. How the regiment, lying helpless under this fire, escaped + destruction is extraordinary. To rush the trench in the face of such a + continuous blast of lead seemed impossible, and it was equally impossible + to remain where they were. In a short time the moon would be up, and they + would be picked off to a man. The outer companies upon the plain were + ordered to retire. Breaking up into loose order, they made their way back + with surprisingly little loss; but a strange contretemps occurred, for, + leaping suddenly into a trench held by the Gordons, they transfixed + themselves upon the bayonets of the men. A subaltern and twelve men + received bayonet thrusts—none of them fortunately of a very serious + nature. + </p> + <p> + While these events had been taking place upon the left of the line, the + right was hardly in better plight. All firing had ceased for the moment—the + Boers being evidently under the impression that the whole attack had + recoiled. Uncertain whether the front of the small party on the right of + the second line (now consisting of some sixty-five Sappers and Canadians + lying in one mingled line) was clear for firing should the Boers leave + their trenches, Captain Boileau, of the Sappers, crawled forward along the + bank of the river, and discovered Captain Stairs and ten men of the + Canadians, the survivors of the firing line, firmly ensconced in a crevice + of the river bank overlooking the laager, quite happy on being reassured + as to the proximity of support. This brought the total number of the + daring band up to seventy-five rifles. Meanwhile, the Gordons, somewhat + perplexed by the flying phantoms who had been flitting into and over their + trenches for the past few minutes, sent a messenger along the river bank + to ascertain, in their turn, if their own front was clear to fire, and if + not, what state the survivors were in. To this message Colonel Kincaid, + R.E., now in command of the remains of the assaulting party, replied that + his men would be well entrenched by daylight. The little party had been + distributed for digging as well as the darkness and their ignorance of + their exact position to the Boers would permit. Twice the sound of the + picks brought angry volleys from the darkness, but the work was never + stopped, and in the early dawn the workers found not only that they were + secure themselves, but that they were in a position to enfilade over half + a mile of Boer trenches. Before daybreak the British crouched low in their + shelter, so that with the morning light the Boers did not realise the + change which the night had wrought. It was only when a burgher was shot as + he filled his pannikin at the river that they understood how their + position was overlooked. For half an hour a brisk fire was maintained, at + the end of which time a white flag went up from the trench. Kincaid stood + up on his parapet, and a single haggard figure emerged from the Boer + warren. 'The burghers have had enough; what are they to do?' said he. As + he spoke his comrades scrambled out behind him and came walking and + running over to the British lines. It was not a moment likely to be + forgotten by the parched and grimy warriors who stood up and cheered until + the cry came crashing back to them again from the distant British camps. + No doubt Cronje had already realised that the extreme limit of his + resistance was come, but it was to that handful of Sappers and Canadians + that the credit is immediately due for that white flag which fluttered on + the morning of Majuba Day over the lines of Paardeberg. + </p> + <p> + It was six o'clock in the morning when General Pretyman rode up to Lord + Roberts's headquarters. Behind him upon a white horse was a dark-bearded + man, with the quick, restless eyes of a hunter, middle-sized, thickly + built, with grizzled hair flowing from under a tall brown felt hat. He + wore the black broadcloth of the burgher with a green summer overcoat, and + carried a small whip in his hands. His appearance was that of a + respectable London vestryman rather than of a most redoubtable soldier + with a particularly sinister career behind him. + </p> + <p> + The Generals shook hands, and it was briefly intimated to Cronje that his + surrender must be unconditional, to which, after a short silence, he + agreed. His only stipulations were personal, that his wife, his grandson, + his secretary, his adjutant, and his servant might accompany him. The same + evening he was despatched to Cape Town, receiving those honourable + attentions which were due to his valour rather than to his character. His + men, a pallid ragged crew, emerged from their holes and burrows, and + delivered up their rifles. It is pleasant to add that, with much in their + memories to exasperate them, the British privates treated their enemies + with as large-hearted a courtesy as Lord Roberts had shown to their + leader. Our total capture numbered some three thousand of the Transvaal + and eleven hundred of the Free State. That the latter were not far more + numerous was due to the fact that many had already shredded off to their + farms. Besides Cronje, Wolverans of the Transvaal, and the German + artillerist Albrecht, with forty-four other field-cornets and commandants, + fell into our hands. Six small guns were also secured. The same afternoon + saw the long column of the prisoners on its way to Modder River, there to + be entrained for Cape Town, the most singular lot of people to be seen at + that moment upon earth—ragged, patched, grotesque, some with + goloshes, some with umbrellas, coffee-pots, and Bibles, their favourite + baggage. So they passed out of their ten days of glorious history. + </p> + <p> + A visit to the laager showed that the horrible smells which had been + carried across to the British lines, and the swollen carcasses which had + swirled down the muddy river were true portents of its condition. + Strong-nerved men came back white and sick from a contemplation of the + place in which women and children had for ten days been living. From end + to end it was a festering mass of corruption, overshadowed by incredible + swarms of flies. Yet the engineer who could face evil sights and nauseous + smells was repaid by an inspection of the deep narrow trenches in which a + rifleman could crouch with the minimum danger from shells, and the caves + in which the non-combatants remained in absolute safety. Of their dead we + have no accurate knowledge, but two hundred wounded in a donga represented + their losses, not only during a bombardment of ten days, but also in that + Paardeberg engagement which had cost us eleven hundred casualties. No more + convincing example could be adduced both of the advantage of the defence + over the attack, and of the harmlessness of the fiercest shell fire if + those who are exposed to it have space and time to make preparations. + </p> + <p> + A fortnight had elapsed since Lord Roberts had launched his forces from + Ramdam, and that fortnight had wrought a complete revolution in the + campaign. It is hard to recall any instance in the history of war where a + single movement has created such a change over so many different + operations. On February 14th Kimberley was in danger of capture, a + victorious Boer army was facing Methuen, the lines of Magersfontein + appeared impregnable, Clements was being pressed at Colesberg, Gatacre was + stopped at Stormberg, Buller could not pass the Tugela, and Ladysmith was + in a perilous condition. On the 28th Kimberley had been relieved, the Boer + army was scattered or taken, the lines of Magersfontein were in our + possession, Clements found his assailants retiring before him, Gatacre was + able to advance at Stormberg, Buller had a weakening army in front of him, + and Ladysmith was on the eve of relief. And all this had been done at the + cost of a very moderate loss of life, for most of which Lord Roberts was + in no sense answerable. Here at last was a reputation so well founded that + even South African warfare could only confirm and increase it. A single + master hand had in an instant turned England's night to day, and had + brought us out of that nightmare of miscalculation and disaster which had + weighed so long upon our spirits. His was the master hand, but there were + others at his side without whom that hand might have been paralysed: + Kitchener the organiser, French the cavalry leader—to these two men, + second only to their chief, are the results of the operations due. + Henderson, the most capable head of Intelligence, and Richardson, who + under all difficulties fed the army, may each claim his share in the + success. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 20. ROBERTS'S ADVANCE ON BLOEMFONTEIN. + </h2> + <p> + The surrender of Cronje had taken place on February 27th, obliterating for + ever the triumphant memories which the Boers had for twenty years + associated with that date. A halt was necessary to provide food for the + hungry troops, and above all to enable the cavalry horses to pick up. The + supply of forage had been most inadequate, and the beasts had not yet + learned to find a living from the dry withered herbage of the veld. + [Footnote: A battery which turned out its horses to graze found that the + puzzled creatures simply galloped about the plain, and could only be + reassembled by blowing the call which they associated with feeding, when + they rushed back and waited in lines for their nosebags to be put on.] In + addition to this, they had been worked most desperately during the + fortnight which had elapsed. Lord Roberts waited therefore at Osfontein, + which is a farmhouse close to Paardeberg, until his cavalry were fit for + an advance. On March 6th he began his march for Bloemfontein. + </p> + <p> + The force which had been hovering to the south and east of him during the + Paardeberg operations had meanwhile been reinforced from Colesberg and + from Ladysmith until it had attained considerable proportions. This army, + under the leadership of De Wet, had taken up a strong position a few miles + to the east, covering a considerable range of kopjes. On March 3rd a + reconnaissance was made of it, in which some of our guns were engaged; but + it was not until three days later that the army advanced with the + intention of turning or forcing it. In the meantime reinforcements had + been arriving in the British camp, derived partly from the regiments which + had been employed at other points during these operations, and partly from + newcomers from the outer Empire. The Guards came up from Klip Drift, the + City Imperial Volunteers, the Australian Mounted Infantry, the Burmese + Mounted Infantry and a detachment of light horse from Ceylon helped to + form this strange invading army which was drawn from five continents and + yet had no alien in its ranks. + </p> + <p> + The position which the enemy had taken up at Poplars Grove (so called from + a group of poplars round a farmhouse in the centre of their position) + extended across the Modder River and was buttressed on either side by + well-marked hills, with intermittent kopjes between. With guns, trenches, + rifle pits, and barbed wire a bull-headed general might have found it + another Magersfontein. But it is only just to Lord Roberts's predecessors + in command to say that it is easy to do things with three cavalry brigades + which it is difficult to do with two regiments. The ultimate blame does + not rest with the man who failed with the two regiments, but with those + who gave him inadequate means for the work which he had to do. And in this + estimate of means our military authorities, our politicians, and our + public were all in the first instance equally mistaken. + </p> + <p> + Lord Roberts's plan was absolutely simple, and yet, had it been carried + out as conceived, absolutely effective. It was not his intention to go + near any of that entanglement of ditch and wire which had been so + carefully erected for his undoing. The weaker party, if it be wise, atones + for its weakness by entrenchments. The stronger party, if it be wise, + leaves the entrenchments alone and uses its strength to go round them. + Lord Roberts meant to go round. With his immense preponderance of men and + guns the capture or dispersal of the enemy's army might be reduced to a + certainty. Once surrounded, they must either come out into the open or + they must surrender. + </p> + <p> + On March 6th the cavalry were brought across the river, and in the early + morning of March 7th they were sent off in the darkness to sweep round the + left wing of the Boers and to establish themselves on the line of their + retreat. Kelly-Kenny's Division (6th) had orders to follow and support + this movement. Meanwhile Tucker was to push straight along the southern + bank of the river, though we may surmise that his instructions were, in + case of resistance, not to push his attack home. Colvile's 9th Division, + with part of the naval brigade, were north of the river, the latter to + shell the drifts in case the Boers tried to cross, and the infantry to + execute a turning movement which would correspond with that of the cavalry + on the other flank. + </p> + <p> + The plan of action was based, however, upon one supposition which proved + to be fallacious. It was that after having prepared so elaborate a + position the enemy would stop at least a little time to defend it. Nothing + of the sort occurred, however, and on the instant that they realised that + the cavalry was on their flank they made off. The infantry did not fire a + shot. + </p> + <p> + The result of this very decisive flight was to derange all calculations + entirely. The cavalry was not yet in its place when the Boer army streamed + off between the kopjes. One would have thought, however, that they would + have had a dash for the wagons and the guns, even if they were past them. + It is unfair to criticise a movement until one is certain as to the + positive orders which the leader may have received; but on the face of it + it is clear that the sweep of our cavalry was not wide enough, and that + they erred by edging to the left instead of to the right, so leaving the + flying enemies always to the outside of them. + </p> + <p> + As it was, however, there seemed every possibility of their getting the + guns, but De Wet very cleverly covered them by his skirmishers. Taking + possession of a farmhouse on the right flank they kept up a spirited fire + upon the 16th Lancers and upon P battery R.H.A. When at last the latter + drove them out of their shelter, they again formed upon a low kopje and + poured so galling a fire upon the right wing that the whole movement was + interrupted until we had driven this little body of fifty men from their + position. When, after a delay of an hour, the cavalry at last succeeded in + dislodging them—or possibly it may be fairer to say when, having + accomplished their purpose, they retired—the guns and wagons were + out of reach, and, what is more important, the two Presidents, both Steyn + and Kruger, who had come to stiffen the resistance of the burghers, had + escaped. + </p> + <p> + Making every allowance for the weary state of the horses, it is impossible + to say that our cavalry were handled with energy or judgment on this + occasion. That such a force of men and guns should be held off from an + object of such importance by so small a resistance reflects no credit upon + us. It would have been better to repeat the Kimberley tactics and to sweep + the regiments in extended order past the obstacle if we could not pass + over it. At the other side of that little ill-defended kopje lay a + possible termination of the war, and our crack cavalry regiments + manoeuvred for hours and let it pass out of their reach. However, as Lord + Roberts good-humouredly remarked at the end of the action, 'In war you + can't expect everything to come out right.' General French can afford to + shed one leaf from his laurel wreath. On the other hand, no words can be + too high for the gallant little band of Boers who had the courage to face + that overwhelming mass of horsemen, and to bluff them into regarding this + handful as a force fighting a serious rearguard action. When the stories + of the war are told round the fires in the lonely veld farmhouses, as they + will be for a century to come, this one deserves an honoured place. + </p> + <p> + The victory, if such a word can apply to such an action, had cost some + fifty or sixty of the cavalry killed and wounded, while it is doubtful if + the Boers lost as many. The finest military display on the British side + had been the magnificent marching of Kelly-Kenny's 6th Division, who had + gone for ten hours with hardly a halt. One 9-pound Krupp gun was the only + trophy. On the other hand, Roberts had turned them out of their strong + position, had gained twelve or fifteen miles on the road to Bloemfontein, + and for the first time shown how helpless a Boer army was in country which + gave our numbers a chance. From now onwards it was only in surprise and + ambuscade that they could hope for a success. We had learned and they had + learned that they could not stand in the open field. + </p> + <p> + The action of Poplars Grove was fought on March 7th. On the 9th the army + was again on its way, and on the 10th it attacked the new position which + the Boers had occupied at a place called Driefontein, or Abram's Kraal. + They covered a front of some seven miles in such a formation that their + wings were protected, the northern by the river and the southern by + flanking bastions of hill extending for some distance to the rear. If the + position had been defended as well as it had been chosen, the task would + have been a severe one. + </p> + <p> + Since the Modder covered the enemy's right the turning movement could only + be developed on their left, and Tucker's Division was thrown out very wide + on that side for the purpose. But in the meanwhile a contretemps had + occurred which threw out and seriously hampered the whole British line of + battle. General French was in command of the left wing, which included + Kelly-Kenny's Division, the first cavalry brigade, and Alderson's Mounted + Infantry. His orders had been to keep in touch with the centre, and to + avoid pushing his attack home. In endeavouring to carry out these + instructions French moved his men more and more to the right, until he had + really squeezed in between the Boers and Lord Roberts's central column, + and so masked the latter. The essence of the whole operation was that the + frontal attack should not be delivered until Tucker had worked round to + the rear of the position. It is for military critics to decide whether it + was that the flankers were too slow or the frontal assailants were too + fast, but it is certain that Kelly-Kenny's Division attacked before the + cavalry and the 7th Division were in their place. Kelly-Kenny was informed + that the position in front of him had been abandoned, and four regiments, + the Buffs, the Essex, the Welsh, and the Yorkshires, were advanced against + it. They were passing over the open when the crash of the Mauser fire + burst out in front of them, and the bullets hissed and thudded among the + ranks. The ordeal was a very severe one. The Yorkshires were swung round + wide upon the right, but the rest of the brigade, the Welsh Regiment + leading, made a frontal attack upon the ridge. It was done coolly and + deliberately, the men taking advantage of every possible cover. Boers + could be seen leaving their position in small bodies as the crackling, + swaying line of the British surged ever higher upon the hillside. At last, + with a cheer, the Welshmen with their Kent and Essex comrades swept over + the crest into the ranks of that cosmopolitan crew of sturdy adventurers + who are known as the Johannesburg Police. For once the loss of the defence + was greater than that of the attack. These mercenaries had not the + instinct which teaches the Boer the right instant for flight, and they + held their position too long to get away. The British had left four + hundred men on the track of that gallant advance, but the vast majority of + them were wounded—too often by those explosive or expansive missiles + which make war more hideous. Of the Boers we actually buried over a + hundred on the ridge, and their total casualties must have been + considerably in excess of ours. + </p> + <p> + The action was strategically well conceived; all that Lord Roberts could + do for complete success had been done; but tactically it was a poor + affair, considering his enormous preponderance in men and guns. There was + no glory in it, save for the four regiments who set their faces against + that sleet of lead. The artillery did not do well, and were browbeaten by + guns which they should have smothered under their fire. The cavalry cannot + be said to have done well either. And yet, when all is said, the action is + an important one, for the enemy were badly shaken by the result. The + Johannesburg Police, who had been among their corps d'elite, had been + badly mauled, and the burghers were impressed by one more example of the + impossibility of standing in anything approaching to open country against + disciplined troops, Roberts had not captured the guns, but the road had + been cleared for him to Bloemfontein and, what is more singular, to + Pretoria; for though hundreds of miles intervene between the field of + Driefontein and the Transvaal capital, he never again met a force which + was willing to look his infantry in the eyes in a pitched battle. + Surprises and skirmishes were many, but it was the last time, save only at + Doornkop, that a chosen position was ever held for an effective rifle fire—to + say nothing of the push of bayonet. + </p> + <p> + And now the army flowed swiftly onwards to the capital. The indefatigable + 6th Division, which had done march after march, one more brilliant than + another, since they had crossed the Riet River, reached Asvogel Kop on the + evening of Sunday, March 11th, the day after the battle. On Monday the + army was still pressing onwards, disregarding all else and striking + straight for the heart as Blucher struck at Paris in 1814. At midday they + halted at the farm of Gregorowski, he who had tried the Reform prisoners + after the Raid. The cavalry pushed on down Kaal Spruit, and in the evening + crossed the Southern railway line which connects Bloemfontein with the + colony, cutting it at a point some five miles from the town. In spite of + some not very strenuous opposition from a Boer force a hill was seized by + a squadron of Greys with some mounted infantry and Rimington's Guides, + aided by U battery R.H.A., and was held by them all that night. + </p> + <p> + On the same evening Major Hunter-Weston, an officer who had already + performed at least one brilliant feat in the war, was sent with Lieutenant + Charles and a handful of Mounted Sappers and Hussars to cut the line to + the north. After a difficult journey on a very dark night he reached his + object and succeeded in finding and blowing up a culvert. There is a + Victoria Cross gallantry which leads to nothing save personal decoration, + and there is another and far higher gallantry of calculation, which + springs from a cool brain as well as a hot heart, and it is from the men + who possess this rare quality that great warriors arise. Such feats as the + cutting of this railway or the subsequent saving of the Bethulie Bridge by + Grant and Popham are of more service to the country than any degree of + mere valour untempered by judgment. Among other results the cutting of the + line secured for us twenty-eight locomotives, two hundred and fifty + trucks, and one thousand tons of coal, all of which were standing ready to + leave Bloemfontein station. The gallant little band were nearly cut off on + their return, but fought their way through with the loss of two horses, + and so got back in triumph. + </p> + <p> + The action of Driefontein was fought on the 10th. The advance began on the + morning of the 11th. On the morning of the 13th the British were + practically masters of Bloemfontein. The distance is forty miles. No one + can say that Lord Roberts cannot follow a victory up as well as win it. + </p> + <p> + Some trenches had been dug and sangars erected to the north-west of the + town; but Lord Roberts, with his usual perverseness, took the wrong + turning and appeared upon the broad open plain to the south, where + resistance would have been absurd. Already Steyn and the irreconcilables + had fled from the town, and the General was met by a deputation of the + Mayor, the Landdrost, and Mr. Fraser to tender the submission of the + capital. Fraser, a sturdy clear-headed Highlander, had been the one + politician in the Free State who combined a perfect loyalty to his adopted + country with a just appreciation of what a quarrel A l'outrance with the + British Empire would mean. Had Fraser's views prevailed, the Orange Free + State would still exist as a happy and independent State. As it is, he may + help her to happiness and prosperity as the prime minister of the Orange + River Colony. + </p> + <p> + It was at half-past one on Tuesday, March 13th, that General Roberts and + his troops entered Bloemfontein, amid the acclamations of many of the + inhabitants, who, either to propitiate the victor, or as a sign of their + real sympathies, had hoisted union jacks upon their houses. Spectators + have left it upon record how from all that interminable column of + yellow-clad weary men, worn with half rations and whole-day marches, there + came never one jeer, never one taunting or exultant word, as they tramped + into the capital of their enemies. The bearing of the troops was + chivalrous in its gentleness, and not the least astonishing sight to the + inhabitants was the passing of the Guards, the dandy troops of England, + the body-servants of the great Queen. Black with sun and dust, staggering + after a march of thirty-eight miles, gaunt and haggard, with their clothes + in such a state that decency demanded that some of the men should be + discreetly packed away in the heart of the dense column, they still swung + into the town with the aspect of Kentish hop-pickers and the bearing of + heroes. She, the venerable mother, could remember the bearded ranks who + marched past her when they came with sadly thinned files back from the + Crimean winter; even those gallant men could not have endured more + sturdily, nor have served her more loyally, than these their worthy + descendants. + </p> + <p> + It was just a month after the start from Ramdam that Lord Roberts and his + army rode into the enemy's capital. Up to that period we had in Africa + Generals who were hampered for want of troops, and troops who were + hampered for want of Generals. Only when the Commander-in-Chief took over + the main army had we soldiers enough, and a man who knew how to handle + them. The result was one which has not only solved the question of the + future of South Africa, but has given an illustration of strategy which + will become classical to the military student. How brisk was the course of + events, how incessant the marching and fighting, may be shown by a brief + recapitulation. On February 13th cavalry and infantry were marching to the + utmost capacity of men and horses. On the 14th the cavalry were halted, + but the infantry were marching hard. On the 15th the cavalry covered forty + miles, fought an action, and relieved Kimberley. On the 16th the cavalry + were in pursuit of the Boer guns all day, and were off on a thirty-mile + march to the Modder at night, while the infantry were fighting Cronje's + rearguard action, and closing up all day. On the 17th the infantry were + marching hard. On the 18th was the battle of Paardeberg. From the 19th to + the 27th was incessant fighting with Cronje inside the laager and with De + Wet outside. From the 28th to March 6th was rest. On March 7th was the + action of Poplars Grove with heavy marching; on March 10th the battle of + Driefontein. On the 11th and 12th the infantry covered forty miles, and on + the 13th were in Bloemfontein. All this was accomplished by men on + half-rations, with horses which could hardly be urged beyond a walk, in a + land where water is scarce and the sun semi-tropical, each infantryman + carrying a weight of nearly forty pounds. There are few more brilliant + achievements in the history of British arms. The tactics were occasionally + faulty, and the battle of Paardeberg was a blot upon the operations; but + the strategy of the General and the spirit of the soldier were alike + admirable. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 21. STRATEGIC EFFECTS OF LORD ROBERTS'S MARCH. + </h2> + <p> + From the moment that Lord Roberts with his army advanced from Ramdam all + the other British forces in South Africa, the Colesberg force, the + Stormberg force, Brabant's force, and the Natal force, had the pressure + relieved in front of them, a tendency which increased with every fresh + success of the main body. A short chapter must be devoted to following + rapidly the fortunes of these various armies, and tracing the effect of + Lord Roberts's strategy upon their movements. They may be taken in turn + from west to east. + </p> + <p> + The force under General Clements (formerly French's) had, as has already + been told, been denuded of nearly all its cavalry and horse artillery, and + so left in the presence of a very superior body of the enemy. Under these + circumstances Clements had to withdraw his immensely extended line, and to + concentrate at Arundel, closely followed by the elated enemy. The + situation was a more critical one than has been appreciated by the public, + for if the force had been defeated the Boers would have been in a position + to cut Lord Roberts's line of communications, and the main army would have + been in the air. Much credit is due, not only to General Clements, but to + Carter of the Wiltshires, Hacket Pain of the Worcesters, Butcher of the + 4th R.F.A., the admirable Australians, and all the other good men and true + who did their best to hold the gap for the Empire. + </p> + <p> + The Boer idea of a strong attack upon this point was strategically + admirable, but tactically there was not sufficient energy in pushing home + the advance. The British wings succeeded in withdrawing, and the + concentrated force at Arundel was too strong for attack. Yet there was a + time of suspense, a time when every man had become of such importance that + even fifty Indian syces were for the first and last time in the war, to + their own supreme gratification, permitted for twenty-four hours to play + their natural part as soldiers. [Footnote: There was something piteous in + the chagrin of these fine Sikhs at being held back from their natural work + as soldiers. A deputation of them waited upon Lord Roberts at Bloemfontein + to ask, with many salaams, whether 'his children were not to see one + little fight before they returned.'] But then with the rapid strokes in + front the hour of danger passed, and the Boer advance became first a halt + and then a retreat. + </p> + <p> + On February 27th, Major Butcher, supported by the Inniskillings and + Australians, attacked Rensburg and shelled the enemy out of it. Next + morning Clements's whole force had advanced from Arundel and took up its + old position. The same afternoon it was clear that the Boers were + retiring, and the British, following them up, marched into Colesberg, + around which they had manoeuvred so long. A telegram from Steyn to De Wet + found in the town told the whole story of the retirement: 'As long as you + are able to hold the positions you are in with the men you have, do so. If + not, come here as quickly as circumstances will allow, as matters here are + taking a serious turn.' The whole force passed over the Orange River + unimpeded, and blew up the Norval's Pont railway bridge behind it. + Clements's brigade followed on March 4th, and succeeded in the course of a + week in throwing a pontoon bridge over the river and crossing into the + Orange Free State. Roberts having in the meanwhile seized Bloemfontein, + communication was restored by railway between the forces, and Clements was + despatched to Phillipolis, Fauresmith, and the other towns in the + south-west to receive the submission of the inhabitants and to enforce + their disarmament. In the meantime the Engineers worked furiously at the + restoration of the railway bridge over the Orange River, which was not, + however, accomplished until some weeks later. + </p> + <p> + During the long period which had elapsed since the repulse at Stormberg, + General Gatacre had held his own at Sterkstroom, under orders not to + attack the enemy, repulsing them easily upon the only occasion when they + ventured to attack him. Now it was his turn also to profit by the success + which Lord Roberts had won. On February 23rd he re-occupied Molteno, and + on the same day sent out a force to reconnoitre the enemy's position at + Stormberg. The incident is memorable as having been the cause of the death + of Captain de Montmorency [Footnote: De Montmorency had established a + remarkable influence over his rough followers. To the end of the war they + could not speak of him without tears in their eyes. When I asked Sergeant + Howe why his captain went almost alone up the hill, his answer was, + 'Because the captain knew no fear.' Byrne, his soldier servant (an + Omdurman V.C. like his master), galloped madly off next morning with a + saddled horse to bring back his captain alive or dead, and had to be + forcibly seized and restrained by our cavalry. ], one of the most + promising of the younger officers of the British army. He had formed a + corps of scouts, consisting originally of four men, but soon expanding to + seventy or eighty. At the head of these men he confirmed the reputation + for desperate valour which he had won in the Soudan, and added to it + proofs of the enterprise and judgment which go to make a leader of light + cavalry. In the course of the reconnaissance he ascended a small kopje + accompanied by three companions, Colonel Hoskier, a London Volunteer + soldier, Vice, a civilian, and Sergeant Howe. 'They are right on the top + of us,' he cried to his comrades, as he reached the summit, and dropped + next instant with a bullet through his heart. Hoskier was shot in five + places, and Vice was mortally wounded, only Howe escaping. The rest of the + scouts, being farther back, were able to get cover and to keep up a fight + until they were extricated by the remainder of the force. Altogether our + loss was formidable rather in quality than in quantity, for not more than + a dozen were hit, while the Boers suffered considerably from the fire of + our guns. + </p> + <p> + On March 5th General Gatacre found that the Boers were retreating in front + of him—in response, no doubt, to messages similar to those which had + already been received at Colesberg. Moving forward he occupied the + position which had confronted him so long. Thence, having spent some days + in drawing in his scattered detachments and in mending the railway, he + pushed forward on March 12th to Burghersdorp, and thence on the 13th to + Olive Siding, to the south of the Bethulie Bridge. + </p> + <p> + There are two bridges which span the broad muddy Orange River, thick with + the washings of the Basutoland mountains. One of these is the magnificent + high railway bridge, already blown to ruins by the retreating Boers. Dead + men or shattered horses do not give a more vivid impression of the + unrelenting brutality of war than the sight of a structure, so graceful + and so essential, blown into a huge heap of twisted girders and broken + piers. Half a mile to the west is the road bridge, broad and + old-fashioned. The only hope of preserving some mode of crossing the + difficult river lay in the chance that the troops might anticipate the + Boers who were about to destroy this bridge. + </p> + <p> + In this they were singularly favoured by fortune. On the arrival of a + small party of scouts and of the Cape Police under Major Nolan-Neylan at + the end of the bridge it was found that all was ready to blow it up, the + mine sunk, the detonator fixed, and the wire laid. Only the connection + between the wire and the charge had not been made. To make sure, the Boers + had also laid several boxes of dynamite under the last span, in case the + mine should fail in its effect. The advance guard of the Police, only six + in number, with Nolan-Neylan at their head, threw themselves into a + building which commanded the approaches of the bridge, and this handful of + men opened so spirited and well-aimed a fire that the Boers were unable to + approach it. As fresh scouts and policemen came up they were thrown into + the firing line, and for a whole long day they kept the destroyers from + the bridge. Had the enemy known how weak they were and how far from + supports, they could have easily destroyed them, but the game of bluff was + admirably played, and a fire kept up which held the enemy to their rifle + pits. + </p> + <p> + The Boers were in a trench commanding the bridge, and their brisk fire + made it impossible to cross. On the other hand, our rifle fire commanded + the mine and prevented any one from exploding it. But at the approach of + darkness it was certain that this would be done. The situation was saved + by the gallantry of young Popham of the Derbyshires, who crept across with + two men and removed the detonators. There still remained the dynamite + under the further span, and this also they removed, carrying it off across + the bridge under a heavy fire. The work was made absolutely complete a + little later by the exploit of Captain Grant of the Sappers, who drew the + charges from the holes in which they had been sunk, and dropped them into + the river, thus avoiding the chance that they might be exploded next + morning by shell fire. The feat of Popham and of Grant was not only most + gallant but of extraordinary service to the country; but the highest + credit belongs to Nolan-Neylan, of the Police, for the great promptitude + and galantry of his attack, and to McNeill for his support. On that road + bridge and on the pontoon bridge at Norval's Pont Lord Roberts's army was + for a whole month dependent for their supplies. + </p> + <p> + On March 15th Gatacre's force passed over into the Orange Free State, took + possession of Bethulie, and sent on the cavalry to Springfontein, which is + the junction where the railways from Cape Town and from East London meet. + Here they came in contact with two battalions of Guards under Pole-Carew, + who had been sent down by train from Lord Roberts's force in the north. + With Roberts at Bloemfontein, Gatacre at Springfontein, Clements in the + south-west, and Brabant at Aliwal, the pacification of the southern + portion of the Free State appeared to be complete. Warlike operations + seemed for the moment to be at an end, and scattered parties traversed the + country, 'bill-sticking,' as the troops called it—that is, carrying + Lord Roberts's proclamation to the lonely farmhouses and outlying + villages. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime the colonial division of that fine old African fighter, + General Brabant, had begun to play its part in the campaign. Among the + many judicious arrangements which Lord Roberts made immediately after his + arrival at the Cape was the assembling of the greater part of the + scattered colonial bands into one division, and placing over it a General + of their own, a man who had defended the cause of the Empire both in the + legislative assembly and the field. To this force was entrusted the + defence of the country lying to the east of Gatacre's position, and on + February 15th they advanced from Penhoek upon Dordrecht. Their Imperial + troops consisted of the Royal Scots and a section of the 79th R.F.A., the + Colonial of Brabant's Horse, the Kaffrarian Mounted Rifles, the Cape + Mounted Rifles and Cape Police, with Queenstown and East London + Volunteers. The force moved upon Dordrecht, and on February 18th occupied + the town after a spirited action, in which Brabant's Horse played a + distinguished part. On March 4th the division advanced once more with the + object of attacking the Boer position at Labuschagne's Nek, some miles to + the north. + </p> + <p> + Aided by the accurate fire of the 79th R.F.A., the colonials succeeded, + after a long day of desultory fighting, in driving the enemy from his + position. Leaving a garrison in Dordrecht Brabant followed up his victory + and pushed forward with two thousand men and eight guns (six of them light + 7-pounders) to occupy Jamestown, which was done without resistance. On + March 10th the colonial force approached Aliwal, the frontier town, and so + rapid was the advance of Major Henderson with Brabant's Horse that the + bridge at Aliwal was seized before the enemy could blow it up. At the + other side of the bridge there was a strong stand made by the enemy, who + had several Krupp guns in position; but the light horse, in spite of a + loss of some twenty-five men killed and wounded, held on to the heights + which command the river. A week or ten days were spent in pacifying the + large north-eastern portion of Cape Colony, to which Aliwal acts as a + centre. Barkly East, Herschel, Lady Grey, and other villages were visited + by small detachments of the colonial horsemen, who pushed forward also + into the south-eastern portion of the Free State, passing through + Rouxville, and so along the Basutoland border as far as Wepener. The + rebellion in the Colony was now absolutely dead in the north-east, while + in the north-west in the Prieska and Carnarvon districts it was only kept + alive by the fact that the distances were so great and the rebel forces so + scattered that it was very difficult for our flying columns to reach them. + Lord Kitchener had returned from Paardeberg to attend to this danger upon + our line of communications, and by his exertions all chance of its + becoming serious soon passed. With a considerable force of Yeomanry and + Cavalry he passed swiftly over the country, stamping out the smouldering + embers. + </p> + <p> + So much for the movements into the Free State of Clements, of Gatacre, and + of Brabant. It only remains to trace the not very eventful history of the + Natal campaign after the relief of Ladysmith. + </p> + <p> + General Buller made no attempt to harass the retreat of the Boers, + although in two days no fewer than two thousand wagons were counted upon + the roads to Newcastle and Dundee. The guns had been removed by train, the + railway being afterwards destroyed. Across the north of Natal lies the + chain of the Biggarsberg mountains, and to this the Transvaal Boers had + retired, while the Freestaters had hurried through the passes of the + Drakensberg in time to make the fruitless opposition to Roberts's march + upon their capital. No accurate information had come in as to the strength + of the Transvaalers, the estimates ranging from five to ten thousand, but + it was known that their position was formidable and their guns mounted in + such a way as to command the Dundee and Newcastle roads. + </p> + <p> + General Lyttelton's Division had camped as far out as Elandslaagte with + Burn Murdoch's cavalry, while Dundonald's brigade covered the space + between Burn Murdoch's western outposts and the Drakensberg passes. Few + Boers were seen, but it was known that the passes were held in some + strength. Meanwhile the line was being restored in the rear, and on March + 9th the gallant White was enabled to take train for Durban, though it was + not until ten days later that the Colenso bridge was restored. The + Ladysmith garrison had been sent down to Colenso to recruit their health. + There they were formed into a new division, the 4th, the brigades being + given to Howard and Knox, and the command to Lyttelton, who had returned + his former division, the second, to Clery. The 5th and 6th brigades were + also formed into one division, the 10th, which was placed under the + capable command of Hunter, who had confirmed in the south the reputation + which he had won in the north of Africa. In the first week of April + Hunter's Division was sent down to Durban and transferred to the western + side, where they were moved up to Kimberley, whence they advanced + northwards. The man on the horse has had in this war an immense advantage + over the man on foot, but there have been times when the man on the ship + has restored the balance. Captain Mahan might find some fresh texts in the + transference of Hunter's Division, or in the subsequent expedition to + Beira. + </p> + <p> + On April 10th the Boers descended from their mountains and woke up our + sleepy army corps by a brisk artillery fire. Our own guns silenced it, and + the troops instantly relapsed into their slumber. There was no movement + for a fortnight afterwards upon either side, save that of Sir Charles + Warren, who left the army in order to take up the governorship of British + Bechuanaland, a district which was still in a disturbed state, and in + which his presence had a peculiar significance, since he had rescued + portions of it from Boer domination in the early days of the Transvaal + Republic. Hildyard took over the command of the 5th Division. In this + state of inertia the Natal force remained until Lord Roberts, after a six + weeks' halt in Bloemfontein, necessitated by the insecurity of his railway + communication and his want of every sort of military supply, more + especially horses for his cavalry and boots for his infantry, was at last + able on May 2nd to start upon his famous march to Pretoria. Before + accompanying him, however, upon this victorious progress, it is necessary + to devote a chapter to the series of incidents and operations which had + taken place to the east and south-east of Bloemfontein during this period + of compulsory inactivity. + </p> + <p> + One incident must be recorded in this place, though it was political + rather than military. This was the interchange of notes concerning peace + between Paul Kruger and Lord Salisbury. There is an old English jingle + about 'the fault of the Dutch, giving too little and asking too much,' but + surely there was never a more singular example of it than this. The united + Presidents prepare for war for years, spring an insulting ultimatum upon + us, invade our unfortunate Colonies, solemnly annex all the portions + invaded, and then, when at last driven back, propose a peace which shall + secure for them the whole point originally at issue. It is difficult to + believe that the proposals could have been seriously meant, but more + probable that the plan may have been to strengthen the hands of the Peace + deputation who were being sent to endeavour to secure European + intervention. Could they point to a proposal from the Transvaal and a + refusal from England, it might, if not too curiously examined, excite the + sympathy of those who follow emotions rather than facts. + </p> + <p> + The documents were as follow:— + </p> + <p> + 'The Presidents of the Orange Free State and of the South African Republic + to the Marquess of Salisbury. Bloemfontein March 5th, 1900. + </p> + <p> + 'The blood and the tears of the thousands who have suffered by this war, + and the prospect of all the moral and economic ruin with which South + Africa is now threatened, make it necessary for both belligerents to ask + themselves dispassionately and as in the sight of the Triune God for what + they are fighting and whether the aim of each justifies all this appalling + misery and devastation. + </p> + <p> + 'With this object, and in view of the assertions of various British + statesmen to the effect that this war was begun and is carried on with the + set purpose of undermining Her Majesty's authority in South Africa, and of + setting up an administration over all South Africa independent of Her + Majesty's Government, we consider it our duty to solemnly declare that + this war was undertaken solely as a defensive measure to safeguard the + threatened independence of the South African Republic, and is only + continued in order to secure and safeguard the incontestable independence + of both Republics as sovereign international States, and to obtain the + assurance that those of Her Majesty's subjects who have taken part with us + in this war shall suffer no harm whatsoever in person or property. + </p> + <p> + 'On these conditions, but on these conditions alone, are we now as in the + past desirous of seeing peace re-established in South Africa, and of + putting an end to the evils now reigning over South Africa; while, if Her + Majesty's Government is determined to destroy the independence of the + Republics, there is nothing left to us and to our people but to persevere + to the end in the course already begun, in spite of the overwhelming + pre-eminence of the British Empire, conscious that that God who lighted + the inextinguishable fire of the love of freedom in our hearts and those + of our fathers will not forsake us, but will accomplish His work in us and + in our descendants. + </p> + <p> + 'We hesitated to make this declaration earlier to your Excellency as we + feared that, as long as the advantage was always on our side, and as long + as our forces held defensive positions far in Her Majesty's Colonies, such + a declaration might hurt the feelings of honour of the British people. But + now that the prestige of the British Empire may be considered to be + assured by the capture of one of our forces, and that we are thereby + forced to evacuate other positions which we had occupied, that difficulty + is over and we can no longer hesitate to inform your Government and people + in the sight of the whole civilised world why we are fighting and on what + conditions we are ready to restore peace.' + </p> + <p> + Such was the message, deep in its simplicity and cunning in its candour, + which was sent by the old President, for it is Kruger's style which we + read in every line of it. One has to get back to facts after reading it, + to the enormous war preparations of the Republics, to the unprepared state + of the British Colonies, to the ultimatum, to the annexations, to the + stirring up of rebellion, to the silence about peace in the days of + success, to the fact that by 'inextinguishable love of freedom' is meant + inextinguishable determination to hold other white men as helots—only + then can we form a just opinion of the worth of his message. One must + remember also, behind the homely and pious phraseology, that one is + dealing with a man who has been too cunning for us again and again—a + man who is as wily as the savages with whom he has treated and fought. + This Paul Kruger with the simple words of peace is the same Paul Kruger + who with gentle sayings insured the disarmament of Johannesburg, and then + instantly arrested his enemies—the man whose name was a by-word for + 'slimness' [craftiness] throughout South Africa. With such a man the best + weapon is absolute naked truth with which Lord Salisbury confronted him in + his reply:— + </p> + <p> + Foreign Office: March 11th. + </p> + <p> + 'I have the honour to acknowledge your Honours' telegram dated March 5th + from Bloemfontein, of which the purport was principally to demand that Her + Majesty's Government shall recognise the “incontestable independence” of + the South African Republic and Orange Free State as “sovereign + international States,” and to offer on those terms to bring the war to a + conclusion. + </p> + <p> + 'In the beginning of October last peace existed between Her Majesty and + the two Republics under the conventions which then were in existence. A + discussion had been proceeding for some months between Her Majesty's + Government and the South African Republic, of which the object was to + obtain redress for certain very serious grievances under which British + residents in the Republic were suffering. In the course of those + negotiations the Republic had, to the knowledge of Her Majesty's + Government, made considerable armaments, and the latter had consequently + taken steps to provide corresponding reinforcements to the British + garrisons of Cape Town and Natal. No infringement of the rights guaranteed + by the conventions had up to that time taken place on the British side. + Suddenly, at two days' notice, the South African Republic, after issuing + an insulting ultimatum, declared war, and the Orange Free State with whom + there had not even been any discussion, took a similar step. Her Majesty's + dominions were immediately invaded by the two Republics, siege was laid to + three towns within the British frontier, a large portion of the two + Colonies was overrun with great destruction to property and life, and the + Republics claimed to treat the inhabitants as if those dominions had been + annexed to one or other of them. In anticipation of these operations the + South African Republic had been accumulating for many years past military + stores upon an enormous scale, which by their character could only have + been intended for use against Great Britain. + </p> + <p> + 'Your Honours make some observations of a negative character upon the + object with which these preparations were made. I do not think it + necessary to discuss the questions which you have raised. But the result + of these preparations, carried on with great secrecy, has been that the + British Empire has been compelled to confront an invasion which has + entailed a costly war and the loss of thousands of precious lives. This + great calamity has been the penalty which Great Britain has suffered for + having in recent years acquiesced in the existence of the two Republics. + </p> + <p> + 'In view of the use to which the two Republics have put the position which + was given to them, and the calamities which their unprovoked attack has + inflicted upon Her Majesty's dominions, Her Majesty's Government can only + answer your Honours' telegram by saying that they are not prepared to + assent to the independence either of the South African Republic or of the + Orange Free State.' + </p> + <p> + With this frank and uncompromising reply the Empire, with the exception of + a small party of dupes and doctrinaires, heartily agreed. The pens were + dropped, and the Mauser and the Lee-Metford once more took up the debate. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> + <img alt="3_orange_river_colony_north (128K)" src="images/3_orange_river_colony_north.jpg" + width="100%" /><br /></div> + + <h2> + CHAPTER 22. THE HALT AT BLOEMFONTEIN. + </h2> + <p> + On March 13th Lord Roberts occupied the capital of the Orange Free State. + On May 1st, more than six weeks later, the advance was resumed. This long + delay was absolutely necessary in order to supply the place of the ten + thousand horses and mules which are said to have been used up in the + severe work of the preceding month. It was not merely that a large number + of the cavalry chargers had died or been abandoned, but it was that of + those which remained the majority were in a state which made them useless + for immediate service. How far this might have been avoided is open to + question, for it is notorious that General French's reputation as a + horsemaster does not stand so high as his fame as a cavalry leader. But + besides the horses there was urgent need of every sort of supply, from + boots to hospitals, and the only way by which they could come was by two + single-line railways which unite into one single-line railway, with the + alternative of passing over a precarious pontoon bridge at Norval's Pont, + or truck by truck over the road bridge at Bethulie. To support an army of + fifty thousand men under these circumstances, eight hundred miles from a + base, is no light matter, and a premature advance which could not be + thrust home would be the greatest of misfortunes. The public at home and + the army in Africa became restless under the inaction, but it was one more + example of the absolute soundness of Lord Roberts's judgment and the quiet + resolution with which he adheres to it. He issued a proclamation to the + inhabitants of the Free State promising protection to all who should bring + in their arms and settle down upon their farms. The most stringent orders + were issued against looting or personal violence, but nothing could exceed + the gentleness and good humour of the troops. Indeed there seemed more + need for an order which should protect them against the extortion of their + conquered enemies. It is strange to think that we are separated by only + ninety years from the savage soldiery of Badajoz and San Sebastian. + </p> + <p> + The streets of the little Dutch town formed during this interval a curious + object-lesson in the resources of the Empire. All the scattered + Anglo-Celtic races had sent their best blood to fight for the common + cause. Peace is the great solvent, as war is the powerful unifier. For the + British as for the German Empire much virtue had come from the stress and + strain of battle. To stand in the market square of Bloemfontein and to see + the warrior types around you was to be assured of the future of the race. + The middle-sized, square-set, weather-tanned, straw-bearded British + regulars crowded the footpaths. There also one might see the hard-faced + Canadians, the loose-limbed dashing Australians, fireblooded and keen, the + dark New Zealanders, with a Maori touch here and there in their features, + the gallant men of Tasmania, the gentlemen troopers of India and Ceylon, + and everywhere the wild South African irregulars with their bandoliers and + unkempt wiry horses, Rimington's men with the racoon bands, Roberts's + Horse with the black plumes, some with pink puggarees, some with birdseye, + but all of the same type, hard, rugged, and alert. The man who could look + at these splendid soldiers, and, remembering the sacrifices of time, + money, and comfort which most of them had made before they found + themselves fighting in the heart of Africa, doubt that the spirit of the + race burned now as brightly as ever, must be devoid of judgment and + sympathy. The real glories of the British race lie in the future, not in + the past. The Empire walks, and may still walk, with an uncertain step, + but with every year its tread will be firmer, for its weakness is that of + waxing youth and not of waning age. + </p> + <p> + The greatest misfortune of the campaign, one which it was obviously + impolitic to insist upon at the time, began with the occupation of + Bloemfontein. This was the great outbreak of enteric among the troops. For + more than two months the hospitals were choked with sick. One general + hospital with five hundred beds held seventeen hundred sick, nearly all + enterics. A half field hospital with fifty beds held three hundred and + seventy cases. The total number of cases could not have been less than six + or seven thousand—and this not of an evanescent and easily treated + complaint, but of the most persistent and debilitating of continued + fevers, the one too which requires the most assiduous attention and + careful nursing. How great was the strain only those who had to meet it + can tell. The exertions of the military hospitals and of those others + which were fitted out by private benevolence sufficed, after a long + struggle, to meet the crisis. At Bloemfontein alone, as many as fifty men + died in one day, and more than 1000 new graves in the cemetery testify to + the severity of the epidemic. No men in the campaign served their country + more truly than the officers and men of the medical service, nor can any + one who went through the epidemic forget the bravery and unselfishness of + those admirable nursing sisters who set the men around them a higher + standard of devotion to duty. + </p> + <p> + Enteric fever is always endemic in the country, and especially at + Bloemfontein, but there can be no doubt that this severe outbreak had its + origin in the Paardeberg water. All through the campaign, while the + machinery for curing disease was excellent, that for preventing it was + elementary or absent. If bad water can cost us more than all the bullets + of the enemy, then surely it is worth our while to make the drinking of + unboiled water a stringent military offence, and to attach to every + company and squadron the most rapid and efficient means for boiling it—for + filtering alone is useless. An incessant trouble it would be, but it would + have saved a division for the army. It is heartrending for the medical man + who has emerged from a hospital full of water-born pestilence to see a + regimental watercart being filled, without protest, at some polluted + wayside pool. With precautions and with inoculation all those lives might + have been saved. The fever died down with the advance of the troops and + the coming of the colder weather. + </p> + <p> + To return to the military operations: these, although they were stagnant + so far as the main army was concerned, were exceedingly and inconveniently + active in other quarters. Three small actions, two of which were + disastrous to our arms, and one successful defence marked the period of + the pause at Bloemfontein. + </p> + <p> + To the north of the town, some twelve miles distant lies the ubiquitous + Modder River, which is crossed by a railway bridge at a place named Glen. + The saving of the bridge was of considerable importance, and might by the + universal testimony of the farmers of that district have been effected any + time within the first few days of our occupation. We appear, however, to + have imperfectly appreciated how great was the demoralisation of the + Boers. In a week or so they took heart, returned, and blew up the bridge. + Roving parties of the enemy, composed mainly of the redoubtable + Johannesburg police, reappeared even to the south of the river. Young + Lygon was killed, and Colonels Crabbe and Codrington with Captain Trotter, + all of the Guards, were severely wounded by such a body, whom they + gallantly but injudiciously attempted to arrest when armed only with + revolvers. + </p> + <p> + These wandering patrols who kept the country unsettled, and harassed the + farmers who had taken advantage of Lord Roberts's proclamation, were found + to have their centre at a point some six miles to the north of Glen, named + Karee. At Karee a formidable line of hills cut the British advance, and + these had been occupied by a strong body of the enemy with guns. Lord + Roberts determined to drive them off, and on March 28th Tucker's 7th + Division, consisting of Chermside's brigade (Lincolns, Norfolks, + Hampshires, and Scottish Borderers), and Wavell's brigade (Cheshires, East + Lancashires, North Staffords, and South Wales Borderers), were assembled + at Glen. The artillery consisted of the veteran 18th, 62nd, and 75th + R.F.A. Three attenuated cavalry brigades with some mounted infantry + completed the force. + </p> + <p> + The movement was to be upon the old model, and in result it proved to be + only too truly so. French's cavalry were to get round one flank, Le + Gallais's mounted infantry round the other, and Tucker's Division to + attack in front. Nothing could be more perfect in theory and nothing + apparently more defective in practice. Since on this as on other occasions + the mere fact that the cavalry were demonstrating in the rear caused the + complete abandonment of the position, it is difficult to see what the + object of the infantry attack could be. The ground was irregular and + unexplored, and it was late before the horsemen on their weary steeds + found themselves behind the flank of the enemy. Some of them, Le Gallais's + mounted infantry and Davidson's guns, had come from Bloemfontein during + the night, and the horses were exhausted by the long march, and by the + absurd weight which the British troop-horse is asked to carry. Tucker + advanced his infantry exactly as Kelly-Kenny had done at Driefontein, and + with a precisely similar result. The eight regiments going forward in + echelon of battalions imagined from the silence of the enemy that the + position had been abandoned. They were undeceived by a cruel fire which + beat upon two companies of the Scottish Borderers from a range of two + hundred yards. They were driven back, but reformed in a donga. About + half-past two a Boer gun burst shrapnel over the Lincolnshires and + Scottish Borderers with some effect, for a single shell killed five of the + latter regiment. Chermside's brigade was now all involved in the fight, + and Wavell's came up in support, but the ground was too open and the + position too strong to push the attack home. Fortunately, about four + o'clock, the horse batteries with French began to make their presence felt + from behind, and the Boers instantly quitted their position and made off + through the broad gap which still remained between French and Le Gallais. + The Brandfort plain appears to be ideal ground for cavalry, but in spite + of that the enemy with his guns got safely away. The loss of the infantry + amounted to one hundred and sixty killed and wounded, the larger share of + the casualties and of the honour falling to the Scottish Borderers and the + East Lancashires. The infantry was not well handled, the cavalry was slow, + and the guns were inefficient—altogether an inglorious day. Yet + strategically it was of importance, for the ridge captured was the last + before one came to the great plain which stretched, with a few + intermissions, to the north. From March 29th until May 2nd Karee remained + the advanced post. + </p> + <p> + In the meanwhile there had been a series of operations in the east which + had ended in a serious disaster. Immediately after the occupation of + Bloemfontein (on March 18th) Lord Roberts despatched to the east a small + column consisting of the 10th Hussars, the composite regiment, two + batteries (Q and U) of the Horse Artillery, some mounted infantry, + Roberts's Horse, and Rimington's Guides. On the eastern horizon forty + miles from the capital, but in that clear atmosphere looking only half the + distance, there stands the impressive mountain named Thabanchu (the black + mountain). To all Boers it is an historical spot, for it was at its base + that the wagons of the Voortrekkers, coming by devious ways from various + parts, assembled. On the further side of Thabanchu, to the north and east + of it, lies the richest grain-growing portion of the Free State, the + centre of which is Ladybrand. The forty miles which intervene between + Bloemfontein and Thabanchu are intersected midway by the Modder River. At + this point are the waterworks, erected recently with modern machinery, to + take the place of the insanitary wells on which the town had been + dependent. The force met with no resistance, and the small town of + Thabanchu was occupied. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Pilcher, the leader of the Douglas raid, was inclined to explore a + little further, and with three squadrons of mounted men he rode on to the + eastward. Two commandos, supposed to be Grobler's and Olivier's, were seen + by them, moving on a line which suggested that they were going to join + Steyn, who was known to be rallying his forces at Kroonstad, his new seat + of government in the north of the Free State. Pilcher, with great daring, + pushed onwards until with his little band on their tired horses he found + himself in Ladybrand, thirty miles from his nearest supports. Entering the + town he seized the landdrost and the field-cornet, but found that strong + bodies of the enemy were moving upon him and that it was impossible for + him to hold the place. He retired, therefore, holding grimly on to his + prisoners, and got back with small loss to the place from which he + started. It was a dashing piece of bluff, and, when taken with the Douglas + exploit, leads one to hope that Pilcher may have a chance of showing what + he can do with larger means at his disposal. Finding that the enemy was + following him in force, he pushed on the same night for Thabanchu. His + horsemen must have covered between fifty and sixty miles in the + twenty-four hours. + </p> + <p> + Apparently the effect of Pilcher's exploit was to halt the march of those + commandos which had been seen trekking to the north-west, and to cause + them to swing round upon Thabanchu. Broadwood, a young cavalry commander + who had won a name in Egypt, considered that his position was + unnecessarily exposed and fell back upon Bloemfontein. He halted on the + first night near the waterworks, halfway upon his journey. + </p> + <p> + The Boers are great masters in the ambuscade. Never has any race shown + such aptitude for this form of warfare—a legacy from a long + succession of contests with cunning savages. But never also have they done + anything so clever and so audacious as De Wet's dispositions in this + action. One cannot go over the ground without being amazed at the + ingenuity of their attack, and also at the luck which favoured them, for + the trap which they had laid for others might easily have proved an + absolutely fatal one for themselves. + </p> + <p> + The position beside the Modder at which the British camped had numerous + broken hills to the north and east of it. A force of Boers, supposed to + number about two thousand men, came down in the night, bringing with them + several heavy guns, and with the early morning opened a brisk fire upon + the camp. The surprise was complete. But the refinement of the Boer + tactics lay in the fact that they had a surprise within a surprise—and + it was the second which was the more deadly. + </p> + <p> + The force which Broadwood had with him consisted of the 10th Hussars and + the composite regiment, Rimington's Scouts, Roberts's Horse, the New + Zealand and Burmah Mounted Infantry, with Q and U batteries of Horse + Artillery. With such a force, consisting entirely of mounted men, he could + not storm the hills upon which the Boer guns were placed, and his + twelve-pounders were unable to reach the heavier cannon of the enemy. His + best game was obviously to continue his march to Bloemfontein. He sent on + the considerable convoy of wagons and the guns, while he with the cavalry + covered the rear, upon which the long-range pieces of the enemy kept up + the usual well-directed but harmless fire. + </p> + <p> + Broadwood's retreating column now found itself on a huge plain which + stretches all the way to Bloemfontein, broken only by two hills, both of + which were known to be in our possession. The plain was one which was + continually traversed from end to end by our troops and convoys, so that + once out upon its surface all danger seemed at an end. Broadwood had + additional reasons for feeling secure, for he knew that, in answer to his + own wise request, Colvile's Division had been sent out before daybreak + that morning from Bloemfontein to meet him. In a very few miles their + vanguard and his must come together. There were obviously no Boers upon + the plain, but if there were they would find themselves between two fires. + He gave no thought to his front therefore, but rode behind, where the Boer + guns were roaring, and whence the Boer riflemen might ride. + </p> + <p> + But in spite of the obvious there WERE Boers upon the plain, so placed + that they must either bring off a remarkable surprise or be themselves cut + off to a man. Across the veld, some miles from the waterworks, there runs + a deep donga or watercourse—one of many, but the largest. It cuts + the rough road at right angles. Its depth and breadth are such that a + wagon would dip down the incline, and disappear for about two minutes + before it would become visible again at the crown of the other side. In + appearance it was a huge curving ditch with a stagnant stream at the + bottom. The sloping sides of the ditch were fringed with Boers, who had + ridden thither before dawn and were now waiting for the unsuspecting + column. There were not more than three hundred of them, and four times + their number were approaching; but no odds can represent the difference + between the concealed man with the magazine rifle and the man upon the + plain. + </p> + <p> + There were two dangers, however, which the Boers ran, and, skilful as + their dispositions were, their luck was equally great, for the risks were + enormous. One was that a force coming the other way (Colvile's was only a + few miles off) would arrive, and that they would be ground between the + upper and the lower millstone. The other was that for once the British + scouts might give the alarm and that Broadwood's mounted men would wheel + swiftly to right and left and secure the ends of the long donga. Should + that happen, not a man of them could possibly escape. But they took their + chances like brave men, and fortune was their friend. The wagons came on + without any scouts. Behind them was U battery, then Q, with Roberts's + Horse abreast of them and the rest of the cavalry behind. + </p> + <p> + As the wagons, occupied for the most part only by unarmed sick soldiers + and black transport drivers, came down into the drift, the Boers quickly + but quietly took possession of them, and drove them on up the further + slope. Thus the troops behind saw their wagons dip down, reappear, and + continue on their course. The idea of an ambush could not suggest itself. + Only one thing could avert an absolute catastrophe, and that was the + appearance of a hero who would accept certain death in order to warn his + comrades. Such a man rode by the wagons—though, unhappily, in the + stress and rush of the moment there is no certainty as to his name or + rank. We only know that one was found brave enough to fire his revolver in + the face of certain death. The outburst of firing which answered his shot + was the sequel which saved the column. Not often is it given to a man to + die so choice a death as that of this nameless soldier. + </p> + <p> + But the detachment was already so placed that nothing could save it from + heavy loss. The wagons had all passed but nine, and the leading battery of + artillery was at the very edge of the donga. Nothing is so helpless as a + limbered-up battery. In an instant the teams were shot down and the + gunners were made prisoners. A terrific fire burst at the same instant + upon Roberts's Horse, who were abreast of the guns. 'Files a bout! + gallop!' yelled Colonel Dawson, and by his exertions and those of Major + Pack-Beresford the corps was extricated and reformed some hundreds of + yards further off. But the loss of horses and men was heavy. Major + Pack-Beresford and other officers were shot down, and every unhorsed man + remained necessarily as a prisoner under the very muzzles of the riflemen + in the donga. + </p> + <p> + As Roberts's Horse turned and galloped for dear life across the flat, four + out of the six guns [Footnote: Of the other two one overturned and could + not be righted, the other had the wheelers shot and could not be + extricated from the tumult. It was officially stated that the guns of Q + battery were halted a thousand yards off the donga, but my impression was, + from examining the ground, that it was not more than six hundred.] of Q + battery and one gun (the rearmost) of U battery swung round and dashed + frantically for a place of safety. At the same instant every Boer along + the line of the donga sprang up and emptied his magazine into the mass of + rushing, shouting soldiers, plunging horses, and screaming Kaffirs. It was + for a few moments a sauve-qui-peut. Serjeant-Major Martin of U, with a + single driver on a wheeler, got away the last gun of his battery. The four + guns which were extricated of Q, under Major Phipps-Hornby, whirled across + the plain, pulled up, unlimbered, and opened a brisk fire of shrapnel from + about a thousand yards upon the donga. Had the battery gone on for double + the distance, its action would have been more effective, for it would have + been under a less deadly rifle fire, but in any case its sudden change + from flight to discipline and order steadied the whole force. Roberts's + men sprang from their horses, and with the Burmese and New Zealanders + flung themselves down in a skirmish line. The cavalry moved to the left to + find some drift by which the donga could be passed, and out of chaos there + came in a few minutes calm and a settled purpose. + </p> + <p> + It was for Q battery to cover the retreat of the force, and most nobly it + did it. A fortnight later a pile of horses, visible many hundreds of yards + off across the plain, showed where the guns had stood. It was the Colenso + of the horse gunners. In a devilish sleet of lead they stood to their + work, loading and firing while a man was left. Some of the guns were left + with two men to work them, one was loaded and fired by a single officer. + When at last the order for retirement came, only ten men, several of them + wounded, were left upon their feet. With scratch teams from the limbers, + driven by single gunners, the twelve-pounders staggered out of action, and + the skirmish line of mounted infantry sprang to their feet amid the hail + of bullets to cheer them as they passed. + </p> + <p> + It was no slight task to extricate that sorely stricken force from the + close contact of an exultant enemy, and to lead it across that terrible + donga. Yet, thanks to the coolness of Broadwood and the steadiness of his + rearguard, the thing was done. A practicable passage had been found two + miles to the south by Captain Chester-Master of Rimington's. This corps, + with Roberts's, the New Zealanders, and the 3rd Mounted Infantry, covered + the withdrawal in turn. It was one of those actions in which the horseman + who is trained to fight upon foot did very much better than the regular + cavalry. In two hours' time the drift had been passed and the survivors of + the force found themselves in safety. + </p> + <p> + The losses in this disastrous but not dishonourable engagement were + severe. About thirty officers and five hundred men were killed, wounded, + or missing. The prisoners came to more than three hundred. They lost a + hundred wagons, a considerable quantity of stores, and seven + twelve-pounder guns—five from U battery and two from Q. Of U battery + only Major Taylor and Sergeant-Major Martin seem to have escaped, the rest + being captured en bloc. Of Q battery nearly every man was killed or + wounded. Roberts's Horse, the New Zealanders, and the mounted infantry + were the other corps which suffered most heavily. Among many brave men who + died, none was a greater loss to the service than Major Booth of the + Northumberland Fusiliers, serving in the mounted infantry. With four + comrades he held a position to cover the retreat, and refused to leave it. + Such men are inspired by the traditions of the past, and pass on the story + of their own deaths to inspire fresh heroes in the future. + </p> + <p> + Broadwood, the instant that he had disentangled himself, faced about, and + brought his guns into action. He was not strong enough, however, nor were + his men in a condition, to seriously attack the enemy. Martyr's mounted + infantry had come up, led by the Queenslanders, and at the cost of some + loss to themselves helped to extricate the disordered force. Colvile's + Division was behind Bushman's Kop, only a few miles off, and there were + hopes that it might push on and prevent the guns and wagons from being + removed. Colvile did make an advance, but slowly and in a flanking + direction instead of dashing swiftly forward to retrieve the situation. It + must be acknowledged, however, that the problem which faced this General + was one of great difficulty. It was almost certain that before he could + throw his men into the action the captured guns would be beyond his reach, + and it was possible that he might swell the disaster. With all charity, + however, one cannot but feel that his return next morning, after a + reinforcement during the night, without any attempt to force the Boer + position, was lacking in enterprise. [Footnote: It may be urged in General + Colvile's defence that his division had already done a long march from + Bloemfontein. A division, however, which contains two such brigades as + Macdonald's and Smith-Dorrien's may safely be called upon for any + exertions. The gunner officers in Colvile's division heard their comrades' + guns in 'section—fire' and knew it to be the sign of a desperate + situation.] The victory left the Boers in possession of the waterworks, + and Bloemfontein had to fall back upon her wells—a change which + reacted most disastrously upon the enteric which was already decimating + the troops. + </p> + <p> + The effect of the Sanna's Post defeat was increased by the fact that only + four days later (on April 4th) a second even more deplorable disaster + befell our troops. This was the surrender of five companies of infantry, + two of them mounted, at Reddersberg. So many surrenders of small bodies of + troops had occurred during the course of the war that the public, + remembering how seldom the word 'surrender' had ever been heard in our + endless succession of European wars, had become very restive upon the + subject, and were sometimes inclined to question whether this new and + humiliating fact did not imply some deterioration of our spirit. The fear + was natural, and yet nothing could be more unjust to this the most + splendid army which has ever marched under the red-crossed flag. The fact + was new because the conditions were new, and it was inherent in those + conditions. In that country of huge distances small bodies must be + detached, for the amount of space covered by the large bodies was not + sufficient for all military purposes. In reconnoitring, in distributing + proclamations, in collecting arms, in overawing outlying districts, weak + columns must be used. Very often these columns must contain infantry + soldiers, as the demands upon the cavalry were excessive. Such bodies, + moving through a hilly country with which they were unfamiliar, were + always liable to be surrounded by a mobile enemy. Once surrounded the + length of their resistance was limited by three things: their cartridges, + their water, and their food. When they had all three, as at Wepener or + Mafeking, they could hold out indefinitely. When one or other was wanting, + as at Reddersberg or Nicholson's Nek, their position was impossible. They + could not break away, for how can men on foot break away from horsemen? + Hence those repeated humiliations, which did little or nothing to impede + the course of the war, and which were really to be accepted as one of the + inevitable prices which we had to pay for the conditions under which the + war was fought. Numbers, discipline, and resources were with us. Mobility, + distances, nature of the country, insecurity of supplies, were with them. + We need not take it to heart therefore if it happened, with all these + forces acting against them, that our soldiers found themselves sometimes + in a position whence neither wisdom nor valour could rescue them. To + travel through that country, fashioned above all others for defensive + warfare, with trench and fort of superhuman size and strength, barring + every path, one marvels how it was that such incidents were not more + frequent and more serious. It is deplorable that the white flag should + ever have waved over a company of British troops, but the man who is + censorious upon the subject has never travelled in South Africa. + </p> + <p> + In the disaster at Reddersberg three of the companies were of the Irish + Rifles, and two of the 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers—the same + unfortunate regiments which had already been cut up at Stormberg. They had + been detached from Gatacre's 3rd Division, the headquarters of which was + at Springfontein. On the abandonment of Thabanchu and the disaster of + Sanna's Post, it was obvious that we should draw in our detached parties + to the east; so the five companies were ordered to leave Dewetsdorp, which + they were garrisoning, and to get back to the railway line. Either the + order was issued too late, or they were too slow in obeying it, for they + were only halfway upon their journey, near the town of Reddersberg, when + the enemy came down upon them with five guns. Without artillery they were + powerless, but, having seized a kopje, they took such shelter as they + could find, and waited in the hope of succour. Their assailants seem to + have been detached from De Wet's force in the north, and contained among + them many of the victors of Sanna's Post. The attack began at 11 A.M. of + April 3rd, and all day the men lay among the stones, subjected to the pelt + of shell and bullet. The cover was good, however, and the casualties were + not heavy. The total losses were under fifty killed and wounded. More + serious than the enemy's fire was the absence of water, save a very + limited supply in a cart. A message was passed through of the dire straits + in which they found themselves, and by the late afternoon the news had + reached headquarters. Lord Roberts instantly despatched the Camerons, just + arrived from Egypt, to Bethany, which is the nearest point upon the line, + and telegraphed to Gatacre at Springfontein to take measures to save his + compromised detachment. The telegram should have reached Gatacre early on + the evening of the 3rd, and he had collected a force of fifteen hundred + men, entrained it, journeyed forty miles up the line, detrained it, and + reached Reddersberg, which is ten or twelve miles from the line, by 10.30 + next morning. Already, however, it was too late, and the besieged force, + unable to face a second day without water under that burning sun, had laid + down their arms. No doubt the stress of thirst was dreadful, and yet one + cannot say that the defence rose to the highest point of resolution. + Knowing that help could not be far off, the garrison should have held on + while they could lift a rifle. If the ammunition was running low, it was + bad management which caused it to be shot away too fast. Captain + McWhinnie, who was in command, behaved with the utmost personal gallantry. + Not only the troops but General Gatacre also was involved in the disaster. + Blame may have attached to him for leaving a detachment at Dewetsdorp, and + not having a supporting body at Reddersberg upon which it might fall back; + but it must be remembered that his total force was small and that he had + to cover a long stretch of the lines of communication. As to General + Gatacre's energy and gallantry it is a by-word in the army; but coming + after the Stormberg disaster this fresh mishap to his force made the + continuance of his command impossible. Much sympathy was felt with him in + the army, where he was universally liked and respected by officers and + men. He returned to England, and his division was taken over by General + Chermside. + </p> + <p> + In a single week, at a time when the back of the war had seemed to be + broken, we had lost nearly twelve hundred men with seven guns. The men of + the Free State—for the fighting was mainly done by commandos from + the Ladybrand, Winburg, Bethlehem, and Harrismith districts—deserve + great credit for this fine effort, and their leader De Wet confirmed the + reputation which he had already gained as a dashing and indefatigable + leader. His force was so weak that when Lord Roberts was able to really + direct his own against it, he brushed it away before him; but the manner + in which De Wet took advantage of Roberts's enforced immobility, and dared + to get behind so mighty an enemy, was a fine exhibition of courage and + enterprise. The public at home chafed at this sudden and unexpected turn + of affairs; but the General, constant to his own fixed purpose, did not + permit his strength to be wasted, and his cavalry to be again + disorganised, by flying excursions, but waited grimly until he should be + strong enough to strike straight at Pretoria. + </p> + <p> + In this short period of depression there came one gleam of light from the + west. This was the capture of a commando of sixty Boers, or rather of + sixty foreigners fighting for the Boers, and the death of the gallant + Frenchman, De Villebois-Mareuil, who appears to have had the ambition of + playing Lafayette in South Africa to Kruger's Washington. From the time + that Kimberley had been reoccupied the British had been accumulating their + force there so as to make a strong movement which should coincide with + that of Roberts from Bloemfontein. Hunter's Division from Natal was being + moved round to Kimberley, and Methuen already commanded a considerable + body of troops, which included a number of the newly arrived Imperial + Yeomanry. With these Methuen pacified the surrounding country, and + extended his outposts to Barkly West on the one side, to Boshof on the + other, and to Warrenton upon the Vaal River in the centre. On April 4th + news reached Boshof that a Boer commando had been seen some ten miles to + the east of the town, and a force, consisting of Yeomanry, Kimberley Light + Horse, and half of Butcher's veteran 4th battery, was sent to attack them. + They were found to have taken up their position upon a kopje which, + contrary to all Boer custom, had no other kopjes to support it. French + generalship was certainly not so astute as Boer cunning. The kopje was + instantly surrounded, and the small force upon the summit being without + artillery in the face of our guns found itself in exactly the same + position which our men had been in twenty-four hours before at + Reddersberg. Again was shown the advantage which the mounted rifleman has + over the cavalry, for the Yeomanry and Light Horsemen left their horses + and ascended the hill with the bayonet. In three hours all was over and + the Boers had laid down their arms. Villebois was shot with seven of his + companions, and there were nearly sixty prisoners. It speaks well for the + skirmishing of the Yeomanry and the way in which they were handled by Lord + Chesham that though they worked their way up the hill under fire they only + lost four killed and a few wounded. The affair was a small one, but it was + complete, and it came at a time when a success was very welcome. One + bustling week had seen the expensive victory of Karee, the disasters of + Sanna's Post and Reddersberg, and the successful skirmish of Boshof. + Another chapter must be devoted to the movement towards the south of the + Boer forces and the dispositions which Lord Roberts made to meet it. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 23. THE CLEARING OF THE SOUTH-EAST. + </h2> + <p> + Lord Roberts never showed his self-command and fixed purpose more clearly + than during his six weeks' halt at Bloemfontein. De Wet, the most + enterprising and aggressive of the Boer commanders, was attacking his + eastern posts and menacing his line of communications. A fussy or nervous + general would have harassed his men and worn out his horses by + endeavouring to pursue a number of will-of-the-wisp commandos. Roberts + contented himself by building up his strength at the capital, and by + spreading nearly twenty thousand men along his line of rail from + Bloemfontein to Bethulie. When the time came he would strike, but until + then he rested. His army was not only being rehorsed and reshod, but in + some respects was being reorganised. One powerful weapon which was forged + during those weeks was the collection of the mounted infantry of the + central army into one division, which was placed under the command of Ian + Hamilton, with Hutton and Ridley as brigadiers. Hutton's brigade contained + the Canadians, New South Wales men, West Australians, Queenslanders, New + Zealanders, Victorians, South Australians, and Tasmanians, with four + battalions of Imperial Mounted Infantry, and several light batteries. + Ridley's brigade contained the South African irregular regiments of + cavalry, with some imperial troops. The strength of the whole division + came to over ten thousand rifles, and in its ranks there rode the hardiest + and best from every corner of the earth over which the old flag is flying. + </p> + <p> + A word as to the general distribution of the troops at this instant while + Roberts was gathering himself for his spring. Eleven divisions of infantry + were in the field. Of these the 1st (Methuen's) and half the 10th + (Hunter's) were at Kimberley, forming really the hundred-mile-distant left + wing of Lord Roberts's army. On that side also was a considerable force of + Yeomanry, as General Villebois discovered. In the centre with Roberts was + the 6th division (Kelly-Kenny's) at Bloemfontein, the 7th (Tucker's) at + Karee, twenty miles north, the 9th (Colvile's) and the 11th (Pole-Carew's) + near Bloemfontein. French's cavalry division was also in the centre. As + one descended the line towards the Cape one came on the 3rd division + (Chermside's, late Gatacre's), which had now moved up to Reddersberg, and + then, further south, the 8th (Rundle's), near Rouxville. To the south and + east was the other half of Hunter's division (Hart's brigade), and + Brabant's Colonial division, half of which was shut up in Wepener and the + rest at Aliwal. These were the troops operating in the Free State, with + the addition of the division of mounted infantry in process of formation. + </p> + <p> + There remained the three divisions in Natal, the 2nd (Clery's), the 4th + (Lyttelton's), and the 5th (Hildyard's, late Warren's), with the cavalry + brigades of Burn-Murdoch, Dundonald, and Brocklehurst. These, with + numerous militia and unbrigaded regiments along the lines of + communication, formed the British army in South Africa. At Mafeking some + 900 irregulars stood at bay, with another force about as large under + Plumer a little to the north, endeavouring to relieve them. At Beira, a + Portuguese port through which we have treaty rights by which we may pass + troops, a curious mixed force of Australians, New Zealanders and others + was being disembarked and pushed through to Rhodesia, so as to cut off any + trek which the Boers might make in that direction. Carrington, a fierce + old soldier with a large experience of South African warfare, was in + command of this picturesque force, which moved amid tropical forests over + crocodile-haunted streams, while their comrades were shivering in the cold + southerly winds of a Cape winter. Neither our Government, our people, nor + the world understood at the beginning of this campaign how grave was the + task which we had undertaken, but, having once realised it, it must be + acknowledged that it was carried through in no half-hearted way. So vast + was the scene of operations that the Canadian might almost find his native + climate at one end of it and the Queenslander at the other. + </p> + <p> + To follow in close detail the movements of the Boers and the counter + movements of the British in the southeast portion of the Free State during + this period would tax the industry of the historian and the patience of + the reader. Let it be told with as much general truth and as little + geographical detail as possible. The narrative which is interrupted by an + eternal reference to the map is a narrative spoiled. + </p> + <p> + The main force of the Freestaters had assembled in the north-eastern + corner of their State, and from this they made their sally southwards, + attacking or avoiding at their pleasure the eastern line of British + outposts. Their first engagement, that of Sanna's Post, was a great and + deserved success. Three days later they secured the five companies at + Reddersberg. Warned in time, the other small British bodies closed in upon + their supports, and the railway line, that nourishing artery which was + necessary for the very existence of the army, was held too strongly for + attack. The Bethulie Bridge was a particularly important point; but though + the Boers approached it, and even went the length of announcing officially + that they had destroyed it, it was not actually attacked. At Wepener, + however, on the Basutoland border, they found an isolated force, and + proceeded at once, according to their custom, to hem it in and to bombard + it, until one of their three great allies, want of food, want of water, or + want of cartridges, should compel a surrender. + </p> + <p> + On this occasion, however, the Boers had undertaken a task which was + beyond their strength. The troops at Wepener were one thousand seven + hundred in number, and formidable in quality. The place had been occupied + by part of Brabant's Colonial division, consisting of hardy irregulars, + men of the stuff of the defenders of Mafeking. Such men are too shrewd to + be herded into an untenable position and too valiant to surrender a + tenable one. The force was commanded by a dashing soldier, Colonel + Dalgety, of the Cape Mounted Rifles, as tough a fighter as his famous + namesake. There were with him nearly a thousand men of Brabant's Horse, + four hundred of the Cape Mounted Rifles, four hundred Kaffrarian Horse, + with some scouts, and one hundred regulars, including twenty invaluable + Sappers. They were strong in guns—two seven-pounders, two naval + twelve-pounders, two fifteen-pounders and several machine guns. The + position which they had taken up, Jammersberg, three miles north of + Wepener, was a very strong one, and it would have taken a larger force + than De Wet had at his disposal to turn them out of it. The defence had + been arranged by Major Cedric Maxwell, of the Sappers; and though the huge + perimeter, nearly eight miles, made its defence by so small a force a most + difficult matter, the result proved how good his dispositions were. + </p> + <p> + At the same time, the Boers came on with every confidence of victory, for + they had a superiority in guns and an immense superiority in men. But + after a day or two of fierce struggle their attack dwindled down into a + mere blockade. On April 9th they attacked furiously, both by day and by + night, and on the 10th the pressure was equally severe. In these two days + occurred the vast majority of the casualties. But the defenders took cover + in a way to which British regulars have not yet attained, and they outshot + their opponents both with their rifles and their cannon. Captain Lukin's + management of the artillery was particularly skilful. The weather was vile + and the hastily dug trenches turned into ditches half full of water, but + neither discomfort nor danger shook the courage of the gallant colonials. + Assault after assault was repulsed, and the scourging of the cannon was + met with stolid endurance. The Boers excelled all their previous feats in + the handling of artillery by dragging two guns up to the summit of the + lofty Jammersberg, whence they fired down upon the camp. Nearly all the + horses were killed and three hundred of the troopers were hit, a number + which is double that of the official return, for the simple reason that + the spirit of the force was so high that only those who were very severely + wounded reported themselves as wounded at all. None but the serious cases + ever reached the hands of Dr. Faskally, who did admirable work with very + slender resources. How many the enemy lost can never be certainly known, + but as they pushed home several attacks it is impossible to imagine that + their losses were less than those of the victorious defenders. At the end + of seventeen days of mud and blood the brave irregulars saw an empty + laager and abandoned trenches. Their own resistance and the advance of + Brabant to their rescue had caused a hasty retreat of the enemy. Wepener, + Mafeking, Kimberley, the taking of the first guns at Ladysmith, the deeds + of the Imperial Light Horse—it cannot be denied that our irregular + South African forces have a brilliant record for the war. They are + associated with many successes and with few disasters. Their fine record + cannot, I think, be fairly ascribed to any greater hardihood which one + portion of our race has when compared with another, for a South African + must admit that in the best colonial corps at least half the men were + Britons of Britain. In the Imperial Light Horse the proportion was very + much higher. But what may fairly be argued is that their exploits have + proved, what the American war proved long ago, that the German conception + of discipline is an obsolete fetish, and that the spirit of free men, + whose individualism has been encouraged rather than crushed, is equal to + any feat of arms. The clerks and miners and engineers who went up + Elandslaagte Hill without bayonets, shoulder to shoulder with the Gordons, + and who, according to Sir George White, saved Ladysmith on January 6th, + have shown for ever that with men of our race it is the spirit within, and + not the drill or the discipline, that makes a formidable soldier. An + intelligent appreciation of the fact might in the course of the next few + years save us as much money as would go far to pay for the war. + </p> + <p> + It may well be asked how for so long a period as seventeen days the + British could tolerate a force to the rear of them when with their great + superiority of numbers they could have readily sent an army to drive it + away. The answer must be that Lord Roberts had despatched his trusty + lieutenant, Kitchener, to Aliwal, whence he had been in heliographic + communication with Wepener, that he was sure that the place could hold + out, and that he was using it, as he did Kimberley, to hold the enemy + while he was making his plans for their destruction. This was the bait to + tempt them to their ruin. Had the trap not been a little slow in closing, + the war in the Free State might have ended then and there. From the 9th to + the 25th the Boers were held in front of Wepener. Let us trace the + movements of the other British detachments during that time. + </p> + <p> + Brabant's force, with Hart's brigade, which had been diverted on its way + to Kimberley, where it was to form part of Hunter's division, was moving + on the south towards Wepener, advancing through Rouxville, but going + slowly for fear of scaring the Boers away before they were sufficiently + compromised. Chermside's 3rd division approached from the north-west, + moving out from the railway at Bethany, and passing through Reddersberg + towards Dewetsdorp, from which it would directly threaten the Boer line of + retreat. The movement was made with reassuring slowness and gentleness, as + when the curved hand approaches the unconscious fly. And then suddenly, on + April 21st, Lord Roberts let everything go. Had the action of the agents + been as swift and as energetic as the mind of the planner, De Wet could + not have escaped us. + </p> + <p> + What held Lord Roberts's hand for some few days after he was ready to + strike was the abominable weather. Rain was falling in sheets, and those + who know South African roads, South African mud, and South African drifts + will understand how impossible swift military movements are under those + circumstances. But with the first clearing of the clouds the hills to the + south and east of Bloemfontein were dotted with our scouts. Rundle with + his 8th division was brought swiftly up from the south, united with + Chermside to the east of Reddersberg, and the whole force, numbering + 13,000 rifles with thirty guns, advanced upon Dewetsdorp, Rundle, as + senior officer, being in command. As they marched the blue hills of + Wepener lined the sky some twenty miles to the south, eloquent to every + man of the aim and object of their march. + </p> + <p> + On April 20th, Rundle as he advanced found a force with artillery across + his path to Dewetsdorp. It is always difficult to calculate the number of + hidden men and lurking guns which go to make up a Boer army, but with some + knowledge of their total at Wepener it was certain that the force opposed + to him must be very inferior to his own. At Constantia Farm, where he + found them in position, it is difficult to imagine that there were more + than three thousand men. Their left flank was their weak point, as a + movement on that side would cut them off from Wepener and drive them up + towards our main force in the north. One would have thought that a + containing force of three thousand men, and a flanking movement from eight + thousand, would have turned them out, as it has turned them out so often + before and since. Yet a long-range action began on Friday, April 20th, and + lasted the whole of the 21st, the 22nd, and the 23rd, in which we + sustained few losses, but made no impression upon the enemy. Thirty of the + 1st Worcesters wandered at night into the wrong line, and were made + prisoners, but with this exception the four days of noisy fighting does + not appear to have cost either side fifty casualties. It is probable that + the deliberation with which the operations were conducted was due to + Rundle's instructions to wait until the other forces were in position. His + subsequent movements showed that he was not a General who feared to + strike. + </p> + <p> + On Sunday night (April 22nd) Pole-Carew sallied out from Bloemfontein on a + line which would take him round the right flank of the Boers who were + facing Rundle. The Boers had, however, occupied a strong position at Leeuw + Kop, which barred his path, so that the Dewetsdorp Boers were covering the + Wepener Boers, and being in turn covered by the Boers of Leeuw Kop. Before + anything could be done, they must be swept out of the way. Pole-Carew is + one of those finds which help to compensate us for the war. Handsome, + dashing, debonnaire, he approaches a field of battle as a light-hearted + schoolboy approaches a football field. On this occasion he acted with + energy and discretion. His cavalry threatened the flanks of the enemy, and + Stephenson's brigade carried the position in front at a small cost. On the + same evening General French arrived and took over the force, which + consisted now of Stephenson's and the Guards brigades (making up the 11th + division), with two brigades of cavalry and one corps of mounted infantry. + The next day, the 23rd, the advance was resumed, the cavalry bearing the + brunt of the fighting. That gallant corps, Roberts's Horse, whose + behaviour at Sanna's Post had been admirable, again distinguished itself, + losing among others its Colonel, Brazier Creagh. On the 24th again it was + to the horsemen that the honour and the casualties fell. The 9th Lancers, + the regular cavalry regiment which bears away the honours of the war, lost + several men and officers, and the 8th Hussars also suffered, but the Boers + were driven from their position, and lost more heavily in this skirmish + than in some of the larger battles of the campaign. The 'pom-poms,' which + had been supplied to us by the belated energy of the Ordnance Department, + were used with some effect in this engagement, and the Boers learned for + the first time how unnerving are those noisy but not particularly deadly + fireworks which they had so often crackled round the ears of our gunners. + </p> + <p> + On the Wednesday morning Rundle, with the addition of Pole-Carew's + division, was strong enough for any attack, while French was in a position + upon the flank. Every requisite for a great victory was there except the + presence of an enemy. The Wepener siege had been raised and the force in + front of Rundle had disappeared as only Boer armies can disappear. The + combined movement was an admirable piece of work on the part of the enemy. + Finding no force in front of them, the combined troops of French, Rundle, + and Chermside occupied Dewetsdorp, where the latter remained, while the + others pushed on to Thabanchu, the storm centre from which all our + troubles had begun nearly a month before. All the way they knew that De + Wet's retreating army was just in front of them, and they knew also that a + force had been sent out from Bloemfontein to Thabanchu to head off the + Boers. Lord Roberts might naturally suppose, when he had formed two + cordons through which De Wet must pass, that one or other must hold him. + But with extraordinary skill and mobility De Wet, aided by the fact that + every inhabitant was a member of his intelligence department, slipped + through the double net which had been laid for him. The first net was not + in its place in time, and the second was too small to hold him. + </p> + <p> + While Rundle and French had advanced on Dewetsdorp as described, the other + force which was intended to head off De Wet had gone direct to Thabanchu. + The advance began by a movement of Ian Hamilton on April 22nd with eight + hundred mounted infantry upon the waterworks. The enemy, who held the + hills beyond, allowed Hamilton's force to come right down to the Modder + before they opened fire from three guns. The mounted infantry fell back, + and encamped for the night out of range. [Footnote: This was a remarkable + exhibition of the harmlessness of shell-fire against troops in open + formation. I myself saw at least forty shells, all of which burst, fall + among the ranks of the mounted infantry, who retired at a contemptuous + walk. There were no casualties.] Before morning they were reinforced by + Smith-Dorrien's brigade (Gordons, Canadians, and Shropshires—the + Cornwalls had been left behind) and some more mounted Infantry. With + daylight a fine advance was begun, the brigade moving up in very extended + order and the mounted men turning the right flank of the defence. By + evening we had regained the waterworks, a most important point for + Bloemfontein, and we held all the line of hills which command it. This + strong position would not have been gained so easily if it had not been + for Pole-Carew's and French's actions two days before, on their way to + join Rundle, which enabled them to turn it from the south. + </p> + <p> + Ian Hamilton, who had already done good service in the war, having + commanded the infantry at Elandslaagte, and been one of the most prominent + leaders in the defence of Ladysmith, takes from this time onwards a more + important and a more independent position. A thin, aquiline man, of soft + voice and gentle manners, he had already proved more than once during his + adventurous career that he not only possessed in a high degree the courage + of the soldier, but also the equanimity and decision of the born leader. A + languid elegance in his bearing covered a shrewd brain and a soul of fire. + A distorted and half-paralysed hand reminded the observer that Hamilton, + as a young lieutenant, had known at Majuba what it was to face the Boer + rifles. Now, in his forty-seventh year, he had returned, matured and + formidable, to reverse the results of that first deplorable campaign. This + was the man to whom Lord Roberts had entrusted the command of that + powerful flanking column which was eventually to form the right wing of + his main advance. Being reinforced upon the morning after the capture of + the Waterworks by the Highland Brigade, the Cornwalls, and two heavy naval + guns, his whole force amounted to not less than seven thousand men. From + these he detached a garrison for the Waterworks, and with the rest he + continued his march over the hilly country which lies between them and + Thabanchu. + </p> + <p> + One position, Israel's Poort, a nek between two hills, was held against + them on April 25th, but was gained without much trouble, the Canadians + losing one killed and two wounded. Colonel Otter, their gallant leader, + was one of the latter, while Marshall's Horse, a colonial corps raised in + Grahamstown, had no fewer than seven of their officers and several men + killed or wounded. Next morning the town of Thabanchu was seized, and + Hamilton found himself upon the direct line of the Boer retreat. He seized + the pass which commands the road, and all next day he waited eagerly, and + the hearts of his men beat high when at last they saw a long trail of dust + winding up to them from the south. At last the wily De Wet had been headed + off! Deep and earnest were the curses when out of the dust there emerged a + khaki column of horsemen, and it was realised that this was French's + pursuing force, closely followed by Rundle's infantry from Dewetsdorp. The + Boers had slipped round and were already to the north of us. + </p> + <p> + It is impossible to withhold our admiration for the way in which the Boer + force was manoeuvred throughout this portion of the campaign. The mixture + of circumspection and audacity, the way in which French and Rundle were + hindered until the Wepener force had disengaged itself, the manner in + which these covering forces were then withdrawn, and finally the clever + way in which they all slipped past Hamilton, make a brilliant bit of + strategy. Louis Botha, the generalissimo, held all the strings in his + hand, and the way in which he pulled them showed that his countrymen had + chosen the right man for that high office, and that his was a master + spirit even among those fine natural warriors who led the separate + commandos. + </p> + <p> + Having got to the north of the British forces Botha made no effort to get + away, and refused to be hustled by a reconnaissance developing into an + attack, which French made upon April 27th. In a skirmish the night before + Kitchener's Horse had lost fourteen men, and the action of the 27th cost + us about as many casualties. It served to show that the Boer force was a + compact body some six or seven thousand strong, which withdrew in a + leisurely fashion, and took up a defensive position at Houtnek, some miles + further on. French remained at Thabanchu, from which he afterwards joined + Lord Roberts' advance, while Hamilton now assumed complete command of the + flanking column, with which he proceeded to march north upon Winburg. + </p> + <p> + The Houtnek position is dominated upon the left of the advancing British + force by Thoba Mountain, and it was this point which was the centre of + Hamilton's attack. It was most gallantly seized by Kitchener's Horse, who + were quickly supported by Smith-Dorrien's men. The mountain became the + scene of a brisk action, and night fell before the crest was cleared. At + dawn upon May 1st the fighting was resumed, and the position was carried + by a determined advance of the Shropshires, the Canadians, and the + Gordons: the Boers escaping down the reverse slope of the hill came under + a heavy fire of our infantry, and fifty of them were wounded or taken. It + was in this action, during the fighting on the hill, that Captain Towse, + of the Gordons, though shot through the eyes and totally blind, encouraged + his men to charge through a group of the enemy who had gathered round + them. After this victory Hamilton's men, who had fought for seven days out + of ten, halted for a rest at Jacobsrust, where they were joined by + Broadwood's cavalry and Bruce Hamilton's infantry brigade. Ian Hamilton's + column now contained two infantry brigades (Smith-Dorrien's and Bruce + Hamilton's), Ridley's Mounted Infantry, Broadwood's Cavalry Brigade, five + batteries of artillery, two heavy guns, altogether 13,000 men. With this + force in constant touch with Botha's rearguard, Ian Hamilton pushed on + once more on May 4th. On May 5th he fought a brisk cavalry skirmish, in + which Kitchener's Horse and the 12th Lancers distinguished themselves, and + on the same day he took possession of Winburg, thus covering the right of + Lord Roberts's great advance. + </p> + <p> + The distribution of the troops on the eastern side of the Free State was, + at the time of this the final advance of the main army, as follows—Ian + Hamilton with his mounted infantry, Smith-Dorrien's brigade, Macdonald's + brigade, Bruce Hamilton's brigade, and Broadwood's cavalry were at + Winburg. Rundle was at Thabanchu, and Brabant's colonial division was + moving up to the same point. Chermside was at Dewetsdorp, and had detached + a force under Lord Castletown to garrison Wepener. Hart occupied + Smithfield, whence he and his brigade were shortly to be transferred to + the Kimberley force. Altogether there could not have been fewer than + thirty thousand men engaged in clearing and holding down this part of the + country. French's cavalry and Pole-Carew's division had returned to take + part in the central advance. + </p> + <p> + Before entering upon a description of that great and decisive movement, + one small action calls for comment. This was the cutting off of twenty men + of Lumsden's Horse in a reconnaissance at Karee. The small post under + Lieutenant Crane found themselves by some misunderstanding isolated in the + midst of the enemy. Refusing to hoist the flag of shame, they fought their + way out, losing half their number, while of the other half it is said that + there was not one who could not show bullet marks upon his clothes or + person. The men of this corps, volunteer Anglo-Indians, had abandoned the + ease and even luxury of Eastern life for the hard fare and rough fighting + of this most trying campaign. In coming they had set the whole empire an + object-lesson in spirit, and now on their first field they set the army an + example of military virtue. The proud traditions of Outram's Volunteers + have been upheld by the men of Lumsden's Horse. Another minor action which + cannot be ignored is the defence of a convoy on April 29th by the + Derbyshire Yeomanry (Major Dugdale) and a company of the Scots Guards. The + wagons were on their way to Rundle when they were attacked at a point + about ten miles west of Thabanchu. The small guard beat off their + assailants in the most gallant fashion, and held their own until relieved + by Brabazon upon the following morning. + </p> + <p> + This phase of the war was marked by a certain change in the temper of the + British. Nothing could have been milder than the original intentions and + proclamations of Lord Roberts, and he was most ably seconded in his + attempts at conciliation by General Pretyman, who had been made civil + administrator of the State. There was evidence, however, that this + kindness had been construed as weakness by some of the burghers, and + during the Boer incursion to Wepener many who had surrendered a worthless + firearm reappeared with the Mauser which had been concealed in some crafty + hiding-place. Troops were fired at from farmhouses which flew the white + flag, and the good housewife remained behind to charge the 'rooinek' + extortionate prices for milk and fodder while her husband shot at him from + the hills. It was felt that the burghers might have peace or might have + war, but could not have both simultaneously. Some examples were made + therefore of offending farmhouses, and stock was confiscated where there + was evidence of double dealing upon the part of the owner. In a country + where property is a more serious thing than life, these measures, together + with more stringent rules about the possession of horses and arms, did + much to stamp out the chances of an insurrection in our rear. The worst + sort of peace is an enforced peace, but if that can be established time + and justice may do the rest. + </p> + <p> + The operations which have been here described may be finally summed up in + one short paragraph. A Boer army came south of the British line and + besieged a British garrison. Three British forces, those of French, + Rundle, and Ian Hamilton, were despatched to cut it off. It successfully + threaded its way among them and escaped. It was followed to the northward + as far as the town of Winburg, which remained in the British possession. + Lord Roberts had failed in his plan of cutting off De Wet's army, but, at + the expense of many marches and skirmishes, the south-east of the State + was cleared of the enemy. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 24. THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING. + </h2> + <p> + This small place, which sprang in the course of a few weeks from obscurity + to fame, is situated upon the long line of railway which connects + Kimberley in the south with Rhodesia in the north. In character it + resembles one of those western American townlets which possess small + present assets but immense aspirations. In its litter of corrugated-iron + roofs, and in the church and the racecourse, which are the first-fruits + everywhere of Anglo-Celtic civilisation, one sees the seeds of the great + city of the future. It is the obvious depot for the western Transvaal upon + one side, and the starting-point for all attempts upon the Kalahari Desert + upon the other. The Transvaal border runs within a few miles. + </p> + <p> + It is not clear why the imperial authorities should desire to hold this + place, since it has no natural advantages to help the defence, but lies + exposed in a widespread plain. A glance at the map must show that the + railway line would surely be cut both to the north and south of the town, + and the garrison isolated at a point some two hundred and fifty miles from + any reinforcements. Considering that the Boers could throw any strength of + men or guns against the place, it seemed certain that if they seriously + desired to take possession of it they could do so. Under ordinary + circumstances any force shut up there was doomed to capture. But what may + have seemed short-sighted policy became the highest wisdom, owing to the + extraordinary tenacity and resource of Baden-Powell, the officer in + command. Through his exertions the town acted as a bait to the Boers, and + occupied a considerable force in a useless siege at a time when their + presence at other seats of war might have proved disastrous to the British + cause. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Baden-Powell is a soldier of a type which is exceedingly popular + with the British public. A skilled hunter and an expert at many games, + there was always something of the sportsman in his keen appreciation of + war. In the Matabele campaign he had out-scouted the savage scouts and + found his pleasure in tracking them among their native mountains, often + alone and at night, trusting to his skill in springing from rock to rock + in his rubber-soled shoes to save him from their pursuit. There was a + brain quality in his bravery which is rare among our officers. Full of + veld craft and resource, it was as difficult to outwit as it was to + outfight him. But there was another curious side to his complex nature. + The French have said of one of their heroes, 'Il avait cette graine de + folie dans sa bravoure que les Francais aiment,' and the words might have + been written of Powell. An impish humour broke out in him, and the + mischievous schoolboy alternated with the warrior and the administrator. + He met the Boer commandos with chaff and jokes which were as disconcerting + as his wire entanglements and his rifle-pits. The amazing variety of his + personal accomplishments was one of his most striking characteristics. + From drawing caricatures with both hands simultaneously, or skirt dancing + to leading a forlorn hope, nothing came amiss to him; and he had that + magnetic quality by which the leader imparts something of his virtues to + his men. Such was the man who held Mafeking for the Queen. + </p> + <p> + In a very early stage, before the formal declaration of war, the enemy had + massed several commandos upon the western border, the men being drawn from + Zeerust, Rustenburg, and Lichtenburg. Baden-Powell, with the aid of an + excellent group of special officers, who included Colonel Gould Adams, + Lord Edward Cecil, the soldier son of England's Premier, and Colonel Hore, + had done all that was possible to put the place into a state of defence. + In this he had immense assistance from Benjamin Weil, a well known South + African contractor, who had shown great energy in provisioning the town. + On the other hand, the South African Government displayed the same + stupidity or treason which had been exhibited in the case of Kimberley, + and had met all demands for guns and reinforcements with foolish doubts as + to the need of such precautions. In the endeavour to supply these pressing + wants the first small disaster of the campaign was encountered. On October + 12th, the day after the declaration of war, an armoured train conveying + two 7-pounders for the Mafeking defences was derailed and captured by a + Boer raiding party at Kraaipan, a place forty miles south of their + destination. The enemy shelled the shattered train until after five hours + Captain Nesbitt, who was in command, and his men, some twenty in number, + surrendered. It was a small affair, but it derived importance from being + the first blood shed and the first tactical success of the war. + </p> + <p> + The garrison of the town, whose fame will certainly live in the history of + South Africa, contained no regular soldiers at all with the exception of + the small group of excellent officers. They consisted of irregular troops, + three hundred and forty of the Protectorate Regiment, one hundred and + seventy Police, and two hundred volunteers, made up of that singular + mixture of adventurers, younger sons, broken gentlemen, and irresponsible + sportsmen who have always been the voortrekkers of the British Empire. + These men were of the same stamp as those other admirable bodies of + natural fighters who did so well in Rhodesia, in Natal, and in the Cape. + With them there was associated in the defence the Town Guard, who included + the able-bodied shopkeepers, businessmen, and residents, the whole + amounting to about nine hundred men. Their artillery was feeble in the + extreme, two 7-pounder toy guns and six machine guns, but the spirit of + the men and the resource of their leaders made up for every disadvantage. + Colonel Vyvyan and Major Panzera planned the defences, and the little + trading town soon began to take on the appearance of a fortress. + </p> + <p> + On October 13th the Boers appeared before Mafeking. On the same day + Colonel Baden-Powell sent two truckloads of dynamite out of the place. + They were fired into by the invaders, with the result that they exploded. + On October 14th the pickets around the town were driven in by the Boers. + On this the armoured train and a squadron of the Protectorate Regiment + went out to support the pickets and drove the Boers before them. A body of + the latter doubled back and interposed between the British and Mafeking, + but two fresh troops with a 7-pounder throwing shrapnel drove them off. In + this spirited little action the garrison lost two killed and fourteen + wounded, but they inflicted considerable damage on the enemy. To Captain + Williams, Captain FitzClarence, and Lord Charles Bentinck great credit is + due for the way in which they handled their men; but the whole affair was + ill advised, for if a disaster had occurred Mafeking must have fallen, + being left without a garrison. No possible results which could come from + such a sortie could justify the risk which was run. + </p> + <p> + On October 16th the siege began in earnest. On that date the Boers brought + up two 12-pounder guns, and the first of that interminable flight of + shells fell into the town. The enemy got possession of the water supply, + but the garrison had already dug wells. Before October 20th five thousand + Boers, under the formidable Cronje, had gathered round the town. + 'Surrender to avoid bloodshed' was his message. 'When is the bloodshed + going to begin?' asked Powell. When the Boers had been shelling the town + for some weeks the lighthearted Colonel sent out to say that if they went + on any longer he should be compelled to regard it as equivalent to a + declaration of war. It is to be hoped that Cronje also possessed some + sense of humour, or else he must have been as sorely puzzled by his + eccentric opponent as the Spanish generals were by the vagaries of Lord + Peterborough. + </p> + <p> + Among the many difficulties which had to be met by the defenders of the + town the most serious was the fact that the position had a circumference + of five or six miles to be held by about one thousand men against a force + who at their own time and their own place could at any moment attempt to + gain a footing. An ingenious system of small forts was devised to meet the + situation. Each of these held from ten to forty riflemen, and was + furnished with bomb-proofs and covered ways. The central bomb-proof was + connected by telephone with all the outlying ones, so as to save the use + of orderlies. A system of bells was arranged by which each quarter of the + town was warned when a shell was coming in time to enable the inhabitants + to scuttle off to shelter. Every detail showed the ingenuity of the + controlling mind. The armoured train, painted green and tied round with + scrub, stood unperceived among the clumps of bushes which surrounded the + town. + </p> + <p> + On October 24th a savage bombardment commenced, which lasted with + intermissions for seven months. The Boers had brought an enormous gun + across from Pretoria, throwing a 96-pound shell, and this, with many + smaller pieces, played upon the town. The result was as futile as our own + artillery fire has so often been when directed against the Boers. + </p> + <p> + As the Mafeking guns were too weak to answer the enemy's fire, the only + possible reply lay in a sortie, and upon this Colonel Powell decided. It + was carried out with great gallantry on the evening of October 27th, when + about a hundred men under Captain FitzClarence moved out against the Boer + trenches with instructions to use the bayonet only. The position was + carried with a rush, and many of the Boers bayoneted before they could + disengage themselves from the tarpaulins which covered them. The trenches + behind fired wildly in the darkness, and it is probable that as many of + their own men as of ours were hit by their rifle fire. The total loss in + this gallant affair was six killed, eleven wounded, and two prisoners. The + loss of the enemy, though shrouded as usual in darkness, was certainly + very much higher. + </p> + <p> + On October 31st the Boers ventured upon an attack on Cannon Kopje, which + is a small fort and eminence to the south of the town. It was defended by + Colonel Walford, of the British South African Police, with fifty-seven of + his men and three small guns. The attack was repelled with heavy loss to + the Boers. The British casualties were six killed and five wounded. + </p> + <p> + Their experience in this attack seems to have determined the Boers to make + no further expensive attempts to rush the town, and for some weeks the + siege degenerated into a blockade. Cronje had been recalled for more + important work, and Commandant Snyman had taken over the uncompleted task. + From time to time the great gun tossed its huge shells into the town, but + boardwood walls and corrugated-iron roofs minimise the dangers of a + bombardment. On November 3rd the garrison rushed the Brickfields, which + had been held by the enemy's sharpshooters, and on the 7th another small + sally kept the game going. On the 18th Powell sent a message to Snyman + that he could not take the town by sitting and looking at it. At the same + time he despatched a message to the Boer forces generally, advising them + to return to their homes and their families. Some of the commandos had + gone south to assist Cronje in his stand against Methuen, and the siege + languished more and more, until it was woken up by a desperate sortie on + December 26th, which caused the greatest loss which the garrison had + sustained. Once more the lesson was to be enforced that with modern + weapons and equality of forces it is always long odds on the defence. + </p> + <p> + On this date a vigorous attack was made upon one of the Boer forts on the + north. There seems to be little doubt that the enemy had some inkling of + our intention, as the fort was found to have been so strengthened as to be + impregnable without scaling ladders. The attacking force consisted of two + squadrons of the Protectorate Regiment and one of the Bechuanaland Rifles, + backed up by three guns. So desperate was the onslaught that of the actual + attacking party—a forlorn hope, if ever there was one—fifty-three + out of eighty were killed and wounded, twenty-five of the former and + twenty-eight of the latter. Several of that gallant band of officers who + had been the soul of the defence were among the injured. Captain + FitzClarence was wounded, Vernon, Sandford, and Paton were killed, all at + the very muzzles of the enemy's guns. It must have been one of the + bitterest moments of Baden-Powell's life when he shut his field-glass and + said, 'Let the ambulance go out!' + </p> + <p> + Even this heavy blow did not damp the spirits nor diminish the energies of + the defence, though it must have warned Baden-Powell that he could not + afford to drain his small force by any more expensive attempts at the + offensive, and that from then onwards he must content himself by holding + grimly on until Plumer from the north or Methuen from the south should at + last be able to stretch out to him a helping hand. Vigilant and + indomitable, throwing away no possible point in the game which he was + playing, the new year found him and his hardy garrison sternly determined + to keep the flag flying. + </p> + <p> + January and February offer in their records that monotony of excitement + which is the fate of every besieged town. On one day the shelling was a + little more, on another a little less. Sometimes they escaped scatheless, + sometimes the garrison found itself the poorer by the loss of Captain + Girdwood or Trooper Webb or some other gallant soldier. Occasionally they + had their little triumph when a too curious Dutchman, peering for an + instant from his cover to see the effect of his shot, was carried back in + the ambulance to the laager. On Sunday a truce was usually observed, and + the snipers who had exchanged rifle-shots all the week met occasionally on + that day with good-humoured chaff. Snyman, the Boer General, showed none + of that chivalry at Mafeking which distinguished the gallant old Joubert + at Ladysmith. Not only was there no neutral camp for women or sick, but it + is beyond all doubt or question that the Boer guns were deliberately + turned upon the women's quarters inside Mafeking in order to bring + pressure upon the inhabitants. Many women and children were sacrificed to + this brutal policy, which must in fairness be set to the account of the + savage leader, and not of the rough but kindly folk with whom we were + fighting. In every race there are individual ruffians, and it would be a + political mistake to allow our action to be influenced or our feelings + permanently embittered by their crimes. It is from the man himself, and + not from his country, that an account should be exacted. + </p> + <p> + The garrison, in the face of increasing losses and decreasing food, lost + none of the high spirits which it reflected from its commander. The + programme of a single day of jubilee—Heaven only knows what they had + to hold jubilee over—shows a cricket match in the morning, sports in + the afternoon, a concert in the evening, and a dance, given by the + bachelor officers, to wind up. Baden-Powell himself seems to have + descended from the eyrie from which, like a captain on the bridge, he rang + bells and telephoned orders, to bring the house down with a comic song and + a humorous recitation. The ball went admirably, save that there was an + interval to repel an attack which disarranged the programme. Sports were + zealously cultivated, and the grimy inhabitants of casemates and trenches + were pitted against each other at cricket or football. [Footnote: Sunday + cricket so shocked Snyman that he threatened to fire upon it if it were + continued.] The monotony was broken by the occasional visits of a postman, + who appeared or vanished from the vast barren lands to the west of the + town, which could not all be guarded by the besiegers. Sometimes a few + words from home came to cheer the hearts of the exiles, and could be + returned by the same uncertain and expensive means. The documents which + found their way up were not always of an essential or even of a welcome + character. At least one man received an unpaid bill from an angry tailor. + </p> + <p> + In one particular Mafeking had, with much smaller resources, rivalled + Kimberley. An ordnance factory had been started, formed in the railway + workshops, and conducted by Connely and Cloughlan, of the Locomotive + Department. Daniels, of the police, supplemented their efforts by making + both powder and fuses. The factory turned out shells, and eventually + constructed a 5.5-inch smooth-bore gun, which threw a round shell with + great accuracy to a considerable range. April found the garrison, in spite + of all losses, as efficient and as resolute as it had been in October. So + close were the advanced trenches upon either side that both parties had + recourse to the old-fashioned hand grenades, thrown by the Boers, and cast + on a fishing-line by ingenious Sergeant Page, of the Protectorate + Regiment. Sometimes the besiegers and the number of guns diminished, + forces being detached to prevent the advance of Plumer's relieving column + from the north; but as those who remained held their forts, which it was + beyond the power of the British to storm, the garrison was now much the + better for the alleviation. Putting Mafeking for Ladysmith and Plumer for + Buller, the situation was not unlike that which had existed in Natal. + </p> + <p> + At this point some account might be given of the doings of that northern + force whose situation was so remote that even the ubiquitous correspondent + hardly appears to have reached it. No doubt the book will eventually make + up for the neglect of the journal, but some short facts may be given here + of the Rhodesian column. Their action did not affect the course of the + war, but they clung like bulldogs to a most difficult task, and + eventually, when strengthened by the relieving column, made their way to + Mafeking. + </p> + <p> + The force was originally raised for the purpose of defending Rhodesia, and + it consisted of fine material pioneers, farmers, and miners from the great + new land which had been added through the energy of Mr. Rhodes to the + British Empire. Many of the men were veterans of the native wars, and all + were imbued with a hardy and adventurous spirit. On the other hand, the + men of the northern and western Transvaal, whom they were called upon to + face the burghers of Watersberg and Zoutpansberg, were tough frontiersmen + living in a land where a dinner was shot, not bought. Shaggy, hairy, + half-savage men, handling a rifle as a mediaeval Englishman handled a bow, + and skilled in every wile of veld craft, they were as formidable opponents + as the world could show. + </p> + <p> + On the war breaking out the first thought of the leaders in Rhodesia was + to save as much of the line which was their connection through Mafeking + with the south as was possible. For this purpose an armoured train was + despatched only three days after the expiration of the ultimatum to the + point four hundred miles south of Bulawayo, where the frontiers of the + Transvaal and of Bechuanaland join. Colonel Holdsworth commanded the small + British force. The Boers, a thousand or so in number, had descended upon + the railway, and an action followed in which the train appears to have had + better luck than has usually attended these ill-fated contrivances. The + Boer commando was driven back and a number were killed. It was probably + news of this affair, and not anything which had occurred at Mafeking, + which caused those rumours of gloom at Pretoria very shortly after the + outbreak of hostilities. An agency telegraphed that women were weeping in + the streets of the Boer capital. We had not then realised how soon and how + often we should see the same sight in Pall Mall. + </p> + <p> + The adventurous armoured train pressed on as far as Lobatsi, where it + found the bridges destroyed; so it returned to its original position, + having another brush with the Boer commandos, and again, in some + marvellous way, escaping its obvious fate. From then until the new year + the line was kept open by an admirable system of patrolling to within a + hundred miles or so of Mafeking. An aggressive spirit and a power of + dashing initiative were shown in the British operations at this side of + the scene of war such as have too often been absent elsewhere. At Sekwani, + on November 24th, a considerable success was gained by a surprise planned + and carried out by Colonel Holdsworth. The Boer laager was approached and + attacked in the early morning by a force of one hundred and twenty + frontiersmen, and so effective was their fire that the Boers estimated + their numbers at several thousand. Thirty Boers were killed or wounded, + and the rest scattered. + </p> + <p> + While the railway line was held in this way there had been some + skirmishing also on the northern frontier of the Transvaal. Shortly after + the outbreak of the war the gallant Blackburn, scouting with six comrades + in thick bush, found himself in the presence of a considerable commando. + The British concealed themselves by the path, but Blackburn's foot was + seen by a keen-eyed Kaffir, who pointed it out to his masters. A sudden + volley riddled Blackburn with bullets; but his men stayed by him and drove + off the enemy. Blackburn dictated an official report of the action, and + then died. + </p> + <p> + In the same region a small force under Captain Hare was cut off by a body + of Boers. Of the twenty men most got away, but the chaplain J.W. Leary, + Lieutenant Haserick (who behaved with admirable gallantry), and six men + were taken. [Footnote: Mr. Leary was wounded in the foot by a shell. The + German artillerist entered the hut in which he lay. 'Here's a bit of your + work!' said Leary good-humouredly. 'I wish it had been worse,' said the + amiable German gunner.] The commando which attacked this party, and on the + same day Colonel Spreckley's force, was a powerful one, with several guns. + No doubt it was organised because there were fears among the Boers that + they would be invaded from the north. When it was understood that the + British intended no large aggressive movement in that quarter, these + burghers joined other commandos. Sarel Eloff, who was one of the leaders + of this northern force, was afterwards taken at Mafeking. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Plumer had taken command of the small army which was now operating + from the north along the railway line with Mafeking for its objective. + Plumer is an officer of considerable experience in African warfare, a + small, quiet, resolute man, with a knack of gently enforcing discipline + upon the very rough material with which he had to deal. With his weak + force—which never exceeded a thousand men, and was usually from six + to seven hundred—he had to keep the long line behind him open, build + up the ruined railway in front of him, and gradually creep onwards in face + of a formidable and enterprising enemy. For a long time Gaberones, which + is eighty miles north of Mafeking, remained his headquarters, and thence + he kept up precarious communications with the besieged garrison. In the + middle of March he advanced as far south as Lobatsi, which is less than + fifty miles from Mafeking; but the enemy proved to be too strong, and + Plumer had to drop back again with some loss to his original position at + Gaberones. Sticking doggedly to his task, Plumer again came south, and + this time made his way as far as Ramathlabama, within a day's march of + Mafeking. He had with him, however, only three hundred and fifty men, and + had he pushed through the effect might have been an addition of hungry men + to the garrison. The relieving force was fiercely attacked, however, by + the Boers and driven back on to their camp with a loss of twelve killed, + twenty-six wounded, and fourteen missing. Some of the British were + dismounted men, and it says much for Plumer's conduct of the fight that he + was able to extricate these safely from the midst of an aggressive mounted + enemy. Personally he set an admirable example, sending away his own horse, + and walking with his rearmost soldiers. Captain Crewe Robertson and + Lieutenant Milligan, the famous Yorkshire cricketer, were killed, and + Rolt, Jarvis, Maclaren, and Plumer himself were wounded. The Rhodesian + force withdrew again to near Lobatsi, and collected itself for yet another + effort. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime Mafeking—abandoned, as it seemed, to its fate—was + still as formidable as a wounded lion. Far from weakening in its defence + it became more aggressive, and so persistent and skilful were its riflemen + that the big Boer gun had again and again to be moved further from the + town. Six months of trenches and rifle-pits had turned every inhabitant + into a veteran. Now and then words of praise and encouragement came to + them from without. Once it was a special message from the Queen, once a + promise of relief from Lord Roberts. But the rails which led to England + were overgrown with grass, and their brave hearts yearned for the sight of + their countrymen and for the sound of their voices. 'How long, O Lord, how + long?' was the cry which was wrung from them in their solitude. But the + flag was still held high. + </p> + <p> + April was a trying month for the defence. They knew that Methuen, who had + advanced as far as Fourteen Streams upon the Vaal River, had retired again + upon Kimberley. They knew also that Plumer's force had been weakened by + the repulse at Ramathlabama, and that many of his men were down with + fever. Six weary months had this village withstood the pitiless pelt of + rifle bullet and shell. Help seemed as far away from them as ever. But if + troubles may be allayed by sympathy, then theirs should have lain lightly. + The attention of the whole empire had centred upon them, and even the + advance of Roberts's army became secondary to the fate of this gallant + struggling handful of men who had upheld the flag so long. On the + Continent also their resistance attracted the utmost interest, and the + numerous journals there who find the imaginative writer cheaper than the + war correspondent announced their capture periodically as they had once + done that of Ladysmith. From a mere tin-roofed village Mafeking had become + a prize of victory, a stake which should be the visible sign of the + predominating manhood of one or other of the great white races of South + Africa. Unconscious of the keenness of the emotions which they had + aroused, the garrison manufactured brawn from horsehide, and captured + locusts as a relish for their luncheons, while in the shot-torn + billiard-room of the club an open tournament was started to fill in their + hours off duty. But their vigilance, and that of the hawk-eyed man up in + the Conning Tower, never relaxed. The besiegers had increased in number, + and their guns were more numerous than before. A less acute man than + Baden-Powell might have reasoned that at least one desperate effort would + be made by them to carry the town before relief could come. + </p> + <p> + On Saturday, May 12th, the attack was made at the favourite hour of the + Boer—the first grey of the morning. It was gallantly delivered by + about three hundred volunteers under the command of Eloff, who had crept + round to the west of the town—the side furthest from the lines of + the besiegers. At the first rush they penetrated into the native quarter, + which was at once set on fire by them. The first building of any size upon + that side is the barracks of the Protectorate Regiment, which was held by + Colonel Hore and about twenty of his officers and men. This was carried by + the enemy, who sent an exultant message along the telephone to + Baden-Powell to tell him that they had got it. Two other positions within + the lines, one a stone kraal and the other a hill, were held by the Boers, + but their supports were slow in coming on, and the movements of the + defenders were so prompt and energetic that all three found themselves + isolated and cut off from their own lines. They had penetrated the town, + but they were as far as ever from having taken it. All day the British + forces drew their cordon closer and closer round the Boer positions, + making no attempt to rush them, but ringing them round in such a way that + there could be no escape for them. A few burghers slipped away in twos and + threes, but the main body found that they had rushed into a prison from + which the only egress was swept with rifle fire. At seven o'clock in the + evening they recognised that their position was hopeless, and Eloff with + 117 men laid down their arms. Their losses had been ten killed and + nineteen wounded. For some reason, either of lethargy, cowardice, or + treachery, Snyman had not brought up the supports which might conceivably + have altered the result. It was a gallant attack gallantly met, and for + once the greater wiliness in fight was shown by the British. The end was + characteristic. 'Good evening, Commandant,' said Powell to Eloff; 'won't + you come in and have some dinner?' The prisoners—burghers, + Hollanders, Germans, and Frenchmen—were treated to as good a supper + as the destitute larders of the town could furnish. + </p> + <p> + So in a small blaze of glory ended the historic siege of Mafeking, for + Eloff's attack was the last, though by no means the worst of the trials + which the garrison had to face. Six killed and ten wounded were the + British losses in this admirably managed affair. On May 17th, five days + after the fight, the relieving force arrived, the besiegers were + scattered, and the long-imprisoned garrison were free men once more. Many + who had looked at their maps and saw this post isolated in the very heart + of Africa had despaired of ever reaching their heroic fellow-countrymen, + and now one universal outbreak of joybells and bonfires from Toronto to + Melbourne proclaimed that there is no spot so inaccessible that the long + arm of the empire cannot reach it when her children are in peril. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Mahon, a young Irish officer who had made his reputation as a + cavalry leader in Egypt, had started early in May from Kimberley with a + small but mobile force consisting of the Imperial Light Horse (brought + round from Natal for the purpose), the Kimberley Mounted Corps, the + Diamond Fields Horse, some Imperial Yeomanry, a detachment of the Cape + Police, and 100 volunteers from the Fusilier brigade, with M battery + R.H.A. and pom-poms, twelve hundred men in all. Whilst Hunter was fighting + his action at Rooidam on May 4th, Mahon with his men struck round the + western flank of the Boers and moved rapidly to the northwards. On May + 11th they had left Vryburg, the halfway house, behind them, having done + one hundred and twenty miles in five days. They pushed on, encountering no + opposition save that of nature, though they knew that they were being + closely watched by the enemy. At Koodoosrand it was found that a Boer + force was in position in front, but Mahon avoided them by turning somewhat + to the westward. His detour took him, however, into a bushy country, and + here the enemy headed him off, opening fire at short range upon the + ubiquitous Imperial Light Horse, who led the column. A short engagement + ensued, in which the casualties amounted to thirty killed and wounded, but + which ended in the defeat and dispersal of the Boers, whose force was + certainly very much weaker than the British. On May 15th the relieving + column arrived without further opposition at Masibi Stadt, twenty miles to + the west of Mafeking. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime Plumer's force upon the north had been strengthened by the + addition of C battery of four 12-pounder guns of the Canadian Artillery + under Major Eudon and a body of Queenslanders. These forces had been part + of the small army which had come with General Carrington through Beira, + and after a detour of thousands of miles, through their own wonderful + energy they had arrived in time to form portion of the relieving column. + Foreign military critics, whose experience of warfare is to move troops + across a frontier, should think of what the Empire has to do before her + men go into battle. These contingents had been assembled by long railway + journeys, conveyed across thousands of miles of ocean to Cape Town, + brought round another two thousand or so to Beira, transferred by a + narrow-gauge railway to Bamboo Creek, changed to a broader gauge to + Marandellas, sent on in coaches for hundreds of miles to Bulawayo, + transferred to trains for another four or five hundred miles to Ootsi, and + had finally a forced march of a hundred miles, which brought them up a few + hours before their presence was urgently needed upon the field. Their + advance, which averaged twenty-five miles a day on foot for four + consecutive days over deplorable roads, was one of the finest performances + of the war. With these high-spirited reinforcements and with his own hardy + Rhodesians Plumer pushed on, and the two columns reached the hamlet of + Masibi Stadt within an hour of each other. Their united strength was far + superior to anything which Snyman's force could place against them. + </p> + <p> + But the gallant and tenacious Boers would not abandon their prey without a + last effort. As the little army advanced upon Mafeking they found the + enemy waiting in a strong position. For some hours the Boers gallantly + held their ground, and their artillery fire was, as usual, most accurate. + But our own guns were more numerous and equally well served, and the + position was soon made untenable. The Boers retired past Mafeking and took + refuge in the trenches upon the eastern side, but Baden-Powell with his + war-hardened garrison sallied out, and, supported by the artillery fire of + the relieving column, drove them from their shelter. With their usual + admirable tactics their larger guns had been removed, but one small cannon + was secured as a souvenir by the townsfolk, together with a number of + wagons and a considerable quantity of supplies. A long rolling trail of + dust upon the eastern horizon told that the famous siege of Mafeking had + at last come to an end. + </p> + <p> + So ended a singular incident, the defence of an open town which contained + no regular soldiers and a most inadequate artillery against a numerous and + enterprising enemy with very heavy guns. All honour to the towns folk who + bore their trial so long and so bravely—and to the indomitable men + who lined the trenches for seven weary months. Their constancy was of + enormous value to the empire. In the all-important early month at least + four or five thousand Boers were detained by them when their presence + elsewhere would have been fatal. During all the rest of the war, two + thousand men and eight guns (including one of the four big Creusots) had + been held there. It prevented the invasion of Rhodesia, and it gave a + rallying-point for loyal whites and natives in the huge stretch of country + from Kimberley to Bulawayo. All this had, at a cost of two hundred lives, + been done by this one devoted band of men, who killed, wounded, or took no + fewer than one thousand of their opponents. Critics may say that the + enthusiasm in the empire was excessive, but at least it was expended over + worthy men and a fine deed of arms. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> + <img alt="4_southern_transvaal (147K)" src="images/4_southern_transvaal.jpg" width="100%" /><br /></div> + + <h2> + CHAPTER 25. THE MARCH ON PRETORIA. + </h2> + <p> + In the early days of May, when the season of the rains was past and the + veld was green, Lord Roberts's six weeks of enforced inaction came to an + end. He had gathered himself once more for one of those tiger springs + which should be as sure and as irresistible as that which had brought him + from Belmont to Bloemfontein, or that other in olden days which had + carried him from Cabul to Candahar. His army had been decimated by + sickness, and eight thousand men had passed into the hospitals; but those + who were with the colours were of high heart, longing eagerly for action. + Any change which would carry them away from the pest-ridden, evil-smelling + capital which had revenged itself so terribly upon the invader must be a + change for the better. Therefore it was with glad faces and brisk feet + that the centre column left Bloemfontein on May 1st, and streamed, with + bands playing, along the northern road. + </p> + <p> + On May 3rd the main force was assembled at Karee, twenty miles upon their + way. Two hundred and twenty separated them from Pretoria, but in little + more than a month from the day of starting, in spite of broken railway, a + succession of rivers, and the opposition of the enemy, this army was + marching into the main street of the Transvaal capital. Had there been no + enemy there at all, it would still have been a fine performance, the more + so when one remembers that the army was moving upon a front of twenty + miles or more, each part of which had to be co-ordinated to the rest. It + is with the story of this great march that the present chapter deals. + </p> + <p> + Roberts had prepared the way by clearing out the south-eastern corner of + the State, and at the moment of his advance his forces covered a + semicircular front of about forty miles, the right under Ian Hamilton near + Thabanchu, and the left at Karee. This was the broad net which was to be + swept from south to north across the Free State, gradually narrowing as it + went. The conception was admirable, and appears to have been an adoption + of the Boers' own strategy, which had in turn been borrowed from the + Zulus. The solid centre could hold any force which faced it, while the + mobile flanks, Hutton upon the left and Hamilton upon the right, could lap + round and pin it, as Cronje was pinned at Paardeberg. It seems admirably + simple when done upon a small scale. But when the scale is one of forty + miles, since your front must be broad enough to envelop the front which is + opposed to it, and when the scattered wings have to be fed with no railway + line to help, it takes such a master of administrative detail as Lord + Kitchener to bring the operations to complete success. + </p> + <p> + On May 3rd, the day of the advance from our most northern post, Karee, the + disposition of Lord Roberts's army was briefly as follows. On his left was + Hutton, with his mixed force of mounted infantry drawn from every quarter + of the empire. This formidable and mobile body, with some batteries of + horse artillery and of pom-poms, kept a line a few miles to the west of + the railroad, moving northwards parallel with it. Roberts's main column + kept on the railroad, which was mended with extraordinary speed by the + Railway Pioneer regiment and the Engineers, under Girouard and the + ill-fated Seymour. It was amazing to note the shattered culverts as one + passed, and yet to be overtaken by trains within a day. This main column + consisted of Pole-Carew's 11th Division, which contained the Guards, and + Stephenson's Brigade (Warwicks, Essex, Welsh, and Yorkshires). With them + were the 83rd, 84th, and 85th R.F.A., with the heavy guns, and a small + force of mounted infantry. Passing along the widespread British line one + would then, after an interval of seven or eight miles, come upon Tucker's + Division (the 7th), which consisted of Maxwell's Brigade (formerly + Chermside's—the Norfolks, Lincolns, Hampshires, and Scottish + Borderers) and Wavell's Brigade (North Staffords, Cheshires, East + Lancashires, South Wales Borderers). To the right of these was Ridley's + mounted infantry. Beyond them, extending over very many miles of country + and with considerable spaces between, there came Broadwood's cavalry, + Bruce Hamilton's Brigade (Derbyshires, Sussex, Camerons, and C.I.V.), and + finally on the extreme right of all Ian Hamilton's force of Highlanders, + Canadians, Shropshires, and Cornwalls, with cavalry and mounted infantry, + starting forty miles from Lord Roberts, but edging westwards all the way, + to merge with the troops next to it, and to occupy Winburg in the way + already described. This was the army, between forty and fifty thousand + strong, with which Lord Roberts advanced upon the Transvaal. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime he had anticipated that his mobile and enterprising + opponents would work round and strike at our rear. Ample means had been + provided for dealing with any attempt of the kind. Rundle with the 8th + Division and Brabant's Colonial Division remained in rear of the right + flank to confront any force which might turn it. At Bloemfontein were + Kelly-Kenny's Division (the 6th) and Chermside's (the 3rd), with a force + of cavalry and guns. Methuen, working from Kimberley towards Boshof, + formed the extreme left wing of the main advance, though distant a hundred + miles from it. With excellent judgment Lord Roberts saw that it was on our + right flank that danger was to be feared, and here it was that every + precaution had been taken to meet it. + </p> + <p> + The objective of the first day's march was the little town of Brandfort, + ten miles north of Karee. The head of the main column faced it, while the + left arm swept round and drove the Boer force from their position. + Tucker's Division upon the right encountered some opposition, but overbore + it with artillery. May 4th was a day of rest for the infantry, but on the + 5th they advanced, in the same order as before, for twenty miles, and + found themselves to the south of the Vet River, where the enemy had + prepared for an energetic resistance. A vigorous artillery duel ensued, + the British guns in the open as usual against an invisible enemy. After + three hours of a very hot fire the mounted infantry got across the river + upon the left and turned the Boer flank, on which they hastily withdrew. + The first lodgment was effected by two bodies of Canadians and New + Zealanders, who were energetically supported by Captain Anley's 3rd + Mounted Infantry. The rushing of a kopje by twenty-three West Australians + was another gallant incident which marked this engagement, in which our + losses were insignificant. A maxim and twenty or thirty prisoners were + taken by Hutton's men. The next day (May 6th) the army moved across the + difficult drift of the Vet River, and halted that night at Smaldeel, some + five miles to the north of it. At the same time Ian Hamilton had been able + to advance to Winburg, so that the army had contracted its front by about + half, but had preserved its relative positions. Hamilton, after his + junction with his reinforcements at Jacobsrust, had under him so powerful + a force that he overbore all resistance. His actions between Thabanchu and + Winburg had cost the Boers heavy loss, and in one action the German legion + had been overthrown. The informal warfare which was made upon us by + citizens of many nations without rebuke from their own Governments is a + matter of which pride, and possibly policy, have forbidden us to complain, + but it will be surprising if it does not prove that their laxity has + established a very dangerous precedent, and they will find it difficult to + object when, in the next little war in which either France or Germany is + engaged, they find a few hundred British adventurers carrying a rifle + against them. + </p> + <p> + The record of the army's advance is now rather geographical than military, + for it rolled northwards with never a check save that which was caused by + the construction of the railway diversions which atoned for the + destruction of the larger bridges. The infantry now, as always in the + campaign, marched excellently; for though twenty miles in the day may seem + a moderate allowance to a healthy man upon an English road, it is a + considerable performance under an African sun with a weight of between + thirty and forty pounds to be carried. The good humour of the men was + admirable, and they eagerly longed to close with the elusive enemy who + flitted ever in front of them. Huge clouds of smoke veiled the northern + sky, for the Boers had set fire to the dry grass, partly to cover their + own retreat, and partly to show up our khaki upon the blackened surface. + Far on the flanks the twinkling heliographs revealed the position of the + wide-spread wings. + </p> + <p> + On May 10th Lord Roberts's force, which had halted for three days at + Smaldeel, moved onwards to Welgelegen. French's cavalry had come up by + road, and quickly strengthened the centre and left wing of the army. On + the morning of the 10th the invaders found themselves confronted by a + formidable position which the Boers had taken up on the northern bank of + the Sand River. Their army extended over twenty miles of country, the two + Bothas were in command, and everything pointed to a pitched battle. Had + the position been rushed from the front, there was every material for a + second Colenso, but the British had learned that it was by brains rather + than by blood that such battles may be won. French's cavalry turned the + Boers on one side, and Bruce Hamilton's infantry on the other. + Theoretically we never passed the Boer flanks, but practically their line + was so over-extended that we were able to pierce it at any point. There + was never any severe fighting, but rather a steady advance upon the + British side and a steady retirement upon that of the Boers. On the left + the Sussex regiment distinguished itself by the dash with which it stormed + an important kopje. The losses were slight, save among a detached body of + cavalry which found itself suddenly cut off by a strong force of the enemy + and lost Captain Elworthy killed, and Haig of the Inniskillings, Wilkinson + of the Australian Horse, and twenty men prisoners. We also secured forty + or fifty prisoners, and the enemy's casualties amounted to about as many + more. The whole straggling action fought over a front as broad as from + London to Woking cost the British at the most a couple of hundred + casualties, and carried their army over the most formidable defensive + position which they were to encounter. The war in its later phases + certainly has the pleasing characteristic of being the most bloodless, + considering the number of men engaged and the amount of powder burned, + that has been known in history. It was at the expense of their boots and + not of their lives that the infantry won their way. + </p> + <p> + On May 11th Lord Roberts's army advanced twenty miles to Geneva Siding, + and every preparation was made for a battle next day, as it was thought + certain that the Boers would defend their new capital, Kroonstad. It + proved, however, that even here they would not make a stand, and on May + 12th, at one o'clock, Lord Roberts rode into the town. Steyn, Botha, and + De Wet escaped, and it was announced that the village of Lindley had + become the new seat of government. The British had now accomplished half + their journey to Pretoria, and it was obvious that on the south side of + the Vaal no serious resistance awaited them. Burghers were freely + surrendering themselves with their arms, and returning to their farms. In + the south-east Rundle and Brabant were slowly advancing, while the Boers + who faced them fell back towards Lindley. On the west, Hunter had crossed + the Vaal at Windsorton, and Barton's Fusilier Brigade had fought a sharp + action at Rooidam, while Mahon's Mafeking relief column had slipped past + their flank, escaping the observation of the British public, but certainly + not that of the Boers. The casualties in the Rooidam action were nine + killed and thirty wounded, but the advance of the Fusiliers was + irresistible, and for once the Boer loss, as they were hustled from kopje + to kopje, appears to have been greater than that of the British. The + Yeomanry had an opportunity of showing once more that there are few more + high-mettled troops in South Africa than these good sportsmen of the + shires, who only showed a trace of their origin in their irresistible + inclination to burst into a 'tally-ho!' when ordered to attack. The Boer + forces fell back after the action along the line of the Vaal, making for + Christiana and Bloemhof. Hunter entered into the Transvaal in pursuit of + them, being the first to cross the border, with the exception of raiding + Rhodesians early in the war. Methuen, in the meanwhile, was following a + course parallel to Hunter but south of him, Hoopstad being his immediate + objective. The little union jacks which were stuck in the war maps in so + many British households were now moving swiftly upwards. + </p> + <p> + Buller's force was also sweeping northwards, and the time had come when + the Ladysmith garrison, restored at last to health and strength, should + have a chance of striking back at those who had tormented them so long. + Many of the best troops had been drafted away to other portions of the + seat of war. Hart's Brigade and Barton's Fusilier Brigade had gone with + Hunter to form the 10th Division upon the Kimberley side, and the Imperial + Light Horse had been brought over for the relief of Mafeking. There + remained, however, a formidable force, the regiments in which had been + strengthened by the addition of drafts and volunteers from home. Not less + than twenty thousand sabres and bayonets were ready and eager for the + passage of the Biggarsberg mountains. + </p> + <p> + This line of rugged hills is pierced by only three passes, each of which + was held in strength by the enemy. Considerable losses must have ensued + from any direct attempt to force them. Buller, however, with excellent + judgment, demonstrated in front of them with Hildyard's men, while the + rest of the army, marching round, outflanked the line of resistance, and + on May 15th pounced upon Dundee. Much had happened since that October day + when Penn Symons led his three gallant regiments up Talana Hill, but now + at last, after seven weary months, the ground was reoccupied which he had + gained. His old soldiers visited his grave, and the national flag was + raised over the remains of as gallant a man as ever died for the sake of + it. + </p> + <p> + The Boers, whose force did not exceed a few thousands, were now rolled + swiftly back through Northern Natal into their own country. The long + strain at Ladysmith had told upon them, and the men whom we had to meet + were very different from the warriors of Spion Kop and Nicholson's Nek. + They had done magnificently, but there is a limit to human endurance, and + no longer would these peasants face the bursting lyddite and the bayonets + of angry soldiers. There is little enough for us to boast of in this. Some + pride might be taken in the campaign when at a disadvantage we were facing + superior numbers, but now we could but deplore the situation in which + these poor valiant burghers found themselves, the victims of a rotten + government and of their own delusions. Hofer's Tyrolese, Charette's + Vendeans, or Bruce's Scotchmen never fought a finer fight than these + children of the veld, but in each case they combated a real and not an + imaginary tyrant. It is heart-sickening to think of the butchery, the + misery, the irreparable losses, the blood of men, and the bitter tears of + women, all of which might have been spared had one obstinate and ignorant + man been persuaded to allow the State which he ruled to conform to the + customs of every other civilised State upon the earth. + </p> + <p> + Buller was now moving with a rapidity and decision which contrast + pleasantly with some of his earlier operations. Although Dundee was only + occupied on May 15th, on May 18th his vanguard was in Newcastle, fifty + miles to the north. In nine days he had covered 138 miles. On the 19th the + army lay under the loom of that Majuba which had cast its sinister shadow + for so long over South African politics. In front was the historical + Laing's Nek, the pass which leads from Natal into the Transvaal, while + through it runs the famous railway tunnel. Here the Boers had taken up + that position which had proved nineteen years before to be too strong for + British troops. The Rooineks had come back after many days to try again. A + halt was called, for the ten days' supplies which had been taken with the + troops were exhausted, and it was necessary to wait until the railway + should be repaired. This gave time for Hildyard's 5th Division and + Lyttelton's 4th Division to close up on Clery's 2nd Division, which with + Dundonald's cavalry had formed our vanguard throughout. The only losses of + any consequence during this fine march fell upon a single squadron of + Bethune's mounted infantry, which being thrown out in the direction of + Vryheid, in order to make sure that our flank was clear, fell into an + ambuscade and was almost annihilated by a close-range fire. Sixty-six + casualties, of which nearly half were killed, were the result of this + action, which seems to have depended, like most of our reverses, upon + defective scouting. Buller, having called up his two remaining divisions + and having mended the railway behind him, proceeded now to manoeuvre the + Boers out of Laing's Nek exactly as he had manoeuvred them out of the + Biggarsberg. At the end of May Hildyard and Lyttelton were despatched in + an eastern direction, as if there were an intention of turning the pass + from Utrecht. + </p> + <p> + It was on May 12th that Lord Roberts occupied Kroonstad, and he halted + there for eight days before he resumed his advance. At the end of that + time his railway had been repaired, and enough supplies brought up to + enable him to advance again without anxiety. The country through which he + passed swarmed with herds and flocks, but, with as scrupulous a regard for + the rights of property as Wellington showed in the south of France, no + hungry soldier was allowed to take so much as a chicken as he passed. The + punishment for looting was prompt and stern. It is true that farms were + burned occasionally and the stock confiscated, but this was as a + punishment for some particular offence and not part of a system. The + limping Tommy looked askance at the fat geese which covered the dam by the + roadside, but it was as much as his life was worth to allow his fingers to + close round those tempting white necks. On foul water and bully beef he + tramped through a land of plenty. + </p> + <p> + Lord Roberts's eight days' halt was spent in consolidating the general + military situation. We have already shown how Buller had crept upwards to + the Natal Border. On the west Methuen reached Hoopstad and Hunter + Christiana, settling the country and collecting arms as they went. Rundle + in the south-east took possession of the rich grain lands, and on May 21st + entered Ladybrand. In front of him lay that difficult hilly country about + Senekal, Ficksburg, and Bethlehem which was to delay him so long. Ian + Hamilton was feeling his way northwards to the right of the railway line, + and for the moment cleared the district between Lindley and Heilbron, + passing through both towns and causing Steyn to again change his capital, + which became Vrede, in the extreme north-east of the State. During these + operations Hamilton had the two formidable De Wet brothers in front of + him, and suffered nearly a hundred casualties in the continual skirmishing + which accompanied his advance. His right flank and rear were continually + attacked, and these signs of forces outside our direct line of advance + were full of menace for the future. + </p> + <p> + On May 22nd the main army resumed its advance, moving forward fifteen + miles to Honing's Spruit. On the 23rd another march of twenty miles over a + fine rolling prairie brought them to Rhenoster River. The enemy had made + some preparations for a stand, but Hamilton was near Heilbron upon their + left and French was upon their right flank. The river was crossed without + opposition. On the 24th the army was at Vredefort Road, and on the 26th + the vanguard crossed the Vaal River at Viljoen's Drift, the whole army + following on the 27th. Hamilton's force had been cleverly swung across + from the right to the left flank of the British, so that the Boers were + massed on the wrong side. + </p> + <p> + Preparations for resistance had been made on the line of the railway, but + the wide turning movements on the flanks by the indefatigable French and + Hamilton rendered all opposition of no avail. The British columns flowed + over and onwards without a pause, tramping steadily northwards to their + destination. The bulk of the Free State forces refused to leave their own + country, and moved away to the eastern and northern portion of the State, + where the British Generals thought—incorrectly, as the future was to + prove—that no further harm would come from them. The State which + they were in arms to defend had really ceased to exist, for already it had + been publicly proclaimed at Bloemfontein in the Queen's name that the + country had been annexed to the Empire, and that its style henceforth was + that of 'The Orange River Colony.' Those who think this measure unduly + harsh must remember that every mile of land which the Freestaters had + conquered in the early part of the war had been solemnly annexed by them. + At the same time, those Englishmen who knew the history of this State, + which had once been the model of all that a State should be, were saddened + by the thought that it should have deliberately committed suicide for the + sake of one of the most corrupt governments which have ever been known. + Had the Transvaal been governed as the Orange Free State was, such an + event as the second Boer war could never have occurred. + </p> + <p> + Lord Roberts's tremendous march was now drawing to a close. On May 28th + the troops advanced twenty miles, and passed Klip River without fighting. + It was observed with surprise that the Transvaalers were very much more + careful of their own property than they had been of that of their allies, + and that the railway was not damaged at all by the retreating forces. The + country had become more populous, and far away upon the low curves of the + hills were seen high chimneys and gaunt iron pumps which struck the north + of England soldier with a pang of homesickness. This long distant hill was + the famous Rand, and under its faded grasses lay such riches as Solomon + never took from Ophir. It was the prize of victory; and yet the prize is + not to the victor, for the dust-grimed officers and men looked with little + personal interest at this treasure-house of the world. Not one penny the + richer would they be for the fact that their blood and their energy had + brought justice and freedom to the gold fields. They had opened up an + industry for the world, men of all nations would be the better for their + labours, the miner and the financier or the trader would equally profit by + them, but the men in khaki would tramp on, unrewarded and uncomplaining, + to India, to China, to any spot where the needs of their worldwide empire + called them. + </p> + <p> + The infantry, streaming up from the Vaal River to the famous ridge of + gold, had met with no resistance upon the way, but great mist banks of + cloud by day and huge twinkling areas of flame by night showed the + handiwork of the enemy. Hamilton and French, moving upon the left flank, + found Boers thick upon the hills, but cleared them off in a well-managed + skirmish which cost us a dozen casualties. On May 29th, pushing swiftly + along, French found the enemy posted very strongly with several guns at + Doornkop, a point west of Klip River Berg. The cavalry leader had with him + at this stage three horse batteries, four pom-poms, and 3000 mounted men. + The position being too strong for him to force, Hamilton's infantry (19th + and 21st Brigades) were called up, and the Boers were driven out. That + splendid corps, the Gordons, lost nearly a hundred men in their advance + over the open, and the C.I.V.s on the other flank fought like a regiment + of veterans. There had been an inclination to smile at these citizen + soldiers when they first came out, but no one smiled now save the General + who felt that he had them at his back. Hamilton's attack was assisted by + the menace rather than the pressure of French's turning movement on the + Boer right, but the actual advance was as purely frontal as any of those + which had been carried through at the beginning of the war. The open + formation of the troops, the powerful artillery behind them, and perhaps + also the lowered morale of the enemy combined to make such a movement less + dangerous than of old. In any case it was inevitable, as the state of + Hamilton's commisariat rendered it necessary that at all hazards he should + force his way through. + </p> + <p> + Whilst this action of Doornkop was fought by the British left flank, + Henry's mounted infantry in the centre moved straight upon the important + junction of Germiston, which lies amid the huge white heaps of tailings + from the mines. At this point, or near it, the lines from Johannesburg and + from Natal join the line to Pretoria. Colonel Henry's advance was an + extremely daring one, for the infantry were some distance behind; but + after an irregular scrambling skirmish, in which the Boer snipers had to + be driven off the mine heaps and from among the houses, the 8th mounted + infantry got their grip of the railway and held it. The exploit was a very + fine one, and stands out the more brilliantly as the conduct of the + campaign cannot be said to afford many examples of that well-considered + audacity which deliberately runs the risk of the minor loss for the sake + of the greater gain. Henry was much assisted by J battery R.H.A., which + was handled with energy and judgment. + </p> + <p> + French was now on the west of the town, Henry had cut the railway on the + east, and Roberts was coming up from the south. His infantry had covered + 130 miles in seven days, but the thought that every step brought them + nearer to Pretoria was as exhilarating as their fifes and drums. On May + 30th the victorious troops camped outside the city while Botha retired + with his army, abandoning without a battle the treasure-house of his + country. Inside the town were chaos and confusion. The richest mines in + the world lay for a day or more at the mercy of a lawless rabble drawn + from all nations. The Boer officials were themselves divided in opinion, + Krause standing for law and order while Judge Koch advocated violence. A + spark would have set the town blazing, and the worst was feared when a + crowd of mercenaries assembled in front of the Robinson mine with threats + of violence. By the firmness and tact of Mr. Tucker, the manager, and by + the strong attitude of Commissioner Krause, the situation was saved and + the danger passed. Upon May 31st, without violence to life or destruction + to property, that great town which British hands have done so much to + build found itself at last under the British flag. May it wave there so + long as it covers just laws, honest officials, and clean-handed + administrators—so long and no longer! + </p> + <p> + And now the last stage of the great journey had been reached. Two days + were spent at Johannesburg while supplies were brought up, and then a move + was made upon Pretoria thirty miles to the north. Here was the Boer + capital, the seat of government, the home of Kruger, the centre of all + that was anti-British, crouching amid its hills, with costly forts + guarding every face of it. Surely at last the place had been found where + that great battle should be fought which should decide for all time + whether it was with the Briton or with the Dutchman that the future of + South Africa lay. + </p> + <p> + On the last day of May two hundred Lancers under the command of Major + Hunter Weston, with Charles of the Sappers and Burnham the scout, a man + who has played the part of a hero throughout the campaign, struck off from + the main army and endeavoured to descend upon the Pretoria to Delagoa + railway line with the intention of blowing up a bridge and cutting the + Boer line of retreat. It was a most dashing attempt; but the small party + had the misfortune to come into contact with a strong Boer commando, who + headed them off. After a skirmish they were compelled to make their way + back with a loss of five killed and fourteen wounded. + </p> + <p> + The cavalry under French had waited for the issue of this enterprise at a + point nine miles north of Johannesburg. On June 2nd it began its advance + with orders to make a wide sweep round to the westward, and so skirt the + capital, cutting the Pietersburg railway to the north of it. The country + in the direct line between Johannesburg and Pretoria consists of a series + of rolling downs which are admirably adapted for cavalry work, but the + detour which French had to make carried him into the wild and broken + district which lies to the north of the Little Crocodile River. Here he + was fiercely attacked on ground where his troops could not deploy, but + with extreme coolness and judgment beat off the enemy. To cover thirty-two + miles in a day and fight a way out of an ambuscade in the evening is an + ordeal for any leader and for any troops. Two killed and seven wounded + were our trivial losses in a situation which might have been a serious + one. The Boers appear to have been the escort of a strong convoy which had + passed along the road some miles in front. Next morning both convoy and + opposition had disappeared. The cavalry rode on amid a country of orange + groves, the troopers standing up in their stirrups to pluck the golden + fruit. There was no further fighting, and on June 4th French had + established himself upon the north of the town, where he learned that all + resistance had ceased. + </p> + <p> + Whilst the cavalry had performed this enveloping movement the main army + had moved swiftly upon its objective, leaving one brigade behind to secure + Johannesburg. Ian Hamilton advanced upon the left, while Lord Roberts's + column kept the line of the railway, Colonel Henry's mounted infantry + scouting in front. As the army topped the low curves of the veld they saw + in front of them two well-marked hills, each crowned by a low squat + building. They were the famous southern forts of Pretoria. Between the + hills was a narrow neck, and beyond the Boer capital. + </p> + <p> + For a time it appeared that the entry was to be an absolutely bloodless + one, but the booming of cannon and the crash of Mauser fire soon showed + that the enemy was in force upon the ridge. Botha had left a strong + rearguard to hold off the British while his own stores and valuables were + being withdrawn from the town. The silence of the forts showed that the + guns had been removed and that no prolonged resistance was intended; but + in the meanwhile fringes of determined riflemen, supported by cannon, held + the approaches, and must be driven off before an entry could be effected. + Each fresh corps as it came up reinforced the firing line. Henry's mounted + infantrymen supported by the horse-guns of J battery and the guns of + Tucker's division began the action. So hot was the answer, both from + cannon and from rifle, that it seemed for a time as if a real battle were + at last about to take place. The Guards' Brigade, Stephenson's Brigade, + and Maxwell's Brigade streamed up and waited until Hamilton, who was on + the enemy's right flank, should be able to make his presence felt. The + heavy guns had also arrived, and a huge cloud of debris rising from the + Pretorian forts told the accuracy of their fire. + </p> + <p> + But either the burghers were half-hearted or there was no real intention + to make a stand. About half-past two their fire slackened and Pole-Carew + was directed to push on. That debonnaire soldier with his two veteran + brigades obeyed the order with alacrity, and the infantry swept over the + ridge, with some thirty or forty casualties, the majority of which fell to + the Warwicks. The position was taken, and Hamilton, who came up late, was + only able to send on De Lisle's mounted infantry, chiefly Australians, who + ran down one of the Boer maxims in the open. The action had cost us + altogether about seventy men. Among the injured was the Duke of Norfolk, + who had shown a high sense of civic virtue in laying aside the duties and + dignity of a Cabinet Minister in order to serve as a simple captain of + volunteers. At the end of this one fight the capital lay at the mercy of + Lord Roberts. Consider the fight which they made for their chief city, + compare it with that which the British made for the village of Mafeking, + and say on which side is that stern spirit of self-sacrifice and + resolution which are the signs of the better cause. + </p> + <p> + In the early morning of June 5th, the Coldstream Guards were mounting the + hills which commanded the town. Beneath them in the clear African air lay + the famous city, embowered in green, the fine central buildings rising + grandly out of the wide circle of villas. Through the Nek part of the + Guards' Brigade and Maxwell's Brigade had passed, and had taken over the + station, from which at least one train laden with horses had steamed that + morning. Two others, both ready to start, were only just stopped in time. + </p> + <p> + The first thought was for the British prisoners, and a small party headed + by the Duke of Marlborough rode to their rescue. Let it be said once for + all that their treatment by the Boers was excellent and that their + appearance would alone have proved it. One hundred and twenty-nine + officers and thirty-nine soldiers were found in the Model Schools, which + had been converted into a prison. A day later our cavalry arrived at + Waterval, which is fourteen miles to the north of Pretoria. Here were + confined three thousand soldiers, whose fare had certainly been of the + scantiest, though in other respects they appear to have been well treated. + [Footnote: Further information unfortunately shows that in the case of the + sick and of the Colonial prisoners the treatment was by no means good.] + Nine hundred of their comrades had been removed by the Boers, but Porter's + cavalry was in time to release the others, under a brisk shell fire from a + Boer gun upon the ridge. Many pieces of good luck we had in the campaign, + but this recovery of our prisoners, which left the enemy without a + dangerous lever for exacting conditions of peace, was the most fortunate + of all. + </p> + <p> + In the centre of the town there is a wide square decorated or disfigured + by a bare pedestal upon which a statue of the President was to have been + placed. Hard by is the bleak barnlike church in which he preached, and on + either side are the Government offices and the Law Courts, buildings which + would grace any European capital. Here, at two o'clock on the afternoon of + June 5th, Lord Roberts sat his horse and saw pass in front of him the men + who had followed him so far and so faithfully—the Guards, the Essex, + the Welsh, the Yorks, the Warwicks, the guns, the mounted infantry, the + dashing irregulars, the Gordons, the Canadians, the Shropshires, the + Cornwalls, the Camerons, the Derbys, the Sussex, and the London + Volunteers. For over two hours the khaki waves with their crests of steel + went sweeping by. High above their heads from the summit of the Raad-saal + the broad Union Jack streamed for the first time. Through months of + darkness we had struggled onwards to the light. Now at last the strange + drama seemed to be drawing to its close. The God of battles had given the + long-withheld verdict. But of all the hearts which throbbed high at that + supreme moment there were few who felt one touch of bitterness towards the + brave men who had been overborne. They had fought and died for their + ideal. We had fought and died for ours. The hope for the future of South + Africa is that they or their descendants may learn that that banner which + has come to wave above Pretoria means no racial intolerance, no greed for + gold, no paltering with injustice or corruption, but that it means one law + for all and one freedom for all, as it does in every other continent in + the whole broad earth. When that is learned it may happen that even they + will come to date a happier life and a wider liberty from that 5th of June + which saw the symbol of their nation pass for ever from among the ensigns + of the world. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 26. DIAMOND HILL—RUNDLE'S OPERATIONS. + </h2> + <p> + The military situation at the time of the occupation of Pretoria was + roughly as follows. Lord Roberts with some thirty thousand men was in + possession of the capital, but had left his long line of communications + very imperfectly guarded behind him. On the flank of this line of + communications, in the eastern and north-eastern corner of the Free State, + was an energetic force of unconquered Freestaters who had rallied round + President Steyn. They were some eight or ten thousand in number, well + horsed, with a fair number of guns, under the able leadership of De Wet, + Prinsloo, and Olivier. Above all, they had a splendid position, + mountainous and broken, from which, as from a fortress, they could make + excursions to the south or west. This army included the commandos of + Ficksburg, Senekal, and Harrismith, with all the broken and desperate men + from other districts who had left their farms and fled to the mountains. + It was held in check as a united force by Rundle's Division and the + Colonial Division on the south, while Colvile, and afterwards Methuen, + endeavoured to pen them in on the west. The task was a hard one, however, + and though Rundle succeeded in holding his line intact, it appeared to be + impossible in that wide country to coop up altogether an enemy so mobile. + A strange game of hide-and-seek ensued, in which De Wet, who led the Boer + raids, was able again and again to strike our line of rails and to get + back without serious loss. The story of these instructive and humiliating + episodes will be told in their order. The energy and skill of the guerilla + chief challenge our admiration, and the score of his successes would be + amusing were it not that the points of the game are marked by the lives of + British soldiers. + </p> + <p> + General Buller had spent the latter half of May in making his way from + Ladysmith to Laing's Nek, and the beginning of June found him with twenty + thousand men in front of that difficult position. Some talk of a surrender + had arisen, and Christian Botha, who commanded the Boers, succeeded in + gaining several days' armistice, which ended in nothing. The Transvaal + forces at this point were not more than a few thousand in number, but + their position was so formidable that it was a serious task to turn them + out. Van Wyk's Hill, however, had been left unguarded, and as its + possession would give the British the command of Botha's Pass, its + unopposed capture by the South African Light Horse was an event of great + importance. With guns upon this eminence the infantry were able, on June + 8th, to attack and to carry with little loss the rest of the high ground, + and so to get the Pass into their complete possession. Botha fired the + grass behind him, and withdrew sullenly to the north. On the 9th and 10th + the convoys were passed over the Pass, and on the 11th the main body of + the army followed them. + </p> + <p> + The operations were now being conducted in that extremely acute angle of + Natal which runs up between the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. In + crossing Botha's Pass the army had really entered what was now the Orange + River Colony. But it was only for a very short time, as the object of the + movement was to turn the Laing's Nek position, and then come back into the + Transvaal through Alleman's Pass. The gallant South African Light Horse + led the way, and fought hard at one point to clear a path for the army, + losing six killed and eight wounded in a sharp skirmish. On the morning of + the 12th the flanking movement was far advanced, and it only remained for + the army to force Alleman's Nek, which would place it to the rear of + Laing's Nek, and close to the Transvaal town of Volksrust. + </p> + <p> + Had the Boers been the men of Colenso and of Spion Kop, this storming of + Alleman's Nek would have been a bloody business. The position was strong, + the cover was slight, and there was no way round. But the infantry came on + with the old dash without the old stubborn resolution being opposed to + them. The guns prepared the way, and then the Dorsets, the Dublins, the + Middlesex, the Queen's, and the East Surrey did the rest. The door was + open and the Transvaal lay before us. The next day Volksrust was in our + hands. + </p> + <p> + The whole series of operations were excellently conceived and carried out. + Putting Colenso on one side, it cannot be denied that General Buller + showed considerable power of manoeuvring large bodies of troops. The + withdrawal of the compromised army after Spion Kop, the change of the line + of attack at Pieter's Hill, and the flanking marches in this campaign of + Northern Natal, were all very workmanlike achievements. In this case a + position which the Boers had been preparing for months, scored with + trenches and topped by heavy artillery, had been rendered untenable by a + clever flank movement, the total casualties in the whole affair being less + than two hundred killed and wounded. Natal was cleared of the invader, + Buller's foot was on the high plateau of the Transvaal, and Roberts could + count on twenty thousand good men coming up to him from the south-east. + More important than all, the Natal railway was being brought up, and soon + the central British Army would depend upon Durban instead of Cape Town for + its supplies—a saving of nearly two-thirds of the distance. The + fugitive Boers made northwards in the Middelburg direction, while Buller + advanced to Standerton, which town he continued to occupy until Lord + Roberts could send a force down through Heidelberg to join hands with him. + Such was the position of the Natal Field Force at the end of June. From + the west and the south-west British forces were also converging upon the + capital. The indomitable Baden-Powell sought for rest and change of scene + after his prolonged trial by harrying the Boers out of Zeerust and + Rustenburg. The forces of Hunter and of Mahon converged upon + Potchefstroom, from which, after settling that district, they could be + conveyed by rail to Krugersdorp and Johannesburg. + </p> + <p> + Before briefly recounting the series of events which took place upon the + line of communications, the narrative must return to Lord Roberts at + Pretoria, and describe the operations which followed his occupation of + that city. In leaving the undefeated forces of the Free State behind him, + the British General had unquestionably run a grave risk, and was well + aware that his railway communication was in danger of being cut. By the + rapidity of his movements he succeeded in gaining the enemy's capital + before that which he had foreseen came to pass; but if Botha had held him + at Pretoria while De Wet struck at him behind, the situation would have + been a serious one. Having once attained his main object, Roberts could + receive with equanimity the expected news that De Wet with a mobile force + of less than two thousand men had, on June 7th, cut the line at Roodeval + to the north of Kroonstad. Both rail and telegraph were destroyed, and for + a few days the army was isolated. Fortunately there were enough supplies + to go on with, and immediate steps were taken to drive away the intruder, + though, like a mosquito, he was brushed from one place only to settle upon + another. + </p> + <p> + Leaving others to restore his broken communications, Lord Roberts turned + his attention once more to Botha, who still retained ten or fifteen + thousand men under his command. The President had fled from Pretoria with + a large sum of money, estimated at over two millions sterling, and was + known to be living in a saloon railway carriage, which had been + transformed into a seat of government even more mobile than that of + President Steyn. From Waterval-Boven, a point beyond Middelburg, he was in + a position either to continue his journey to Delagoa Bay, and so escape + out of the country, or to travel north into that wild Lydenburg country + which had always been proclaimed as the last ditch of the defence. Here he + remained with his gold-bags waiting the turn of events. + </p> + <p> + Botha and his stalwarts had not gone far from the capital. Fifteen miles + out to the east the railway line runs through a gap in the hills called + Pienaars Poort, and here was such a position as the Boer loves to hold. It + was very strong in front, and it had widely spread formidable flanking + hills to hamper those turning movements which had so often been fatal to + the Boer generals. Behind was the uncut railway line along which the guns + could in case of need be removed. The whole position was over fifteen + miles from wing to wing, and it was well known to the Boer general that + Lord Roberts had no longer that preponderance of force which would enable + him to execute wide turning movements, as he had done in his advance from + the south. His army had decreased seriously in numbers. The mounted men, + the most essential branch of all, were so ill horsed that brigades were + not larger than regiments. One brigade of infantry (the 14th) had been + left to garrison Johannesburg, and another (the 18th) had been chosen for + special duty in Pretoria. Smith-Dorrien's Brigade had been detached for + duty upon the line of communications. With all these deductions and the + wastage caused by wounds and disease, the force was in no state to assume + a vigorous offensive. So hard pressed were they for men that the three + thousand released prisoners from Waterval were hurriedly armed with Boer + weapons and sent down the line to help to guard the more vital points. + </p> + <p> + Had Botha withdrawn to a safe distance, Lord Roberts would certainly have + halted, as he had done at Bloemfontein, and waited for remounts and + reinforcements. But the war could not be allowed to languish when an + active enemy lay only fifteen miles off, within striking distance of two + cities and of the line of rail. Taking all the troops that he could + muster, the British General moved out once more on Monday, June 11th, to + drive Botha from his position. He had with him Pole-Carew's 11th Division, + which numbered about six thousand men with twenty guns, Ian Hamilton's + force, which included one infantry brigade (Bruce Hamilton's), one cavalry + brigade, and a corps of mounted infantry, say, six thousand in all, with + thirty guns. There remained French's Cavalry Division, with Hutton's + Mounted Infantry, which could not have exceeded two thousand sabres and + rifles. The total force was, therefore, not more than sixteen or seventeen + thousand men, with about seventy guns. Their task was to carry a carefully + prepared position held by at least ten thousand burghers with a strong + artillery. Had the Boer of June been the Boer of December, the odds would + have been against the British. + </p> + <p> + There had been some negotiations for peace between Lord Roberts and Botha, + but the news of De Wet's success from the south had hardened the Boer + general's heart, and on June 9th the cavalry had their orders to advance. + Hamilton was to work round the left wing of the Boers, and French round + their right, while the infantry came up in the centre. So wide was the + scene of action that the attack and the resistance in each flank and in + the centre constituted, on June 11th, three separate actions. Of these the + latter was of least importance, as it merely entailed the advance of the + infantry to a spot whence they could take advantage of the success of the + flanking forces when they had made their presence felt. The centre did not + on this as on several other occasions in the campaign make the mistake of + advancing before the way had been prepared for it. + </p> + <p> + French with his attenuated force found so vigorous a resistance on Monday + and Tuesday that he was hard put to it to hold his own. Fortunately he had + with him three excellent Horse Artillery batteries, G, O, and T, who + worked until, at the end of the engagement, they had only twenty rounds in + their limbers. The country was an impossible one for cavalry, and the + troopers fought dismounted, with intervals of twenty or thirty paces + between the men. Exposed all day to rifle and shell fire, unable to + advance and unwilling to retreat, it was only owing to their open + formation that they escaped with about thirty casualties. With Boers on + his front, his flank, and even on his rear, French held grimly on, + realising that a retreat upon his part would mean a greater pressure at + all other points of the British advance. At night his weary men slept upon + the ground which they had held. All Monday and all Tuesday French kept his + grip at Kameelsdrift, stolidly indifferent to the attempt of the enemy to + cut his line of communications. On Wednesday, Hamilton, upon the other + flank, had gained the upper hand, and the pressure was relaxed. French + then pushed forward, but the horses were so utterly beaten that no + effective pursuit was possible. + </p> + <p> + During the two days that French had been held up by the Boer right wing + Hamilton had also been seriously engaged upon the left—so seriously + that at one time the action appeared to have gone against him. The fight + presented some distinctive features, which made it welcome to soldiers who + were weary of the invisible man with his smokeless gun upon the eternal + kopje. It is true that man, gun, and kopje were all present upon this + occasion, but in the endeavours to drive him off some new developments + took place, which formed for one brisk hour a reversion to picturesque + warfare. Perceiving a gap in the enemy's line, Hamilton pushed up the + famous Q battery—the guns which had plucked glory out of disaster at + Sanna's Post. For the second time in one campaign they were exposed and in + imminent danger of capture. A body of mounted Boers with great dash and + hardihood galloped down within close range and opened fire. Instantly the + 12th Lancers were let loose upon them. How they must have longed for their + big-boned long-striding English troop horses as they strove to raise a + gallop out of their spiritless overworked Argentines! For once, however, + the lance meant more than five pounds dead weight and an encumbrance to + the rider. The guns were saved, the Boers fled, and a dozen were left upon + the ground. But a cavalry charge has to end in a re-formation, and that is + the instant of danger if any unbroken enemy remains within range. Now a + sleet of bullets hissed through their ranks as they retired, and the + gallant Lord Airlie, as modest and brave a soldier as ever drew sword, was + struck through the heart. 'Pray moderate your language!' was his last + characteristic remark, made to a battle-drunken sergeant. Two officers, + seventeen men, and thirty horses went down with their Colonel, the great + majority only slightly injured. In the meantime the increasing pressure + upon his right caused Broadwood to order a second charge, of the Life + Guards this time, to drive off the assailants. The appearance rather than + the swords of the Guards prevailed, and cavalry as cavalry had vindicated + their existence more than they had ever done during the campaign. The guns + were saved, the flank attack was rolled back, but one other danger had + still to be met, for the Heidelberg commando—a corps d'elite of the + Boers—had made its way outside Hamilton's flank and threatened to + get past him. With cool judgment the British General detached a battalion + and a section of a battery, which pushed the Boers back into a less + menacing position. The rest of Bruce Hamilton's Brigade were ordered to + advance upon the hills in front, and, aided by a heavy artillery fire, + they had succeeded, before the closing in of the winter night, in getting + possession of this first line of the enemy's defences. Night fell upon an + undecided fight, which, after swaying this way and that, had finally + inclined to the side of the British. The Sussex and the City Imperial + Volunteers were clinging to the enemy's left flank, while the 11th + Division were holding them in front. All promised well for the morrow. + </p> + <p> + By order of Lord Roberts the Guards were sent round early on Tuesday, the + 12th, to support the flank attack of Bruce Hamilton's infantry. It was + afternoon before all was ready for the advance, and then the Sussex, the + London Volunteers, and the Derbyshires won a position upon the ridge, + followed later by the three regiments of Guards. But the ridge was the + edge of a considerable plateau, swept by Boer fire, and no advance could + be made over its bare expanse save at a considerable loss. The infantry + clung in a long fringe to the edge of the position, but for two hours no + guns could be brought up to their support, as the steepness of the slope + was insurmountable. It was all that the stormers could do to hold their + ground, as they were enfiladed by a Vickers-Maxim, and exposed to showers + of shrapnel as well as to an incessant rifle fire. Never were guns so + welcome as those of the 82nd battery, brought by Major Connolly into the + firing line. The enemy's riflemen were only a thousand yards away, and the + action of the artillery might have seemed as foolhardy as that of Long at + Colenso. Ten horses went down on the instant, and a quarter of the gunners + were hit; but the guns roared one by one into action, and their shrapnel + soon decided the day. Undoubtedly it is with Connolly and his men that the + honours lie. + </p> + <p> + At four o'clock, as the sun sank towards the west, the tide of fight had + set in favour of the attack. Two more batteries had come up, every rifle + was thrown into the firing line, and the Boer reply was decreasing in + volume. The temptation to an assault was great, but even now it might mean + heavy loss of life, and Hamilton shrank from the sacrifice. In the morning + his judgment was justified, for Botha had abandoned the position, and his + army was in full retreat. The mounted men followed as far as Elands River + Station, which is twenty-five miles from Pretoria, but the enemy was not + overtaken, save by a small party of De Lisle's Australians and Regular + Mounted Infantry. This force, less than a hundred in number, gained a + kopje which overlooked a portion of the Boer army. Had they been more + numerous, the effect would have been incalculable. As it was, the + Australians fired every cartridge which they possessed into the throng, + and killed many horses and men. It would bear examination why it was that + only this small corps was present at so vital a point, and why, if they + could push the pursuit to such purpose, others should not be able to do + the same. Time was bringing some curious revenges. Already Paardeberg had + come upon Majuba Day. Buller's victorious soldiers had taken Laing's Nek. + Now, the Spruit at which the retreating Boers were so mishandled by the + Australians was that same Bronkers Spruit at which, nineteen years before, + a regiment had been shot down. Many might have prophesied that the deed + would be avenged; but who could ever have guessed the men who would avenge + it? + </p> + <p> + Such was the battle of Diamond Hill, as it was called from the name of the + ridge which was opposite to Hamilton's attack. The prolonged two days' + struggle showed that there was still plenty of fight in the burghers. Lord + Roberts had not routed them, nor had he captured their guns; but he had + cleared the vicinity of the capital, he had inflicted a loss upon them + which was certainly as great as his own, and he had again proved to them + that it was vain for them to attempt to stand. A long pause followed at + Pretoria, broken by occasional small alarms and excursions, which served + no end save to keep the army from ennui. In spite of occasional breaks in + his line of communications, horses and supplies were coming up rapidly, + and, by the middle of July, Roberts was ready for the field again. At the + same time Hunter had come up from Potchefstroom, and Hamilton had taken + Heidelberg, and his force was about to join hands with Buller at + Standerton. Sporadic warfare broke out here and there in the west, and in + the course of it Snyman of Mafeking had reappeared, with two guns, which + were promptly taken from him by the Canadian Mounted Rifles. On all sides + it was felt that if the redoubtable De Wet could be captured there was + every hope that the burghers might discontinue a struggle which was + disagreeable to the British and fatal to themselves. As a point of honour + it was impossible for Botha to give in while his ally held out. We will + turn, therefore, to this famous guerilla chief, and give some account of + his exploits. To understand them some description must be given of the + general military situation in the Free State. + </p> + <p> + When Lord Roberts had swept past to the north he had brushed aside the + flower of the Orange Free State army, who occupied the considerable + quadrilateral which is formed by the north-east of that State. The + function of Rundle's 8th Division and of Brabant's Colonial Division was + to separate the sheep from the goats by preventing the fighting burghers + from coming south and disturbing those districts which had been settled. + For this purpose Rundle formed a long line which should serve as a cordon. + Moving up through Trommel and Clocolan, Ficksburg was occupied on May 25th + by the Colonial Division, while Rundle seized Senekal, forty miles to the + north-west. A small force of forty Yeomanry, who entered the town some + time in advance of the main body, was suddenly attacked by the Boers, and + the gallant Dalbiac, famous rider and sportsman, was killed, with four of + his men. He was a victim, as so many have been in this campaign, to his + own proud disregard of danger. + </p> + <p> + The Boers were in full retreat, but now, as always, they were dangerous. + One cannot take them for granted, for the very moment of defeat is that at + which they are capable of some surprising effort. Rundle, following them + up from Senekal, found them in strong possession of the kopjes at + Biddulphsberg, and received a check in his endeavour to drive them off. It + was an action fought amid great grass fires, where the possible fate of + the wounded was horrible to contemplate. The 2nd Grenadiers, the Scots + Guards, the East Yorkshires, and the West Kents were all engaged, with the + 2nd and 79th Field Batteries and a force of Yeomanry. Our losses incurred + in the open from unseen rifles were thirty killed and 130 wounded, + including Colonel Lloyd of the Grenadiers. Two days later Rundle, from + Senekal, joined hands with Brabant from Ficksburg, and a defensive line + was formed between those two places, which was held unbroken for two + months, when the operations ended in the capture of the greater part of + the force opposed to him. Clements's Brigade, consisting of the 1st Royal + Irish, the 2nd Bedfords, the 2nd Worcesters, and the 2nd Wiltshires, had + come to strengthen Rundle, and altogether he may have had as many as + twelve thousand men under his orders. It was not a large force with which + to hold a mobile adversary at least eight thousand strong, who might + attack him at any point of his extended line. So well, however, did he + select his positions that every attempt of the enemy, and there were many, + ended in failure. Badly supplied with food, he and his half-starved men + held bravely to their task, and no soldiers in all that great host deserve + better of their country. + </p> + <p> + At the end of May, then, the Colonial Division, Rundle's Division, and + Clements's Brigade held the Boers from Ficksburg on the Basuto border to + Senekal. This prevented them from coming south. But what was there to + prevent them from coming west, and falling upon the railway line? There + was the weak point of the British position. Lord Methuen had been brought + across from Boshof, and was available with six thousand men. Colvile was + on that side also, with the Highland Brigade. A few details were scattered + up and down the line, waiting to be gathered up by an enterprising enemy. + Kroonstad was held by a single militia battalion; each separate force had + to be nourished by convoys with weak escorts. Never was there such a field + for a mobile and competent guerilla leader. And, as luck would have it, + such a man was at hand, ready to take full advantage of his opportunities. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 27. THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION. + </h2> + <p> + Christian de Wet, the elder of two brothers of that name, was at this time + in the prime of life, a little over forty years of age. He was a burly + middle-sized bearded man, poorly educated, but endowed with much energy + and common-sense. His military experience dated back to Majuba Hill, and + he had a large share of that curious race hatred which is intelligible in + the case of the Transvaal, but inexplicable in a Freestater who has + received no injury from the British Empire. Some weakness of his sight + compels the use of tinted spectacles, and he had now turned these, with a + pair of particularly observant eyes behind them, upon the scattered + British forces and the long exposed line of railway. + </p> + <p> + De Wet's force was an offshoot from the army of Freestaters under De + Villiers, Olivier, and Prinsloo, which lay in the mountainous north-east + of the State. To him were committed five guns, fifteen hundred men, and + the best of the horses. Well armed, well mounted, and operating in a + country which consisted of rolling plains with occasional fortress kopjes, + his little force had everything in its favour. There were so many tempting + objects of attack lying before him that he must have had some difficulty + in knowing where to begin. The tinted spectacles were turned first upon + the isolated town of Lindley. + </p> + <p> + Colvile with the Highland Brigade had come up from Ventersburg with + instructions to move onward to Heilbron, pacifying the country as he + passed. The country, however, refused to be pacified, and his march from + Ventersburg to Lindley was harassed by snipers every mile of the way. + Finding that De Wet and his men were close upon him, he did not linger at + Lindley, but passed on to his destination, his entire march of 126 miles + costing him sixty-three casualties, of which nine were fatal. It was a + difficult and dangerous march, especially for the handful of Eastern + Province Horse, upon whom fell all the mounted work. By evil fortune a + force of five hundred Yeomanry, the 18th battalion, including the Duke of + Cambridge's Own and the Irish companies, had been sent from Kroonstad to + join Colvile at Lindley. Colonel Spragge was in command. On May 27th this + body of horsemen reached their destination only to find that Colvile had + already abandoned it. They appear to have determined to halt for a day in + Lindley, and then follow Colvile to Heilbron. Within a few hours of their + entering the town they were fiercely attacked by De Wet. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Spragge seems to have acted for the best. Under a heavy fire he + caused his troopers to fall back upon his transport, which had been left + at a point a few miles out upon the Kroonstad Road, where three defensible + kopjes sheltered a valley in which the cattle and horses could be herded. + A stream ran through it. There were all the materials there for a stand + which would have brought glory to the British arms. The men were of + peculiarly fine quality, many of them from the public schools and from the + universities, and if any would fight to the death these with their + sporting spirit and their high sense of honour might have been expected to + do so. + </p> + <p> + They had the stronger motive for holding out, as they had taken steps to + convey word of their difficulty to Colvile and to Methuen. The former + continued his march to Heilbron, and it is hard to blame him for doing so, + but Methuen on hearing the message, which was conveyed to him at great + personal peril by Corporal Hankey of the Yeomanry, pushed on instantly + with the utmost energy, though he arrived too late to prevent, or even to + repair, a disaster. It must be remembered that Colvile was under orders to + reach Heilbron on a certain date, that he was himself fighting his way, + and that the force which he was asked to relieve was much more mobile than + his own. His cavalry at that date consisted of 100 men of the Eastern + Province Horse. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Spragge's men had held their own for the first three days of their + investment, during which they had been simply exposed to a long-range + rifle fire which inflicted no very serious loss upon them. Their principal + defence consisted of a stone kraal about twenty yards square, which + sheltered them from rifle bullets, but must obviously be a perfect + death-trap in the not improbable event of the Boers sending for artillery. + The spirit of the troopers was admirable. Several dashing sorties were + carried out under the leadership of Captain Humby and Lord Longford. The + latter was a particularly dashing business, ending in a bayonet charge + which cleared a neighbouring ridge. Early in the siege the gallant Keith + met his end. On the fourth day the Boers brought up five guns. One would + have thought that during so long a time as three days it would have been + possible for the officer in command to make such preparations against this + obvious possibility as were so successfully taken at a later stage of the + war by the handful who garrisoned Ladybrand. Surely in this period, even + without engineers, it would not have been hard to construct such trenches + as the Boers have again and again opposed to our own artillery. But the + preparations which were made proved to be quite inadequate. One of the two + smaller kopjes was carried, and the garrison fled to the other. This also + was compelled to surrender, and finally the main kopje also hoisted the + white flag. No blame can rest upon the men, for their presence there at + all is a sufficient proof of their public spirit and their gallantry. But + the lessons of the war seem to have been imperfectly learned, especially + that very certain lesson that shell fire in a close formation is + insupportable, while in an open formation with a little cover it can never + compel surrender. The casualty lists (80 killed and wounded out of a force + of 470) show that the Yeomanry took considerable punishment before + surrendering, but do not permit us to call the defence desperate or + heroic. It is only fair to add that Colonel Spragge was acquitted of all + blame by a court of inquiry, which agreed, however, that the surrender was + premature, and attributed it to the unauthorised hoisting of a white flag + upon one of the detached kopjes. With regard to the subsequent controversy + as to whether General Colvile might have returned to the relief of the + Yeomanry, it is impossible to see how that General could have acted in any + other way than he did. + </p> + <p> + Some explanation is needed of Lord Methuen's appearance upon the central + scene of warfare, his division having, when last described, been at + Boshof, not far from Kimberley, where early in April he fought the + successful action which led to the death of Villebois. Thence he proceeded + along the Vaal and then south to Kroonstad, arriving there on May 28th. He + had with him the 9th Brigade (Douglas's), which contained the troops which + had started with him for the relief of Kimberley six months before. These + were the Northumberland Fusiliers, Loyal North Lancashires, Northamptons, + and Yorkshire Light Infantry. With him also were the Munsters, Lord + Chesham's Yeomanry (five companies), with the 4th and 37th batteries, two + howitzers and two pom-poms. His total force was about 6000 men. On + arriving at Kroonstad he was given the task of relieving Heilbron, where + Colvile, with the Highland Brigade, some Colonial horse, Lovat's Scouts, + two naval guns, and the 5th battery, were short of food and ammunition. + The more urgent message from the Yeomen at Lindley, however, took him on a + fruitless journey to that town on June 1st. So vigorous was the pursuit of + the Yeomanry that the leading squadrons, consisting of South Notts Hussars + and Sherwood Rangers, actually cut into the Boer convoy and might have + rescued the prisoners had they been supported. As it was they were + recalled, and had to fight their way back to Lindley with some loss, + including Colonel Rolleston, the commander, who was badly wounded. A + garrison was left under Paget, and the rest of the force pursued its + original mission to Heilbron, arriving there on June 7th, when the + Highlanders had been reduced to quarter rations. 'The Salvation Army' was + the nickname by which they expressed their gratitude to the relieving + force. + </p> + <p> + A previous convoy sent to the same destination had less good fortune. On + June 1st fifty-five wagons started from the railway line to reach + Heilbron. The escort consisted of one hundred and sixty details belonging + to Highland regiments without any guns, Captain Corballis in command. But + the gentleman with the tinted glasses was waiting on the way. 'I have + twelve hundred men and five guns. Surrender at once!' Such was the message + which reached the escort, and in their defenceless condition there was + nothing for it but to comply. Thus one disaster leads to another, for, had + the Yeomanry held out at Lindley, De Wet would not on June 4th have laid + hands upon our wagons; and had he not recruited his supplies from our + wagons it is doubtful if he could have made his attack upon Roodeval. This + was the next point upon which he turned his attention. + </p> + <p> + Two miles beyond Roodeval station there is a well-marked kopje by the + railway line, with other hills some distance to the right and the left. A + militia regiment, the 4th Derbyshire, had been sent up to occupy this + post. There were rumours of Boers on the line, and Major Haig, who with + one thousand details of various regiments commanded at railhead, had been + attacked on June 6th but had beaten off his assailants. De Wet, acting + sometimes in company with, and sometimes independently of, his lieutenant + Nel, passed down the line looking fur some easier prey, and on the night + of June 7th came upon the militia regiment, which was encamped in a + position which could be completely commanded by artillery. It is not true + that they had neglected to occupy the kopje under which they lay, for two + companies had been posted upon it. But there seems to have been no thought + of imminent danger, and the regiment had pitched its tents and gone very + comfortably to sleep without a thought of the gentleman in the tinted + glasses. In the middle of the night he was upon them with a hissing sleet + of bullets. At the first dawn the guns opened and the shells began to + burst among them. It was a horrible ordeal for raw troops. The men were + miners and agricultural labourers, who had never seen more bloodshed than + a cut finger in their lives. They had been four months in the country, but + their life had been a picnic, as the luxury of their baggage shows. Now in + an instant the picnic was ended, and in the grey cold dawn war was upon + them—grim war with the whine of bullets, the screams of pain, the + crash of shell, the horrible rending and riving of body and limb. In + desperate straits, which would have tried the oldest soldiers, the brave + miners did well. They never from the beginning had a chance save to show + how gamely they could take punishment, but that at least they did. Bullets + were coming from all sides at once and yet no enemy was visible. They + lined one side of the embankment, and they were shot in the back. They + lined the other, and were again shot in the back. Baird-Douglas, the + Colonel, vowed to shoot the man who should raise the white flag, and he + fell dead himself before he saw the hated emblem. But it had to come. A + hundred and forty of the men were down, many of them suffering from the + horrible wounds which shell inflicts. The place was a shambles. Then the + flag went up and the Boers at last became visible. Outnumbered, + outgeneralled, and without guns, there is no shadow of stain upon the good + name of the one militia regiment which was ever seriously engaged during + the war. Their position was hopeless from the first, and they came out of + it with death, mutilation, and honour. + </p> + <p> + Two miles south of the Rhenoster kopje stands Roodeval station, in which, + on that June morning, there stood a train containing the mails for the + army, a supply of great-coats, and a truck full of enormous shells. A + number of details of various sorts, a hundred or more, had alighted from + the train, twenty of them Post-office volunteers, some of the Pioneer + Railway corps, a few Shropshires, and other waifs and strays. To them in + the early morning came the gentleman with the tinted glasses, his hands + still red with the blood of the Derbies. 'I have fourteen hundred men and + four guns. Surrender!' said the messenger. But it is not in nature for a + postman to give up his postbag without a struggle. 'Never!' cried the + valiant postmen. But shell after shell battered the corrugated-iron + buildings about their ears, and it was not possible for them to answer the + guns which were smashing the life out of them. There was no help for it + but to surrender. De Wet added samples of the British volunteer and of the + British regular to his bag of militia. The station and train were burned + down, the great-coats looted, the big shells exploded, and the mails + burned. The latter was the one unsportsmanlike action which can up to that + date be laid to De Wet's charge. Forty thousand men to the north of him + could forego their coats and their food, but they yearned greatly for + those home letters, charred fragments of which are still blowing about the + veld. [Footnote: Fragments continually met the eye which must have + afforded curious reading for the victors. 'I hope you have killed all + those Boers by now,' was the beginning of one letter which I could not + help observing.] + </p> + <p> + For three days De Wet held the line, and during all that time he worked + his wicked will upon it. For miles and miles it was wrecked with most + scientific completeness. The Rhenoster bridge was destroyed. So, for the + second time, was the Roodeval bridge. The rails were blown upwards with + dynamite until they looked like an unfinished line to heaven. De Wet's + heavy hand was everywhere. Not a telegraph-post remained standing within + ten miles. His headquarters continued to be the kopje at Roodeval. + </p> + <p> + On June 10th two British forces were converging upon the point of danger. + One was Methuen's, from Heilbron. The other was a small force consisting + of the Shropshires, the South Wales Borderers, and a battery which had + come south with Lord Kitchener. The energetic Chief of the Staff was + always sent by Lord Roberts to the point where a strong man was needed, + and it was seldom that he failed to justify his mission. Lord Methuen, + however, was the first to arrive, and at once attacked De Wet, who moved + swiftly away to the eastward. With a tendency to exaggeration, which has + been too common during the war, the affair was described as a victory. It + was really a strategic and almost bloodless move upon the part of the + Boers. It is not the business of guerillas to fight pitched battles. + Methuen pushed for the south, having been informed that Kroonstad had been + captured. Finding this to be untrue, he turned again to the eastward in + search of De Wet. + </p> + <p> + That wily and indefatigable man was not long out of our ken. On June 14th + he appeared once more at Rhenoster, where the construction trains, under + the famous Girouard, were working furiously at the repair of the damage + which he had already done. This time the guard was sufficient to beat him + off, and he vanished again to the eastward. He succeeded, however, in + doing some harm, and very nearly captured Lord Kitchener himself. A + permanent post had been established at Rhenoster under the charge of + Colonel Spens of the Shropshires, with his own regiment and several guns. + Smith-Dorrien, one of the youngest and most energetic of the divisional + commanders, had at the same time undertaken the supervision and patrolling + of the line. + </p> + <p> + An attack had at this period been made by a commando of some hundred Boers + at the Sand River to the south of Kroonstad, where there is a most + important bridge. The attempt was frustrated by the Royal Lancaster + regiment and the Railway Pioneer regiment, helped by some mounted infantry + and Yeomanry. The fight was for a time a brisk one, and the Pioneers, upon + whom the brunt of it fell, behaved with great steadiness. The skirmish is + principally remarkable for the death of Major Seymour of the Pioneers, a + noble American, who gave his services and at last his life for what, in + the face of all slander and misrepresentation, he knew to be the cause of + justice and of liberty. + </p> + <p> + It was hoped now, after all these precautions, that the last had been seen + of the gentleman with the tinted glasses, but on June 21st he was back in + his old haunts once more. Honing Spruit Station, about midway between + Kroonstad and Roodeval, was the scene of his new raid. On that date his + men appeared suddenly as a train waited in the station, and ripped up the + rails on either side of it. There were no guns at this point, and the only + available troops were three hundred of the prisoners from Pretoria, armed + with Martini-Henry rifles and obsolete ammunition. A good man was in + command, however—the same Colonel Bullock of the Devons who had + distinguished himself at Colenso—and every tattered, half-starved + wastrel was nerved by a recollection of the humiliations which he had + already endured. For seven hours they lay helpless under the shell-fire, + but their constancy was rewarded by the arrival of Colonel Brookfield with + 300 Yeomanry and four guns of the 17th R.F.A., followed in the evening by + a larger force from the south. The Boers fled, but left some of their + number behind them; while of the British, Major Hobbs and four men were + killed and nineteen wounded. This defence of three hundred half-armed men + against seven hundred Boer riflemen, with three guns firing shell and + shrapnel, was a very good performance. The same body of burghers + immediately afterwards attacked a post held by Colonel Evans with two + companies of the Shropshires and fifty Canadians. They were again beaten + back with loss, the Canadians under Inglis especially distinguishing + themselves by their desperate resistance in an exposed position. + </p> + <p> + All these attacks, irritating and destructive as they were, were not able + to hinder the general progress of the war. After the battle of Diamond + Hill the captured position was occupied by the mounted infantry, while the + rest of the forces returned to their camps round Pretoria, there to await + the much-needed remounts. At other parts of the seat of war the British + cordon was being drawn more tightly round the Boer forces. Buller had come + as far as Standerton, and Ian Hamilton, in the last week of June, had + occupied Heidelberg. A week afterwards the two forces were able to join + hands, and so to completely cut off the Free State from the Transvaal + armies. Hamilton in these operations had the misfortune to break his + collar-bone, and for a time the command of his division passed to Hunter—the + one man, perhaps, whom the army would regard as an adequate successor. + </p> + <p> + It was evident now to the British commanders that there would be no peace + and no safety for their communications while an undefeated army of seven + or eight thousand men, under such leaders as De Wet and Olivier, was + lurking amid the hills which flanked their railroad. A determined effort + was made, therefore, to clear up that corner of the country. Having closed + the only line of escape by the junction of Ian Hamilton and of Buller, the + attention of six separate bodies of troops was concentrated upon the + stalwart Freestaters. These were the divisions of Rundle and of Brabant + from the south, the brigade of Clements on their extreme left, the + garrison of Lindley under Paget, the garrison of Heilbron under Macdonald, + and, most formidable of all, a detachment under Hunter which was moving + from the north. A crisis was evidently approaching. + </p> + <p> + The nearest Free State town of importance still untaken was Bethlehem—a + singular name to connect with the operations of war. The country on the + south of it forbade an advance by Rundle or Brabant, but it was more + accessible from the west. The first operation of the British consisted, + therefore, in massing sufficient troops to be able to advance from this + side. This was done by effecting a junction between Clements from Senekal, + and Paget who commanded at Lindley, which was carried out upon July 1st + near the latter place. Clements encountered some opposition, but besides + his excellent infantry regiments, the Royal Irish, Worcesters, Wiltshires, + and Bedfords, he had with him the 2nd Brabant's Horse, with yeomanry, + mounted infantry, two 5-inch guns, and the 38th R.F.A. Aided by a + demonstration on the part of Grenfell and of Brabant, he pushed his way + through after three days of continual skirmish. + </p> + <p> + On getting into touch with Clements, Paget sallied out from Lindley, + leaving the Buffs behind to garrison the town. He had with him + Brookfield's mounted brigade one thousand strong, eight guns, and two fine + battalions of infantry, the Munster Fusiliers and the Yorkshire Light + Infantry. On July 3rd he found near Leeuw Kop a considerable force of + Boers with three guns opposed to him, Clements being at that time too far + off upon the flank to assist him. Four guns of the 38th R.F.A. (Major + Oldfield) and two belonging to the City Volunteers came into action. The + Royal Artillery guns appear to have been exposed to a very severe fire, + and the losses were so heavy that for a time they could not be served. The + escort was inadequate, insufficiently advanced, and badly handled, for the + Boer riflemen were able, by creeping up a donga, to get right into the + 38th battery, and the gallant major, with Lieutenant Belcher, was killed + in the defence of the guns. Captain FitzGerald, the only other officer + present, was wounded in two places, and twenty men were struck down, with + nearly all the horses of one section. Captain Marks, who was brigade-major + of Colonel Brookfield's Yeomanry, with the help of Lieutenant Keevil Davis + and the 15th I.Y. came to the rescue of the disorganised and almost + annihilated section. At the same time the C.I.V. guns were in imminent + danger, but were energetically covered by Captain Budworth, adjutant of + the battery. Soon, however, the infantry, Munster Fusiliers, and Yorkshire + Light Infantry, which had been carrying out a turning movement, came into + action, and the position was taken. The force moved onwards, and on July + 6th they were in front of Bethlehem. + </p> + <p> + The place is surrounded by hills, and the enemy was found strongly posted. + Clements's force was now on the left and Paget's on the right. From both + sides an attempt was made to turn the Boer flanks, but they were found to + be very wide and strong. All day a long-range action was kept up while + Clements felt his way in the hope of coming upon some weak spot in the + position, but in the evening a direct attack was made by Paget's two + infantry regiments upon the right, which gave the British a footing on the + Boer position. The Munster Fusiliers and the Yorkshire Light Infantry lost + forty killed and wounded, including four officers, in this gallant affair, + the heavier loss and the greater honour going to the men of Munster. + </p> + <p> + The centre of the position was still held, and on the morning of July 7th + Clements gave instructions to the colonel of the Royal Irish to storm it + if the occasion should seem favourable. Such an order to such a regiment + means that the occasion will seem favourable. Up they went in three + extended lines, dropping forty or fifty on the way, but arriving + breathless and enthusiastic upon the crest of the ridge. Below them, upon + the further side, lay the village of Bethlehem. On the slopes beyond + hundreds of horsemen were retreating, and a gun was being hurriedly + dragged into the town. For a moment it seemed as if nothing had been left + as a trophy, but suddenly a keen-eyed sergeant raised a cheer, which was + taken up again and again until it resounded over the veld. Under the + crest, lying on its side with a broken wheel, was a gun—one of the + 15-pounders of Stormberg which it was a point of honour to regain once + more. Many a time had the gunners been friends in need to the infantry. + Now it was the turn of the infantry to do something in exchange. That + evening Clements had occupied Bethlehem, and one more of their towns had + passed out of the hands of the Freestaters. + </p> + <p> + A word now as to that force under General Hunter which was closing in from + the north. The gallant and energetic Hamilton, lean, aquiline, and + tireless, had, as already stated, broken his collar-bone at Heidelberg, + and it was as his lieutenant that Hunter was leading these troops out of + the Transvaal into the Orange River Colony. Most of his infantry was left + behind at Heidelberg, but he took with him Broadwood's cavalry (two + brigades) and Bruce Hamilton's 21st infantry brigade, with Ridley's + mounted infantry, some seven thousand men in all. On the 2nd of July this + force reached Frankfort in the north of the Free State without resistance, + and on July 3rd they were joined there by Macdonald's force from Heilbron, + so that Hunter found himself with over eleven thousand men under his + command. Here was an instrument with which surely the coup de grace could + be given to the dying State. Passing south, still without meeting serious + resistance, Hunter occupied Reitz, and finally sent on Broadwood's cavalry + to Bethlehem, where on July 8th they joined Paget and Clements. + </p> + <p> + The net was now in position, and about to be drawn tight, but at this last + moment the biggest fish of all dashed furiously out from it. Leaving the + main Free State force in a hopeless position behind him, De Wet, with + fifteen hundred well-mounted men and five guns, broke through Slabbert's + Nek between Bethlehem and Ficksburg, and made swiftly for the north-west, + closely followed by Paget's and Broadwood's cavalry. It was on July 16th + that he made his dash for freedom. On the 19th Little, with the 3rd + Cavalry Brigade, had come into touch with him near Lindley. De Wet shook + himself clear, and with splendid audacity cut the railway once more to the + north of Honing Spruit, gathering up a train as he passed, and taking two + hundred details prisoners. On July 22nd De Wet was at Vredefort, still + closely followed by Broadwood, Ridley, and Little, who gleaned his wagons + and his stragglers. Thence he threw himself into the hilly country some + miles to the south of the Vaal River, where he lurked for a week or more + while Lord Kitchener came south to direct the operations which would, as + it was hoped, lead to a surrender. + </p> + <p> + Leaving the indomitable guerilla in his hiding-place, the narrative must + return to that drawing of the net which still continued in spite of the + escape of this one important fish. On all sides the British forces had + drawn closer, and they were both more numerous and more formidable in + quality. It was evident now that by a rapid advance from Bethlehem in the + direction of the Basuto border all Boers to the north of Ficksburg would + be hemmed in. On July 22nd the columns were moving. On that date Paget + moved out of Bethlehem, and Rundle took a step forward from Ficksburg. + Bruce Hamilton had already, at the cost of twenty Cameron Highlanders, got + a grip upon a bastion of that rocky country in which the enemy lurked. On + the 23rd Hunter's force was held by the Boers at the strong pass of + Retief's Nek, but on the 24th they were compelled to abandon it, as the + capture of Slabbert's Nek by Clements threatened their rear. This latter + pass was fortified most elaborately. It was attacked upon the 23rd by + Brabant's Horse and the Royal Irish without success. Later in the day two + companies of the Wiltshire Regiment were also brought to a standstill, but + retained a position until nightfall within stone-throw of the Boer lines, + though a single company had lost 17 killed and wounded. Part of the Royal + Irish remained also close to the enemy's trenches. Under cover of + darkness, Clements sent four companies of the Royal Irish and two of the + Wiltshires under Colonel Guinness to make a flanking movement along the + crest of the heights. These six companies completely surprised the enemy, + and caused them to hurriedly evacuate the position. Their night march was + performed under great difficulties, the men crawling on hands and knees + along a rocky path with a drop of 400 feet upon one side. But their + exertions were greatly rewarded. Upon the success of their turning + movement depended the fall of Slabbert's Nek. Retief's Nek was untenable + if we held Slabbert's Nek, and if both were in our hands the retreat of + Prinsloo was cut off. + </p> + <p> + At every opening of the hills the British guns were thundering, and the + heads of British columns were appearing on every height. The Highland + Brigade had fairly established themselves over the Boer position, though + not without hard fighting, in which a hundred men of the Highland Light + Infantry had been killed and wounded. The Seaforths and the Sussex had + also gripped the positions in front of them, and taken some punishment in + doing so. The outworks of the great mountain fortress were all taken, and + on July 26th the British columns were converging on Fouriesburg, while + Naauwpoort on the line of retreat was held by Macdonald. It was only a + matter of time now with the Boers. + </p> + <p> + On the 28th Clements was still advancing, and contracting still further + the space which was occupied by our stubborn foe. He found himself faced + by the stiff position of Slaapkrantz, and a hot little action was needed + before the Boers could be dislodged. The fighting fell upon Brabant's + Horse, the Royal Irish, and the Wiltshires. Three companies of the latter + seized a farm upon the enemy's left, but lost ten men in doing so, while + their gallant colonel, Carter, was severely wounded in two places. The + Wiltshires, who were excellently handled by Captain Bolton, held on to the + farm and were reinforced there by a handful of the Scots Guards. In the + night the position was abandoned by the Boers, and the advance swept + onwards. On all sides the pressure was becoming unendurable. The burghers + in the valley below could see all day the twinkle of British heliographs + from every hill, while at night the constant flash of signals told of the + sleepless vigilance which hemmed them in. Upon July 29th, Prinsloo sent in + a request for an armistice, which was refused. Later in the day he + despatched a messenger with the white flag to Hunter, with an announcement + of his unconditional surrender. + </p> + <p> + On July 30th the motley army which had held the British off so long + emerged from among the mountains. But it soon became evident that in + speaking for all Prinsloo had gone beyond his powers. Discipline was low + and individualism high in the Boer army. Every man might repudiate the + decision of his commandant, as every man might repudiate the white flag of + his comrade. On the first day no more than eleven hundred men of the + Ficksburg and Ladybrand commandos, with fifteen hundred horses and two + guns, were surrendered. Next day seven hundred and fifty more men came in + with eight hundred horses, and by August 6th the total of the prisoners + had mounted to four thousand one hundred and fifty with three guns, two of + which were our own. But Olivier, with fifteen hundred men and several + guns, broke away from the captured force and escaped through the hills. Of + this incident General Hunter, an honourable soldier, remarks in his + official report: 'I regard it as a dishonourable breach of faith upon the + part of General Olivier, for which I hold him personally responsible. He + admitted that he knew that General Prinsloo had included him in the + unconditional surrender.' It is strange that, on Olivier's capture shortly + afterwards, he was not court-martialled for this breach of the rules of + war, but that good-natured giant, the Empire, is quick—too quick, + perhaps—to let byegones be byegones. On August 4th Harrismith + surrendered to Macdonald, and thus was secured the opening of the Van + Reenen's Pass and the end of the Natal system of railways. This was of the + very first importance, as the utmost difficulty had been found in + supplying so large a body of troops so far from the Cape base. In a day + the base was shifted to Durban, and the distance shortened by two-thirds, + while the army came to be on the railway instead of a hundred miles from + it. This great success assured Lord Roberts's communications from serious + attack, and was of the utmost importance in enabling him to consolidate + his position at Pretoria. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 28. THE HALT AT PRETORIA. + </h2> + <p> + Lord Roberts had now been six weeks in the capital, and British troops had + overrun the greater part of the south and west of the Transvaal, but in + spite of this there was continued Boer resistance, which flared suddenly + up in places which had been nominally pacified and disarmed. It was found, + as has often been shown in history, that it is easier to defeat a + republican army than to conquer it. From Klerksdorp, from Ventersdorp, + from Rustenburg, came news of risings against the newly imposed British + authority. The concealed Mauser and the bandolier were dug up once more + from the trampled corner of the cattle kraal, and the farmer was a warrior + once again. Vague news of the exploits of De Wet stimulated the fighting + burghers and shamed those who had submitted. A letter was intercepted from + the guerilla chief to Cronje's son, who had surrendered near Rustenburg. + De Wet stated that he had gained two great victories and had fifteen + hundred captured rifles with which to replace those which the burghers had + given up. Not only were the outlying districts in a state of revolt, but + even round Pretoria the Boers were inclined to take the offensive, while + both that town and Johannesburg were filled with malcontents who were + ready to fly to their arms once more. + </p> + <p> + Already at the end of June there were signs that the Boers realised how + helpless Lord Roberts was until his remounts should arrive. The mosquitoes + buzzed round the crippled lion. On June 29th there was an attack upon + Springs near Johannesburg, which was easily beaten off by the Canadians. + Early in July some of the cavalry and mounted infantry patrols were + snapped up in the neighbourhood of the capital. Lord Roberts gave orders + accordingly that Hutton and Mahon should sweep the Boers back upon his + right, and push them as far as Bronkhorst Spruit. This was done on July + 6th and 7th, the British advance meeting with considerable resistance from + artillery as well as rifles. By this movement the pressure upon the right + was relieved, which might have created a dangerous unrest in Johannesburg, + and it was done at the moderate cost of thirty-four killed and wounded, + half of whom belonged to the Imperial Light Horse. This famous corps, + which had come across with Mahon from the relief of Mafeking, had, a few + days before, ridden with mixed feelings through the streets of + Johannesburg and past, in many instances, the deserted houses which had + once been their homes. Many weary months were to pass before the survivors + might occupy them. On July 9th the Boers again attacked, but were again + pushed back to the eastward. + </p> + <p> + It is probable that all these demonstrations of the enemy upon the right + of Lord Roberts's extended position were really feints in order to cover + the far-reaching plans which Botha had in his mind. The disposition of the + Boer forces at this time appears to have been as follows: Botha with his + army occupied a position along Delagoa railway line, further east than + Diamond Hill, whence he detached the bodies which attacked Hutton upon the + extreme right of the British position to the south-east of Pretoria. To + the north of Pretoria a second force was acting under Grobler, while a + third under De la Rey had been despatched secretly across to the left wing + of the British, north-west of Pretoria. While Botha engaged the attention + of Lord Roberts by energetic demonstrations on his right, Grobler and De + la Rey were to make a sudden attack upon his centre and his left, each + point being twelve or fifteen miles from the other. It was well devised + and very well carried out; but the inherent defect of it was that, when + subdivided in this way, the Boer force was no longer strong enough to gain + more than a mere success of outposts. + </p> + <p> + De la Rey's attack was delivered at break of day on July 11th at Uitval's + Nek, a post some eighteen miles west of the capital. This position could + not be said to be part of Lord Roberts's line, but rather to be a link to + connect his army with Rustenburg. It was weakly held by three companies of + the Lincolns with two others in support, one squadron of the Scots Greys, + and two guns of O battery R.H.A. The attack came with the first grey light + of dawn, and for many hours the small garrison bore up against a deadly + fire, waiting for the help which never came. All day they held their + assailants at bay, and it was not until evening that their ammunition ran + short and they were forced to surrender. Nothing could have been better + than the behaviour of the men, both infantry, cavalry, and gunners, but + their position was a hopeless one. The casualties amounted to eighty + killed and wounded. Nearly two hundred were made prisoners and the two + guns were taken. + </p> + <p> + On the same day that De la Rey made his coup at Uitval's Nek, Grobler had + shown his presence on the north side of the town by treating very roughly + a couple of squadrons of the 7th Dragoon Guards which had attacked him. By + the help of a section of the ubiquitous O battery and of the 14th Hussars, + Colonel Lowe was able to disengage his cavalry from the trap into which + they had fallen, but it was at the cost of between thirty and forty + officers and men killed, wounded, or taken. The old 'Black Horse' + sustained their historical reputation, and fought their way bravely out of + an almost desperate situation, where they were exposed to the fire of a + thousand riflemen and four guns. + </p> + <p> + On this same day of skirmishes, July 11th, the Gordons had seen some hot + work twenty miles or so to the south of Uitval's Nek. Orders had been + given to the 19th Brigade (Smith-Dorrien's) to proceed to Krugersdorp, and + thence to make their way north. The Scottish Yeomanry and a section of the + 78th R.F.A. accompanied them. The idea seems to have been that they would + be able to drive north any Boers in that district, who would then find the + garrison of Uitval's Nek at their rear. The advance was checked, however, + at a place called Dolverkrantz, which was strongly held by Boer riflemen. + The two guns were insufficiently protected, and the enemy got within short + range of them, killing or wounding many of the gunners. The lieutenant in + charge, Mr. A.J. Turner, the famous Essex cricketer, worked the gun with + his own hands until he also fell wounded in three places. The situation + was now very serious, and became more so when news was flashed of the + disaster at Uitval's Nek, and they were ordered to retire. They could not + retire and abandon the guns, yet the fire was so hot that it was + impossible to remove them. Gallant attempts were made by volunteers from + the Gordons—Captain Younger and other brave men throwing away their + lives in the vain effort to reach and to limber up the guns. At last, + under the cover of night, the teams were harnessed and the two + field-pieces successfully removed, while the Boers who rushed in to seize + them were scattered by a volley. The losses in the action were thirty-six + and the gain nothing. Decidedly July 11th was not a lucky day for the + British arms. + </p> + <p> + It was well known to Botha that every train from the south was bringing + horses for Lord Roberts's army, and that it had become increasingly + difficult for De Wet and his men to hinder their arrival. The last horse + must win, and the Empire had the world on which to draw. Any movement + which the Boers would make must be made at once, for already both the + cavalry and the mounted infantry were rapidly coming back to their full + strength once more. This consideration must have urged Botha to deliver an + attack on July 16th, which had some success at first, but was afterwards + beaten off with heavy loss to the enemy. The fighting fell principally + upon Pole-Carew and Hutton, the corps chiefly engaged being the Royal + Irish Fusiliers, the New Zealanders, the Shropshires, and the Canadian + Mounted Infantry. The enemy tried repeatedly to assault the position, but + were beaten back each time with a loss of nearly a hundred killed and + wounded. The British loss was about sixty, and included two gallant young + Canadian officers, Borden and Birch, the former being the only son of the + minister of militia. So ended the last attempt made by Botha upon the + British positions round Pretoria. The end of the war was not yet, but + already its futility was abundantly evident. This had become more apparent + since the junction of Hamilton and of Buller had cut off the Transvaal + army from that of the Free State. Unable to send their prisoners away, and + also unable to feed them, the Freestaters were compelled to deliver up in + Natal the prisoners whom they had taken at Lindley and Roodeval. These + men, a ragged and starving battalion, emerged at Ladysmith, having made + their way through Van Reenen's Pass. It is a singular fact that no parole + appears on these and similar occasions to have been exacted by the Boers. + </p> + <p> + Lord Roberts, having remounted a large part of his cavalry, was ready now + to advance eastward and give Botha battle. The first town of any + consequence along the Delagoa Railway is Middelburg, some seventy miles + from the capital. This became the British objective, and the forces of + Mahon and Hamilton on the north, of Pole-Carew in the centre, and of + French and Hutton to the south, all converged upon it. There was no + serious resistance, though the weather was abominable, and on July 27th + the town was in the hands of the invaders. From that date until the final + advance to the eastward French held this advanced post, while Pole-Carew + guarded the railway line. Rumours of trouble in the west had convinced + Roberts that it was not yet time to push his advantage to the east, and he + recalled Ian Hamilton's force to act for a time upon the other side of the + seat of the war. This excellent little army, consisting of Mahon's and + Pilcher's mounted infantry, M battery R.H.A., the Elswick battery, two + 5-inch and two 4.7 guns, with the Berkshires, the Border Regiment, the + Argyle and Sutherlands, and the Scottish Borderers, put in as much hard + work in marching and in fighting as any body of troops in the whole + campaign. + </p> + <p> + The renewal of the war in the west had begun some weeks before, but was + much accelerated by the transference of De la Rey and his burghers to that + side. There is no district in the Transvaal which is better worth fighting + for, for it is a fair country side, studded with farmhouses and green with + orange-groves, with many clear streams running through it. The first sign + of activity appears to have been on July 7th, when a commando with guns + appeared upon the hills above Rustenburg. Hanbury Tracy, commandant of + Rustenburg, was suddenly confronted with a summons to surrender. He had + only 120 men and one gun, but he showed a bold front. Colonel Houldsworth, + at the first whisper of danger, had started from Zeerust with a small + force of Australian bushmen, and arrived at Rustenburg in time to drive + the enemy away in a very spirited action. On the evening of July 8th + Baden-Powell took over the command, the garrison being reinforced by + Plumer's command. + </p> + <p> + The Boer commando was still in existence, however, and it was reinforced + and reinvigorated by De la Rey's success at Uitval's Nek. On July 18th + they began to close in upon Rustenburg again, and a small skirmish took + place between them and the Australians. Methuen's division, which had been + doing very arduous service in the north of the Free State during the last + six weeks, now received orders to proceed into the Transvaal and to pass + northwards through the disturbed districts en route for Rustenburg, which + appeared to be the storm centre. The division was transported by train + from Kroonstad to Krugersdorp, and advanced on the evening of July 18th + upon its mission, through a bare and fire-blackened country. On the 19th + Lord Methuen manoeuvred the Boers out of a strong position, with little + loss to either side. On the 21st he forced his way through Olifant's Nek, + in the Magaliesberg range, and so established communication with + Baden-Powell, whose valiant bushmen, under Colonel Airey, had held their + own in a severe conflict near Magato Pass, in which they lost six killed, + nineteen wounded, and nearly two hundred horses. The fortunate arrival of + Captain FitzClarence with the Protectorate Regiment helped on this + occasion to avert a disaster. The force, only 300 strong, without guns, + had walked into an ugly ambuscade, and only the tenacity and resource of + the men enabled them ever to extricate themselves. + </p> + <p> + Although Methuen came within reach of Rustenburg, he did not actually join + hands with Baden-Powell. No doubt he saw and heard enough to convince him + that that astute soldier was very well able to take care of himself. + Learning of the existence of a Boer force in his rear, Methuen turned, and + on July 29th he was back at Frederickstad on the Potchefstroom to + Krugersdorp railway. The sudden change in his plans was caused doubtless + by the desire to head off De Wet in case he should cross the Vaal River. + Lord Roberts was still anxious to clear the neighbourhood of Rustenburg + entirely of the enemy; and he therefore, since Methuen was needed to + complete the cordon round De Wet, recalled Hamilton's force from the east + and despatched it, as already described, to the west of Pretoria. + </p> + <p> + Before going into the details of the great De Wet hunt, in which Methuen's + force was to be engaged, I shall follow Hamilton's division across, and + give some account of their services. On August 1st he set out from + Pretoria for Rustenburg. On that day and on the next he had brisk + skirmishes which brought him successfully through the Magaliesberg range + with a loss of forty wounded, mostly of the Berkshires. On the 5th of + August he had made his way to Rustenburg and drove off the investing + force. A smaller siege had been going on to westward, where at Elands + River another Mafeking man, Colonel Hore, had been held up by the + burghers. For some days it was feared, and even officially announced, that + the garrison had surrendered. It was known that an attempt by Carrington + to relieve the place on August 5th had been beaten back, and that the + state of the country appeared so threatening that he had been compelled, + or had imagined himself to be compelled, to retreat as far as Mafeking, + evacuating Zeerust and Otto's Hoop, abandoning the considerable stores + which were collected at those places. In spite of all these sinister + indications the garrison was still holding its own, and on August 16th it + was relieved by Lord Kitchener. + </p> + <p> + This stand at Brakfontein on the Elands River appears to have been one of + the very finest deeds of arms of the war. The Australians have been so + split up during the campaign, that though their valour and efficiency were + universally recognised, they had no single exploit which they could call + their own. But now they can point to Elands River as proudly as the + Canadians can to Paardeberg. They were 500 in number, Victorians, New + South Welshmen, and Queenslanders, the latter the larger unit, with a + corps of Rhodesians. Under Hore were Major Hopper of the Rhodesians, and + Major Toubridge of the Queenslanders. Two thousand five hundred Boers + surrounded them, and most favourable terms of surrender were offered and + scouted. Six guns were trained upon them, and during 11 days 1800 shells + fell within their lines. The river was half a mile off, and every drop of + water for man or beast had to come from there. Nearly all their horses and + 75 of the men were killed or wounded. With extraordinary energy and + ingenuity the little band dug shelters which are said to have exceeded in + depth and efficiency any which the Boers have devised. Neither the repulse + of Carrington, nor the jamming of their only gun, nor the death of the + gallant Annett, was sufficient to dishearten them. They were sworn to die + before the white flag should wave above them. And so fortune yielded, as + fortune will when brave men set their teeth, and Broadwood's troopers, + filled with wonder and admiration, rode into the lines of the reduced and + emaciated but indomitable garrison. When the ballad-makers of Australia + seek for a subject, let them turn to Elands River, for there was no finer + resistance in the war. They will not grudge a place in their record to the + 130 gallant Rhodesians who shared with them the honours and the dangers of + the exploit. + </p> + <p> + On August 7th Ian Hamilton abandoned Rustenburg, taking Baden-Powell and + his men with him. It was obviously unwise to scatter the British forces + too widely by attempting to garrison every single town. For the instant + the whole interest of the war centred upon De Wet and his dash into the + Transvaal. One or two minor events, however, which cannot be fitted into + any continuous narrative may be here introduced. + </p> + <p> + One of these was the action at Faber's Put, by which Sir Charles Warren + crushed the rebellion in Griqualand. In that sparsely inhabited country of + vast distances it was a most difficult task to bring the revolt to a + decisive ending. This Sir Charles Warren, with his special local knowledge + and interest, was able to do, and the success is doubly welcome as + bringing additional honour to a man who, whatever view one may take of his + action at Spion Kop, has grown grey in the service of the Empire. With a + column consisting mainly of colonials and of yeomanry he had followed the + rebels up to a point within twelve miles of Douglas. Here at the end of + May they turned upon him and delivered a fierce night attack, so sudden + and so strongly pressed that much credit is due both to General and to + troops for having repelled it. The camp was attacked on all sides in the + early dawn. The greater part of the horses were stampeded by the firing, + and the enemy's riflemen were found to be at very close quarters. For an + hour the action was warm, but at the end of that time the Boers fled, + leaving a number of dead behind them. The troops engaged in this very + creditable action, which might have tried the steadiness of veterans, were + four hundred of the Duke of Edinburgh's volunteers, some of Paget's horse + and of the 8th Regiment Imperial Yeomanry, four Canadian guns, and + twenty-five of Warren's Scouts. Their losses were eighteen killed and + thirty wounded. Colonel Spence, of the volunteers, died at the head of his + regiment. A few days before, on May 27th, Colonel Adye had won a small + engagement at Kheis, some distance to the westward, and the effect of the + two actions was to put an end to open resistance. On June 20th De + Villiers, the Boer leader, finally surrendered to Sir Charles Warren, + handing over two hundred and twenty men with stores, rifles, and + ammunition. The last sparks had for the time been stamped out in the + colony. + </p> + <p> + There remain to be mentioned those attacks upon trains and upon the + railway which had spread from the Free State to the Transvaal. On July + 19th a train was wrecked on the way from Potchefstroom to Krugersdorp + without serious injury to the passengers. On July 31st, however, the same + thing occurred with more murderous effect, the train running at full speed + off the metals. Thirteen of the Shropshires were killed and thirty-seven + injured in this deplorable affair, which cost us more than many an + important engagement. On August 2nd a train coming up from Bloemfontein + was derailed by Sarel Theron and his gang some miles south of Kroonstad. + Thirty-five trucks of stores were burned, and six of the passengers + (unarmed convalescent soldiers) were killed or wounded. A body of mounted + infantry followed up the Boers, who numbered eighty, and succeeded in + killing and wounding several of them. + </p> + <p> + On July 21st the Boers made a determined attack upon the railhead at a + point thirteen miles east of Heidelberg, where over a hundred Royal + Engineers were engaged upon a bridge. They were protected by three hundred + Dublin Fusiliers under Major English. For some hours the little party was + hard pressed by the burghers, who had two field-pieces and a pom-pom. They + could make no impression, however, upon the steady Irish infantry, and + after some hours the arrival of General Hart with reinforcements scattered + the assailants, who succeeded in getting their guns away in safety. + </p> + <p> + At the beginning of August it must be confessed that the general situation + in the Transvaal was not reassuring. Springs near Johannesburg had in some + inexplicable way, without fighting, fallen into the hands of the enemy. + Klerksdorp, an important place in the south-west, had also been + reoccupied, and a handful of men who garrisoned it had been made prisoners + without resistance. Rustenburg was about to be abandoned, and the British + were known to be falling back from Zeerust and Otto's Hoop, concentrating + upon Mafeking. The sequel proved however, that there was no cause for + uneasiness in all this. Lord Roberts was concentrating his strength upon + those objects which were vital, and letting the others drift for a time. + At present the two obviously important things were to hunt down De Wet and + to scatter the main Boer army under Botha. The latter enterprise must wait + upon the former, so for a fortnight all operations were in abeyance while + the flying columns of the British endeavoured to run down their extremely + active and energetic antagonist. + </p> + <p> + At the end of July De Wet had taken refuge in some exceedingly difficult + country near Reitzburg, seven miles south of the Vaal River. The + operations were proceeding vigorously at that time against the main army + at Fouriesberg, and sufficient troops could not be spared to attack him, + but he was closely observed by Kitchener and Broadwood with a force of + cavalry and mounted infantry. With the surrender of Prinsloo a large army + was disengaged, and it was obvious that if De Wet remained where he was he + must soon be surrounded. On the other hand, there was no place of refuge + to the south of him. With great audacity he determined to make a dash for + the Transvaal, in the hope of joining hands with De la Rey's force, or + else of making his way across the north of Pretoria, and so reaching + Botha's army. President Steyn went with him, and a most singular + experience it must have been for him to be harried like a mad dog through + the country in which he had once been an honoured guest. De Wet's force + was exceedingly mobile, each man having a led horse, and the ammunition + being carried in light Cape carts. + </p> + <p> + In the first week of August the British began to thicken round his + lurking-place, and De Wet knew that it was time for him to go. He made a + great show of fortifying a position, but it was only a ruse to deceive + those who watched him. Travelling as lightly as possible, he made a dash + on August 7th at the drift which bears his own name, and so won his way + across the Vaal River, Kitchener thundering at his heels with his cavalry + and mounted infantry. Methuen's force was at that time at Potchefstroom, + and instant orders had been sent to him to block the drifts upon the + northern side. It was found as he approached the river that the vanguard + of the enemy was already across and that it was holding the spurs of the + hills which would cover the crossing of their comrades. By the dash of the + Royal Welsh Fusiliers and the exertions of the artillery ridge after ridge + was carried, but before evening De Wet with supreme skill had got his + convoy across, and had broken away, first to the eastward and then to the + north. On the 9th Methuen was in touch with him again, and the two savage + little armies, Methuen worrying at the haunch, and De Wet snapping back + over his shoulder, swept northward over the huge plains. Wherever there + was ridge or kopje the Boer riflemen staved off the eager pursuers. Where + the ground lay flat and clear the British guns thundered onwards and fired + into the lines of wagons. Mile after mile the running fight was sustained, + but the other British columns, Broadwood's men and Kitchener's men, had + for some reason not come up. Methuen alone was numerically inferior to the + men he was chasing, but he held on with admirable energy and spirit. The + Boers were hustled off the kopjes from which they tried to cover their + rear. Twenty men of the Yorkshire Yeomanry carried one hill with the + bayonet, though only twelve of them were left to reach the top. + </p> + <p> + De Wet trekked onwards during the night of the 9th, shedding wagons and + stores as he went. He was able to replace some of his exhausted beasts + from the farmhouses which he passed. Methuen on the morning of the 10th + struck away to the west, sending messages back to Broadwood and Kitchener + in the rear that they should bear to the east, and so nurse the Boer + column between them. At the same time he sent on a messenger, who + unfortunately never arrived, to warn Smith-Dorrien at Bank Station to + throw himself across De Wet's path. On the 11th it was realised that De + Wet had succeeded, in spite of great exertions upon the part of + Smith-Dorrien's infantry, in crossing the railway line, and that he had + left all his pursuers to the south of him. But across his front lay the + Magaliesberg range. There are only three passes, the Magato Pass, + Olifant's Nek, and Commando Nek. It was understood that all three were + held by British troops. It was obvious, therefore, that if Methuen could + advance in such a way as to cut De Wet off from slipping through to the + west he would be unable to get away. Broadwood and Kitchener would be + behind him, and Pretoria, with the main British army, to the east. + </p> + <p> + Methuen continued to act with great energy and judgment. At three A.M. on + the 12th be started from Fredericstadt, and by 5 P.M. on Tuesday he had + done eighty miles in sixty hours. The force which accompanied him was all + mounted, 1200 of the Colonial Division (1st Brabant's, Cape Mounted + Rifles, Kaffrarian Rifles, and Border Horse), and the Yeomanry with ten + guns. Douglas with the infantry was to follow behind, and these brave + fellows covered sixty-six miles in seventy-six hours in their eagerness to + be in time. No men could have made greater efforts than did those of + Methuen, for there was not one who did not appreciate the importance of + the issue and long to come to close quarters with the wily leader who had + baffled us so long. + </p> + <p> + On the 12th Methuen's van again overtook De Wet's rear, and the old game + of rearguard riflemen on one side, and a pushing artillery on the other, + was once more resumed. All day the Boers streamed over the veld with the + guns and the horsemen at their heels. A shot from the 78th battery struck + one of De Wet's guns, which was abandoned and captured. Many stores were + taken and much more, with the wagons which contained them, burned by the + Boers. Fighting incessantly, both armies traversed thirty-five miles of + ground that day. + </p> + <p> + It was fully understood that Olifant's Nek was held by the British, so + Methuen felt that if he could block the Magato Pass all would be well. He + therefore left De Wet's direct track, knowing that other British forces + were behind him, and he continued his swift advance until he had reached + the desired position. It really appeared that at last the elusive raider + was in a corner. But, alas for fallen hopes, and alas for the wasted + efforts of gallant men! Olifant's Nek had been abandoned and De Wet had + passed safely through it into the plains beyond, where De la Rey's force + was still in possession. In vain Methuen's weary column forced the Magato + Pass and descended into Rustenburg. The enemy was in a safe country once + more. Whose the fault, or whether there was a fault at all, it is for the + future to determine. At least unalloyed praise can be given to the Boer + leader for the admirable way in which he had extricated himself from so + many dangers. On the 17th., moving along the northern side of the + mountains, he appeared at Commando Nek on the Little Crocodile River, + where he summoned Baden-Powell to surrender, and received some chaff in + reply from that light-hearted commander. Then, swinging to the eastward, + he endeavoured to cross to the north of Pretoria. On the 19th he was heard + of at Hebron. Baden-Powell and Paget had, however, already barred this + path, and De Wet, having sent Steyn on with a small escort, turned back to + the Free State. On the 22nd it was reported that, with only a handful of + his followers, he had crossed the Magaliesberg range by a bridlepath and + was riding southwards. Lord Roberts was at last free to turn his undivided + attention upon Botha. + </p> + <p> + Two Boer plots had been discovered during the first half of August, the + one in Pretoria and the other in Johannesburg, each having for its object + a rising against the British in the town. Of these the former, which was + the more serious, involving as it did the kidnapping of Lord Roberts, was + broken up by the arrest of the deviser, Hans Cordua, a German lieutenant + in the Transvaal Artillery. On its merits it is unlikely that the crime + would have been met by the extreme penalty, especially as it was a + question whether the agent provocateur had not played a part. But the + repeated breaches of parole, by which our prisoners of one day were in the + field against us on the next, called imperatively for an example, and it + was probably rather for his broken faith than for his hare-brained scheme + that Cordua died. At the same time it is impossible not to feel sorrow for + this idealist of twenty-three who died for a cause which was not his own. + He was shot in the garden of Pretoria Gaol upon August 24th. A fresh and + more stringent proclamation from Lord Roberts showed that the British + Commander was losing his patience in the face of the wholesale return of + paroled men to the field, and announced that such perfidy would in future + be severely punished. It was notorious that the same men had been taken + and released more than once. One man killed in action was found to have + nine signed passes in his pocket. It was against such abuses that the + extra severity of the British was aimed. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 29. THE ADVANCE TO KOMATIPOORT. + </h2> + <p> + The time had now come for the great combined movement which was to sweep + the main Boer army off the line of the Delagoa railway, cut its source of + supplies, and follow it into that remote and mountainous Lydenburg + district which had always been proclaimed as the last refuge of the + burghers. Before entering upon this most difficult of all his advances + Lord Roberts waited until the cavalry and mounted infantry were well + mounted again. Then, when all was ready, the first step in this last stage + of the regular campaign was taken by General Buller, who moved his army of + Natal veterans off the railway line and advanced to a position from which + he could threaten the flank and rear of Botha if he held his ground + against Lord Roberts. Buller's cavalry had been reinforced by the arrival + of Strathcona's Horse, a fine body of Canadian troopers, whose services + had been presented to the nation by the public-spirited nobleman whose + name they bore. They were distinguished by their fine physique, and by the + lassoes, cowboy stirrups, and large spurs of the North-Western plains. + </p> + <p> + It was in the first week of July that Clery joined hands with the + Heidelberg garrison, while Coke with the 10th Brigade cleared the right + flank of the railway by an expedition as far as Amersfoort. On July 6th + the Natal communications were restored, and on the 7th Buller was able to + come through to Pretoria and confer with the Commander-in-Chief. A Boer + force with heavy guns still hung about the line, and several small + skirmishes were fought between Vlakfontein and Greylingstad in order to + drive it away. By the middle of July the immediate vicinity of the railway + was clear save for some small marauding parties who endeavoured to tamper + with the rails and the bridges. Up to the end of the month the whole of + the Natal army remained strung along the line of communications from + Heidelberg to Standerton, waiting for the collection of forage and + transport to enable them to march north against Botha's position. + </p> + <p> + On August 8th Buller's troops advanced to the north-east from Paardekop, + pushing a weak Boer force with five guns in front of them. At the cost of + twenty-five wounded, principally of the 60th Rifles, the enemy was cleared + off, and the town of Amersfoort was occupied. On the 13th, moving on the + same line, and meeting with very slight opposition, Buller took possession + of Ermelo. His advance was having a good effect upon the district, for on + the 12th the Standerton commando, which numbered 182 men, surrendered to + Clery. On the 15th, still skirmishing, Buller's men were at Twyfelaar, and + had taken possession of Carolina. Here and there a distant horseman riding + over the olive-coloured hills showed how closely and incessantly he was + watched; but, save for a little sniping upon his flanks, there was no + fighting. He was coming now within touch of French's cavalry, operating + from Middelburg, and on the 14th heliographic communication was + established with Gordon's Brigade. + </p> + <p> + Buller's column had come nearer to its friends, but it was also nearer to + the main body of Boers who were waiting in that very rugged piece of + country which lies between Belfast in the west and Machadodorp in the + east. From this rocky stronghold they had thrown out mobile bodies to + harass the British advance from the south, and every day brought Buller + into closer touch with these advance guards of the enemy. On August 21st + he had moved eight miles nearer to Belfast, French operating upon his left + flank. Here he found the Boers in considerable numbers, but he pushed them + northward with his cavalry, mounted infantry, and artillery, losing + between thirty and forty killed and wounded, the greater part from the + ranks of the 18th Hussars and the Gordon Highlanders. This march brought + him within fifteen miles of Belfast, which lay due north of him. At the + same time Pole-Carew with the central column of Lord Roberts's force had + advanced along the railway line, and on August 24th he occupied Belfast + with little resistance. He found, however, that the enemy were holding the + formidable ridges which lie between that place and Dalmanutha, and that + they showed every sign of giving battle, presenting a firm front to Buller + on the south as well as to Roberts's army on the west. + </p> + <p> + On the 23rd some successes attended their efforts to check the advance + from the south. During the day Buller had advanced steadily, though under + incessant fire. The evening found him only six miles to the south of + Dalmanutha, the centre of the Boer position. By some misfortune, however, + after dark two companies of the Liverpool Regiment found themselves + isolated from their comrades and exposed to a very heavy fire. They had + pushed forward too far, and were very near to being surrounded and + destroyed. There were fifty-six casualties in their ranks, and thirty-two, + including their wounded captain, were taken. The total losses in the day + were 121. + </p> + <p> + On August 25th it was evident that important events were at hand, for on + that date Lord Roberts arrived at Belfast and held a conference with + Buller, French, and Pole-Carew. The general communicated his plans to his + three lieutenants, and on the 26th and following days the fruits of the + interview were seen in a succession of rapid manoeuvres which drove the + Boers out of this, the strongest position which they had held since they + left the banks of the Tugela. + </p> + <p> + The advance of Lord Roberts was made, as his wont is, with two widespread + wings, and a central body to connect them. Such a movement leaves the + enemy in doubt as to which flank will really be attacked, while if he + denudes his centre in order to strengthen both flanks there is the chance + of a frontal advance which might cut him in two. French with two cavalry + brigades formed the left advance, Pole-Carew the centre, and Buller the + right, the whole operations extending over thirty miles of infamous + country. It is probable that Lord Roberts had reckoned that the Boer right + was likely to be their strongest position, since if it were turned it + would cut off their retreat upon Lydenburg, so his own main attack was + directed upon their left. This was carried out by General Buller on August + 26th and 27th. + </p> + <p> + On the first day the movement upon Buller's part consisted in a very + deliberate reconnaissance of and closing in upon the enemy's position, his + troops bivouacking upon the ground which they had won. On the second, + finding that all further progress was barred by the strong ridge of + Bergendal, he prepared his attack carefully with artillery and then let + loose his infantry upon it. It was a gallant feat of arms upon either + side. The Boer position was held by a detachment of the Johannesburg + Police, who may have been bullies in peace, but were certainly heroes in + war. The fire of sixty guns was concentrated for a couple of hours upon a + position only a few hundred yards in diameter. In this infernal fire, + which left the rocks yellow with lyddite, the survivors still waited + grimly for the advance of the infantry. No finer defence was made in the + war. The attack was carried out across an open glacis by the 2nd Rifle + Brigade and by the Inniskilling Fusiliers, the men of Pieter's Hill. + Through a deadly fire the gallant infantry swept over the position, though + Metcalfe, the brave colonel of the Rifles, with eight other officers, and + seventy men were killed or wounded. Lysley, Steward, and Campbell were all + killed in leading their companies, but they could not have met their + deaths upon an occasion more honourable to their battalion. Great credit + must also be given to A and B companies of the Inniskilling Fusiliers, who + were actually the first over the Boer position. The cessation of the + artillery fire was admirably timed. It was sustained up to the last + possible instant. 'As it was,' said the captain of the leading company, 'a + 94-pound shell burst about thirty yards in front of the right of our lot. + The smell of the lyddite was awful.' A pom-pom and twenty prisoners, + including the commander of the police, were the trophies of the day. An + outwork of the Boer position had been carried, and the rumour of defeat + and disaster had already spread through their ranks. Braver men than the + burghers have never lived, but they had reached the limits of human + endurance, and a long experience of defeat in the field had weakened their + nerve and lessened their morale. They were no longer men of the same fibre + as those who had crept up to the trenches of Spion Kop, or faced the lean + warriors of Ladysmith on that grim January morning at Caesar's Camp. Dutch + tenacity would not allow them to surrender, and yet they realised how + hopeless was the fight in which they were engaged. Nearly fifteen thousand + of their best men were prisoners, ten thousand at the least had returned + to their farms and taken the oath. Another ten had been killed, wounded, + or incapacitated. Most of the European mercenaries had left; they held + only the ultimate corner of their own country, they had lost their grip + upon the railway line, and their supply of stores and of ammunition was + dwindling. To such a pass had eleven months of war reduced that formidable + army who had so confidently advanced to the conquest of South Africa. + </p> + <p> + While Buller had established himself firmly upon the left of the Boer + position, Pole-Carew had moved forward to the north of the railway line, + and French had advanced as far as Swart Kopjes upon the Boer right. These + operations on August 26th and 27th were met with some resistance, and + entailed a loss of forty or fifty killed and wounded; but it soon became + evident that the punishment which they had received at Bergendal had taken + the fight out of the Boers, and that this formidable position was to be + abandoned as the others had been. On the 28th the burghers were + retreating, and Machadodorp, where Kruger had sat so long in his railway + carriage, protesting that he would eventually move west and not east, was + occupied by Buller. French, moving on a more northerly route, entered + Watervalonder with his cavalry upon the same date, driving a small Boer + force before him. Amid rain and mist the British columns were pushing + rapidly forwards, but still the burghers held together, and still their + artillery was uncaptured. The retirement was swift, but it was not yet a + rout. + </p> + <p> + On the 30th the British cavalry were within touch of Nooitgedacht, and saw + a glad sight in a long trail of ragged men who were hurrying in their + direction along the railway line. They were the British prisoners, + eighteen hundred in number, half of whom had been brought from Waterval + when Pretoria was captured, while the other half represented the men who + had been sent from the south by De Wet, or from the west by De la Rey. + Much allowance must be made for the treatment of prisoners by a + belligerent who is himself short of food, but nothing can excuse the + harshness which the Boers showed to the Colonials who fell into their + power, or the callous neglect of the sick prisoners at Waterval. It is a + humiliating but an interesting fact that from first to last no fewer than + seven thousand of our men passed into their power, all of whom were now + recovered save some sixty officers, who had been carried off by them in + their flight. + </p> + <p> + On September 1st Lord Roberts showed his sense of the decisive nature of + these recent operations by publishing the proclamation which had been + issued as early as July 4th, by which the Transvaal became a portion of + the British Empire. On the same day General Buller, who had ceased to + advance to the east and retraced his steps as far as Helvetia, began his + northerly movement in the direction of Lydenburg, which is nearly fifty + miles to the north of the railway line. On that date his force made a + march of fourteen miles, which brought them over the Crocodile River to + Badfontein. Here, on September 2nd, Buller found that the indomitable + Botha was still turning back upon him, for he was faced by so heavy a + shell fire, coming from so formidable a position, that he had to be + content to wait in front of it until some other column should outflank it. + The days of unnecessary frontal attacks were for ever over, and his force, + though ready for anything which might be asked of it, had gone through a + good deal in the recent operations. Since August 21st they had been under + fire almost every day, and their losses, though never great on any one + occasion, amounted in the aggregate during that time to 365. They had + crossed the Tugela, they had relieved Ladysmith, they had forced Laing's + Nek, and now it was to them that the honour had fallen of following the + enemy into this last fastness. Whatever criticism may be directed against + some episodes in the Natal campaign, it must never be forgotten that to + Buller and to his men have fallen some of the hardest tasks of the war, + and that these tasks have always in the end been successfully carried out. + The controversy about the unfortunate message to White, and the memory of + the abandoned guns at Colenso, must not lead us to the injustice of + ignoring all that is to be set to the credit account. + </p> + <p> + On September 3rd Lord Roberts, finding how strong a position faced Buller, + despatched Ian Hamilton with a force to turn it upon the right. + Brocklehurst's brigade of cavalry joined Hamilton in his advance. On the + 4th he was within signalling distance of Buller, and on the right rear of + the Boer position. The occupation of a mountain called Zwaggenhoek would + establish Hamilton firmly, and the difficult task of seizing it at night + was committed to Colonel Douglas and his fine regiment of Royal Scots. It + was Spion Kop over again, but with a happier ending. At break of day the + Boers discovered that their position had been rendered untenable and + withdrew, leaving the road to Lydenburg clear to Buller. Hamilton and he + occupied the town upon the 6th. The Boers had split into two parties, the + larger one with the guns falling back upon Kruger's Post, and the others + retiring to Pilgrim's Rest. Amid cloud-girt peaks and hardly passable + ravines the two long-enduring armies still wrestled for the final mastery. + </p> + <p> + To the north-east of Lydenburg, between that town and Spitzkop, there is a + formidable ridge called the Mauchberg, and here again the enemy were found + to be standing at bay. They were even better than their word, for they had + always said that they would make their last stand at Lydenburg, and now + they were making one beyond it. But the resistance was weakening. Even + this fine position could not be held against the rush of the three + regiments, the Devons, the Royal Irish, and the Royal Scots, who were let + loose upon it. The artillery supported the attack admirably. 'They did + nobly,' said one who led the advance. 'It is impossible to overrate the + value of their support. They ceased also exactly at the right moment. One + more shell would have hit us.' Mountain mists saved the defeated burghers + from a close pursuit, but the hills were carried. The British losses on + this day, September 8th, were thirteen killed and twenty-five wounded; but + of these thirty-eight no less than half were accounted for by one of those + strange malignant freaks which can neither be foreseen nor prevented. A + shrapnel shell, fired at an incredible distance, burst right over the + Volunteer Company of the Gordons who were marching in column. Nineteen men + fell, but it is worth recording that, smitten so suddenly and so terribly, + the gallant Volunteers continued to advance as steadily as before this + misfortune befell them. On the 9th Buller was still pushing forward to + Spitzkop, his guns and the 1st Rifles overpowering a weak rearguard + resistance of the Boers. On the 10th he had reached Klipgat, which is + halfway between the Mauchberg and Spitzkop. So close was the pursuit that + the Boers, as they streamed through the passes, flung thirteen of their + ammunition wagons over the cliffs to prevent them from falling into the + hands of the British horsemen. At one period it looked as if the gallant + Boer guns had waited too long in covering the retreat of the burghers. + Strathcona's Horse pressed closely upon them. The situation was saved by + the extreme coolness and audacity of the Boer gunners. 'When the cavalry + were barely half a mile behind the rear gun' says an eye-witness 'and we + regarded its capture as certain, the LEADING Long Tom deliberately turned + to bay and opened with case shot at the pursuers streaming down the hill + in single file over the head of his brother gun. It was a magnificent + coup, and perfectly successful. The cavalry had to retire, leaving a few + men wounded, and by the time our heavy guns had arrived both Long Toms had + got clean away.' But the Boer riflemen would no longer stand. Demoralised + after their magnificent struggle of eleven months the burghers were now a + beaten and disorderly rabble flying wildly to the eastward, and only held + together by the knowledge that in their desperate situation there was more + comfort and safety in numbers. The war seemed to be swiftly approaching + its close. On the 15th Buller occupied Spitzkop in the north, capturing a + quantity of stores, while on the 14th French took Barberton in the south, + releasing all the remaining British prisoners and taking possession of + forty locomotives, which do not appear to have been injured by the enemy. + Meanwhile Pole-Carew had worked along the railway line, and had occupied + Kaapmuiden, which was the junction where the Barberton line joins that to + Lourenco Marques. Ian Hamilton's force, after the taking of Lydenburg and + the action which followed, turned back, leaving Buller to go his own way, + and reached Komatipoort on September 24th, having marched since September + 9th without a halt through a most difficult country. + </p> + <p> + On September 11th an incident had occurred which must have shown the most + credulous believer in Boer prowess that their cause was indeed lost. On + that date Paul Kruger, a refugee from the country which he had ruined, + arrived at Lourenco Marques, abandoning his beaten commandos and his + deluded burghers. How much had happened since those distant days when as a + little herdsboy he had walked behind the bullocks on the great northward + trek. How piteous this ending to all his strivings and his plottings! A + life which might have closed amid the reverence of a nation and the + admiration of the world was destined to finish in exile, impotent and + undignified. Strange thoughts must have come to him during those hours of + flight, memories of his virile and turbulent youth, of the first + settlement of those great lands, of wild wars where his hand was heavy + upon the natives, of the triumphant days of the war of independence, when + England seemed to recoil from the rifles of the burghers. And then the + years of prosperity, the years when the simple farmer found himself among + the great ones of the earth, his name a household word in Europe, his + State rich and powerful, his coffers filled with the spoil of the poor + drudges who worked so hard and paid taxes so readily. Those were his great + days, the days when he hardened his heart against their appeals for + justice and looked beyond his own borders to his kinsmen in the hope of a + South Africa which should be all his own. And now what had come of it all? + A handful of faithful attendants, and a fugitive old man, clutching in his + flight at his papers and his moneybags. The last of the old-world + Puritans, he departed poring over his well-thumbed Bible, and proclaiming + that the troubles of his country arose, not from his own narrow and + corrupt administration, but from some departure on the part of his fellow + burghers from the stricter tenets of the dopper sect. So Paul Kruger + passed away from the country which he had loved and ruined. + </p> + <p> + Whilst the main army of Botha had been hustled out of their position at + Machadodorp and scattered at Lydenburg and at Barberton, a number of other + isolated events had occurred at different points of the seat of war, each + of which deserves some mention. The chief of these was a sudden revival of + the war in the Orange River Colony, where the band of Olivier was still + wandering in the north-eastern districts. Hunter, moving northwards after + the capitulation of Prinsloo at Fouriesburg, came into contact on August + 15th with this force near Heilbron, and had forty casualties, mainly of + the Highland Light Infantry, in a brisk engagement. For a time the British + seemed to have completely lost touch with Olivier, who suddenly on August + 24th struck at a small detachment consisting almost entirely of Queenstown + Rifle Volunteers under Colonel Ridley, who were reconnoitring near + Winburg. The Colonial troopers made a gallant defence. Throwing themselves + into the farmhouse of Helpmakaar, and occupying every post of vantage + around it, they held off more than a thousand assailants, in spite of the + three guns which the latter brought to bear upon them. A hundred and + thirty-two rounds were fired at the house, but the garrison still refused + to surrender. Troopers who had been present at Wepener declared that the + smaller action was the warmer of the two. Finally on the morning of the + third day a relief force arrived upon the scene, and the enemy dispersed. + The British losses were thirty-two killed and wounded. Nothing daunted by + his failure, Olivier turned upon the town of Winburg and attempted to + regain it, but was defeated again and scattered, he and his three sons + being taken. The result was due to the gallantry and craft of a handful of + the Queenstown Volunteers, who laid an ambuscade in a donga, and disarmed + the Boers as they passed, after the pattern of Sanna's Post. By this + action one of the most daring and resourceful of the Dutch leaders fell + into the hands of the British. It is a pity that his record is stained by + his dishonourable conduct in breaking the compact made on the occasion of + the capture of Prinsloo. But for British magnanimity a drumhead + court-martial should have taken the place of the hospitality of the Ceylon + planters. + </p> + <p> + On September 2nd another commando of Free State Boers under Fourie emerged + from the mountain country on the Basuto border, and fell upon Ladybrand, + which was held by a feeble garrison consisting of one company of the + Worcester regiment and forty-three men of the Wiltshire Yeomanry. The + Boers, who had several guns with them, appear to have been the same force + which had been repulsed at Winburg. Major White, a gallant marine, whose + fighting qualities do not seem to have deteriorated with his distance from + salt water, had arranged his defences upon a hill, after the Wepener + model, and held his own most stoutly. So great was the disparity of the + forces that for days acute anxiety was felt lest another of those + humiliating surrenders should interrupt the record of victories, and + encourage the Boers to further resistance. The point was distant, and it + was some time before relief could reach them. But the dusky chiefs, who + from their native mountains looked down on the military drama which was + played so close to their frontier, were again, as on the Jammersberg, to + see the Boer attack beaten back by the constancy of the British defence. + The thin line of soldiers, 150 of them covering a mile and a half of + ground, endured a heavy shell and rifle fire with unshaken resolution, + repulsed every attempt of the burghers, and held the flag flying until + relieved by the forces under White and Bruce Hamilton. In this march to + the relief Hamilton's infantry covered eighty miles in four and a half + days. Lean and hard, inured to warfare, and far from every temptation of + wine or women, the British troops at this stage of the campaign were in + such training, and marched so splendidly, that the infantry was often very + little slower than the cavalry. Methuen's fine performance in pursuit of + De Wet, where Douglas's infantry did sixty-six miles in seventy-five + hours, the City Imperial Volunteers covering 224 miles in fourteen days, + with a single forced march of thirty miles in seventeen hours, the + Shropshires forty-three miles in thirty-two hours, the forty-five miles in + twenty-five hours of the Essex Regiment, Bruce Hamilton's march recorded + above, and many other fine efforts serve to show the spirit and endurance + of the troops. + </p> + <p> + In spite of the defeat at Winburg and the repulse at Ladybrand, there + still remained a fair number of broken and desperate men in the Free State + who held out among the difficult country of the east. A party of these + came across in the middle of September and endeavoured to cut the railway + near Brandfort. They were pursued and broken up by Macdonald, who, much + aided in his operations by the band of scouts which Lord Lovat had brought + with him from Scotland, took several prisoners and a large number of + wagons and of oxen. A party of these Boers attacked a small post of + sixteen Yeomanry under Lieutenant Slater at Bultfontein, but were held at + bay until relief came from Brandfort. + </p> + <p> + At two other points the Boer and British forces were in contact during + these operations. One was to the immediate north of Pretoria, where + Grobler's commando was faced by Paget's brigade. On August 18th the Boers + were forced with some loss out of Hornies Nek, which is ten miles to the + north of the capital. On the 22nd a more important skirmish took place at + Pienaar's River, in the same direction, between Baden-Powell's men, who + had come thither in pursuit of De Wet, and Grobler's band. The advance + guards of the two forces galloped into each other, and for once Boer and + Briton looked down the muzzles of each other's rifles. The gallant + Rhodesian Regiment, which had done such splendid service during the war, + suffered most heavily. Colonel Spreckley and four others were killed, and + six or seven wounded. The Boers were broken, however, and fled, leaving + twenty-five prisoners to the victors. Baden-Powell and Paget pushed + forwards as far as Nylstroom, but finding themselves in wild and + profitless country they returned towards Pretoria, and established the + British northern posts at a place called Warm Baths. Here Paget commanded, + while Baden-Powell shortly afterwards went down to Cape Town to make + arrangements for taking over the police force of the conquered countries, + and to receive the enthusiastic welcome of his colonial fellow-countrymen. + Plumer, with a small force operating from Warm Baths, scattered a Boer + commando on September 1st, capturing a few prisoners and a considerable + quantity of munitions of war. On the 5th there was another skirmish in the + same neighbourhood, during which the enemy attacked a kopje held by a + company of Munster Fusiliers, and was driven off with loss. Many thousands + of cattle were captured by the British in this part of the field of + operations, and were sent into Pretoria, whence they helped to supply the + army in the east. + </p> + <p> + There was still considerable effervescence in the western districts of the + Transvaal, and a mounted detachment met with fierce opposition at the end + of August on their journey from Zeerust to Krugersdorp. Methuen, after his + unsuccessful chase of De Wet, had gone as far as Zeerust, and had then + taken his force on to Mafeking to refit. Before leaving Zeerust, however, + he had despatched Colonel Little to Pretoria with a column which consisted + of his own third cavalry brigade, 1st Brabant's, the Kaffrarian Rifles, R + battery of Horse Artillery, and four Colonial guns. They were acting as + guard to a very large convoy of 'returned empties.' The district which + they had to traverse is one of the most fertile in the Transvaal, a land + of clear streams and of orange groves. But the farmers are numerous and + aggressive, and the column, which was 900 strong, could clear all + resistance from its front, but found it impossible to brush off the + snipers upon its flanks and rear. Shortly after their start the column was + deprived of the services of its gallant leader, Colonel Little, who was + shot while riding with his advance scouts. Colonel Dalgety took over the + command. Numerous desultory attacks culminated in a fierce skirmish at + Quaggafontein on August 31st, in which the column had sixty casualties. + The event might have been serious, as De la Rey's main force appears to + have been concentrated upon the British detachment, the brunt of the + action falling upon the Kaffrarian Rifles. By a rapid movement the column + was able to extricate itself and win its way safely to Krugersdorp, but it + narrowly escaped out of the wolf's jaws, and as it emerged into the open + country De la Rey's guns were seen galloping for the pass which they had + just come through. This force was sent south to Kroonstad to refit. + </p> + <p> + Lord Methuen's army, after its long marches and arduous work, arrived at + Mafeking on August 28th for the purpose of refitting. Since his departure + from Boshof on May 14th his men had been marching with hardly a rest, and + he had during that time fought fourteen engagements. He was off upon the + war-path once more, with fresh horses and renewed energy, on September + 8th, and on the 9th, with the co-operation of General Douglas, he + scattered a Boer force at Malopo, capturing thirty prisoners and a great + quantity of stores. On the 14th he ran down a convoy and regained one of + the Colenso guns and much ammunition. On the 20th he again made large + captures. If in the early phases of the war the Boers had given Paul + Methuen some evil hours, he was certainly getting his own back again. At + the same time Clements was despatched from Pretoria with a small mobile + force for the purpose of clearing the Rustenburg and Krugersdorp + districts, which had always been storm centres. These two forces, of + Methuen and of Clements, moved through the country, sweeping the scattered + Boer bands before them, and hunting them down until they dispersed. At + Kekepoort and at Hekspoort Clements fought successful skirmishes, losing + at the latter action Lieutenant Stanley of the Yeomanry, the Somersetshire + cricketer, who showed, as so many have done, how close is the connection + between the good sportsman and the good soldier. On the 12th Douglas took + thirty-nine prisoners near Lichtenburg. On the 18th Rundle captured a gun + at Bronkhorstfontein. Hart at Potchefstroom, Hildyard in the Utrecht + district, Macdonald in the Orange River Colony, everywhere the British + Generals were busily stamping out the remaining embers of what had been so + terrible a conflagration. + </p> + <p> + Much trouble but no great damage was inflicted upon the British during + this last stage of the war by the incessant attacks upon the lines of + railway by roving bands of Boers. The actual interruption of traffic was + of little consequence, for the assiduous Sappers with their gangs of + Basuto labourers were always at hand to repair the break. But the loss of + stores, and occasionally of lives, was more serious. Hardly a day passed + that the stokers and drivers were not made targets of by snipers among the + kopjes, and occasionally a train was entirely destroyed. [Footnote: It is + to be earnestly hoped that those in authority will see that these men + obtain the medal and any other reward which can mark our sense of their + faithful service. One of them in the Orange River Colony, after narrating + to me his many hairbreadth escapes, prophesied bitterly that the memory of + his services would pass with the need for them.] Chief among these raiders + was the wild Theron, who led a band which contained men of all nations—the + same gang who had already, as narrated, held up a train in the Orange + River Colony. On August 31st he derailed another at Flip River to the + south of Johannesburg, blowing up the engine and burning thirteen trucks. + Almost at the same time a train was captured near Kroonstad, which + appeared to indicate that the great De Wet was back in his old + hunting-grounds. On the same day the line was cut at Standerton. A few + days later, however, the impunity with which these feats had been + performed was broken, for in a similar venture near Krugersdorp the + dashing Theron and several of his associates lost their lives. + </p> + <p> + Two other small actions performed at this period of the war demand a + passing notice. One was a smart engagement near Kraai Railway Station, in + which Major Broke of the Sappers with a hundred men attacked a superior + Boer force upon a kopje and drove them off with loss—a feat which it + is safe to say he could not have accomplished six months earlier. The + other was the fine defence made by 125 of the Canadian Mounted Rifles, + who, while guarding the railway, were attacked by a considerable Boer + force with two guns. They proved once more, as Ladybrand and Elands River + had shown, that with provisions, cartridges, and brains, the smallest + force can successfully hold its own if it confines itself to the + defensive. + </p> + <p> + And now the Boer cause appeared to be visibly tottering to its fall. The + flight of the President had accelerated that process of disintegration + which had already set in. Schalk Burger had assumed the office of + Vice-President, and the notorious Ben Viljoen had become first lieutenant + of Louis Botha in maintaining the struggle. Lord Roberts had issued an + extremely judicious proclamation, in which he pointed out the uselessness + of further resistance, declared that guerilla warfare would be ruthlessly + suppressed, and informed the burghers that no fewer than fifteen thousand + of their fellow-countrymen were in his hands as prisoners, and that none + of these could be released until the last rifle had been laid down. From + all sides in the third week of September the British forces were + converging on Komatipoort, the frontier town. Already wild figures, + stained and tattered after nearly a year of warfare, were walking the + streets of Lourenco Marques, gazed at with wonder and some distrust by the + Portuguese inhabitants. The exiled burghers moodily pacing the streets saw + their exiled President seated in his corner of the Governor's verandah, + the well-known curved pipe still dangling from his mouth, the Bible by his + chair. Day by day the number of these refugees increased. On September + 17th special trains were arriving crammed with the homeless burghers, and + with the mercenaries of many nations—French, German, Irish-American, + and Russian—all anxious to make their way home. By the 19th no fewer + than seven hundred had passed over. + </p> + <p> + At dawn on September 22nd a half-hearted attempt was made by the commando + of Erasmus to attack Elands River Station, but it was beaten back by the + garrison. While it was going on Paget fell upon the camp which Erasmus had + left behind him, and captured his stores. From all over the country, from + Plumer's Bushmen, from Barton at Krugersdorp, from the Colonials at + Heilbron, from Clements on the west, came the same reports of dwindling + resistance and of the abandoning of cattle, arms, and ammunition. + </p> + <p> + On September 24th came the last chapter in this phase of the campaign in + the Eastern Transvaal, when at eight in the morning Pole-Carew and his + Guardsmen occupied Komatipoort. They had made desperate marches, one of + them through thick bush, where they went for nineteen miles without water, + but nothing could shake the cheery gallantry of the men. To them fell the + honour, an honour well deserved by their splendid work throughout the + whole campaign, of entering and occupying the ultimate eastern point which + the Boers could hold. Resistance had been threatened and prepared for, but + the grim silent advance of that veteran infantry took the heart out of the + defence. With hardly a shot fired the town was occupied. The bridge which + would enable the troops to receive their supplies from Lourenco Marques + was still intact. General Pienaar and the greater part of his force, + amounting to over two thousand men, had crossed the frontier and had been + taken down to Delagoa Bay, where they met the respect and attention which + brave men in misfortune deserve. Small bands had slipped away to the north + and the south, but they were insignificant in numbers and depressed in + spirit. For the time it seemed that the campaign was over, but the result + showed that there was greater vitality in the resistance of the burghers + and less validity in their oaths than any one had imagined. + </p> + <p> + One find of the utmost importance was made at Komatipoort, and at Hector + Spruit on the Crocodile River. That excellent artillery which had fought + so gallant a fight against our own more numerous guns, was found destroyed + and abandoned. Pole-Carew at Komatipoort got one Long Tom (96-pound) + Creusot, and one smaller gun. Ian Hamilton at Hector Spruit found the + remains of many guns, which included two of our horse artillery + twelve-pounders, two large Creusot guns, two Krupps, one Vickers-Maxim + quick firer, two pompoms and four mountain guns. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 30. THE CAMPAIGN OF DE WET. + </h2> + <p> + It had been hoped that the dispersal of the main Boer army, the capture of + its guns and the expulsion of many both of the burghers and of the foreign + mercenaries, would have marked the end of the war. These expectations + were, however, disappointed, and South Africa was destined to be afflicted + and the British Empire disturbed by a useless guerilla campaign. After the + great and dramatic events which characterised the earlier phases of the + struggle between the Briton and the Boer for the mastery of South Africa + it is somewhat of the nature of an anticlimax to turn one's attention to + those scattered operations which prolonged the resistance for a turbulent + year at the expense of the lives of many brave men on either side. These + raids and skirmishes, which had their origin rather in the hope of + vengeance than of victory, inflicted much loss and misery upon the + country, but, although we may deplore the desperate resolution which bids + brave men prefer death to subjugation, it is not for us, the countrymen of + Hereward or Wallace, to condemn it. + </p> + <p> + In one important respect these numerous, though trivial, conflicts + differed from the battles in the earlier stages of the war. The British + had learned their lesson so thoroughly that they often turned the tables + upon their instructors. Again and again the surprise was effected, not by + the nation of hunters, but by those rooineks whose want of cunning and of + veld-craft had for so long been a subject of derision and merriment. A + year of the kopje and the donga had altered all that. And in the + proportion of casualties another very marked change had occurred. Time was + when in battle after battle a tenth would have been a liberal estimate for + the losses of the Boers compared with those of the Briton. So it was at + Stormberg; so it was at Colenso; so it may have been at Magersfontein. But + in this last stage of the war the balance was rather in favour of the + British. It may have been because they were now frequently acting on the + defensive, or it may have been from an improvement in their fire, or it + may have come from the more desperate mood of the burghers, but in any + case the fact remains that every encounter diminished the small reserves + of the Boers rather than the ample forces of their opponents. + </p> + <p> + One other change had come over the war, which caused more distress and + searchings of conscience among some of the people of Great Britain than + the darkest hours of their misfortunes. This lay in the increased + bitterness of the struggle, and in those more strenuous measures which the + British commanders felt themselves entitled and compelled to adopt. + Nothing could exceed the lenity of Lord Roberts's early proclamations in + the Free State. But, as the months went on and the struggle still + continued, the war assumed a harsher aspect. Every farmhouse represented a + possible fort, and a probable depot for the enemy. The extreme measure of + burning them down was only carried out after a definite offence, such as + affording cover for snipers, or as a deterrent to railway wreckers, but in + either case it is evident that the women or children who were usually the + sole occupants of the farm could not by their own unaided exertions + prevent the line from being cut or the riflemen from firing. It is even + probable that the Boers may have committed these deeds in the vicinity of + houses the destruction of which they would least regret. Thus, on + humanitarian grounds there were strong arguments against this policy of + destruction being pushed too far, and the political reasons were even + stronger, since a homeless man is necessarily the last man to settle down, + and a burned-out family the last to become contented British citizens. On + the other hand, the impatience of the army towards what they regarded as + the abuses of lenity was very great, and they argued that the war would be + endless if the women in the farm were allowed always to supply the sniper + on the kopje. The irregular and brigand-like fashion in which the struggle + was carried out had exasperated the soldiers, and though there were few + cases of individual outrage or unauthorised destruction, the general + orders were applied with some harshness, and repressive measures were + taken which warfare may justify but which civilisation must deplore. + </p> + <p> + After the dispersal of the main army at Komatipoort there remained a + considerable number of men in arms, some of them irreconcilable burghers, + some of them foreign adventurers, and some of them Cape rebels, to whom + British arms were less terrible than British law. These men, who were + still well armed and well mounted, spread themselves over the country, and + acted with such energy that they gave the impression of a large force. + They made their way into the settled districts, and brought fresh hope and + fresh disaster to many who had imagined that the war had passed for ever + away from them. Under compulsion from their irreconcilable countrymen, a + large number of the farmers broke their parole, mounted the horses which + British leniency had left with them, and threw themselves once more into + the struggle, adding their honour to the other sacrifices which they had + made for their country. In any account of the continual brushes between + these scattered bands and the British forces, there must be such a + similarity in procedure and result, that it would be hard for the writer + and intolerable for the reader if they were set forth in detail. As a + general statement it may be said that during the months to come there was + no British garrison in any one of the numerous posts in the Transvaal, and + in that portion of the Orange River Colony which lies east of the railway, + which was not surrounded by prowling riflemen, there was no convoy sent to + supply those garrisons which was not liable to be attacked upon the road, + and there was no train upon any one of the three lines which might not + find a rail up and a hundred raiders covering it with their Mausers. With + some two thousand miles of railroad to guard, so many garrisons to + provide, and an escort to be furnished to every convoy, there remained out + of the large body of British troops in the country only a moderate force + who were available for actual operations. This force was distributed in + different districts scattered over a wide extent of country, and it was + evident that while each was strong enough to suppress local resistance, + still at any moment a concentration of the Boer scattered forces upon a + single British column might place the latter in a serious position. The + distribution of the British in October and November was roughly as + follows. Methuen was in the Rustenburg district, Barton at Krugersdorp and + operating down the line to Klerksdorp, Settle was in the West, Paget at + Pienaar's River, Clements in the Magaliesberg, Hart at Potchefstroom, + Lyttelton at Middelburg, Smith-Dorrien at Belfast, W. Kitchener at + Lydenburg, French in the Eastern Transvaal, Hunter, Rundle, Brabant, and + Bruce Hamilton in the Orange River Colony. Each of these forces was + occupied in the same sort of work, breaking up small bodies of the enemy, + hunting for arms, bringing in refugees, collecting supplies, and rounding + up cattle. Some, however, were confronted with organised resistance and + some were not. A short account may be given in turn of each separate + column. + </p> + <p> + I would treat first the operations of General Barton, because they form + the best introduction to that narrative of the doings of Christian De Wet + to which this chapter will be devoted. + </p> + <p> + The most severe operations during the month of October fell to the lot of + this British General, who, with some of the faithful fusiliers whom he had + led from the first days in Natal, was covering the line from Krugersdorp + to Klerksdorp. It is a long stretch, and one which, as the result shows, + is as much within striking distance of the Orange Free Staters as of the + men of the Transvaal. Upon October 5th Barton left Krugersdorp with a + force which consisted of the Scots and Welsh Fusiliers, five hundred + mounted men, the 78th R.F.A., three pom-poms, and a 4.7 naval gun. For a + fortnight, as the small army moved slowly down the line of the railroad, + their progress was one continual skirmish. On October 6th they brushed the + enemy aside in an action in which the volunteer company of the Scots + Fusiliers gained the applause of their veteran comrades. On the 8th and + 9th there was sharp skirmishing, the brunt of which on the latter date + fell upon the Welsh Fusiliers, who had three officers and eleven men + injured. The commandos of Douthwaite, Liebenberg, and Van der Merwe seem + to have been occupied in harassing the column during their progress + through the Gatsrand range. On the 15th the desultory sniping freshened + again into a skirmish in which the honours and the victory belonged mainly + to the Welshmen and to that very keen and efficient body, the Scottish + Yeomanry. Six Boers were left dead upon the ground. On October 17th the + column reached Frederickstad, where it halted. On that date six of + Marshall's Horse were cut off while collecting supplies. The same evening + three hundred of the Imperial Light Horse came in from Krugersdorp. + </p> + <p> + Up to this date the Boer forces which dogged the column had been annoying + but not seriously aggressive. On the 19th, however, affairs took an + unexpected turn. The British scouts rode in to report a huge dust cloud + whirling swiftly northwards from the direction of the Vaal River—soon + plainly visible to all, and showing as it drew nearer the hazy outline of + a long column of mounted men. The dark coats of the riders, and possibly + the speed of their advance, showed that they were Boers, and soon it was + rumoured that it was no other than Christian De Wet with his merry men, + who, with characteristic audacity, had ridden back into the Transvaal in + the hope of overwhelming Barton's column. + </p> + <p> + It is some time since we have seen anything of this energetic gentleman + with the tinted glasses, but as the narrative will be much occupied with + him in the future a few words are needed to connect him with the past. It + has been already told how he escaped through the net which caught so many + of his countrymen at the time of the surrender of Prinsloo, and how he was + chased at furious speed from the Vaal River to the mountains of + Magaliesberg. Here he eluded his pursuers, separated from Steyn, who + desired to go east to confer with Kruger, and by the end of August was + back again in his favourite recruiting ground in the north of the Orange + River Colony. Here for nearly two months he had lain very quiet, refitting + and reassembling his scattered force, until now, ready for action once + more, and fired by the hope of cutting off an isolated British force, he + rode swiftly northwards with two thousand men under that rolling cloud + which had been spied by the watchers of Frederickstad. + </p> + <p> + The problem before him was a more serious one, however, than any which he + had ever undertaken, for this was no isolated regiment or ill-manned post, + but a complete little field force very ready to do battle with him. De + Wet's burghers, as they arrived, sprang from their ponies and went into + action in their usual invisible but effective fashion, covered by the fire + of several guns. The soldiers had thrown up lines of sangars, however, and + were able, though exposed to a very heavy fire coming from several + directions, to hold their own until nightfall, when the defences were made + more secure. On the 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th the cordon of the + attack was drawn gradually closer, the Boers entirely surrounding the + British force, and it was evident that they were feeling round for a point + at which an assault might be delivered. + </p> + <p> + The position of the defenders upon the morning of October 25th was as + follows. The Scots Fusiliers were holding a ridge to the south. General + Barton with the rest of his forces occupied a hill some distance off. + Between the two was a valley down which ran the line, and also the spruit + upon which the British depended for their water supply. On each side of + the line were ditches, and at dawn on this seventh day of the investment + it was found that these had been occupied by snipers during the night, and + that it was impossible to water the animals. One of two things must + follow. Either the force must shift its position or it must drive these + men out of their cover. No fire could do it, as they lay in perfect + safety. They must be turned out at the point of the bayonet. + </p> + <p> + About noon several companies of Scots and Welsh Fusiliers advanced from + different directions in very extended order upon the ditches. Captain + Baillie's company of the former regiment first attracted the fire of the + burghers. Wounded twice the brave officer staggered on until a third + bullet struck him dead. Six of his men were found lying beside him. The + other companies were exposed in their turn to a severe fire, but rushing + onwards they closed rapidly in upon the ditches. There have been few finer + infantry advances during the war, for the veld was perfectly flat and the + fire terrific. A mile of ground was crossed by the fusiliers. Three + gallant officers—Dick, Elliot, and Best—went down; but the + rush of the men was irresistible. At the edge of the ditches the supports + overtook the firing line, and they all surged into the trenches together. + Then it was seen how perilous was the situation of the Boer snipers. They + had placed themselves between the upper and the nether millstone. There + was no escape for them save across the open. It says much for their + courage that they took that perilous choice rather than wave the white + flag, which would have ensured their safety. + </p> + <p> + The scene which followed has not often been paralleled. About a hundred + and fifty burghers rushed out of the ditches, streaming across the veld + upon foot to the spot where their horses had been secreted. Rifles, + pom-poms, and shrapnel played upon them during this terrible race. 'A + black running mob carrying coats, blankets, boots, rifles, &c., was + seen to rise as if from nowhere and rush as fast as they could, dropping + the various things they carried as they ran.' One of their survivors has + described how awful was that wild blind flight, through a dust-cloud + thrown up by the shells. For a mile the veld was dotted with those who had + fallen. Thirty-six were found dead, thirty were wounded, and thirty more + gave themselves up as prisoners. Some were so demoralised that they rushed + into the hospital and surrendered to the British doctor. The Imperial + Light Horse were for some reason slow to charge. Had they done so at once, + many eye-witnesses agree that not a fugitive should have escaped. On the + other hand, the officer in command may have feared that in doing so he + might mask the fire of the British guns. + </p> + <p> + One incident in the action caused some comment at the time. A small party + of Imperial Light Horse, gallantly led by Captain Yockney of B Squadron, + came to close quarters with a group of Boers. Five of the enemy having + held up their hands Yockney passed them and pushed on against their + comrades. On this the prisoners seized their rifles once more and fired + upon their captors. A fierce fight ensued with only a few feet between the + muzzles of the rifles. Three Boers were shot dead, five wounded, and eight + taken. Of these eight three were shot next day by order of court-martial + for having resumed their weapons after surrender, while two others were + acquitted. The death of these men in cold blood is to be deplored, but it + is difficult to see how any rules of civilised warfare can be maintained + if a flagrant breach of them is not promptly and sternly punished. + </p> + <p> + On receiving this severe blow De Wet promptly raised the investment and + hastened to regain his favourite haunts. Considerable reinforcements had + reached Barton upon the same day, including the Dublins, the Essex, + Strathcona's Horse, and the Elswick Battery, with some very welcome + supplies of ammunition. As Barton had now more than a thousand mounted men + of most excellent quality it is difficult to imagine why he did not pursue + his defeated enemy. He seems to have underrated the effect which he had + produced, for instead of instantly assuming the offensive he busied + himself in strengthening his defences. Yet the British losses in the whole + operations had not exceeded one hundred, so that there does not appear to + have been any reason why the force should be crippled. As Barton was in + direct and constant telegraphic communication with Pretoria, it is + possible that he was acting under superior orders in the course which he + adopted. + </p> + <p> + It was not destined, however, that De Wet should be allowed to escape with + his usual impunity. On the 27th, two days after his retreat from + Frederickstad he was overtaken—stumbled upon by pure chance + apparently—by the mounted infantry and cavalry of Charles Knox and + De Lisle. The Boers, a great disorganised cloud of horsemen, swept swiftly + along the northern bank of the Vaal, seeking for a place to cross, while + the British rode furiously after them, spraying them with shrapnel at + every opportunity. Darkness and a violent storm gave De Wet his + opportunity to cross, but the closeness of the pursuit compelled him to + abandon two of his guns, one of them a Krupp and the other one of the + British twelve-pounders of Sanna's Post, which, to the delight of the + gunners, was regained by that very U battery to which it belonged. + </p> + <p> + Once across the river and back in his own country De Wet, having placed + seventy miles between himself and his pursuers, took it for granted that + he was out of their reach, and halted near the village of Bothaville to + refit. But the British were hard upon his track, and for once they were + able to catch this indefatigable man unawares. Yet their knowledge of his + position seems to have been most hazy, and on the very day before that on + which they found him, General Charles Knox, with the main body of the + force, turned north, and was out of the subsequent action. De Lisle's + mounted troops also turned north, but fortunately not entirely out of + call. To the third and smallest body of mounted men, that under Le + Gallais, fell the honour of the action which I am about to describe. + </p> + <p> + It is possible that the move northwards of Charles Knox and of De Lisle + had the effect of a most elaborate stratagem, since it persuaded the Boer + scouts that the British were retiring. So indeed they were, save only the + small force of Le Gallais, which seems to have taken one last cast round + to the south before giving up the pursuit. In the grey of the morning of + November 6th, Major Lean with forty men of the 5th Mounted Infantry came + upon three weary Boers sleeping upon the veld. Having secured the men, and + realising that they were an outpost, Lean pushed on, and topping a rise + some hundreds of yards further, he and his men saw a remarkable scene. + There before them stretched the camp of the Boers, the men sleeping, the + horses grazing, the guns parked, and the wagons outspanned. + </p> + <p> + There was little time for consideration. The Kaffir drivers were already + afoot and strolling out for their horses, or lighting the fires for their + masters' coffee. With splendid decision, although he had but forty men to + oppose to over a thousand, Lean sent back for reinforcements and opened + fire upon the camp. In an instant it was buzzing like an overturned hive. + Up sprang the sleepers, rushed for their horses, and galloped away across + the veld, leaving their guns and wagons behind. A few stalwarts remained, + however, and their numbers were increased by those whose horses had + stampeded, and who were, therefore, unable to get away. They occupied an + enclosed kraal and a farmhouse in front of the British, whence they opened + a sharp fire. At the same time a number of the Boers who had ridden away + came back again, having realised how weak their assailants were, and + worked round the British flanks upon either side. + </p> + <p> + Le Gallais, with his men, had come up, but the British force was still far + inferior to that which it was attacking. A section of U battery was able + to unlimber, and open fire at four hundred yards from the Boer position. + The British made no attempt to attack, but contented themselves with + holding on to the position from which they could prevent the Boer guns + from being removed. The burghers tried desperately to drive off the + stubborn fringe of riflemen. A small stone shed in the possession of the + British was the centre of the Boer fire, and it was within its walls that + Ross of the Durhams was horribly wounded by an explosive ball, and that + the brave Jerseyman, Le Gallais, was killed. Before his fall he had + despatched his staff officer, Major Hickie, to hurry up men from the rear. + </p> + <p> + On the fall of Ross and Le Gallais the command fell upon Major Taylor of U + battery. The position at that time was sufficiently alarming. The Boers + were working round each flank in considerable numbers, and they maintained + a heavy fire from a stone enclosure in the centre. The British forces + actually engaged were insignificant, consisting of forty men of the 5th + Mounted Infantry, and two guns in the centre, forty-six men of the 17th + and 18th Imperial Yeomanry upon the right, and 105 of the 8th Mounted + Infantry on the left or 191 rifles in all. The flanks of this tiny force + had to extend to half a mile to hold off the Boer flank attack, but they + were heartened in their resistance by the knowledge that their comrades + were hastening to their assistance. Taylor, realising that a great effort + must be made to tide over the crisis, sent a messenger back with orders + that the convoy should be parked, and every available man sent up to + strengthen the right flank, which was the weakest. The enemy got close on + to one of the guns, and swept down the whole detachment, but a handful of + the Suffolk Mounted Infantry under Lieutenant Peebles most gallantly held + them off from it. For an hour the pressure was extreme. Then two companies + of the 7th Mounted Infantry came up, and were thrown on to each flank. + Shortly afterwards Major Welch, with two more companies of the same corps, + arrived, and the tide began slowly to turn. The Boers were themselves + outflanked by the extension of the British line and were forced to fall + back. At half-past eight De Lisle, whose force had trotted and galloped + for twelve miles, arrived with several companies of Australians, and the + success of the day was assured. The smoke of the Prussian guns at Waterloo + was not a more welcome sight than the dust of De Lisle's horsemen. But the + question now was whether the Boers, who were in the walled inclosure and + farm which formed their centre, would manage to escape. The place was + shelled, but here, as often before, it was found how useless a weapon is + shrapnel against buildings. There was nothing for it but to storm it, and + a grim little storming party of fifty men, half British, half Australian, + was actually waiting with fixed bayonets for the whistle which was to be + their signal, when the white flag flew out from the farm, and all was + over. Warned by many a tragic experience the British still lay low in + spite of the flag. 'Come out! come out!' they shouted. Eighty-two + unwounded Boers filed out of the enclosure, and the total number of + prisoners came to 114, while between twenty and thirty Boers were killed. + Six guns, a pom-pom, and 1000 head of cattle were the prizes of the + victors. + </p> + <p> + This excellent little action showed that the British mounted infantry had + reached a point of efficiency at which they were quite able to match the + Boers at their own game. For hours they held them with an inferior force, + and finally, when the numbers became equal, were able to drive them off + and capture their guns. The credit is largely due to Major Lean for his + prompt initiative on discovering their laager, and to Major Taylor for his + handling of the force during a very critical time. Above all, it was due + to the dead leader, Le Gallais, who had infected every man under him with + his own spirit of reckless daring. 'If I die, tell my mother that I die + happy, as we got the guns,' said he, with his failing breath. The British + total losses were twelve killed (four officers) and thirty-three wounded + (seven officers). Major Welch, a soldier of great promise, much beloved by + his men, was one of the slain. Following closely after the repulse at + Frederickstad this action was a heavy blow to De Wet. At last, the British + were beginning to take something off the score which they owed the bold + raider, but there was to be many an item on either side before the long + reckoning should be closed. The Boers, with De Wet, fled south, where it + was not long before they showed that they were still a military force with + which we had to reckon. + </p> + <p> + In defiance of chronology it may perhaps make a clearer narrative if I + continue at once with the movements of De Wet from the time that he lost + his guns at Bothaville, and then come back to the consideration of the + campaign in the Transvaal, and to a short account of those scattered and + disconnected actions which break the continuity of the story. Before + following De Wet, however, it is necessary to say something of the general + state of the Orange River Colony and of some military developments which + had occurred there. Under the wise and conciliatory rule of General + Pretyman the farmers in the south and west were settling down, and for the + time it looked as if a large district was finally pacified. The mild + taxation was cheerfully paid, schools were reopened, and a peace party + made itself apparent, with Fraser and Piet de Wet, the brother of + Christian, among its strongest advocates. + </p> + <p> + Apart from the operations of De Wet there appeared to be no large force in + the field in the Orange River Colony, but early in October of 1900 a small + but very mobile and efficient Boer force skirted the eastern outposts of + the British, struck the southern line of communications, and then came up + the western flank, attacking, where an attack was possible, each of the + isolated and weakly garrisoned townlets to which it came, and recruiting + its strength from a district which had been hardly touched by the ravages + of war, and which by its prosperity alone might have proved the amenity of + British military rule. This force seems to have skirted Wepener without + attacking a place of such evil omen to their cause. Their subsequent + movements are readily traced by a sequence of military events. + </p> + <p> + On October 1st Rouxville was threatened. On the 9th an outpost of the + Cheshire Militia was taken and the railway cut for a few hours in the + neighbourhood of Bethulie. A week later the Boer riders were dotting the + country round Phillipolis, Springfontein and Jagersfontein, the latter + town being occupied upon October 16th, while the garrison held out upon + the nearest kopje. The town was retaken from the enemy by King Hall and + his men, who were Seaforth Highlanders and police. There was fierce + fighting in the streets, and from twenty to thirty of each side were + killed or wounded. Fauresmith was attacked on October 19th, but was also + in the very safe hands of the Seaforths, who held it against a severe + assault. Phillipolis was continually attacked between the 18th and the + 24th, but made a most notable defence, which was conducted by Gostling, + the resident magistrate, with forty civilians. For a week this band of + stalwarts held their own against 600 Boers, and were finally relieved by a + force from the railway. All the operations were not, however, as + successful as these three defences. On October 24th a party of cavalry + details belonging to many regiments were snapped up in an ambuscade. On + the next day Jacobsdal was attacked, with considerable loss to the + British. The place was entered in the night, and the enemy occupied the + houses which surrounded the square. The garrison, consisting of about + sixty men of the Capetown Highlanders, had encamped in the square, and + were helpless when fire was opened upon them in the morning. There was + practically no resistance, and yet for hours a murderous fire was kept up + upon the tents in which they cowered, so that the affair seems not to have + been far removed from murder. Two-thirds of the little force were killed + or wounded. The number of the assailants does not appear to have been + great, and they vanished upon the appearance of a relieving force from + Modder River. + </p> + <p> + After the disaster at Jacobsdal the enemy appeared on November 1st near + Kimberley and captured a small convoy. The country round was disturbed, + and Settle was sent south with a column to pacify it. In this way we can + trace this small cyclone from its origin in the old storm centre in the + north-east of the Orange River Colony, sweeping round the whole country, + striking one post after another, and finally blowing out at the + corresponding point upon the other side of the seat of war. + </p> + <p> + We have last seen De Wet upon November 6th, when he fled south from + Bothaville, leaving his guns but not his courage behind him. Trekking + across the line, and for a wonder gathering up no train as he passed, he + made for that part of the eastern Orange River Colony which had been + reoccupied by his countrymen. Here, in the neighbourhood of Thabanchu, he + was able to join other forces, probably the commandos of Haasbroek and + Fourie, which still retained some guns. At the head of a considerable + force he attacked the British garrison of Dewetsdorp, a town some forty + miles to the south-east of Bloemfontein. + </p> + <p> + It was on November 18th that De Wet assailed the place, and it fell upon + the 24th, after a defence which appears to have been a very creditable + one. Several small British columns were moving in the south-east of the + Colony, but none of them arrived in time to avert the disaster, which is + the more inexplicable as the town is within one day's ride of + Bloemfontein. The place is a village hemmed in upon its western side by a + semicircle of steep rocky hills broken in the centre by a gully. The + position was a very extended one, and had the fatal weakness that the loss + of any portion of it meant the loss of it all. The garrison consisted of + one company of Highland Light Infantry on the southern horn of the + semicircle, three companies of the 2nd Gloucester Regiment on the northern + and central part, with two guns of the 68th battery. Some of the Royal + Irish Mounted Infantry and a handful of police made up the total of the + defenders to something over four hundred, Major Massy in command. + </p> + <p> + The attack developed at that end of the ridge which was held by the + company of Highlanders. Every night the Boer riflemen drew in closer, and + every morning found the position more desperate. On the 20th the water + supply of the garrison was cut, though a little was still brought up by + volunteers during the night. The thirst in the sultry trenches was + terrible, but the garrison still, with black lips and parched tongues, + held on to their lines. On the 22nd the attack had made such progress that + the post had by the Highlanders became untenable, and had to be withdrawn. + It was occupied next morning by the Boers, and the whole ridge was at + their mercy. Out of eighteen men who served one of the British guns + sixteen were killed or wounded, and the last rounds were fired by the + sergeant-farrier, who carried, loaded, and fired all by himself. All day + the soldiers held out, but the thirst was in itself enough to justify if + not to compel a surrender. At half-past five the garrison laid down their + arms, having lost about sixty killed or wounded. There does not, as far as + one can learn, seem to have been any attempt to injure the two guns which + fell into the hands of the enemy. De Wet himself was one of the first to + ride into the British trenches, and the prisoners gazed with interest at + the short strong figure, with the dark tail coat and the square-topped + bowler hat, of the most famous of the Boer leaders. + </p> + <p> + British columns were converging, however, from several quarters, and De + Wet had to be at once on the move. On the 26th Dewetsdorp was reoccupied + by General Charles Knox with fifteen hundred men. De Wet had two days' + start, but so swift was Knox that on the 27th he had run him down at + Vaalbank, where he shelled his camp. De Wet broke away, however, and + trekking south for eighteen hours without a halt, shook off the pursuit. + He had with him at this time nearly 8000 men with several guns under + Haasbroek, Fourie, Philip Botha, and Steyn. It was his declared intention + to invade Cape Colony with his train of weary footsore prisoners, and the + laurels of Dewetsdorp still green upon him. He was much aided in all his + plans by that mistaken leniency which had refused to recognise that a + horse is in that country as much a weapon as a rifle, and had left great + numbers upon the farms with which he could replace his useless animals. So + numerous were they that many of the Boers had two or three for their own + use. It is not too much to say that our weak treatment of the question of + horses will come to be recognised as the one great blot upon the conduct + of the war, and that our undue and fantastic scruples have prolonged + hostilities for months, and cost the country many lives and many millions + of pounds. + </p> + <p> + De Wet's plan for the invasion of the Colony was not yet destined to be + realised, for a tenacious man had set himself to frustrate it. Several + small but mobile British columns, those of Pilcher, of Barker, and of + Herbert, under the supreme direction of Charles Knox, were working + desperately to head him off. In torrents of rain which turned every spruit + into a river and every road into a quagmire, the British horsemen stuck + manfully to their work. De Wet had hurried south, crossed the Caledon + River, and made for Odendaal's Drift. But Knox, after the skirmish at + Vaalbank, had trekked swiftly south to Bethulie, and was now ready with + three mobile columns and a network of scouts and patrols to strike in any + direction. For a few days he had lost touch, but his arrangements were + such that he must recover it if the Boers either crossed the railroad or + approached the river. On December 2nd he had authentic information that De + Wet was crossing the Caledon, and in an instant the British columns were + all off at full cry once more, sweeping over the country with a front of + fifteen miles. On the 3rd and 4th, in spite of frightful weather, the two + little armies of horsemen struggled on, fetlock-deep in mud, with the rain + lashing their faces. At night without cover, drenched and bitterly cold, + the troopers threw themselves down on the sodden veld to snatch a few + hours' sleep before renewing the interminable pursuit. The drift over the + Caledon flowed deep and strong, but the Boer had passed and the Briton + must pass also. Thirty guns took to the water, diving completely under the + coffee-coloured surface, to reappear glistening upon the southern bank. + Everywhere there were signs of the passage of the enemy. A litter of + crippled or dying horses marked their track, and a Krupp gun was found + abandoned by the drift. The Dewetsdorp prisoners, too, had been set loose, + and began to stumble and stagger back to their countrymen, their boots + worn off, and their putties wrapped round their bleeding feet. It is + painful to add that they had been treated with a personal violence and a + brutality in marked contrast to the elaborate hospitality shown by the + British Government to its involuntary guests. + </p> + <p> + On December 6th De Wet had at last reached the Orange River a clear day in + front of his pursuers. But it was only to find that his labours had been + in vain. At Odendaal, where he had hoped to cross, the river was in spate, + the British flag waved from a post upon the further side, and a strong + force of expectant Guardsmen eagerly awaited him there. Instantly + recognising that the game was up, the Boer leader doubled back for the + north and safety. At Rouxville he hesitated as to whether he should snap + up the small garrison, but the commandant, Rundle, showed a bold face, and + De Wet passed on to the Coomassie Bridge over the Caledon. The small post + there refused to be bluffed into a surrender, and the Boers, still + dropping their horses fast, passed on, and got over the drift at + Amsterdam, their rearguard being hardly across before Knox had also + reached the river. + </p> + <p> + On the 10th the British were in touch again near Helvetia, where there was + a rearguard skirmish. On the 11th both parties rode through Reddersberg, a + few hours separating them. The Boers in their cross-country trekking go, + as one of their prisoners observed, 'slap-bang at everything,' and as they + are past-masters in the art of ox and mule driving, and have such a + knowledge of the country that they can trek as well by night as by day, it + says much for the energy of Knox and his men that he was able for a + fortnight to keep in close touch with them. + </p> + <p> + It became evident now that there was not much chance of overtaking the + main body of the burghers, and an attempt was therefore made to interpose + a fresh force who might head them off. A line of posts existed between + Thabanchu and Ladybrand, and Colonel Thorneycroft was stationed there with + a movable column. It was Knox's plan therefore to prevent the Boers from + breaking to the west and to head them towards the Basuto border. A small + column under Parsons had been sent by Hunter from Bloemfontein, and pushed + in upon the flank of De Wet, who had on the 12th got back to Dewetsdorp. + Again the pursuit became warm, but De Wet's time was not yet come. He + headed for Springhaan Nek, about fifteen miles east of Thabanchu. This + pass is about four miles broad, with a British fort upon either side of + it. There was only one way to safety, for Knox's mounted infantrymen and + lancers were already dotting the southern skyline. Without hesitation the + whole Boer force, now some 2500 strong, galloped at full speed in open + order through the Nek, braving the long range fire of riflemen and guns. + The tactics were those of French in his ride to Kimberley, and the success + was as complete. De Wet's force passed through the last barrier which had + been held against him, and vanished into the mountainous country round + Ficksburg, where it could safely rest and refit. + </p> + <p> + The result then of these bustling operations had been that De Wet and his + force survived, but that he had failed in his purpose of invading the + Colony, and had dropped some five hundred horses, two guns, and about a + hundred of his men. Haasbroek's commando had been detached by De Wet to + make a feint at another pass while he made his way through the Springhaan. + Parsons's force followed Haasbroek up and engaged him, but under cover of + night he was able to get away and to join his leader to the north of + Thabanchu. On December 13th, this, the second great chase after De Wet, + may be said to have closed. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 31. THE GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE TRANSVAAL: NOOITGEDACHT. + </h2> + <p> + Leaving De Wet in the Ficksburg mountains, where he lurked until after the + opening of the New Year, the story of the scattered operations in the + Transvaal may now be carried down to the same point—a story + comprising many skirmishes and one considerable engagement, but so devoid + of any central thread that it is difficult to know how to approach it. + From Lichtenburg to Komati, a distance of four hundred miles, there was + sporadic warfare everywhere, attacks upon scattered posts, usually beaten + off but occasionally successful, attacks upon convoys, attacks upon + railway trains, attacks upon anything and everything which could harass + the invaders. Each General in his own district had his own work of + repression to perform, and so we had best trace the doings of each up to + the end of the year 1900. + </p> + <p> + Lord Methuen after his pursuit of De Wet in August had gone to Mafeking to + refit. From that point, with a force which contained a large proportion of + yeomanry and of Australian bushmen, he conducted a long series of + operations in the difficult and important district which lies between + Rustenburg, Lichtenburg, and Zeerust. Several strong and mobile Boer + commandos with guns moved about in it, and an energetic though not very + deadly warfare raged between Lemmer, Snyman, and De la Rey on the one + side, and the troops of Methuen, Douglas, Broadwood, and Lord Errol upon + the other. Methuen moved about incessantly through the broken country, + winning small skirmishes and suffering the indignity of continual sniping. + From time to time he captured stores, wagons, and small bodies of + prisoners. Early in October he and Douglas had successes. On the 15th + Broadwood was engaged. On the 20th there was a convoy action. On the 25th + Methuen had a success and twenty-eight prisoners. On November 9th he + surprised Snyman and took thirty prisoners. On the 10th he got a pom-pom. + Early in this month Douglas separated from Methuen, and marched south from + Zeerust through Ventersdorp to Klerksdorp, passing over a country which + had been hardly touched before, and arriving at his goal with much cattle + and some prisoners. Towards the end of the month a considerable stock of + provisions were conveyed to Zeerust, and a garrison left to hold that town + so as to release Methuen's column for service elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + Hart's sphere of action was originally round Potchefstroom. On September + 9th he made a fine forced march to surprise this town, which had been left + some time before with an entirely inadequate garrison to fall into the + hands of the enemy. His infantry covered thirty-six and his cavalry + fifty-four miles in fifteen hours. The operation was a complete success, + the town with eighty Boers falling into his hands with little opposition. + On September 30th Hart returned to Krugersdorp, where, save for one + skirmish upon the Gatsrand on November 22nd, he appears to have had no + actual fighting to do during the remainder of the year. + </p> + <p> + After the clearing of the eastern border of the Transvaal by the movement + of Pole-Carew along the railway line, and of Buller aided by Ian Hamilton + in the mountainous country to the north of it, there were no operations of + importance in this district. A guard was kept upon the frontier to prevent + the return of refugees and the smuggling of ammunition, while General + Kitchener, the brother of the Sirdar, broke up a few small Boer laagers in + the neighbourhood of Lydenburg. Smith-Dorrien guarded the line at Belfast, + and on two occasions, November 1st and November 6th, he made aggressive + movements against the enemy. The first, which was a surprise executed in + concert with Colonel Spens of the Shropshires, was frustrated by a severe + blizzard, which prevented the troops from pushing home their success. The + second was a two days' expedition, which met with a spirited opposition, + and demands a fuller notice. + </p> + <p> + This was made from Belfast, and the force, which consisted of about + fourteen hundred men, advanced south to the Komati River. The infantry + were Suffolks and Shropshires, the cavalry Canadians and 5th Lancers, with + two Canadian guns and four of the 84th battery. All day the Boer snipers + clung to the column, as they had done to French's cavalry in the same + district. Mere route marches without a very definite and adequate + objective appear to be rather exasperating than overawing, for so long as + the column is moving onwards the most timid farmer may be tempted into + long-range fire from the flanks or rear. The river was reached and the + Boers driven from a position which they had taken up, but their signal + fires brought mounted riflemen from every farm, and the retreat of the + troops was pressed as they returned to Belfast. There was all the material + for a South African Lexington. The most difficult of military operations, + the covering of a detachment from a numerous and aggressive enemy, was + admirably carried out by the Canadian gunners and dragoons under the + command of Colonel Lessard. So severe was the pressure that sixteen of the + latter were for a time in the hands of the enemy, who attempted something + in the nature of a charge upon the steadfast rearguard. The movement was + repulsed, and the total Boer loss would appear to have been considerable, + since two of their leaders, Commandant Henry Prinsloo and General Joachim + Fourie, were killed, while General Johann Grobler was wounded. If the rank + and file suffered in proportion the losses must have been severe. The + British casualties in the two days amounted to eight killed and thirty + wounded, a small total when the arduous nature of the service is + considered. The Canadians and the Shropshires seem to have borne off the + honours of these trying operations. + </p> + <p> + In the second week of October, General French, with three brigades of + cavalry (Dickson's, Gordon's, and Mahon's), started for a cross-country + ride from Machadodorp. Three brigades may seem an imposing force, but the + actual numbers did not exceed two strong regiments, or about 1500 sabres + in all. A wing of the Suffolk Regiment went with them. On October 13th + Mahon's brigade met with a sharp resistance, and lost ten killed and + twenty-nine wounded. On the 14th the force entered Carolina. On the 16th + they lost six killed and twenty wounded, and from the day that they + started until they reached Heidelberg on the 27th there was never a day + that they could shake themselves clear of their attendant snipers. The + total losses of the force were about ninety killed and wounded, but they + brought in sixty prisoners and a large quantity of cattle and stores. The + march had at least the effect of making it clear that the passage of a + column of troops encumbered with baggage through a hostile country is an + inefficient means for quelling a popular resistance. Light and mobile + parties acting from a central depot were in future to be employed, with + greater hopes of success. + </p> + <p> + Some appreciable proportion of the British losses during this phase of the + war arose from railway accidents caused by the persistent tampering with + the lines. In the first ten days of October there were four such mishaps, + in which two Sappers, twenty-three of the Guards (Coldstreams), and + eighteen of the 66th battery were killed or wounded. On the last occasion, + which occurred on October 10th near Vlakfontein, the reinforcements who + came to aid the sufferers were themselves waylaid, and lost twenty, mostly + of the Rifle Brigade, killed, wounded, or prisoners. Hardly a day elapsed + that the line was not cut at some point. The bringing of supplies was + complicated by the fact that the Boer women and children were coming more + and more into refugee camps, where they had to be fed by the British, and + the strange spectacle was frequently seen of Boer snipers killing or + wounding the drivers and stokers of the very trains which were bringing up + food upon which Boer families were dependent for their lives. Considering + that these tactics were continued for over a year, and that they resulted + in the death or mutilation of many hundreds of British officers and men, + it is really inexplicable that the British authorities did not employ the + means used by all armies under such circumstances—which is to place + hostages upon the trains. A truckload of Boers behind every engine would + have stopped the practice for ever. Again and again in this war the + British have fought with the gloves when their opponents used their + knuckles. + </p> + <p> + We will pass now to a consideration of the doings of General Paget, who + was operating to the north and north-east of Pretoria with a force which + consisted of two regiments of infantry, about a thousand horsemen, and + twelve guns. His mounted men were under the command of Plumer. In the + early part of November this force had been withdrawn from Warm Baths and + had fallen back upon Pienaar's River, where it had continual skirmishes + with the enemy. Towards the end of November, news having reached Pretoria + that the enemy under Erasmus and Viljoen were present in force at a place + called Rhenoster Kop, which is about twenty miles north of the Delagoa + Railway line and fifty miles north-east of the capital, it was arranged + that Paget should attack them from the south, while Lyttelton from + Middelburg should endeavour to get behind them. The force with which Paget + started upon this enterprise was not a very formidable one. He had for + mounted troops some Queensland, South Australian, New Zealand, and + Tasmanian Bushmen, together with the York, Montgomery, and Warwick + Yeomanry. His infantry were the 1st West Riding regiment and four + companies of the Munsters. His guns were the 7th and 38th batteries, with + two naval quick-firing twelve-pounders and some smaller pieces. The total + could not have exceeded some two thousand men. Here, as at other times, it + is noticeable that in spite of the two hundred thousand soldiers whom the + British kept in the field, the lines of communication absorbed so many + that at the actual point of contact they were seldom superior and often + inferior in numbers to the enemy. The opening of the Natal and Delagoa + lines though valuable in many ways, had been an additional drain. Where + every culvert needs its picket and every bridge its company, the + guardianship of many hundreds of miles of rail is no light matter. + </p> + <p> + In the early morning of November 29th Paget's men came in contact with the + enemy, who were in some force upon an admirable position. A ridge for + their centre, a flanking kopje for their cross fire, and a grass glacis + for the approach—it was an ideal Boer battlefield. The colonials and + the yeomanry under Plumer on the left, and Hickman on the right, pushed in + upon them, until it was evident that they meant to hold their ground. + Their advance being checked by a very severe fire, the horsemen dismounted + and took such cover as they could. Paget's original idea had been a + turning movement, but the Boers were the more numerous body, and it was + impossible for the smaller British force to find their flanks, for they + extended over at least seven miles. The infantry were moved up into the + centre, therefore, between the wings of dismounted horsemen, and the guns + were brought up to cover the advance. The country was ill-suited, however, + to the use of artillery, and it was only possible to use an indirect fire + from under a curve of the grass land. The guns made good practice, + however, one section of the 38th battery being in action all day within + 800 yards of the Boer line, and putting themselves out of action after 300 + rounds by the destruction of their own rifling. Once over the curve every + yard of the veld was commanded by the hidden riflemen. The infantry + advanced, but could make no headway against the deadly fire which met + them. By short rushes the attack managed to get within 300 yards of the + enemy, and there it stuck. On the right the Munsters carried a detached + kopje which was in front of them, but could do little to aid the main + attack. Nothing could have exceeded the tenacity of the Yorkshiremen and + the New Zealanders, who were immediately to their left. Though unable to + advance they refused to retire, and indeed they were in a position from + which a retirement would have been a serious operation. Colonel Lloyd of + the West Ridings was hit in three places and killed. Five out of six + officers of the New Zealand corps were struck down. There were no reserves + to give a fresh impetus to the attack, and the thin scattered line, behind + bullet-spotted stones or anthills, could but hold its own while the sun + sank slowly upon a day which will not be forgotten by those who endured + it. The Boers were reinforced in the afternoon, and the pressure became so + severe that the field guns were retired with much difficulty. Many of the + infantry had shot away all their cartridges and were helpless. Just one + year before British soldiers had lain under similar circumstances on the + plain which leads to Modder River, and now on a smaller scale the very + same drama was being enacted. Gradually the violet haze of evening + deepened into darkness, and the incessant rattle of the rifle fire died + away on either side. Again, as at Modder River, the British infantry still + lay in their position, determined to take no backward step, and again the + Boers stole away in the night, leaving the ridge which they had defended + so well. A hundred killed and wounded was the price paid by the British + for that line of rock studded hills—a heavier proportion of losses + than had befallen Lord Methuen in the corresponding action. Of the Boer + losses there was as usual no means of judging, but several grave-mounds, + newly dug, showed that they also had something to deplore. Their retreat, + however, was not due to exhaustion, but to the demonstration which + Lyttelton had been able to make in their rear. The gunners and the + infantry had all done well in a most trying action, but by common consent + it was with the men from New Zealand that the honours lay. It was no empty + compliment when Sir Alfred Milner telegraphed to the Premier of New + Zealand his congratulations upon the distinguished behaviour of his fellow + countrymen. + </p> + <p> + From this time onwards there was nothing of importance in this part of the + seat of war. + </p> + <p> + It is necessary now to turn from the north-east to the north-west of + Pretoria, where the presence of De la Rey and the cover afforded by the + Magaliesberg mountains had kept alive the Boer resistance. Very rugged + lines of hill, alternating with fertile valleys, afforded a succession of + forts and of granaries to the army which held them. To General Clements' + column had been committed the task of clearing this difficult piece of + country. His force fluctuated in numbers, but does not appear at any time + to have consisted of more than three thousand men, which comprised the + Border Regiment, the Yorkshire Light Infantry, the second Northumberland + Fusiliers, mounted infantry, yeomanry, the 8th R.F.A., P battery R.H.A., + and one heavy gun. With this small army he moved about the district, + breaking up Boer bands, capturing supplies, and bringing in refugees. On + November 13th he was at Krugersdorp, the southern extremity of his beat. + On the 24th he was moving north again, and found himself as he approached + the hills in the presence of a force of Boers with cannon. This was the + redoubtable De la Rey, who sometimes operated in Methuen's country to the + north of the Magaliesberg, and sometimes to the south. He had now + apparently fixed upon Clements as his definite opponent. De la Rey was + numerically inferior, and Clements had no difficulty in this first + encounter in forcing him back with some loss. On November 26th Clements + was back at Krugersdorp again with cattle and prisoners. In the early days + of December he was moving northwards once more, where a serious disaster + awaited him. Before narrating the circumstances connected with the Battle + of Nooitgedacht there is one incident which occurred in this same region + which should be recounted. + </p> + <p> + This consists of the determined attack made by a party of De la Rey's men, + upon December 3rd, on a convoy which was proceeding from Pretoria to + Rustenburg, and had got as far as Buffel's Hoek. The convoy was a very + large one, consisting of 150 wagons, which covered about three miles upon + the march. It was guarded by two companies of the West Yorkshires, two + guns of the 75th battery, and a handful of the Victoria Mounted Rifles. + The escort appears entirely inadequate when it is remembered that these + stores, which were of great value, were being taken through a country + which was known to be infested by the enemy. What might have been foreseen + occurred. Five hundred Boers suddenly rode down upon the helpless line of + wagons and took possession of them. The escort rallied, however, upon a + kopje, and, though attacked all day, succeeded in holding their own until + help arrived. They prevented the Boers from destroying or carrying off as + much of the convoy as was under their guns, but the rest was looted and + burned. The incident was a most unfortunate one, as it supplied the enemy + with a large quantity of stores, of which they were badly in need. It was + the more irritating as it was freely rumoured that a Boer attack was + pending; and there is evidence that a remonstrance was addressed from the + convoy before it left Rietfontein to the General of the district, pointing + out the danger to which it was exposed. The result was the loss of 120 + wagons and of more than half the escort. The severity of the little action + and the hardihood of the defence are indicated by the fact that the small + body who held the kopje lost fifteen killed and twenty-two wounded, the + gunners losing nine out of fifteen. A relieving force appeared at the + close of the action, but no vigorous pursuit was attempted, although the + weather was wet and the Boers had actually carried away sixty loaded + wagons, which could only go very slowly. It must be confessed that from + its feckless start to its spiritless finish the story of the Buffel's Hoek + convoy is not a pleasant one to tell. + </p> + <p> + Clements, having made his way once more to the Magaliesberg range, had + pitched his camp at a place called Nooitgedacht—not to be confused + with the post upon the Delagoa Railway at which the British prisoners had + been confined. Here, in the very shadow of the mountain, he halted for + five days, during which, with the usual insouciance of British commanders, + he does not seem to have troubled himself with any entrenching. He knew, + no doubt, that he was too strong for his opponent De la Rey, but what he + did not know, but might have feared, was that a second Boer force might + appear suddenly upon the scene and join with De la Rey in order to crush + him. This second Boer force was that of Commandant Beyers from Warm Baths. + By a sudden and skilful movement the two united, and fell like a + thunderbolt upon the British column, which was weakened by the absence of + the Border Regiment. The result was such a reverse as the British had not + sustained since Sanna's Post—a reverse which showed that, though no + regular Boer army might exist, still a sudden coalition of scattered bands + could at any time produce a force which would be dangerous to any British + column which might be taken at a disadvantage. We had thought that the + days of battles in this war were over, but an action which showed a + missing and casualty roll of 550 proved that in this, as in so many other + things, we were mistaken. + </p> + <p> + As already stated, the camp of Clements lay under a precipitous cliff, + upon the summit of which he had placed four companies of the 2nd + Northumberland Fusiliers. This strong post was a thousand feet higher than + the camp. Below lay the main body of the force, two more companies of + fusiliers, four of Yorkshire Light Infantry, the 2nd Mounted Infantry, + Kitchener's Horse, yeomanry, and the artillery. The latter consisted of + one heavy naval gun, four guns of the 8th R.F.A., and P battery R.H.A. The + whole force amounted to about fifteen hundred men. + </p> + <p> + It was just at the first break of dawn—the hour of fate in South + African warfare—that the battle began. The mounted infantry post + between the camp and the mountains were aware of moving figures in front + of them. In the dim light they could discern that they were clothed in + grey, and that they wore the broad-brimmed hats and feathers of some of + our own irregular corps. They challenged, and the answer was a shattering + volley, instantly returned by the survivors of the picket. So hot was the + Boer attack that before help could come every man save one of the picket + was on the ground. The sole survivor, Daley of the Dublins, took no + backward step, but continued to steadily load and fire until help came + from the awakened camp. There followed a savage conflict at point + blank-range. The mounted infantry men, rushing half clad to the support of + their comrades, were confronted by an ever-thickening swarm of Boer + riflemen, who had already, by working round on the flank, established + their favourite cross fire. Legge, the leader of the mounted infantry, a + hard little Egyptian veteran, was shot through the head, and his men lay + thick around him. For some minutes it was as hot a corner as any in the + war. But Clements himself had appeared upon the scene, and his cool + gallantry turned the tide of fight. An extension of the line checked the + cross fire, and gave the British in turn a flanking position. Gradually + the Boer riflemen were pushed back, until at last they broke and fled for + their horses in the rear. A small body were cut off, many of whom were + killed and wounded, while a few were taken prisoners. + </p> + <p> + This stiff fight of an hour had ended in a complete repulse of the attack, + though at a considerable cost. Both Boers and British had lost heavily. + Nearly all the staff were killed or wounded, though General Clements had + come through untouched. Fifty or sixty of both sides had fallen. But it + was noted as an ominous fact that in spite of shell fire the Boers still + lingered upon the western flank. Were they coming on again? They showed no + signs of it. And yet they waited in groups, and looked up towards the + beetling crags above them. What were they waiting for? The sudden crash of + a murderous Mauser fire upon the summit, with the rolling volleys of the + British infantry, supplied the answer. + </p> + <p> + Only now must it have been clear to Clements that he was not dealing + merely with some spasmodic attack from his old enemy De la Rey, but that + this was a largely conceived movement, in which a force at least double + the strength of his own had suddenly been concentrated upon him. His camp + was still menaced by the men whom he had repulsed, and he could not weaken + it by sending reinforcements up the hill. But the roar of the musketry was + rising louder and louder. It was becoming clearer that there was the main + attack. It was a Majuba Hill action up yonder, a thick swarm of + skirmishers closing in from many sides upon a central band of soldiers. + But the fusiliers were hopelessly outnumbered, and this rock fighting is + that above all others in which the Boer has an advantage over the regular. + A helio on the hill cried for help. The losses were heavy, it said, and + the assailants numerous. The Boers closed swiftly in upon the flanks, and + the fusiliers were no match for their assailants. Till the very climax the + helio still cried that they were being overpowered, and it is said that + even while working it the soldier in charge was hurled over the cliff by + the onrush of the victorious Boers. + </p> + <p> + The fight of the mounted infantry men had been at half-past four. At six + the attack upon the hill had developed, and Clements in response to those + frantic flashes of light had sent up a hundred men of the yeomanry, from + the Fife and Devon squadrons, as a reinforcement. To climb a precipitous + thousand feet with rifle, bandolier, and spurs, is no easy feat, yet that + roar of battle above them heartened them upon their way. But in spite of + all their efforts they were only in time to share the general disaster. + The head of the line of hard-breathing yeomen reached the plateau just as + the Boers, sweeping over the remnants of the Northumberland Fusiliers, + reached the brink of the cliff. One by one the yeomen darted over the + edge, and endeavoured to find some cover in the face of an infernal + point-blank fire. Captain Mudie of the staff, who went first, was shot + down. So was Purvis of the Fifes, who followed him. The others, springing + over their bodies, rushed for a small trench, and tried to restore the + fight. Lieutenant Campbell, a gallant young fellow, was shot dead as he + rallied his men. Of twenty-seven of the Fifeshires upon the hill six were + killed and eleven wounded. The statistics of the Devons are equally + heroic. Those yeomen who had not yet reached the crest were in a perfectly + impossible position, as the Boers were firing from complete cover right + down upon them. There was no alternative for them but surrender. By seven + o'clock every British soldier upon the hill, yeoman or fusilier, had been + killed, wounded, or taken. It is not true that the supply of cartridges + ran out, and the fusiliers, with the ill-luck which has pursued the 2nd + battalion, were outnumbered and outfought by better skirmishers than + themselves. + </p> + <p> + Seldom has a General found himself in a more trying position than + Clements, or extricated himself more honourably. Not only had he lost + nearly half his force, but his camp was no longer tenable, and his whole + army was commanded by the fringe of deadly rifles upon the cliff. From the + berg to the camp was from 800 to 1000 yards, and a sleet of bullets + whistled down upon it. How severe was the fire may be gauged from the fact + that the little pet monkey belonging to the yeomanry—a small enough + object—was hit three times, though he lived to survive as a + battle-scarred veteran. Those wounded in the early action found themselves + in a terrible position, laid out in the open under a withering fire, 'like + helpless Aunt Sallies,' as one of them described it. 'We must get a red + flag up, or we shall be blown off the face of the earth,' says the same + correspondent, a corporal of the Ceylon Mounted Infantry. 'We had a + pillow-case, but no red paint. Then we saw what would do instead, so they + made the upright with my blood, and the horizontal with Paul's.' It is + pleasant to add that this grim flag was respected by the Boers. Bullocks + and mules fell in heaps, and it was evident that the question was not + whether the battle could be restored, but whether the guns could be saved. + Leaving a fringe of yeomen, mounted infantry, and Kitchener's Horse to + stave off the Boers, who were already descending by the same steep kloof + up which the yeomen had climbed, the General bent all his efforts to + getting the big naval gun out of danger. Only six oxen were left out of a + team of forty, and so desperate did the situation appear that twice + dynamite was placed beneath the gun to destroy it. Each time, however, the + General intervened, and at last, under a stimulating rain of pom-pom + shells, the great cannon lurched slowly forward, quickening its pace as + the men pulled on the drag-ropes, and the six oxen broke into a wheezy + canter. Its retreat was covered by the smaller guns which rained shrapnel + upon the crest of the hill, and upon the Boers who were descending to the + camp. Once the big gun was out of danger, the others limbered up and + followed, their rear still covered by the staunch mounted infantry, with + whom rest all the honours of the battle. Cookson and Brooks with 250 men + stood for hours between Clements and absolute disaster. The camp was + abandoned as it stood, and all the stores, four hundred picketed horses, + and, most serious of all, two wagons of ammunition, fell into the hands of + the victors. To have saved all his guns, however, after the destruction of + half his force by an active enemy far superior to him in numbers and in + mobility, was a feat which goes far to condone the disaster, and to + increase rather than to impair the confidence which his troops feel in + General Clements. Having retreated for a couple of miles he turned his big + gun round upon the hill, which is called Yeomanry Hill, and opened fire + upon the camp, which was being looted by swarms of Boers. So bold a face + did he present that he was able to remain with his crippled force upon + Yeomanry Hill from about nine until four in the afternoon, and no attack + was pressed home, though he lay under both shell and rifle fire all day. + At four in the afternoon he began his retreat, which did not cease till he + had reached Rietfontein, twenty miles off, at six o'clock upon the + following morning. His weary men had been working for twenty-six hours, + and actually fighting for fourteen, but the bitterness of defeat was + alleviated by the feeling that every man, from the General downwards, had + done all that was possible, and that there was every prospect of their + having a chance before long of getting their own back. + </p> + <p> + The British losses at the battle of Nooitgedacht amounted to 60 killed, + 180 wounded, and 315 prisoners, all of whom were delivered up a few days + later at Rustenburg. Of the Boer losses it is, as usual, impossible to + speak with confidence, but all the evidence points to their actual + casualties being as heavy as those of the British. There was the long + struggle at the camp in which they were heavily punished, the fight on the + mountain, where they exposed themselves with unusual recklessness, and the + final shelling from shrapnel and from lyddite. All accounts agree that + their attack was more open than usual. 'They were mowed down in twenties + that day, but it had no effect. They stood like fanatics,' says one who + fought against them. From first to last their conduct was most gallant, + and great credit is due to their leaders for the skilful sudden + concentration by which they threw their whole strength upon the exposed + force. Some eighty miles separate Warm Baths from Nooitgedacht, and it + seems strange that our Intelligence Department should have remained in + ignorance of so large a movement. + </p> + <p> + General Broadwood's 2nd Cavalry Brigade had been stationed to the north of + Magaliesberg, some twelve miles westward of Clements, and formed the next + link in the long chain of British forces. Broadwood does not appear, + however, to have appreciated the importance of the engagement, and made no + energetic movement to take part in it. If Colvile is open to the charge of + having been slow to 'march upon the cannon' at Sanna's Post, it might be + urged that Broadwood in turn showed some want of energy and judgment upon + this occasion. On the morning of the 13th his force could hear the heavy + firing to the eastward, and could even see the shells bursting on the top + of the Magaliesberg. It was but ten or twelve miles distant, and, as his + Elswick guns have a range of nearly five, a very small advance would have + enabled him to make a demonstration against the flank of the Boers, and so + to relieve the pressure upon Clements. It is true that his force was not + large, but it was exceptionally mobile. Whatever the reasons, no effective + advance was made by Broadwood. On hearing the result he fell back upon + Rustenburg, the nearest British post, his small force being dangerously + isolated. + </p> + <p> + Those who expected that General Clements would get his own back had not + long to wait. In a few days he was in the field again. The remains of his + former force had, however, been sent into Pretoria to refit, and nothing + remained of it save the 8th R.F.A. and the indomitable cow-gun still + pocked with the bullets of Nooitgedacht. He had also F battery R.H.A., the + Inniskillings, the Border regiment, and a force of mounted infantry under + Alderson. More important than all, however, was the co-operation of + General French, who came out from Pretoria to assist in the operations. On + the 19th, only six days after his defeat, Clements found himself on the + very same spot fighting some at least of the very same men. This time, + however, there was no element of surprise, and the British were able to + approach the task with deliberation and method. The result was that both + upon the 19th and 20th the Boers were shelled out of successive positions + with considerable loss, and driven altogether away from that part of the + Magaliesberg. Shortly afterwards General Clements was recalled to + Pretoria, to take over the command of the 7th Division, General Tucker + having been appointed to the military command of Bloemfontein in the place + of the gallant Hunter, who, to the regret of the whole army, was invalided + home. General Cunningham henceforward commanded the column which Clements + had led back to the Magaliesberg. + </p> + <p> + Upon November 13th the first of a series of attacks was made upon the + posts along the Delagoa Railway line. These were the work of Viljoen's + commando, who, moving swiftly from the north, threw themselves upon the + small garrisons of Balmoral and of Wilge River, stations which are about + six miles apart. At the former was a detachment of the Buffs, and at the + latter of the Royal Fusiliers. The attack was well delivered, but in each + instance was beaten back with heavy loss to the assailants. A picket of + the Buffs was captured at the first rush, and the detachment lost six + killed and nine wounded. No impression was made upon the position, + however, and the double attack seems to have cost the Boers a large number + of casualties. + </p> + <p> + Another incident calling for some mention was the determined attack made + by the Boers upon the town of Vryheid, in the extreme south-east of the + Transvaal near the Natal border. Throughout November this district had + been much disturbed, and the small British garrison had evacuated the town + and taken up a position on the adjacent hills. Upon December 11th the + Boers attempted to carry the trenches. The garrison of the town appears to + have consisted of the 2nd Royal Lancaster regiment, some five hundred + strong, a party of the Lancashire Fusiliers, 150 strong, and fifty men of + the Royal Garrison Artillery, with a small body of mounted infantry. They + held a hill about half a mile north of the town, and commanding it. The + attack, which was a surprise in the middle of the night, broke upon the + pickets of the British, who held their own in a way which may have been + injudicious but was certainly heroic. Instead of falling back when + seriously attacked, the young officers in charge of these outposts refused + to move, and were speedily under such a fire that it was impossible to + reinforce them. There were four outposts, under Woodgate, Theobald, + Lippert, and Mangles. The attack at 2.15 on a cold dark morning began at + the post held by Woodgate, the Boers coming hand-to-hand before they were + detected. Woodgate, who was unarmed at the instant, seized a hammer, and + rushed at the nearest Boer, but was struck by two bullets and killed. His + post was dispersed or taken. Theobald and Lippert, warned by the firing, + held on behind their sangars, and were ready for the storm which burst + over them. Lippert was unhappily killed, and his ten men all hit or taken, + but young Theobald held his own under a heavy fire for twelve hours. + Mangles also, the gallant son of a gallant father, held his post all day + with the utmost tenacity. The troops in the trenches behind were never + seriously pressed, thanks to the desperate resistance of the outposts, but + Colonel Gawne of the Lancasters was unfortunately killed. Towards evening + the Boers abandoned the attack, leaving fourteen of their number dead upon + the ground, from which it may be guessed that their total casualties were + not less than a hundred. The British losses were three officers and five + men killed, twenty-two men wounded, and thirty men with one officer + missing—the latter being the survivors of those outposts which were + overwhelmed by the Boer advance. + </p> + <p> + A few incidents stand out among the daily bulletins of snipings, + skirmishes, and endless marchings which make the dull chronicle of these, + the last months of the year 1900. These must be enumerated without any + attempt at connecting them. The first is the long-drawn-out siege or + investment of Schweizer-Renecke. This small village stands upon the Harts + River, on the western border of the Transvaal. It is not easy to + understand why the one party should desire to hold, or the other to + attack, a position so insignificant. From August 19th onwards it was + defended by a garrison of 250 men, under the very capable command of + Colonel Chamier, who handled a small business in a way which marks him as + a leader. The Boer force, which varied in numbers from five hundred to a + thousand, never ventured to push home an attack, for Chamier, fresh from + the experience of Kimberley, had taken such precautions that his defences + were formidable, if not impregnable. Late in September a relieving force + under Colonel Settle threw fresh supplies into the town, but when he + passed on upon his endless march the enemy closed in once more, and the + siege was renewed. It lasted for several months, until a column withdrew + the garrison and abandoned the position. + </p> + <p> + Of all the British detachments, the two which worked hardest and marched + furthest during this period of the war was the 21st Brigade (Derbyshires, + Sussex, and Camerons) under General Bruce Hamilton, and the column under + Settle, which operated down the western border of the Orange River Colony, + and worked round and round with such pertinacity that it was familiarly + known as Settle's Imperial Circus. Much hard and disagreeable work, far + more repugnant to the soldier than the actual dangers of war, fell to the + lot of Bruce Hamilton and his men. With Kroonstad as their centre they + were continually working through the dangerous Lindley and Heilbron + districts, returning to the railway line only to start again immediately + upon a fresh quest. It was work for mounted police, not for infantry + soldiers, but what they were given to do they did to the best of their + ability. Settle's men had a similar thankless task. From the neighbourhood + of Kimberley he marched in November with his small column down the border + of the Orange River Colony, capturing supplies and bringing in refugees. + He fought one brisk action with Hertzog's commando at Kloof, and then, + making his way across the colony, struck the railway line again at + Edenburg on December 7th, with a train of prisoners and cattle. + </p> + <p> + Rundle also had put in much hard work in his efforts to control the + difficult district in the north-east of the Colony which had been + committed to his care. He traversed in November from north to south the + same country which he had already so painfully traversed from south to + north. With occasional small actions he moved about from Vrede to Reitz, + and so to Bethlehem and Harrismith. On him, as on all other commanders, + the vicious system of placing small garrisons in the various towns imposed + a constant responsibility lest they should be starved or overwhelmed. + </p> + <p> + The year and the century ended by a small reverse to the British arms in + the Transvaal. This consisted in the capture of a post at Helvetia + defended by a detachment of the Liverpool Regiment and by a 4.7 gun. + Lydenburg, being seventy miles off the railway line, had a chain of posts + connecting it with the junction at Machadodorp. These posts were seven in + number, ten miles apart, each defended by 250 men. Of these Helvetia was + the second. The key of the position was a strongly fortified hill about + three-quarters of a mile from the headquarter camp, and commanding it. + This post was held by Captain Kirke with forty garrison artillery to work + the big gun, and seventy Liverpool infantry. In spite of the barbed-wire + entanglements, the Boers most gallantly rushed this position, and their + advance was so rapid, or the garrison so slow, that the place was carried + with hardly a shot fired. Major Cotton, who commanded the main lines, + found himself deprived in an instant of nearly half his force and fiercely + attacked by a victorious and exultant enemy. His position was much too + extended for the small force at his disposal, and the line of trenches was + pierced and enfiladed at many points. It must be acknowledged that the + defences were badly devised—little barbed wire, frail walls, large + loopholes, and the outposts so near the trenches that the assailants could + reach them as quickly as the supports. With the dawn Cotton's position was + serious, if not desperate. He was not only surrounded, but was commanded + from Gun Hill. Perhaps it would have been wiser if, after being wounded, + he had handed over the command to Jones, his junior officer. A stricken + man's judgement can never be so sound as that of the hale. However that + may be, he came to the conclusion that the position was untenable, and + that it was best to prevent further loss of life. Fifty of the Liverpools + were killed and wounded, 200 taken. No ammunition of the gun was captured, + but the Boers were able to get safely away with this humiliating evidence + of their victory. One post, under Captain Wilkinson with forty men, held + out with success, and harassed the enemy in their retreat. As at + Dewetsdorp and at Nooitgedacht, the Boers were unable to retain their + prisoners, so that the substantial fruits of their enterprise were small, + but it forms none the less one more of those incidents which may cause us + to respect our enemy and to be critical towards ourselves. [Footnote: + Considering that Major Stapelton Cotton was himself wounded in three + places during the action (one of these wounds being in the head), he has + had hard measure in being deprived of his commission by a court-martial + which sat eight months after the event. It is to be earnestly hoped that + there may be some revision of this severe sentence.] + </p> + <p> + In the last few months of the year some of those corps which had served + their time or which were needed elsewhere were allowed to leave the seat + of war. By the middle of November the three different corps of the City + Imperial Volunteers, the two Canadian contingents, Lumsden's Horse, the + Composite Regiment of Guards, six hundred Australians, A battery R.H.A., + and the volunteer companies of the regular regiments, were all homeward + bound. This loss of several thousand veteran troops before the war was + over was to be deplored, and though unavoidable in the case of volunteer + contingents, it is difficult to explain where regular troops are + concerned. Early in the new year the Government was compelled to send out + strong reinforcements to take their place. + </p> + <p> + Early in December Lord Roberts also left the country, to take over the + duties of Commander-in-Chief. High as his reputation stood when, in + January, he landed at Cape Town, it is safe to say that it had been + immensely enhanced when, ten months later, he saw from the quarter-deck of + the 'Canada' the Table Mountain growing dimmer in the distance. He found a + series of disconnected operations, in which we were uniformly worsted. He + speedily converted them into a series of connected operations in which we + were almost uniformly successful. Proceeding to the front at the beginning + of February, within a fortnight he had relieved Kimberley, within a month + he had destroyed Cronje's force, and within six weeks he was in + Bloemfontein. Then, after a six weeks' halt which could not possibly have + been shortened, he made another of his tiger leaps, and within a month had + occupied Johannesburg and Pretoria. From that moment the issue of the + campaign was finally settled, and though a third leap was needed, which + carried him to Komatipoort, and though brave and obstinate men might still + struggle against their destiny, he had done what was essential, and the + rest, however difficult, was only the detail of the campaign. A kindly + gentleman, as well as a great soldier, his nature revolted from all + harshness, and a worse man might have been a better leader in the last + hopeless phases of the war. He remembered, no doubt, how Grant had given + Lee's army their horses, but Lee at the time had been thoroughly beaten, + and his men had laid down their arms. A similar boon to the partially + conquered Boers led to very different results, and the prolongation of the + war is largely due to this act of clemency. At the same time political and + military considerations were opposed to each other upon the point, and his + moral position in the use of harsher measures is the stronger since a + policy of conciliation had been tried and failed. Lord Roberts returned to + London with the respect and love of his soldiers and of his + fellow-countrymen. A passage from his farewell address to his troops may + show the qualities which endeared him to them. + </p> + <p> + 'The service which the South African Force has performed is, I venture to + think, unique in the annals of war, inasmuch as it has been absolutely + almost incessant for a whole year, in some cases for more than a year. + There has been no rest, no days off to recruit, no going into winter + quarters, as in other campaigns which have extended over a long period. + For months together, in fierce heat, in biting cold, in pouring rain, you, + my comrades, have marched and fought without halt, and bivouacked without + shelter from the elements. You frequently have had to continue marching + with your clothes in rags and your boots without soles, time being of such + consequence that it was impossible for you to remain long enough in one + place to refit. When not engaged in actual battle you have been + continually shot at from behind kopjes by invisible enemies to whom every + inch of the country was familiar, and who, from the peculiar nature of the + country, were able to inflict severe punishment while perfectly safe + themselves. You have forced your way through dense jungles, over + precipitous mountains, through and over which with infinite manual labour + you have had to drag heavy guns and ox-wagons. You have covered with + almost incredible speed enormous distances, and that often on very short + supplies of food. You have endured the sufferings inevitable in war to + sick and wounded men far from the base, without a murmur and even with + cheerfulness.' + </p> + <p> + The words reflect honour both upon the troops addressed and upon the man + who addressed them. From the middle of December 1900 Lord Kitchener took + over the control of the campaign. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0032" id="link2HCH0032"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 32. THE SECOND INVASION OF CAPE COLONY. + </h2> + <h3> + (DECEMBER 1900 TO APRIL 1901.) + </h3> + <p> + During the whole war the task of the British had been made very much more + difficult by the openly expressed sympathy with the Boers from the + political association known as the Afrikander Bond, which either inspired + or represented the views which prevailed among the great majority of the + Dutch inhabitants of Cape Colony. How strong was this rebel impulse may be + gauged by the fact that in some of the border districts no less than + ninety per cent of the voters joined the Boer invaders upon the occasion + of their first entrance into the Colony. It is not pretended that these + men suffered from any political grievances whatever, and their action is + to be ascribed partly to a natural sympathy with their northern kinsmen, + and partly to racial ambition and to personal dislike to their British + neighbours. The liberal British policy towards the natives had especially + alienated the Dutch, and had made as well-marked a line of cleavage in + South Africa as the slave question had done in the States of the Union. + </p> + <p> + With the turn of the war the discontent in Cape Colony became less + obtrusive, if not less acute, but in the later months of the year 1900 it + increased to a degree which became dangerous. The fact of the farm-burning + in the conquered countries, and the fiction of outrages by the British + troops, raised a storm of indignation. The annexation of the Republics, + meaning the final disappearance of any Dutch flag from South Africa, was a + racial humiliation which was bitterly resented. The Dutch papers became + very violent, and the farmers much excited. The agitation culminated in a + conference at Worcester upon December 6th, at which some thousands of + delegates were present. It is suggestive of the Imperial nature of the + struggle that the assembly of Dutch Afrikanders was carried out under the + muzzles of Canadian artillery, and closely watched by Australian cavalry. + Had violent words transformed themselves into deeds, all was ready for the + crisis. + </p> + <p> + Fortunately the good sense of the assembly prevailed, and the agitation, + though bitter, remained within those wide limits which a British + constitution permits. Three resolutions were passed, one asking that the + war be ended, a second that the independence of the Republics be restored, + and a third protesting against the actions of Sir Alfred Milner. A + deputation which carried these to the Governor received a courteous but an + uncompromising reply. Sir Alfred Milner pointed out that the Home + Government, all the great Colonies, and half the Cape were unanimous in + their policy, and that it was folly to imagine that it could be reversed + on account of a local agitation. All were agreed in the desire to end the + war, but the last way of bringing this about was by encouraging desperate + men to go on fighting in a hopeless cause. Such was the general nature of + the Governor's reply, which was, as might be expected, entirely endorsed + by the British Government and people. + </p> + <p> + Had De Wet, in the operations which have already been described, evaded + Charles Knox and crossed the Orange River, his entrance into the Colony + would have been synchronous with the congress at Worcester, and the + situation would have become more acute. This peril was fortunately + averted. The agitation in the Colony suggested to the Boer leaders, + however, that here was an untouched recruiting ground, and that small + mobile invading parties might gather strength and become formidable. It + was obvious, also, that by enlarging the field of operations the + difficulties of the British Commander-in-chief would be very much + increased, and the pressure upon the Boer guerillas in the Republics + relaxed. Therefore, in spite of De Wet's failure to penetrate the Colony, + several smaller bands under less-known leaders were despatched over the + Orange River. With the help of the information and the supplies furnished + by the local farmers, these bands wandered for many months over the great + expanse of the Colony, taking refuge, when hard pressed, among the + mountain ranges. They moved swiftly about, obtaining remounts from their + friends, and avoiding everything in the nature of an action, save when the + odds were overwhelmingly in their favour. Numerous small posts or patrols + cut off, many skirmishes, and one or two railway smashes were the fruits + of this invasion, which lasted till the end of the war, and kept the + Colony in an extreme state of unrest during that period. A short account + must be given here of the movement and exploits of these hostile bands, + avoiding, as far as possible, that catalogue of obscure 'fonteins' and + 'kops' which mark their progress. + </p> + <p> + The invasion was conducted by two main bodies, which shed off numerous + small raiding parties. Of these two, one operated on the western side of + the Colony, reaching the sea-coast in the Clanwilliam district, and + attaining a point which is less than a hundred miles from Cape Town. The + other penetrated even more deeply down the centre of the Colony, reaching + almost to the sea in the Mossel Bay direction. Yet the incursion, although + so far-reaching, had small effect, since the invaders held nothing save + the ground on which they stood, and won their way, not by victory, but by + the avoidance of danger. Some recruits were won to their cause, but they + do not seem at that time to have been more than a few hundreds in number, + and to have been drawn for the most part from the classes of the community + which had least to lose and least to offer. + </p> + <p> + The Western Boers were commanded by Judge Hertzog of the Free State, + having with him Brand, the son of the former president, and about twelve + hundred well-mounted men. Crossing the Orange River at Sand Drift, north + of Colesberg, upon December 16th, they paused at Kameelfontein to gather + up a small post of thirty yeomen and guardsmen under Lieutenant Fletcher, + the wellknown oar. Meeting with a stout resistance, and learning that + British forces were already converging upon them, they abandoned the + attack, and turning away from Colesberg they headed west, cutting the + railway line twenty miles to the north of De Aar. On the 22nd they + occupied Britstown, which is eighty miles inside the border, and on the + same day they captured a small body of yeomanry who had been following + them. These prisoners were released again some days later. Taking a sweep + round towards Prieska and Strydenburg, they pushed south again. At the end + of the year Hertzog's column was 150 miles deep in the Colony, sweeping + through the barren and thinly-inhabited western lands, heading apparently + for Fraserburg and Beaufort West. + </p> + <p> + The second column was commanded by Kritzinger, a burgher of Zastron, in + the Orange River Colony. His force was about 800 strong. Crossing the + border at Rhenoster Hoek upon December 16th, they pushed for Burghersdorp, + but were headed off by a British column. Passing through Venterstad, they + made for Steynsberg, fighting two indecisive skirmishes with small British + forces. The end of the year saw them crossing the rail road at Sherburne, + north of Rosmead Junction, where they captured a train as they passed, + containing some Colonial troops. At this time they were a hundred miles + inside the Colony, and nearly three hundred from Hertzog's western column. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime Lord Kitchener, who had descended for a few days to De + Aar, had shown great energy in organising small mobile columns which + should follow and, if possible, destroy the invaders. Martial law was + proclaimed in the parts of the Colony affected, and as the invaders came + further south the utmost enthusiasm was shown by the loyalists, who formed + themselves everywhere into town guards. The existing Colonial regiments, + such as Brabant's, the Imperial and South African Light Horse—Thorneycroft's, + Rimington's, and the others—had already been brought up to strength + again, and now two new regiments were added, Kitchener's Bodyguard and + Kitchener's Fighting Scouts, the latter being raised by Johann + Colenbrander, who had made a name for himself in the Rhodesian wars. At + this period of the war between twenty and thirty thousand Cape colonists + were under arms. Many of these were untrained levies, but they possessed + the martial spirit of the race, and they set free more seasoned troops for + other duties. + </p> + <p> + It will be most convenient and least obscure to follow the movements of + the western force (Hertzog's), and afterwards to consider those of the + eastern (Kritzinger's). The opening of the year saw the mobile column of + Free Staters 150 miles over the border, pushing swiftly south over the + barren surface of the Karoo. It is a country of scattered farms and scanty + population; desolate plains curving upwards until they rise into still + more desolate mountain ranges. Moving in a very loose formation over a + wide front, the Boers swept southwards. On or about January 4th they took + possession of the small town of Calvinia, which remained their + headquarters for more than a month. From this point their roving bands + made their way as far as the seacoast in the Clanwilliam direction, for + they expected at Lambert's Bay to meet with a vessel with mercenaries and + guns from Europe. They pushed their outposts also as far as Sutherland and + Beaufort West in the south. On January 15th strange horsemen were seen + hovering about the line at Touws River, and the citizens of Cape Town + learned with amazement that the war had been carried to within a hundred + miles of their own doors. + </p> + <p> + Whilst the Boers were making this daring raid a force consisting of + several mobile columns was being organised by General Settle to arrest and + finally to repel the western invasion. The larger body was under the + command of Colonel De Lisle, an officer who brought to the operations of + war the same energy and thoroughness with which he had made the polo team + of an infantry regiment the champions of the whole British Army. His + troops consisted of the 6th Mounted Infantry, the New South Wales Mounted + Infantry, the Irish Yeomanry, a section of R battery R.H.A., and a + pom-pom. With this small but mobile and hardy force he threw himself in + front of Hertzog's line of advance. On January 13th he occupied + Piquetburg, eighty miles south of the Boer headquarters. On the 23rd he + was at Clanwilliam, fifty miles south-west of them. To his right were + three other small British columns under Bethune, Thorneycroft, and + Henniker, the latter resting upon the railway at Matjesfontein, and the + whole line extending over 120 miles—barring the southern path to the + invaders. + </p> + <p> + Though Hertzog at Calvinia and De Lisle at Clanwilliam were only fifty + miles apart, the intervening country is among the most broken and + mountainous in South Africa. Between the two points, and nearer to De + Lisle than to Hertzog, flows the Doorn River. The Boers advancing from + Calvinia came into touch with the British scouts at this point, and drove + them in upon January 21st. On the 28th De Lisle, having been reinforced by + Bethune's column, was able at last to take the initiative. Bethune's force + consisted mainly of Colonials, and included Kitchener's Fighting Scouts, + the Cape Mounted Police, Cape Mounted Rifles, Brabant's Horse, and the + Diamond Field Horse. At the end of January the united forces of Bethune + and of De Lisle advanced upon Calvinia. The difficulties lay rather in the + impassable country than in the resistance of an enemy who was determined + to refuse battle. On February 6th, after a fine march, De Lisle and his + men took possession of Calvinia, which had been abandoned by the Boers. It + is painful to add that during the month that they had held the town they + appear to have behaved with great harshness, especially to the kaffirs. + The flogging and shooting of a coloured man named Esan forms one more + incident in the dark story of the Boer and his relations to the native. + </p> + <p> + The British were now sweeping north on a very extended front. Colenbrander + had occupied Van Rhyns Dorp, to the east of Calvinia, while Bethune's + force was operating to the west of it. De Lisle hardly halted at Calvinia, + but pushed onwards to Williston, covering seventy-two miles of broken + country in forty-eight hours, one of the most amazing performances of the + war. Quick as he was, the Boers were quicker still, and during his + northward march he does not appear to have actually come into contact with + them. Their line of retreat lay through Carnarvon, and upon February 22nd + they crossed the railway line to the north of De Aar, and joined upon + February 26th the new invading force under De Wet, who had now crossed the + Orange River. De Lisle, who had passed over five hundred miles of barren + country since he advanced from Piquetburg, made for the railway at + Victoria West, and was despatched from that place on February 22nd to the + scene of action in the north. From all parts Boer and Briton were + concentrating in their effort to aid or to repel the inroad of the famous + guerilla. + </p> + <p> + Before describing this attempt it would be well to trace the progress of + the eastern invasion (Kritzinger's), a movement which may be treated + rapidly, since it led to no particular military result at that time, + though it lasted long after Hertzog's force had been finally dissipated. + Several small columns, those of Williams, Byng, Grenfell, and Lowe, all + under the direction of Haig, were organised to drive back these commandos; + but so nimble were the invaders, so vast the distances and so broken the + country, that it was seldom that the forces came into contact. The + operations were conducted over a portion of the Colony which is strongly + Dutch in sympathy, and the enemy, though they do not appear to have + obtained any large number of recruits, were able to gather stores, horses, + and information wherever they went. + </p> + <p> + When last mentioned Kritzinger's men had crossed the railway north of + Rosmead on December 30th, and held up a train containing some Colonial + troops. From then onwards a part of them remained in the Middelburg and + Graaf-Reinet districts, while part moved towards the south. On January + 11th there was a sharp skirmish near Murraysburg, in which Byng's column + was engaged, at the cost of twenty casualties, all of Brabant's or the + South African Light Horse. On the 16th a very rapid movement towards the + south began. On that date Boers appeared at Aberdeen, and on the 18th at + Willowmore, having covered seventy miles in two days. Their long, thin + line was shredded out over 150 miles, and from Maraisburg, in the north, + to Uniondale, which is only thirty miles from the coast, there was rumour + of their presence. In this wild district and in that of Oudtshoorn the + Boer vanguard flitted in and out of the hills, Haig's column striving hard + to bring them to an action. So well-informed were the invaders that they + were always able to avoid the British concentrations, while if a British + outpost or patrol was left exposed it was fortunate if it escaped + disaster. On February 6th a small body of twenty-five of the 7th King's + Dragoon Guards and of the West Australians, under Captain Oliver, were + overwhelmed at Klipplaat, after a very fine defence, in which they held + their own against 200 Boers for eight hours, and lost nearly fifty per + cent of their number. On the 12th a patrol of yeomanry was surprised and + taken near Willowmore. + </p> + <p> + The coming of De Wet had evidently been the signal for all the Boer + raiders to concentrate, for in the second week of February Kritzinger also + began to fall back, as Hertzog had done in the west, followed closely by + the British columns. He did not, however, actually join De Wet, and his + evacuation of the country was never complete, as was the case with + Hertzog's force. On the 19th Kritzinger was at Bethesda, with Gorringe and + Lowe at his heels. On the 23rd an important railway bridge at Fish River, + north of Cradock, was attacked, but the attempt was foiled by the + resistance of a handful of Cape Police and Lancasters. On March 6th a + party of Boers occupied the village of Pearston, capturing a few rifles + and some ammunition. On the same date there was a skirmish between Colonel + Parsons's column and a party of the enemy to the north of Aberdeen. The + main body of the invading force appears to have been lurking in this + neighbourhood, as they were able upon April 7th to cut off a strong + British patrol, consisting of a hundred Lancers and Yeomanry, seventy-five + of whom remained as temporary prisoners in the hands of the enemy. With + this success we may for the time leave Kritzinger and his lieutenant, + Scheepers, who commanded that portion of his force which had penetrated to + the south of the Colony. + </p> + <p> + The two invasions which have been here described, that of Hertzog in the + west and of Kritzinger in the midlands, would appear in themselves to be + unimportant military operations, since they were carried out by small + bodies of men whose policy was rather to avoid than to overcome + resistance. Their importance, however, is due to the fact that they were + really the forerunners of a more important incursion upon the part of De + Wet. The object of these two bands of raiders was to spy out the land, so + that on the arrival of the main body all might be ready for that general + rising of their kinsmen in the Colony which was the last chance, not of + winning, but of prolonging the war. It must be confessed that, however + much their reason might approve of the Government under which they lived, + the sentiment of the Cape Dutch had been cruelly, though unavoidably, hurt + in the course of the war. The appearance of so popular a leader as De Wet + with a few thousand veterans in the very heart of their country might have + stretched their patience to the breaking-point. Inflamed, as they were, by + that racial hatred which had always smouldered, and had now been fanned + into a blaze by the speeches of their leaders and by the fictions of their + newspapers, they were ripe for mischief, while they had before their eyes + an object-lesson of the impotence of our military system in those small + bands who had kept the country in a ferment for so long. All was + propitious, therefore, for the attempt which Steyn and De Wet were about + to make to carry the war into the enemy's country. + </p> + <p> + We last saw De Wet when, after a long chase, he had been headed back from + the Orange River, and, winning clear from Knox's pursuit, had in the third + week of December passed successfully through the British cordon between + Thabanchu and Ladybrand. Thence he made his way to Senekal, and proceeded, + in spite of the shaking which he had had, to recruit and recuperate in the + amazing way which a Boer army has. There is no force so easy to drive and + so difficult to destroy. The British columns still kept in touch with De + Wet, but found it impossible to bring him to an action in the difficult + district to which he had withdrawn. His force had split up into numerous + smaller bodies, capable of reuniting at a signal from their leader. These + scattered bodies, mobile as ever, vanished if seriously attacked, while + keenly on the alert to pounce upon any British force which might be + overpowered before assistance could arrive. Such an opportunity came to + the commando led by Philip Botha, and the result was another petty reverse + to the British arms. + </p> + <p> + Upon January 3rd Colonel White's small column was pushing north, in + co-operation with those of Knox, Pilcher, and the others. Upon that date + it had reached a point just north of Lindley, a district which has never + been a fortunate one for the invaders. A patrol of Kitchener' s newly + raised bodyguard, under Colonel Laing, 120 strong, was sent forward to + reconnoitre upon the road from Lindley to Reitz. + </p> + <p> + The scouting appears to have been negligently done, there being only two + men out upon each flank. The little force walked into one of those + horse-shoe positions which the Boers love, and learned by a sudden volley + from a kraal upon their right that the enemy was present in strength. On + attempting to withdraw it was instantly evident that the Boers were on all + sides and in the rear with a force which numbered at least five to one. + The camp of the main column was only four miles away, however, and the + bodyguard, having sent messages of their precarious position, did all they + could to make a defence until help could reach them. Colonel Laing had + fallen, shot through the heart, but found a gallant successor in young + Nairne, the adjutant. Part of the force had thrown themselves, under + Nairne and Milne, into a donga, which gave some shelter from the sleet of + bullets. The others, under Captain Butters, held on to a ruined kraal. The + Boers pushed the attack very rapidly, however, and were soon able with + their superior numbers to send a raking fire down the donga, which made it + a perfect death-trap. Still hoping that the laggard reinforcements would + come up, the survivors held desperately on; but both in the kraal and in + the donga their numbers were from minute to minute diminishing. There was + no formal surrender and no white flag, for, when fifty per cent of the + British were down, the Boers closed in swiftly and rushed the position. + Philip Botha, the brother of the commandant, who led the Boers, behaved + with courtesy and humanity to the survivors; but many of the wounds were + inflicted with those horrible explosive and expansive missiles, the use of + which among civilised combatants should now and always be a capital + offence. To disable one's adversary is a painful necessity of warfare, but + nothing can excuse the wilful mutilation and torture which is inflicted by + these brutal devices. + </p> + <p> + 'How many of you are there?' asked Botha. 'A hundred,' said an officer. + 'It is not true. There are one hundred and twenty. I counted you as you + came along.' The answer of the Boer leader shows how carefully the small + force had been nursed until it was in an impossible position. The margin + was a narrow one, however, for within fifteen minutes of the disaster + White's guns were at work. There may be some question as to whether the + rescuing force could have come sooner, but there can be none as to the + resistance of the bodyguard. They held out to the last cartridge. Colonel + Laing and three officers with sixteen men were killed, four officers and + twenty-two men were wounded. The high proportion of fatal casualties can + only be explained by the deadly character of the Boer bullets. Hardly a + single horse of the bodyguard was left unwounded, and the profit to the + victors, since they were unable to carry away their prisoners, lay + entirely in the captured rifles. It is worthy of record that the British + wounded were despatched to Heilbron without guard through the Boer forces. + That they arrived there unmolested is due to the forbearance of the enemy + and to the tact and energy of Surgeon-Captain Porter, who commanded the + convoy. + </p> + <p> + Encouraged by this small success, and stimulated by the news that Hertzog + and Kritzinger had succeeded in penetrating the Colony without disaster, + De Wet now prepared to follow them. British scouts to the north of + Kroonstad reported horsemen riding south and east, sometimes alone, + sometimes in small parties. They were recruits going to swell the forces + of De Wet. On January 23rd five hundred men crossed the line, journeying + in the same direction. Before the end of the month, having gathered + together about 2500 men with fresh horses at the Doornberg, twenty miles + north of Winburg, the Boer leader was ready for one of his lightning treks + once more. On January 28th he broke south through the British net, which + appears to have had more meshes than cord. Passing the + Bloemfontein-Ladybrand line at Israel Poort he swept southwards, with + British columns still wearily trailing behind him, like honest bulldogs + panting after a greyhound. + </p> + <p> + Before following him upon this new venture it is necessary to say a few + words about that peace movement in the Boer States to which some allusion + has already been made. On December 20th Lord Kitchener had issued a + proclamation which was intended to have the effect of affording protection + to those burghers who desired to cease fighting, but who were unable to do + so without incurring the enmity of their irreconcilable brethren. 'It is + hereby notified,' said the document, 'to all burghers that if after this + date they voluntarily surrender they will be allowed to live with their + families in Government laagers until such time as the guerilla warfare now + being carried on will admit of their returning safely to their homes. All + stock and property brought in at the time of the surrender of such + burghers will be respected and paid for if requisitioned.' This wise and + liberal offer was sedulously concealed from their men by the leaders of + the fighting commandos, but was largely taken advantage of by those Boers + to whom it was conveyed. Boer refugee camps were formed at Pretoria, + Johannesburg, Kroonstad, Bloemfontein, Warrenton; and other points, to + which by degrees the whole civil population came to be transferred. It was + the reconcentrado system of Cuba over again, with the essential difference + that the guests of the British Government were well fed and well treated + during their detention. Within a few months the camps had 50,000 inmates. + </p> + <p> + It was natural that some of these people, having experienced the amenity + of British rule, and being convinced of the hopelessness of the struggle, + should desire to convey their feelings to their friends and relations in + the field. Both in the Transvaal and in the Orange River Colony Peace + Committees were formed, which endeavoured to persuade their countrymen to + bow to the inevitable. A remarkable letter was published from Piet de Wet, + a man who had fought bravely for the Boer cause, to his brother, the + famous general. 'Which is better for the Republics,' he asked, 'to + continue the struggle and run the risk of total ruin as a nation, or to + submit? Could we for a moment think of taking back the country if it were + offered to us, with thousands of people to be supported by a Government + which has not a farthing?... Put passionate feeling aside for a moment and + use common-sense, and you will then agree with me that the best thing for + the people and the country is to give in, to be loyal to the new + government, and to get responsible government...Should the war continue a + few months longer the nation will become so poor that they will be the + working class in the country, and disappear as a nation in the future... + The British are convinced that they have conquered the land and its + people, and consider the matter ended, and they only try to treat + magnanimously those who are continuing the struggle in order to prevent + unnecessary bloodshed.' + </p> + <p> + Such were the sentiments of those of the burghers who were in favour of + peace. Their eyes had been opened and their bitterness was transferred + from the British Government to those individual Britons who, partly from + idealism and partly from party passion, had encouraged them to their + undoing. But their attempt to convey their feelings to their countrymen in + the field ended in tragedy. Two of their number, Morgendaal and Wessels, + who had journeyed to De Wet's camp, were condemned to death by order of + that leader. In the case of Morgendaal the execution actually took place, + and seems to have been attended by brutal circumstances, the man having + been thrashed with a sjambok before being put to death. The circumstances + are still surrounded by such obscurity that it is impossible to say + whether the message of the peace envoys was to the General himself or to + the men under his command. In the former case the man was murdered. In the + latter the Boer leader was within his rights, though the rights may have + been harshly construed and brutally enforced. + </p> + <p> + On January 29th, in the act of breaking south, De Wet's force, or a + portion of it, had a sharp brush with a small British column (Crewe's) at + Tabaksberg, which lies about forty miles north-east of Bloemfontein; This + small force, seven hundred strong, found itself suddenly in the presence + of a very superior body of the enemy, and had some difficulty in + extricating itself. A pom-pom was lost in this affair. Crewe fell back + upon Knox, and the combined columns made for Bloemfontein, whence they + could use the rails for their transport. De Wet meanwhile moved south as + far as Smithfield, and then, detaching several small bodies to divert the + attention of the British, he struck due west, and crossed the track + between Springfontein and Jagersfontein road, capturing the usual supply + train as he passed. On February 9th he had reached Phillipolis, well ahead + of the British pursuit, and spent a day or two in making his final + arrangements before carrying the war over the border. His force consisted + at this time of nearly 8000 men, with two 15-pounders, one pom-pom, and + one maxim. The garrisons of all the towns in the south-west of the Orange + River Colony had been removed in accordance with the policy of + concentration, so De Wet found himself for the moment in a friendly + country. + </p> + <p> + The British, realising how serious a situation might arise should De Wet + succeed in penetrating the Colony and in joining Hertzog and Kritzinger, + made every effort both to head him off and to bar his return. General + Lyttelton at Naauwpoort directed the operations, and the possession of the + railway line enabled him to concentrate his columns rapidly at the point + of danger. On February 11th De Wet forded the Orange River at Zand Drift, + and found himself once more upon British territory. Lyttelton's plan of + campaign appears to have been to allow De Wet to come some distance south, + and then to hold him in front by De Lisle's force, while a number of small + mobile columns under Plumer, Crabbe, Henniker, Bethune, Haig, and + Thorneycroft should shepherd him behind. On crossing, De Wet at once moved + westwards, where, upon February 12th, Plumer's column, consisting of the + Queensland Mounted Infantry, the Imperial Bushmen, and part of the King's + Dragoon Guards, came into touch with his rearguard. All day upon the 13th + and 14th, amid terrific rain, Plumer's hardy troopers followed close upon + the enemy, gleaning a few ammunition wagons, a maxim, and some prisoners. + The invaders crossed the railway line near Houtnek, to the north of De + Aar, in the early hours of the 15th, moving upon a front of six or eight + miles. Two armoured trains from the north and the south closed in upon him + as he passed, Plumer still thundered in his rear, and a small column under + Crabbe came pressing from the south. This sturdy Colonel of Grenadiers had + already been wounded four times in the war, so that he might be excused if + he felt some personal as well as patriotic reasons for pushing a + relentless pursuit. On crossing the railroad De Wet turned furiously upon + his pursuers, and, taking an excellent position upon a line of kopjes + rising out of the huge expanse of the Karoo, he fought a stubborn + rearguard action in order to give time for his convoy to get ahead. He was + hustled off the hills, however, the Australian Bushmen with great dash + carrying the central kopje, and the guns driving the invaders to the + westward. Leaving all his wagons and his reserve ammunition behind him, + the guerilla chief struck north-west, moving with great swiftness, but + never succeeding in shaking off Plumer's pursuit. The weather continued, + however, to be atrocious, rain and hail falling with such violence that + the horses could hardly be induced to face it. For a week the two sodden, + sleepless, mud-splashed little armies swept onwards over the Karoo. De Wet + passed northwards through Strydenburg, past Hopetown, and so to the Orange + River, which was found to be too swollen with the rains to permit of his + crossing. Here upon the 23rd, after a march of forty-five miles on end, + Plumer ran into him once more, and captured with very little fighting a + fifteen-pounder, a pom-pom, and close on to a hundred prisoners. Slipping + away to the east, De Wet upon February 24th crossed the railroad again + between Krankuil and Orange River Station, with Thorneycroft's column hard + upon his heels. The Boer leader was now more anxious to escape from the + Colony than ever he had been to enter it, and he rushed distractedly from + point to point, endeavouring to find a ford over the great turbid river + which cut him off from his own country. Here he was joined by Hertzog's + commando with a number of invaluable spare horses. It is said also that he + had been able to get remounts in the Hopetown district, which had not been + cleared—an omission for which, it is to be hoped, someone has been + held responsible. The Boer ponies, used to the succulent grasses of the + veld, could make nothing of the rank Karoo, and had so fallen away that an + enormous advantage should have rested with the pursuers had ill luck and + bad management not combined to enable the invaders to renew their mobility + at the very moment when Plumer's horses were dropping dead under their + riders. + </p> + <p> + The Boer force was now so scattered that, in spite of the advent of + Hertzog, De Wet had fewer men with him than when he entered the Colony. + Several hundreds had been taken prisoners, many had deserted, and a few + had been killed. It was hoped now that the whole force might be captured, + and Thorneycroft's, Crabbe's, Henniker's, and other columns were closing + swiftly in upon him, while the swollen river still barred his retreat. + There was a sudden drop in the flood, however; one ford became passable, + and over it, upon the last day of February, De Wet and his bedraggled, + dispirited commando escaped to their own country. There was still a sting + in his tail, however; for upon that very day a portion of his force + succeeded in capturing sixty and killing or wounding twenty of + Colenbrander's new regiment, Kitchener's Fighting Scouts. On the other + hand, De Wet was finally relieved upon the same day of all care upon the + score of his guns, as the last of them was most gallantly captured by + Captain Dallimore and fifteen Victorians, who at the same time brought in + thirty-three Boer prisoners. The net result of De Wet's invasion was that + he gained nothing, and that he lost about four thousand horses, all his + guns, all his convoy, and some three hundred of his men. + </p> + <p> + Once safely in his own country again, the guerilla chief pursued his way + northwards with his usual celerity and success. The moment that it was + certain that De Wet had escaped, the indefatigable Plumer, wiry, tenacious + man, had been sent off by train to Springfontein, while Bethune's column + followed direct. This latter force crossed the Orange River bridge and + marched upon Luckhoff and Fauresmith. At the latter town they overtook + Plumer, who was again hard upon the heels of De Wet. Together they ran him + across the Riet River and north to Petrusburg, until they gave it up as + hopeless upon finding that, with only fifty followers, he had crossed the + Modder River at Abram's Kraal. There they abandoned the chase and fell + back upon Bloemfontein to refit and prepare for a fresh effort to run down + their elusive enemy. + </p> + <p> + While Plumer and Bethune were following upon the track of De Wet until he + left them behind at the Modder, Lyttelton was using the numerous columns + which were ready to his hand in effecting a drive up the south-eastern + section of the Orange River Colony. It was disheartening to remember that + all this large stretch of country had from April to November been as + peaceful and almost as prosperous as Kent or Yorkshire. Now the intrusion + of the guerilla bands, and the pressure put by them upon the farmers, had + raised the whole country once again, and the work of pacification had to + be set about once more, with harsher measures than before. A continuous + barrier of barbed-wire fencing had been erected from Bloemfontein to the + Basuto border, a distance of eighty miles, and this was now strongly held + by British posts. From the south Bruce Hamilton, Hickman, Thorneycroft, + and Haig swept upwards, stripping the country as they went in the same way + that French had done in the Eastern Transvaal, while Pilcher's column + waited to the north of the barbed-wire barrier. It was known that Fourie, + with a considerable commando, was lurking in this district, but he and his + men slipped at night between the British columns and escaped. Pilcher, + Bethune, and Byng were able, however, to send in 200 prisoners and very + great numbers of cattle. On April 10th Monro, with Bethune's Mounted + Infantry, captured eighty fighting Boers near Dewetsdorp, and sixty more + were taken by a night attack at Boschberg. There is no striking victory to + record in these operations, but they were an important part of that + process of attrition which was wearing the Boers out and helping to bring + the war to an end. Terrible it is to see that barren countryside, and to + think of the depths of misery to which the once flourishing and happy + Orange Free State had fallen, through joining in a quarrel with a nation + which bore it nothing but sincere friendship and goodwill. With nothing to + gain and everything to lose, the part played by the Orange Free State in + this South African drama is one of the most inconceivable things in + history. Never has a nation so deliberately and so causelessly committed + suicide. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0033" id="link2HCH0033"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 33. THE NORTHERN OPERATIONS FROM JANUARY TO APRIL, 1901. + </h2> + <p> + Three consecutive chapters have now given some account of the campaign of + De Wet, of the operations in the Transvaal up to the end of the year 1900, + and of the invasion of Cape Colony up to April 1901. The present chapter + will deal with the events in the Transvaal from the beginning of the new + century. The military operations in that country, though extending over a + very large area, may be roughly divided into two categories: the attacks + by the Boers upon British posts, and the aggressive sweeping movements of + British columns. Under the first heading come the attacks on Belfast, on + Zuurfontein, on Kaalfontein, on Zeerust, on Modderfontein, and on + Lichtenburg, besides many minor affairs. The latter comprises the + operations of Babington and of Cunningham to the west and south-west of + Pretoria, those of Methuen still further to the south-west, and the large + movement of French in the south-east. In no direction did the British + forces in the field meet with much active resistance. So long as they + moved the gnats did not settle; it was only when quiet that they buzzed + about and occasionally stung. + </p> + <p> + The early days of January 1901 were not fortunate for the British arms, as + the check in which Kitchener's Bodyguard was so roughly handled, near + Lindley, was closely followed by a brisk action at Naauwpoort or + Zandfontein, near the Magaliesberg, in which De la Rey left his mark upon + the Imperial Light Horse. The Boer commandos, having been driven into the + mountains by French and Clements in the latter part of December, were + still on the look-out to strike a blow at any British force which might + expose itself. Several mounted columns had been formed to scour the + country, one under Kekewich, one under Gordon, and one under Babington. + The two latter, meeting in a mist upon the morning of January 5th, + actually turned their rifles upon each other, but fortunately without any + casualties resulting. A more deadly rencontre was, however, awaiting them. + </p> + <p> + A force of Boers were observed, as the mist cleared, making for a ridge + which would command the road along which the convoy and guns were moving. + Two squadrons (B and C) of the Light Horse were instantly detached to + seize the point. They do not appear to have realised that they were in the + immediate presence of the enemy, and they imagined that the ground over + which they were passing had been already reconnoitred by a troop of the + 14th Hussars. It is true that four scouts were thrown forward, but as both + squadrons were cantering there was no time for these to get ahead. + Presently C squadron, which was behind, was ordered to close up upon the + left of B squadron, and the 150 horsemen in one long line swept over a low + grassy ridge. Some hundreds of De la Rey's men were lying in the long + grass upon the further side, and their first volley, fired at a fifty-yard + range, emptied a score of saddles. It would have been wiser, if less + gallant, to retire at once in the presence of a numerous and invisible + enemy, but the survivors were ordered to dismount and return the fire. + This was done, but the hail of bullets was terrific and the casualties + were numerous. Captain Norman, of C squadron, then retired his men, who + withdrew in good order. B squadron having lost Yockney, its brave leader, + heard no order, so they held their ground until few of them had escaped + the driving sleet of lead. Many of the men were struck three and four + times. There was no surrender, and the extermination of B company added + another laurel, even at a moment of defeat, to the regiment whose + reputation was so grimly upheld. The Boer victors walked in among the + litter of stricken men and horses. 'Practically all of them were dressed + in khaki and had the water-bottles and haversacks of our soldiers. One of + them snatched a bayonet from a dead man, and was about to despatch one of + our wounded when he was stopped in the nick of time by a man in a black + suit, who, I afterwards heard, was De la Rey himself...The feature of the + action was the incomparable heroism of our dear old Colonel + Wools-Sampson.' So wrote a survivor of B company, himself shot through the + body. It was four hours before a fresh British advance reoccupied the + ridge, and by that time the Boers had disappeared. Some seventy killed and + wounded, many of them terribly mutilated, were found on the scene of the + disaster. It is certainly a singular coincidence that at distant points of + the seat of war two of the crack irregular corps should have suffered so + severely within three days of each other. In each case, however, their + prestige was enhanced rather than lowered by the result. These incidents + tend, however, to shake the belief that scouting is better performed in + the Colonial than in the regular forces. + </p> + <p> + Of the Boer attacks upon British posts to which allusion has been made, + that upon Belfast, in the early morning of January 7th, appears to have + been very gallantly and even desperately pushed. On the same date a number + of smaller attacks, which may have been meant simply as diversions, were + made upon Wonderfontein, Nooitgedacht, Wildfontein, Pan, Dalmanutha, and + Machadodorp. These seven separate attacks, occurring simultaneously over + sixty miles, show that the Boer forces were still organised and under one + effective control. The general object of the operations was undoubtedly to + cut Lord Roberts's communications upon that side and to destroy a + considerable section of the railway. + </p> + <p> + The town of Belfast was strongly held by Smith-Dorrien, with 1750 men, of + which 1300 were infantry belonging to the Royal Irish, the Shropshires, + and the Gordons. The perimeter of defence, however, was fifteen miles, and + each little fort too far from its neighbour for mutual support, though + connected with headquarters by telephone. It is probable that the leaders + and burghers engaged in this very gallant attack were in part the same as + those concerned in the successful attempt at Helvetia upon December 29th, + for the assault was delivered in the same way, at the same hour, and + apparently with the same primary object. This was to gain possession of + the big 5-inch gun, which is as helpless by night as it is formidable by + day. At Helvetia they attained their object and even succeeded not merely + in destroying, but in removing their gigantic trophy. At Belfast they + would have performed the same feat had it not been for the foresight of + General Smith-Dorrien, who had the heavy gun trundled back into the town + every night. + </p> + <p> + The attack broke first upon Monument Hill, a post held by Captain Fosbery + with eighty-three Royal Irish. Chance or treason guided the Boers to the + weak point of the wire entanglement and they surged into the fort, where + the garrison fought desperately to hold its own. There was thick mist and + driving rain; and the rush of vague and shadowy figures amid the gloom was + the first warning of the onslaught. The Irishmen were overborne by a swarm + of assailants, but they nobly upheld their traditional reputation. Fosbery + met his death like a gallant gentleman, but not more heroically than + Barry, the humble private, who, surrounded by Boers, thought neither of + himself nor of them, but smashed at the maxim gun with a pickaxe until he + fell riddled with bullets. Half the garrison were on the ground before the + post was carried. + </p> + <p> + A second post upon the other side of the town was defended by Lieutenant + Marshall with twenty men, mostly Shropshires. For an hour they held out + until Marshall and nine out of his twelve Shropshires had been hit. Then + this post also was carried. + </p> + <p> + The Gordon Highlanders held two posts to the southeast and to the + south-west of the town, and these also were vigorously attacked. Here, + however, the advance spent itself without result. In vain the Ermelo and + Carolina commandos stormed up to the Gordon pickets. They were blown back + by the steady fire of the infantry. One small post manned by twelve + Highlanders was taken, but the rest defied all attack. Seeing therefore + that his attempt at a coup-de-main was a failure, Viljoen withdrew his men + before daybreak. The Boer casualties have not been ascertained, but + twenty-four of their dead were actually picked up within the British + lines. The British lost sixty killed and wounded, while about as many were + taken prisoners. Altogether the action was a brisk and a gallant one, of + which neither side has cause to be ashamed. The simultaneous attacks upon + six other stations were none of them pressed home, and were demonstrations + rather than assaults. + </p> + <p> + The attempts upon Kaalfontein and on Zuurfontein were both made in the + early morning of January 12th. These two places are small stations upon + the line between Johannesburg and Pretoria. It is clear that the Boers + were very certain of their own superior mobility before they ventured to + intrude into the very heart of the British position, and the result showed + that they were right in supposing that even if their attempt were + repulsed, they would still be able to make good their escape. Better + horsed, better riders, with better intelligence and a better knowledge of + the country, their ventures were always attended by a limited liability. + </p> + <p> + The attacks seem to have been delivered by a strong commando, said to have + been under the command of Beyers, upon its way to join the Boer + concentration in the Eastern Transvaal. They had not the satisfaction, + however, of carrying the garrison of a British post with them, for at each + point they were met by a stout resistance and beaten off. Kaalfontein was + garrisoned by 120 men of Cheshire under Williams-Freeman, Zuurfontein by + as many Norfolks and a small body of Lincolns under Cordeaux and Atkinson. + For six hours the pressure was considerable, the assailants of Kaalfontein + keeping up a brisk shell and rifle fire, while those of Zuurfontein were + without artillery. At the end of that time two armoured trains came up + with reinforcements and the enemy continued his trek to the eastward. Knox + 's 2nd cavalry brigade followed them up, but without any very marked + result. + </p> + <p> + Zeerust and Lichtenburg had each been garrisoned and provisioned by Lord + Methuen before he carried his column away to the south-west, where much + rough and useful work awaited him. The two towns were at once invested by + the enemy, who made an attack upon each of them. That upon Zeerust, on + January 7th, was a small matter and easily repulsed. A more formidable one + was made on Lichtenburg, on March 3rd. The attack was delivered by De la + Rey, Smuts, and Celliers, with 1500 men, who galloped up to the pickets in + the early morning. The defenders were 600 in number, consisting of Paget's + Horse and three companies of the 1st battalion of the Northumberland + Fusiliers, a veteran regiment with a long record of foreign service, not + to be confused with that 2nd battalion which was so severely handled upon + several occasions. It was well that it was so, for less sturdy material + might have been overborne by the vigour of the attack. As it was, the + garrison were driven to their last trench, but held out under a very heavy + fire all day, and next morning the Boers abandoned the attack. Their + losses appear to have been over fifty in number, and included Commandant + Celliers, who was badly wounded and afterwards taken prisoner at Warm + Baths. The brave garrison lost fourteen killed, including two officers of + the Northumberlands, and twenty wounded. + </p> + <p> + In each of these instances the attacks by the Boers upon British posts had + ended in a repulse to themselves. They were more fortunate, however, in + their attempt upon Modderfontein on the Gatsrand at the end of January. + The post was held by 200 of the South Wales Borderers, reinforced by the + 59th Imperial Yeomanry, who had come in as escort to a convoy from + Krugersdorp. The attack, which lasted all day, was carried out by a + commando of 2000 Boers under Smuts, who rushed the position upon the + following morning. As usual, the Boers, who were unable to retain their + prisoners, had little to show for their success. The British casualties, + however, were between thirty and forty, mostly wounded. + </p> + <p> + On January 22nd General Cunninghame left Oliphant's Nek with a small force + consisting of the Border and Worcester Regiments, the 6th Mounted + Infantry, Kitchener's Horse, 7th Imperial Yeomanry, 8th R.F.A., and P + battery R.H.A. It had instructions to move south upon the enemy known to + be gathering there. By midday this force was warmly engaged, and found + itself surrounded by considerable bodies of De la Rey's burghers. That + night they camped at Middelfontein, and were strongly attacked in the + early morning. So menacing was the Boer attitude, and so formidable the + position, that the force was in some danger. Fortunately they were in + heliographic communication with Oliphant's Nek, and learned upon the 23rd + that Babington had been ordered to their relief. All day Cunninghame's men + were under a long-range fire, but on the 24th Babington appeared, and the + British force was successfully extricated, having seventy-five casualties. + This action of Middelfontein is interesting as having been begun in Queen + Victoria's reign, and ended in that of Edward VII. + </p> + <p> + Cunninghame's force moved on to Krugersdorp, and there, having heard of + the fall of the Modderfontein post as already described, a part of his + command moved out to the Gatsrand in pursuit of Smuts. It was found, + however, that the Boers had taken up a strong defensive position, and the + British were not numerous enough to push the attack. On February 3rd + Cunninghame endeavoured to outflank the enemy with his small cavalry force + while pushing his infantry up in front, but in neither attempt did he + succeed, the cavalry failing to find the flank, while the infantry were + met with a fire which made further advance impossible. One company of the + Border Regiment found itself in such a position that the greater part of + it was killed, wounded, or taken. This check constituted the action of + Modderfontein. On the 4th, however, Cunningham, assisted by some of the + South African Constabulary, made his way round the flank, and dislodged + the enemy, who retreated to the south. A few days later some of Smuts's + men made an attempt upon the railway near Bank, but were driven off with + twenty-six casualties. It was after this that Smuts moved west and joined + De la Rey's commando to make the attack already described upon + Lichtenburg. These six attempts represent the chief aggressive movements + which the Boers made against British posts in the Transvaal during these + months. Attacks upon trains were still common, and every variety of + sniping appears to have been rife, from the legitimate ambuscade to + something little removed from murder. + </p> + <p> + It has been described in a previous chapter how Lord Kitchener made an + offer to the burghers which amounted to an amnesty, and how a number of + those Boers who had come under the influence of the British formed + themselves into peace committees, and endeavoured to convey to the + fighting commandos some information as to the hopelessness of the + struggle, and the lenient mood of the British. Unfortunately these + well-meant offers appear to have been mistaken for signs of weakness by + the Boer leaders, and encouraged them to harden their hearts. Of the + delegates who conveyed the terms to their fellow countrymen two at least + were shot, several were condemned to death, and few returned without + ill-usage. In no case did they bear back a favourable answer. The only + result of the proclamation was to burden the British resources by an + enormous crowd of women and children who were kept and fed in refugee + camps, while their fathers and husbands continued in most cases to fight. + </p> + <p> + This allusion to the peace movement among the burghers may serve as an + introduction to the attempt made by Lord Kitchener, at the end of February + 1901, to bring the war to a close by negotiation. Throughout its course + the fortitude of Great Britain and of the Empire had never for an instant + weakened, but her conscience had always been sensitive at the sight of the + ruin which had befallen so large a portion of South Africa, and any + settlement would have been eagerly hailed which would insure that the work + done had not been wasted, and would not need to be done again. A peace on + any other terms would simply shift upon the shoulders of our descendants + those burdens which we were not manly enough to bear ourselves. There had + arisen, as has been said, a considerable peace movement among the burghers + of the refugee camps and also among the prisoners of war. It was hoped + that some reflection of this might be found among the leaders of the + people. To find out if this were so Lord Kitchener, at the end of + February, sent a verbal message to Louis Botha, and on the 27th of that + month the Boer general rode with an escort of Hussars into Middelburg. + 'Sunburned, with a pleasant, fattish face of a German type, and wearing an + imperial,' says one who rode beside him. Judging from the sounds of mirth + heard by those without, the two leaders seem to have soon got upon amiable + terms, and there was hope that a definite settlement might spring from + their interview. From the beginning Lord Kitchener explained that the + continued independence of the two republics was an impossibility. But on + every other point the British Government was prepared to go great lengths + in order to satisfy and conciliate the burghers. + </p> + <p> + On March 7th Lord Kitchener wrote to Botha from Pretoria, recapitulating + the points which he had advanced. The terms offered were certainly as far + as, and indeed rather further than, the general sentiment of the Empire + would have gone. If the Boers laid down their arms there was to be a + complete amnesty, which was apparently to extend to rebels also so long as + they did not return to Cape Colony or Natal. Self-government was promised + after a necessary interval, during which the two States should be + administered as Crown colonies. Law courts should be independent of the + Executive from the beginning, and both languages be official. A million + pounds of compensation would be paid to the burghers—a most + remarkable example of a war indemnity being paid by the victors. Loans + were promised to the farmers to restart them in business, and a pledge was + made that farms should not be taxed. The Kaffirs were not to have the + franchise, but were to have the protection of law. Such were the generous + terms offered by the British Government. Public opinion at home, strongly + supported by that of the colonies, and especially of the army, felt that + the extreme step had been taken in the direction of conciliation, and that + to do more would seem not to offer peace, but to implore it. + Unfortunately, however, the one thing which the British could not offer + was the one thing which the Boers would insist upon having, and the + leniency of the proposals in all other directions may have suggested + weakness to their minds. On March 15th an answer was returned by General + Botha to the effect that nothing short of total independence would satisfy + them, and the negotiations were accordingly broken off. + </p> + <p> + There was a disposition, however, upon the Boer side to renew them, and + upon May 10th General Botha applied to Lord Kitchener for permission to + cable to President Kruger, and to take his advice as to the making of + peace. The stern old man at The Hague was still, however, in an unbending + mood. His reply was to the effect that there were great hopes of a + successful issue of the war, and that he had taken steps to make proper + provision for the Boer prisoners and for the refugee women. These steps, + and very efficient ones too, were to leave them entirely to the generosity + of that Government which he was so fond of reviling. + </p> + <p> + On the same day upon which Botha applied for leave to use the British + cable, a letter was written by Reitz, State Secretary of the Transvaal, to + Steyn, in which the desperate condition of the Boers was clearly set + forth. This document explained that the burghers were continually + surrendering, that the ammunition was nearly exhausted, the food running + low, and the nation in danger of extinction. 'The time has come to take + the final step,' said the Secretary of State. Steyn wrote back a reply in + which, like his brother president, he showed a dour resolution to continue + the struggle, prompted by a fatalist conviction that some outside + interference would reverse the result of his appeal to arms. His attitude + and that of Kruger determined the Boer leaders to hold out for a few more + months, a resolution which may have been injudicious, but was certainly + heroic. 'It's a fight to a finish this time,' said the two combatants in + the 'Punch' cartoon which marked the beginning of the war. It was indeed + so, as far as the Boers were concerned. As the victors we can afford to + acknowledge that no nation in history has ever made a more desperate and + prolonged resistance against a vastly superior antagonist. A Briton may + well pray that his own people may be as staunch when their hour of + adversity comes round. + </p> + <p> + The British position at this stage of the war was strengthened by a + greater centralisation. Garrisons of outlying towns were withdrawn so that + fewer convoys became necessary. The population was removed also and placed + near the railway lines, where they could be more easily fed. In this way + the scene of action was cleared and the Boer and British forces left face + to face. Convinced of the failure of the peace policy, and morally + strengthened by having tried it, Lord Kitchener set himself to finish the + war by a series of vigorous operations which should sweep the country from + end to end. For this purpose mounted troops were essential, and an appeal + from him for reinforcements was most nobly answered. Five thousand + horsemen were despatched from the colonies, and twenty thousand cavalry, + mounted infantry, and Yeomanry were sent from home. Ten thousand mounted + men had already been raised in Great Britain, South Africa, and Canada for + the Constabulary force which was being organised by Baden-Powell. + Altogether the reinforcements of horsemen amounted to more than + thirty-five thousand men, all of whom had arrived in South Africa before + the end of April. With the remains of his old regiments Lord Kitchener had + under him at this final period of the war between fifty and sixty thousand + cavalry—such a force as no British General in his happiest dream had + ever thought of commanding, and no British war minister in his darkest + nightmare had ever imagined himself called upon to supply. + </p> + <p> + Long before his reinforcements had come to hand, while his Yeomanry was + still gathering in long queues upon the London pavement to wait their turn + at the recruiting office, Lord Kitchener had dealt the enemy several + shrewd blows which materially weakened their resources in men and + material. The chief of these was the great drive down the Eastern + Transvaal undertaken by seven columns under the command of French. Before + considering this, however, a few words must be devoted to the doings of + Methuen in the south-west. + </p> + <p> + This hard-working General, having garrisoned Zeerust and Lichtenburg, had + left his old district and journeyed with a force which consisted largely + of Bushmen and Yeomanry to the disturbed parts of Bechuanaland which had + been invaded by De Villiers. Here he cleared the country as far as + Vryburg, which he had reached in the middle of January, working round to + Kuruman and thence to Taungs. From Taungs his force crossed the Transvaal + border and made for Klerksdorp, working through an area which had never + been traversed and which contained the difficult Masakani hills. He left + Taungs upon February 2nd, fighting skirmishes at Uitval's Kop, + Paardefontein and Lilliefontein, in each of which the enemy was brushed + aside. Passing through Wolmaranstad, Methuen turned to the north, where at + Haartebeestefontein, on February 19th, he fought a brisk engagement with a + considerable force of Boers under De Villiers and Liebenberg. On the day + before the fight he successfully outwitted the Boers, for, learning that + they had left their laager in order to take up a position for battle, he + pounced upon the laager and captured 10,000 head of cattle, forty-three + wagons, and forty prisoners. Stimulated by this success, he attacked the + Boers next day, and after five hours of hard fighting forced the pass + which they were holding against him. As Methuen had but 1500 men, and was + attacking a force which was as large as his own in a formidable position, + the success was a very creditable one. The Yeomanry all did well, + especially the 5th and 10th battalions. So also did the Australians and + the Loyal North Lancashires. The British casualties amounted to sixteen + killed and thirty-four wounded, while the Boers left eighteen of their + dead upon the position which they had abandoned. Lord Methuen's little + force returned to Klerksdorp, having deserved right well of their country. + From Klerksdorp Methuen struck back westwards to the south of his former + route, and on March 14th he was reported at Warrenton. Here also in April + came Erroll's small column, bringing with it the garrison and inhabitants + of Hoopstad, a post which it had been determined, in accordance with Lord + Kitchener's policy of centralisation, to abandon. + </p> + <p> + In the month of January, 1901, there had been a considerable concentration + of the Transvaal Boers into that large triangle which is bounded by the + Delagoa railway line upon the north, the Natal railway line upon the + south, and the Swazi and Zulu frontiers upon the east. The bushveld is at + this season of the year unhealthy both for man and beast, so that for the + sake of their herds, their families, and themselves the burghers were + constrained to descend into the open veld. There seemed the less objection + to their doing so since this tract of country, though traversed once both + by Buller and by French, had still remained a stronghold of the Boers and + a storehouse of supplies. Within its borders are to be found Carolina, + Ermelo, Vryheid, and other storm centres. Its possession offers peculiar + strategical advantages, as a force lying there can always attack either + railway, and might even make, as was indeed intended, a descent into + Natal. For these mingled reasons of health and of strategy a considerable + number of burghers united in this district under the command of the Bothas + and of Smuts. + </p> + <p> + Their concentration had not escaped the notice of the British military + authorities, who welcomed any movement which might bring to a focus that + resistance which had been so nebulous and elusive. Lord Kitchener having + once seen the enemy fairly gathered into this huge cover, undertook the + difficult task of driving it from end to end. For this enterprise General + French was given the chief command, and had under his orders no fewer than + seven columns, which started from different points of the Delagoa and of + the Natal railway lines, keeping in touch with each other and all trending + south and east. A glance at the map would show, however, that it was a + very large field for seven guns, and that it would need all their + alertness to prevent the driven game from breaking back. Three columns + started from the Delagoa line, namely, Smith-Dorrien's from Wonderfontein + (the most easterly), Campbell's from Middelburg, and Alderson's from + Eerstefabrieken, close to Pretoria. Four columns came from the western + railway line: General Knox's from Kaalfontein, Major Allenby's from + Zuurfontein (both stations between Pretoria and Johannesburg), General + Dartnell's from Springs, close to Johannesburg, and finally General + Colville (not to be confused with Colvile) from Greylingstad in the south. + The whole movement resembled a huge drag net, of which Wonderfontein and + Greylingstad formed the ends, exactly one hundred miles apart. On January + 27th the net began to be drawn. Some thousands of Boers with a + considerable number of guns were known to be within the enclosure, and it + was hoped that even if their own extreme mobility enabled them to escape + it would be impossible for them to save their transport and their cannon. + </p> + <p> + Each of the British columns was about 2000 strong, making a total of + 14,000 men with about fifty guns engaged in the operations. A front of not + less than ten miles was to be maintained by each force. The first decided + move was on the part of the extreme left wing, Smith-Dorrien's column, + which moved south on Carolina, and thence on Bothwell near Lake Chrissie. + The arduous duty of passing supplies down from the line fell mainly upon + him, and his force was in consequence larger than the others, consisting + of 8500 men with thirteen guns. On the arrival of Smith-Dorrien at + Carolina the other columns started, their centre of advance being Ermelo. + Over seventy miles of veld the gleam of the helio by day and the flash of + the signal lamps at night marked the steady flow of the British tide. Here + and there the columns came in touch with the enemy and swept him before + them. French had a skirmish at Wilge River at the end of January, and + Campbell another south of Middelburg, in which he had twenty casualties. + On February 4th Smith-Dorrien was at Lake Chrissie; French had passed + through Bethel and the enemy was retiring on Amsterdam. The hundred-mile + ends of the drag net were already contracted to a third of that distance, + and the game was still known to be within it. On the 5th Ermelo was + occupied, and the fresh deep ruts upon the veld told the British horsemen + of the huge Boer convoy that was ahead of them. For days enormous herds, + endless flocks, and lines of wagons which stretched from horizon to + horizon had been trekking eastward. Cavalry and mounted infantry were all + hot upon the scent. + </p> + <p> + Botha, however, was a leader of spirit, not to be hustled with impunity. + Having several thousand burghers with him, it was evident that if he threw + himself suddenly upon any part of the British line he might hope for a + time to make an equal fight, and possibly to overwhelm it. Were + Smith-Dorrien out of the way there would be a clear road of escape for his + whole convoy to the north, while a defeat of any of the other columns + would not help him much. It was on Smith-Dorrien, therefore, that he threw + himself with great impetuosity. That General's force was, however, + formidable, consisting of the Suffolks, West Yorks and Camerons, 5th + Lancers, 2nd Imperial Light Horse, and 3rd Mounted Infantry, with eight + field guns and three heavy pieces. Such a force could hardly be defeated + in the open, but no one can foresee the effect of a night surprise well + pushed home, and such was the attack delivered by Botha at 3 A.M. upon + February 6th, when his opponent was encamped at Bothwell Farm. + </p> + <p> + The night was favourable to the attempt, as it was dark and misty. + Fortunately, however, the British commander had fortified himself and was + ready for an assault. The Boer forlorn hope came on with a gallant dash, + driving a troop of loose horses in upon the outposts, and charging forward + into the camp. The West Yorkshires, however, who bore the brunt of the + attack, were veterans of the Tugela, who were no more to be flurried at + three in the morning than at three in the afternoon. The attack was blown + backwards, and twenty dead Boers, with their brave leader Spruyt, were + left within the British lines. The main body of the Boers contented + themselves with a heavy fusillade out of the darkness, which was answered + and crushed by the return fire of the infantry. In the morning no trace, + save their dead, was to be seen of the enemy, but twenty killed and fifty + wounded in Smith-Dorrien's column showed how heavy had been the fire which + had swept through the sleeping camp. The Carolina attack, which was to + have co-operated with that of the Heidelbergers, was never delivered, + through difficulties of the ground, and considerable recriminations ensued + among the Boers in consequence. + </p> + <p> + Beyond a series of skirmishes and rearguard actions this attack of Botha's + was the one effort made to stay the course of French's columns. It did not + succeed, however, in arresting them for an hour. From that day began a + record of captures of men, herds, guns, and wagons, as the fugitives were + rounded up from the north, the west, and the south. The operation was a + very thorough one, for the towns and districts occupied were denuded of + their inhabitants, who were sent into the refugee camps while the country + was laid waste to prevent its furnishing the commandos with supplies in + the future. Still moving south-east, General French's columns made their + way to Piet Retief upon the Swazi frontier, pushing a disorganised array + which he computed at 5000 in front of them. A party of the enemy, + including the Carolina commando, had broken back in the middle of February + and Louis Botha had got away at the same time, but so successful were his + main operations that French was able to report his total results at the + end of the month as being 292 Boers killed or wounded, 500 surrendered, 3 + guns and one maxim taken, with 600 rifles, 4000 horses, 4500 trek oxen, + 1300 wagons and carts, 24,000 cattle, and 165,000 sheep. The whole vast + expanse of the eastern veld was dotted with the broken and charred wagons + of the enemy. + </p> + <p> + Tremendous rains were falling and the country was one huge quagmire, which + crippled although it did not entirely prevent the further operations. All + the columns continued to report captures. On March 3rd Dartnell got a + maxim and 50 prisoners, while French reported 50 more, and Smith-Dorrien + 80. On March 6th French captured two more guns, and on the 14th he + reported 46 more Boer casualties and 146 surrenders, with 500 more wagons, + and another great haul of sheep and oxen. By the end of March French had + moved as far south as Vryheid, his troops having endured the greatest + hardships from the continual heavy rains, and the difficulty of bringing + up any supplies. On the 27th he reported seventeen more Boer casualties + and 140 surrenders, while on the last day of the month he took another gun + and two pom-poms. The enemy at that date were still retiring eastward, + with Alderson and Dartnell pressing upon their rear. On April 4th French + announced the capture of the last piece of artillery which the enemy + possessed in that region. The rest of the Boer forces doubled back at + night between the columns and escaped over the Zululand border, where 200 + of them surrendered. The total trophies of French's drive down the Eastern + Transvaal amounted to eleven hundred of the enemy killed, wounded, or + taken, the largest number in any operation since the surrender of + Prinsloo. There is no doubt that the movement would have been even more + successful had the weather been less boisterous, but this considerable + loss of men, together with the capture of all the guns in that region, and + of such enormous quantities of wagons, munitions, and stock, inflicted a + blow upon the Boers from which they never wholly recovered. On April 20th + French was back in Johannesburg once more. + </p> + <p> + While French had run to earth the last Boer gun in the south-eastern + corner of the Transvaal, De la Rey, upon the western side, had still + managed to preserve a considerable artillery with which he flitted about + the passes of the Magaliesberg or took refuge in the safe districts to the + south-west of it. This part of the country had been several times + traversed, but had never been subdued by British columns. The Boers, like + their own veld grass, need but a few sparks to be left behind to ensure a + conflagration breaking out again. It was into this inflammable country + that Babington moved in March with Klerksdorp for his base. On March 21st + he had reached Haartebeestefontein, the scene not long before of a + successful action by Methuen. Here he was joined by Shekleton's Mounted + Infantry, and his whole force consisted of these, with the 1st Imperial + Light Horse, the 6th Imperial Bushmen, the New Zealanders, a squadron of + the 14th Hussars, a wing each of the Somerset Light Infantry and of the + Welsh Fusiliers, with Carter's guns and four pom-poms. With this mobile + and formidable little force Babington pushed on in search of Smuts and De + la Rey, who were known to be in the immediate neighbourhood. + </p> + <p> + As a matter of fact the Boers were not only there, but were nearer and in + greater force than had been anticipated. On the 22nd three squadrons of + the Imperial Light Horse under Major Briggs rode into 1500 of them, and it + was only by virtue of their steadiness and gallantry that they succeeded + in withdrawing themselves and their pom-pom without a disaster. With Boers + in their front and Boers on either flank they fought an admirable + rearguard action. So hot was the fire that A squadron alone had twenty-two + casualties. They faced it out, however, until their gun had reached a + place of safety, when they made an orderly retirement towards Babington's + camp, having inflicted as heavy a loss as they had sustained. With + Elandslaagte, Waggon Hill, the relief of Mafeking, Naauwpoort, and + Haartebeestefontein upon their standards, the Imperial Light Horse, should + they take a permanent place in the Army List, will start with a record of + which many older regiments might be proud. + </p> + <p> + If the Light Horse had a few bad hours on March 22nd at the hands of the + Boers, they and their colonial comrades were soon able to return the same + with interest. On March 23rd Babington moved forward through Kafir Kraal, + the enemy falling back before him. Next morning the British again + advanced, and as the New Zealanders and Bushmen, who formed the vanguard + under Colonel Gray, emerged from a pass they saw upon the plain in front + of them the Boer force with all its guns moving towards them. Whether this + was done of set purpose or whether the Boers imagined that the British had + turned and were intending to pursue them cannot now be determined, but + whatever the cause it is certain that for almost the first time in the + campaign a considerable force of each side found themselves in the open + and face to face. + </p> + <p> + It was a glorious moment. Setting spurs to their horses, officers and men + with a yell dashed forward at the enemy. One of the Boer guns unlimbered + and attempted to open fire, but was overwhelmed by the wave of horsemen. + The Boer riders broke and fled, leaving their artillery to escape as best + it might. The guns dashed over the veld in a mad gallop, but wilder still + was the rush of the fiery cavalry behind them. For once the brave and + cool-headed Dutchmen were fairly panic-stricken. Hardly a shot was fired + at the pursuers, and the riflemen seem to have been only too happy to save + their own skins. Two field guns, one pom-pom, six maxims, fifty-six wagons + and 140 prisoners were the fruits of that one magnificent charge, while + fifty-four stricken Boers were picked up after the action. The pursuit was + reluctantly abandoned when the spent horses could go no farther. + </p> + <p> + While the vanguard had thus scattered the main body of the enemy a + detachment of riflemen had ridden round to attack the British rear and + convoy. A few volleys from the escort drove them off, however, with some + loss. Altogether, what with the loss of nine guns and of at least 200 men, + the rout of Haartebeestefontein was a severe blow to the Boer cause. A + week or two later Sir H. Rawlinson's column, acting with Babington, rushed + Smuts's laager at daylight and effected a further capture of two guns and + thirty prisoners. Taken in conjunction with French's successes in the east + and Plumer's in the north, these successive blows might have seemed fatal + to the Boer cause, but the weary struggle was still destined to go on + until it seemed that it must be annihilation rather than incorporation + which would at last bring a tragic peace to those unhappy lands. + </p> + <p> + All over the country small British columns had been operating during these + months—operations which were destined to increase in scope and + energy as the cold weather drew in. The weekly tale of prisoners and + captures, though small for any one column, gave the aggregate result of a + considerable victory. In these scattered and obscure actions there was + much good work which can have no reward save the knowledge of duty done. + Among many successful raids and skirmishes may be mentioned two by Colonel + Park from Lydenburg, which resulted between them in the capture of nearly + 100 of the enemy, including Abel Erasmus of sinister reputation. Nor would + any summary of these events be complete without a reference to the very + gallant defence of Mahlabatini in Zululand, which was successfully held by + a handful of police and civilians against an irruption of the Boers. With + the advent of winter and of reinforcements the British operations became + very energetic in every part of the country, and some account of them will + now be added. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0034" id="link2HCH0034"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 34. THE WINTER CAMPAIGN (APRIL TO SEPTEMBER, 1901). + </h2> + <p> + The African winter extends roughly from April to September, and as the + grass during that period would be withered on the veld, the mobility of + the Boer commandos must be very much impaired. It was recognised therefore + that if the British would avoid another year of war it could only be done + by making good use of the months which lay before them. For this reason + Lord Kitchener had called for the considerable reinforcements which have + been already mentioned, but on the other hand he was forced to lose many + thousands of his veteran Yeomanry, Australians, and Canadians, whose term + of service was at an end. The volunteer companies of the infantry returned + also to England, and so did nine militia battalions, whose place was taken + however by an equal number of new-comers. + </p> + <p> + The British position was very much strengthened during the winter by the + adoption of the block-house system. These were small square or hexagonal + buildings, made of stone up to nine feet with corrugated iron above it. + They were loopholed for musketry fire and held from six to thirty men. + These little forts were dotted along the railways at points not more than + 2000 yards apart, and when supplemented by a system of armoured trains + they made it no easy matter for the Boers to tamper with or to cross the + lines. So effective did these prove that their use was extended to the + more dangerous portions of the country, and lines were pushed through the + Magaliesberg district to form a chain of posts between Krugersdorp and + Rustenburg. In the Orange River Colony and on the northern lines of the + Cape Colony the same system was extensively applied. I will now attempt to + describe the more important operations of the winter, beginning with the + incursion of Plumer into the untrodden ground to the north. + </p> + <p> + At this period of the war the British forces had overrun, if they had not + subdued, the whole of the Orange River Colony and every part of the + Transvaal which is south of the Mafeking-Pretoria-Komati line. Through + this great tract of country there was not a village and hardly a farmhouse + which had not seen the invaders. But in the north there remained a vast + district, two hundred miles long and three hundred broad, which had hardly + been touched by the war. It is a wild country, scrub-covered, + antelope-haunted plains rising into desolate hills, but there are many + kloofs and valleys with rich water meadows and lush grazings, which formed + natural granaries and depots for the enemy. Here the Boer government + continued to exist, and here, screened by their mountains, they were able + to organise the continuation of the struggle. It was evident that there + could be no end to the war until these last centres of resistance had been + broken up. + </p> + <p> + The British forces had advanced as far north as Rustenburg in the west, + Pienaar in the centre, and Lydenburg in the east, but here they had + halted, unwilling to go farther until their conquests had been made good + behind them. A General might well pause before plunging his troops into + that vast and rugged district, when an active foe and an exposed line of + communication lay for many hundreds of miles to the south of them. But + Lord Kitchener with characteristic patience waited for the right hour to + come, and then with equally characteristic audacity played swiftly and + boldly for his stake. De Wet, impotent for the moment, had been hunted + back over the Orange River. French had harried the burghers in the + South-east Transvaal, and the main force of the enemy was known to be on + that side of the seat of war. The north was exposed, and with one long, + straight lunge to the heart, Pietersburg might be transfixed. + </p> + <p> + There could only be one direction for the advance, and that must be along + the Pretoria to Pietersburg railroad. This is the only line of rails which + leads to the north, and as it was known to be in working order (the Boers + were running a bi-weekly service from Pietersburg to Warm Baths), it was + hoped that a swift advance might seize it before any extensive damage + could be done. With this object a small but very mobile force rapidly + assembled at the end of March at Pienaar River, which was the British + rail-head forty miles north of Pretoria and a hundred and thirty from + Pietersburg. This column consisted of the Bushveld Carbineers, the 4th + Imperial Bushmen's Corps, and the 6th New Zealand contingent. With them + were the 18th battery R.F.A., and three pom-poms. A detachment of the + invaluable mounted Sappers rode with the force, and two infantry + regiments, the 2nd Gordons and the Northamptons, were detached to garrison + the more vulnerable places upon the line of advance. + </p> + <p> + Upon March 29th the untiring Plumer, called off from the chase of De Wet, + was loosed upon this fresh line, and broke swiftly away to the north. The + complete success of his undertaking has obscured our estimate of its + danger, but it was no light task to advance so great a distance into a + bitterly hostile country with a fighting force of 2000 rifles. As an + enterprise it was in many ways not unlike Mahon's dash on Mafeking, but + without any friendly force with which to join hands at the end. However + from the beginning all went well. On the 30th the force had reached Warm + Baths, where a great isolated hotel already marks the site of what will be + a rich and fashionable spa. On April 1st the Australian scouts rode into + Nylstroom, fifty more miles upon their way. There had been sufficient + sniping to enliven the journey, but nothing which could be called an + action. Gleaning up prisoners and refugees as they went, with the railway + engineers working like bees behind them, the force still swept unchecked + upon its way. On April 5th Piet Potgietersrust was entered, another + fifty-mile stage, and on the morning of the 8th the British vanguard rode + into Pietersburg. Kitchener's judgment and Plumer's energy had met with + their reward. + </p> + <p> + The Boer commando had evacuated the town and no serious opposition was + made to the British entry. The most effective resistance came from a + single schoolmaster, who, in a moment of irrational frenzy or of patriotic + exaltation, shot down three of the invaders before he met his own death. + Some rolling stock, one small gun, and something under a hundred prisoners + were the trophies of the capture, but the Boer arsenal and the printing + press were destroyed, and the Government sped off in a couple of Cape + carts in search of some new capital. Pietersburg was principally valuable + as a base from which a sweeping movement might be made from the north at + the same moment as one from the south-east. A glance at the map will show + that a force moving from this point in conjunction with another from + Lydenburg might form the two crooked claws of a crab to enclose a great + space of country, in which smaller columns might collect whatever was to + be found. Without an instant of unnecessary delay the dispositions were + made, and no fewer than eight columns slipped upon the chase. It will be + best to continue to follow the movements of Plumer's force, and then to + give some account of the little armies which were operating from the + south, with the results of their enterprise. + </p> + <p> + It was known that Viljoen and a number of Boers were within the district + which lies north of the line in the Middelburg district. An impenetrable + bush-veld had offered them a shelter from which they made their constant + sallies to wreck a train or to attack a post. This area was now to be + systematically cleared up. The first thing was to stop the northern line + of retreat. The Oliphant River forms a loop in that direction, and as it + is a considerable stream, it would, if securely held, prevent any escape + upon that side. With this object Plumer, on April 14th, the sixth day + after his occupation of Pietersburg, struck east from that town and + trekked over the veld, through the formidable Chunies Pass, and so to the + north bank of the Oliphant, picking up thirty or forty Boer prisoners upon + the way. His route lay through a fertile country dotted with native + kraals. Having reached the river which marked the line which he was to + hold, Plumer, upon April 17th, spread his force over many miles, so as to + block the principal drifts. The flashes of his helio were answered by + flash after flash from many points upon the southern horizon. What these + other forces were, and whence they came, must now be made clear to the + reader. + </p> + <p> + General Bindon Blood, a successful soldier, had confirmed in the Transvaal + a reputation which he had won on the northern frontier of India. He and + General Elliot were two of the late comers who had been spared from the + great Eastern dependency to take the places of some of those Generals who + had returned to England for a well-earned rest. He had distinguished + himself by his systematic and effective guardianship of the Delagoa + railway line, and he was now selected for the supreme control of the + columns which were to advance from the south and sweep the Roos-Senekal + district. There were seven of them, which were arranged as follows: + </p> + <p> + Two columns started from Middelburg under Beatson and Benson, which might + be called the left wings of the movement. The object of Beatson's column + was to hold the drifts of the Crocodile River, while Benson's was to seize + the neighbouring hills called the Bothasberg. This it was hoped would pin + the Boers from the west, while Kitchener from Lydenburg advanced from the + east in three separate columns. Pulteney and Douglas would move up from + Belfast in the centre, with Dulstoom for their objective. It was the + familiar drag net of French, but facing north instead of south. + </p> + <p> + On April 13th the southern columns were started, but already the British + preparations had alarmed the Boers, and Botha, with his main commandos, + had slipped south across the line into that very district from which he + had been so recently driven. Viljoen's commando still remained to the + north, and the British troops, pouring in from every side, converged + rapidly upon it. The success of the operations was considerable, though + not complete. The Tantesberg, which had been the rallying-point of the + Boers, was occupied, and Roos-Senekal, their latest capital, was taken, + with their State papers and treasure. Viljoen, with a number of followers, + slipped through between the columns, but the greater part of the burghers, + dashing furiously about like a shoal of fish when they become conscious of + the net, were taken by one or other of the columns. A hundred of the + Boksburg commando surrendered en masse, fifty more were taken at + Roos-Senekal; forty-one of the formidable Zarps with Schroeder, their + leader, were captured in the north by the gallantry and wit of a young + Australian officer named Reid; sixty more were hunted down by the + indefatigable Vialls, leader of the Bushmen. From all parts of the + district came the same story of captures and surrenders. + </p> + <p> + Knowing, however, that Botha and Viljoen had slipped through to the south + of the railway line, Lord Kitchener determined to rapidly transfer the + scene of the operations to that side. At the end of April, after a + fortnight's work, during which this large district was cropped, but by no + means shaved, the troops turned south again. The results of the operation + had been eleven hundred prisoners, almost the same number as French had + taken in the south-east, together with a broken Krupp, a pom-pom, and the + remains of the big naval gun taken from us at Helvetia. + </p> + <p> + It was determined that Plumer's advance upon Pietersburg should not be a + mere raid, but that steps should be taken to secure all that he had + gained, and to hold the lines of communication. With this object the 2nd + Gordon Highlanders and the 2nd Wiltshires were pushed up along the + railroad, followed by Kitchener's Fighting Scouts. These troops garrisoned + Pietersburg and took possession of Chunies Poort, and other strategic + positions. They also furnished escorts for the convoys which supplied + Plumer on the Oliphant River, and they carried out some spirited + operations themselves in the neighbourhood of Pietersburg. Grenfell, who + commanded the force, broke up several laagers, and captured a number of + prisoners, operations in which he was much assisted by Colenbrander and + his men. Finally the last of the great Creusot guns, the formidable Long + Toms, was found mounted near Haenertsburg. It was the same piece which had + in succession scourged Mafeking and Kimberley. The huge gun, driven to + bay, showed its powers by opening an effective fire at ten thousand yards. + The British galloped in upon it, the Boer riflemen were driven off, and + the gun was blown up by its faithful gunners. So by suicide died the last + of that iron brood, the four sinister brothers who had wrought much + mischief in South Africa. They and their lesson will live in the history + of modern artillery. + </p> + <p> + The sweeping of the Roos-Senekal district being over, Plumer left his post + upon the River of the Elephants, a name which, like Rhenoster, Zeekoe, + Kameelfontein, Leeuw Kop, Tigerfontein, Elands River, and so many more, + serves as a memorial to the great mammals which once covered the land. On + April 28th the force turned south, and on May 4th they had reached the + railroad at Eerstefabrieken close to Pretoria. They had come in touch with + a small Boer force upon the way, and the indefatigable Vialls hounded them + for eighty miles, and tore away the tail of their convoy with thirty + prisoners. The main force had left Pretoria on horseback on March 28th, + and found themselves back once again upon foot on May 5th. They had + something to show, however, for the loss of their horses, since they had + covered a circular march of 400 miles, had captured some hundreds of the + enemy, and had broken up their last organised capital. From first to last + it was a most useful and well-managed expedition. + </p> + <p> + It is the more to be regretted that General Blood was recalled from his + northern trek before it had attained its full results, because those + operations to which he turned did not offer him any great opportunities + for success. Withdrawing from the north of the railway with his columns, + he at once started upon a sweep of that portion of the country which forms + an angle between the Delagoa line and the Swazi frontier—the + Barberton district. But again the two big fish, Viljoen and Botha, had + slipped away, and the usual collection of sprats was left in the net. The + sprats count also, however, and every week now telegrams were reaching + England from Lord Kitchener which showed that from three to five hundred + more burghers had fallen into our hands. Although the public might begin + to look upon the war as interminable, it had become evident to the + thoughtful observer that it was now a mathematical question, and that a + date could already be predicted by which the whole Boer population would + have passed into the power of the British. + </p> + <p> + Among the numerous small British columns which were at work in different + parts of the country, in the latter half of May, there was one under + General Dixon which was operating in the neighbourhood of the Magaliesberg + Range. This locality has never been a fortunate one for the British arms. + The country is peculiarly mountainous and broken, and it was held by the + veteran De la Rey and a numerous body of irreconcilable Boers. Here in + July we had encountered a check at Uitval's Nek, in December Clements had + met a more severe one at Nooitgedacht, while shortly afterwards Cunningham + had been repulsed at Middelfontein, and the Light Horse cut up at + Naauwpoort. After such experiences one would have thought that no column + which was not of overmastering strength would have been sent into this + dangerous region, but General Dixon had as a matter of fact by no means a + strong force with him. With 1600 men and a battery he was despatched upon + a quest after some hidden guns which were said to have been buried in + those parts. + </p> + <p> + On May 26th Dixon's force, consisting of Derbyshires, King's Own Scottish + Borderers, Imperial Yeomanry, Scottish Horse, and six guns (four of 8th + R.F.A. and two of 28th R.F.A.), broke camp at Naauwpoort and moved to the + west. On the 28th they found themselves at a place called Vlakfontein, + immediately south of Oliphant's Nek. On that day there were indications + that there were a good many Boers in the neighbourhood. Dixon left a guard + over his camp and then sallied out in search of the buried guns. His force + was divided into three parts, the left column under Major Chance + consisting of two guns of the 28th R.F.A., 230 of the Yeomanry, and one + company of the Derbys. The centre comprised two guns (8th R.F. A.), one + howitzer, two companies of the Scottish Borderers and one of the Derbys; + while the right was made up of two guns (8th R.F.A. ), 200 Scottish Horse, + and two companies of Borderers. Having ascertained that the guns were not + there, the force about midday was returning to the camp, when the storm + broke suddenly and fiercely upon the rearguard. + </p> + <p> + There had been some sniping during the whole morning, but no indications + of the determined attack which was about to be delivered. The force in + retiring upon the camp had become divided, and the rearguard consisted of + the small column under Major Chance which had originally formed the left + wing. A veld fire was raging on one flank of this rearguard, and through + the veil of smoke a body of five hundred Boers charged suddenly home with + magnificent gallantry upon the guns. We have few records of a more dashing + or of a more successful action in the whole course of the war. So rapid + was it that hardly any time elapsed between the glimpse of the first dark + figures galloping through the haze and the thunder of their hoofs as they + dashed in among the gunners. The Yeomanry were driven back and many of + them shot down. The charge of the mounted Boers was supported by a very + heavy fire from a covering party, and the gun-detachments were killed or + wounded almost to a man. The lieutenant in charge and the sergeant were + both upon the ground. So far as it is possible to reconstruct the action + from the confused accounts of excited eye-witnesses and from the + exceedingly obscure official report of General Dixon, there was no longer + any resistance round the guns, which were at once turned by their captors + upon the nearest British detachment. + </p> + <p> + The company of infantry which had helped to escort the guns proved however + to be worthy representatives of that historic branch of the British + service. They were northerners, men of Derbyshire and Nottingham, the same + counties which had furnished the brave militia who had taken their + punishment so gamely at Roodeval. Though hustled and broken they re-formed + and clung doggedly to their task, firing at the groups of Boers who + surrounded the guns. At the same time word had been sent of their pressing + need to the Scotch Borderers and the Scottish Horse, who came swarming + across the valley to the succour of their comrades. Dixon had brought two + guns and a howitzer into action, which subdued the fire of the two + captured pieces, and the infantry, Derbys and Borderers, swept over the + position, retaking the two guns and shooting down those of the enemy who + tried to stand. The greater number vanished into the smoke, which veiled + their retreat as it had their advance. Forty-one of them were left dead + upon the ground. Six officers and fifty men killed with about a hundred + and twenty wounded made up the British losses, to which two guns would + certainly have been added but for the gallant counter-attack of the + infantry. With Dargai and Vlakfontein to their credit the Derbys have + green laurels upon their war-worn colours. They share them on this + occasion with the Scottish Borderers, whose volunteer company carried + itself as stoutly as the regulars. + </p> + <p> + How is such an action to be summed up? To Kemp, the young Boer leader, and + his men belongs the credit of the capture of the guns; to the British that + of their recapture and of the final possession of the field. The British + loss was probably somewhat higher than that of the Boers, but upon the + other hand there could be no question as to which side could afford loss + the better. The Briton could be replaced, but there were no reserves + behind the fighting line of the Boers. + </p> + <p> + There is one subject which cannot be ignored in discussing this battle, + however repugnant it may be. That is the shooting of some of the British + wounded who lay round the guns. There is no question at all about the + fact, which is attested by many independent witnesses. There is reason to + hope that some of the murderers paid for their crimes with their lives + before the battle was over. It is pleasant to add that there is at least + one witness to the fact that Boer officers interfered with threats to + prevent some of these outrages. It is unfair to tarnish the whole Boer + nation and cause on account of a few irresponsible villains, who would be + disowned by their own decent comrades. Very many—too many—British + soldiers have known by experience what it is to fall into the hands of the + enemy, and it must be confessed that on the whole they have been dealt + with in no ungenerous spirit, while the British treatment of the Boers has + been unexampled in all military history for its generosity and humanity. + That so fair a tale should be darkened by such ruffianly outrages is + indeed deplorable, but the incident is too well authenticated to be left + unrecorded in any detailed account of the campaign. General Dixon, finding + the Boers very numerous all round him, and being hampered by his wounded, + fell back upon Naauwpoort, which he reached on June 1st. + </p> + <p> + In May, Sir Bindon Blood, having returned to the line to refit, made yet + another cast through that thrice-harried belt of country which contains + Ermelo, Bethel, and Carolina, in which Botha, Viljoen, and the fighting + Boers had now concentrated. Working over the blackened veld he swung round + in the Barberton direction, and afterwards made a westerly drive in + conjunction with small columns commanded by Walter Kitchener, Douglas, and + Campbell of the Rifles, while Colville, Garnett, and Bullock co-operated + from the Natal line. Again the results were disappointing when compared + with the power of the instrument employed. On July 5th he reached Springs, + near Johannesburg, with a considerable amount of stock, but with no great + number of prisoners. The elusive Botha had slipped away to the south and + was reported upon the Zululand border, while Viljoen had succeeded in + crossing the Delagoa line and winning back to his old lair in the district + north of Middelburg, from which he had been evicted in April. The + commandos were like those pertinacious flies which buzz upwards when a + hand approaches them, but only to settle again in the same place. One + could but try to make the place less attractive than before. + </p> + <p> + Before Viljoen's force made its way over the line it had its revenge for + the long harrying it had undergone by a well-managed night attack, in + which it surprised and defeated a portion of Colonel Beatson's column at a + place called Wilmansrust, due south of Middelburg, and between that town + and Bethel. Beatson had divided his force, and this section consisted of + 850 of the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles, with thirty gunners and two + pom-poms, the whole under the command of Major Morris. Viljoen's force + trekking north towards the line came upon this detachment upon June 12th. + The British were aware of the presence of the enemy, but do not appear to + have posted any extra outposts or taken any special precautions. Long + months of commando chasing had imbued them too much with the idea that + these were fugitive sheep, and not fierce and wily wolves, whom they were + endeavouring to catch. It is said that 700 yards separated the four + pickets. With that fine eye for detail which the Boer leaders possess, + they had started a veld fire upon the west of the camp and then attacked + from the east, so that they were themselves invisible while their enemies + were silhouetted against the light. Creeping up between the pickets, the + Boers were not seen until they opened fire at point-blank range upon the + sleeping men. The rifles were stacked—another noxious military + tradition—and many of the troopers were shot down while they rushed + for their weapons. Surprised out of their sleep and unable to distinguish + their antagonists, the brave Australians did as well as any troops could + have done who were placed in so impossible a position. Captain Watson, the + officer in charge of the pom-poms, was shot down, and it proved to be + impossible to bring the guns into action. Within five minutes the + Victorians had lost twenty killed and forty wounded, when the survivors + surrendered. It is pleasant to add that they were very well treated by the + victors, but the high-spirited colonials felt their reverse most bitterly. + 'It is the worst thing that ever happened to Australia!' says one in the + letter in which he describes it. The actual number of Boers who rushed the + camp was only 180, but 400 more had formed a cordon round it. To Viljoen + and his lieutenant Muller great credit must be given for this well-managed + affair, which gave them a fresh supply of stores and clothing at a time + when they were hard pressed for both. These same Boer officers had led the + attack upon Helvetia where the 4.7 gun was taken. The victors succeeded in + getting away with all their trophies, and having temporarily taken one of + the blockhouses on the railway near Brugspruit, they crossed the line in + safety and returned, as already said, to their old quarters in the north, + which had been harried but not denuded by the operations of General Blood. + </p> + <p> + It would take a volume to catalogue, and a library to entirely describe + the movements and doings of the very large number of British columns which + operated over the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony during this + cold-weather campaign. If the same columns and the same leaders were + consistently working in the same districts, some system of narrative might + enable the reader to follow their fortunes, but they were, as a matter of + fact, rapidly transferred from one side of the field of action to another + in accordance with the concentrations of the enemy. The total number of + columns amounted to at least sixty, which varied in number from two + hundred to two thousand, and seldom hunted alone. Could their movements be + marked in red upon a chart, the whole of that huge district would be + criss-crossed, from Taungs to Komati and from Touws River to Pietersburg, + with the track of our weary but indomitable soldiers. + </p> + <p> + Without attempting to enter into details which would be unbecoming to the + modesty of a single volume, one may indicate what the other more important + groupings were during the course of these months, and which were the + columns that took part in them. Of French's drive in the south-east, and + of Blood's incursion into the Roos-Senekal district some account has been + given, and of his subsequent sweeping of the south. At the same period + Babington, Dixon, and Rawlinson were co-operating in the Klerksdorp + district, though the former officer transferred his services suddenly to + Blood's combination, and afterwards to Elliot's column in the north of + Orange River Colony. Williams and Fetherstonhaugh came later to strengthen + this Klerksdorp district, in which, after the clearing of the + Magaliesberg, De la Rey had united his forces to those of Smuts. This very + important work of getting a firm hold upon the Magaliesberg was + accomplished in July by Barton, Allenby, Kekewich, and Lord Basing, who + penetrated into the wild country and established blockhouses and small + forts in very much the same way as Cumberland and Wade in 1746 held down + the Highlands. The British position was much strengthened by the firm grip + obtained of this formidable stronghold of the enemy, which was dangerous + not only on account of its extreme strength, but also of its proximity to + the centres of population and of wealth. + </p> + <p> + De la Rey, as already stated, had gone down to the Klerksdorp district, + whence, for a time at least, he seems to have passed over into the north + of the Orange River Colony. The British pressure at Klerksdorp had become + severe, and thither in May came the indefatigable Methuen, whom we last + traced to Warrenton. From this point on May 1st he railed his troops to + Mafeking, whence he trekked to Lichtenburg, and south as far as his old + fighting ground of Haartebeestefontein, having one skirmish upon the way + and capturing a Boer gun. Thence he returned to Mafeking, where he had to + bid adieu to those veteran Yeomanry who had been his comrades on so many a + weary march. It was not their fortune to be present at any of the larger + battles of the war, but few bodies of troops have returned to England with + a finer record of hard and useful service. + </p> + <p> + No sooner, however, had Methuen laid down one weapon than he snatched up + another. Having refitted his men and collected some of the more efficient + of the new Yeomanry, he was off once more for a three weeks' circular tour + in the direction of Zeerust. It is difficult to believe that the oldest + inhabitant could have known more of the western side of the Transvaal, for + there was hardly a track which he had not traversed or a kopje from which + he had not been sniped. Early in August he had made a fresh start from + Mafeking, dividing his force into two columns, the command of the second + being given to Von Donop. Having joined hands with Fetherstonhaugh, he + moved through the south-west and finally halted at Klerksdorp. The harried + Boers moved a hundred miles north to Rustenburg, followed by Methuen, + Fetherstonhaugh, Hamilton, Kekewich, and Allenby, who found the commandos + of De la Rey and Kemp to be scattering in front of them and hiding in the + kloofs and dongas, whence in the early days of September no less than two + hundred were extracted. On September 6th and 8th Methuen engaged the main + body of De la Rey in the valley of the Great Marico River which lies to + the north-west of Rustenburg. In these two actions he pushed the Boers in + front of him with a loss of eighteen killed and forty-one prisoners, but + the fighting was severe, and fifteen of his men were killed and thirty + wounded before the position had been carried. The losses were almost + entirely among the newly raised Yeomanry, who had already shown on several + occasions that, having shed their weaker members and had some experience + of the field, they were now worthy to take their place beside their + veteran comrades. + </p> + <p> + The only other important operation undertaken by the British columns in + the Transvaal during this period was in the north, where Beyers and his + men were still harried by Grenfell, Colenbrander, and Wilson. A + considerable proportion of the prisoners which figured in the weekly lists + came from this quarter. On May 30th there was a notable action, the truth + of which was much debated but finally established, in which Kitchener's + Scouts under Wilson surprised and defeated a Boer force under Pretorius, + killing and wounding several, and taking forty prisoners. On July 1st + Grenfell took nearly a hundred of Beyers' men with a considerable convoy. + North, south, east, and west the tale was ever the same, but so long as + Botha, De la Rey, Steyn, and De Wet remained uncaptured, the embers might + still at any instant leap into a flame. + </p> + <p> + It only remains to complete this synopsis of the movements of columns + within the Transvaal that I should add that after the conclusion of + Blood's movement in July, several of his columns continued to clear the + country and to harass Viljoen in the Lydenburg and Dulstroom districts. + Park, Kitchener, Spens, Beatson, and Benson were all busy at this work, + never succeeding in forcing more than a skirmish, but continually + whittling away wagons, horses, and men from that nucleus of resistance + which the Boer leaders still held together. + </p> + <p> + Though much hampered by the want of forage for their horses, the Boers + were ever watchful for an opportunity to strike back, and the long list of + minor successes gained by the British was occasionally interrupted by a + petty reverse. Such a one befell the small body of South African + Constabulary stationed near Vereeniging, who encountered upon July 13th a + strong force of Boers supposed to be the main commando of De Wet. The + Constabulary behaved with great gallantry but were hopelessly outnumbered, + and lost their seven-pounder gun, four killed, six wounded, and + twenty-four prisoners. Another small reverse occurred at a far distant + point of the seat of war, for the irregular corps known as Steinacker's + Horse was driven from its position at Bremersdorp in Swaziland upon July + 24th, and had to fall back sixteen miles, with a loss of ten casualties + and thirty prisoners. Thus in the heart of a native state the two great + white races of South Africa were to be seen locked in a desperate + conflict. However unavoidable, the sight was certainly one to be deplored. + </p> + <p> + To the Boer credit, or discredit, are also to be placed those repeated + train wreckings, which cost the British during this campaign the lives and + limbs of many brave soldiers who were worthy of some less ignoble fate. It + is true that the laws of war sanction such enterprises, but there is + something indiscriminate in the results which is repellent to humanity, + and which appears to justify the most energetic measures to prevent them. + Women, children, and sick must all travel by these trains and are exposed + to a common danger, while the assailants enjoy a safety which renders + their exploit a peculiarly inglorious one. Two Boers, Trichardt and + Hindon, the one a youth of twenty-two, the other a man of British birth, + distinguished, or disgraced, themselves by this unsavoury work upon the + Delagoa line, but with the extension of the blockhouse system the attempts + became less successful. There was one, however, upon the northern line + near Naboomspruit which cost the lives of Lieutenant Best and eight Gordon + Highlanders, while ten were wounded. The party of Gordons continued to + resist after the smash, and were killed or wounded to a man. The painful + incident is brightened by such an example of military virtue, and by the + naive reply of the last survivor, who on being questioned why he continued + to fight until he was shot down, answered with fine simplicity, 'Because I + am a Gordon Highlander.' + </p> + <p> + Another train disaster of an even more tragic character occurred near + Waterval, fifteen miles north of Pretoria, upon the last day of August. + The explosion of a mine wrecked the train, and a hundred Boers who lined + the banks of the cutting opened fire upon the derailed carriages. Colonel + Vandeleur, an officer of great promise, was killed and twenty men, chiefly + of the West Riding regiment, were shot. Nurse Page was also among the + wounded. It was after this fatal affair that the regulation of carrying + Boer hostages upon the trains was at last carried out. + </p> + <p> + It has been already stated that part of Lord Kitchener's policy of + concentration lay in his scheme for gathering the civil population into + camps along the lines of communication. The reasons for this, both + military and humanitarian, were overwhelming. Experience had proved that + the men if left at liberty were liable to be persuaded or coerced by the + fighting Boers into breaking their parole and rejoining the commandos. As + to the women and children, they could not be left upon the farms in a + denuded country. That the Boers in the field had no doubts as to the good + treatment of these people was shown by the fact that they repeatedly left + their families in the way of the columns so that they might be conveyed to + the camps. Some consternation was caused in England by a report of Miss + Hobhouse, which called public attention to the very high rate of mortality + in some of these camps, but examination showed that this was not due to + anything insanitary in their situation or arrangement, but to a severe + epidemic of measles which had swept away a large number of the children. A + fund was started in London to give additional comforts to these people, + though there is reason to believe that their general condition was + superior to that of the Uitlander refugees, who still waited permission to + return to their homes. By the end of July there were no fewer than sixty + thousand inmates of the camps in the Transvaal alone, and half as many in + the Orange River Colony. So great was the difficulty in providing the + supplies for so large a number that it became more and more evident that + some at least of the camps must be moved down to the sea coast. + </p> + <p> + Passing to the Orange River Colony we find that during this winter period + the same British tactics had been met by the same constant evasions on the + part of the dwindling commandos. The Colony had been divided into four + military districts: that of Bloemfontein, which was given to Charles Knox, + that of Lyttelton at Springfontein, that of Rundle at Harrismith, and that + of Elliot in the north. The latter was infinitely the most important, and + Elliot, the warden of the northern marches, had under him during the + greater part of the winter a mobile force of about 6000 men, commanded by + such experienced officers as Broadwood, De Lisle, and Bethune. Later in + the year Spens, Bullock, Plumer, and Rimington were all sent into the + Orange River Colony to help to stamp out the resistance. Numerous + skirmishes and snipings were reported from all parts of the country, but a + constant stream of prisoners and of surrenders assured the soldiers that, + in spite of the difficulty of the country and the obstinacy of the enemy, + the term of their labours was rapidly approaching. + </p> + <p> + In all the petty and yet necessary operations of these columns, two + incidents demand more than a mere mention. The first was a hard-fought + skirmish in which some of Elliot's horsemen were engaged upon June 6th. + His column had trekked during the month of May from Kroonstad to + Harrismith, and then turning north found itself upon that date near the + hamlet of Reitz. Major Sladen with 200 Mounted Infantry, when detached + from the main body, came upon the track of a Boer convoy and ran it down. + Over a hundred vehicles with forty-five prisoners were the fruits of their + enterprise. Well satisfied with his morning's work, the British leader + despatched a party of his men to convey the news to De Lisle, who was + behind, while he established himself with his loot and his prisoners in a + convenient kraal. Thence they had an excellent view of a large body of + horsemen approaching them with scouts, flankers, and all military + precautions. One warm-hearted officer seems actually to have sallied out + to meet his comrades, and it was not till his greeting of them took the + extreme form of handing over his rifle that the suspicion of danger + entered the heads of his companions. But if there was some lack of wit + there was none of heart in Sladen and his men. With forty-five Boers to + hold down, and 500 under Fourie, De Wet, and De la Rey around them, the + little band made rapid preparation for a desperate resistance: the + prisoners were laid upon their faces, the men knocked loopholes in the mud + walls of the kraal, and a blunt soldierly answer was returned to the + demand for surrender. + </p> + <p> + But it was a desperate business. The attackers were five to one, and the + five were soldiers of De Wet, the hard-bitten veterans of a hundred + encounters. The captured wagons in a long double row stretched out over + the plain, and under this cover the Dutchmen swarmed up to the kraal. But + the men who faced them were veterans also, and the defence made up for the + disparity of numbers. With fine courage the Boers made their way up to the + village, and established themselves in the outlying huts, but the Mounted + Infantry clung desperately to their position. Out of the few officers + present Findlay was shot through the head, Moir and Cameron through the + heart, and Strong through the stomach. It was a Waggon Hill upon a small + scale, two dour lines of skirmishers emptying their rifles into each other + at point-blank range. Once more, as at Bothaville, the British Mounted + Infantry proved that when it came to a dogged pelting match they could + stand punishment longer than their enemy. They suffered terribly. + Fifty-one out of the little force were on the ground, and the survivors + were not much more numerous than their prisoners. To the 1st Gordons, the + 2nd Bedfords, the South Australians, and the New South Welsh men belongs + the honour of this magnificent defence. For four hours the fierce battle + raged, until at last the parched and powder-stained survivors breathed a + prayer of thanks as they saw on the southern horizon the vanguard of De + Lisle riding furiously to the rescue. For the last hour, since they had + despaired of carrying the kraal, the Boers had busied themselves in + removing their convoy; but now, for the second time in one day, the + drivers found British rifles pointed at their heads, and the oxen were + turned once more and brought back to those who had fought so hard to hold + them. Twenty-eight killed and twenty-six wounded were the losses in this + desperate affair. Of the Boers seventeen were left dead in front of the + kraal, and the forty-five had not escaped from the bulldog grip which held + them. There seems for some reason to have been no effective pursuit of the + Boers, and the British column held on its way to Kroonstad. + </p> + <p> + The second incident which stands out amid the dreary chronicle of + hustlings and snipings is the surprise visit paid by Broadwood with a + small British column to the town of Reitz upon July 11th, which resulted + in the capture of nearly every member of the late government of the Free + State, save only the one man whom they particularly wanted. The column + consisted of 200 yeomen, 200 of the 7th Dragoon Guards, and two guns. + Starting at 11 P.M., the raiders rode hard all night and broke with the + dawn upon the sleeping village. Racing into the main street, they secured + the startled Boers as they rushed from the houses. It is easy to criticise + such an operation from a distance, and to overlook the practical + difficulties in the way, but on the face of it it seems a pity that the + holes had not been stopped before the ferret was sent in. A picket at the + farther end of the street would have barred Steyn's escape. As it was, he + flung himself upon his horse and galloped half-clad out of the town. + Sergeant Cobb of the Dragoons snapped a rifle at close quarters upon him, + but the cold of the night had frozen the oil on the striker and the + cartridge hung fire. On such trifles do the large events of history turn! + Two Boer generals, two commandants, Steyn's brother, his secretary, and + several other officials were among the nine-and-twenty prisoners. The + treasury was also captured, but it is feared that the Yeomen and Dragoons + will not be much the richer from their share of the contents. + </p> + <p> + Save these two incidents, the fight at Reitz and the capture of a portion + of Steyn's government at the same place, the winter's campaign furnished + little which was of importance, though a great deal of very hard and very + useful work was done by the various columns under the direction of the + governors of the four military districts. In the south General Bruce + Hamilton made two sweeps, one from the railway line to the western + frontier, and the second from the south and east in the direction of + Petrusburg. The result of the two operations was about 300 prisoners. At + the same time Monro and Hickman re-cleared the already twice-cleared + districts of Rouxville and Smithfield. The country in the east of the + Colony was verging now upon the state which Grant described in the + Shenandoah Valley: 'A crow,' said he, 'must carry his own rations when he + flies across it.' + </p> + <p> + In the middle district General Charles Knox, with the columns of + Pine-Coffin, Thorneycroft, Pilcher, and Henry, were engaged in the same + sort of work with the same sort of results. + </p> + <p> + The most vigorous operations fell to the lot of General Elliot, who worked + over the northern and north-eastern district, which still contained a + large number of fighting burghers. In May and June Elliot moved across to + Vrede and afterwards down the eastern frontier of the Colony, joining + hands at last with Rundle at Harrismith. He then worked his way back to + Kroonstad through Reitz and Lindley. It was on this journey that Sladen's + Mounted Infantry had the sharp experience which has been already narrated. + Western's column, working independently, co-operated with Elliot in this + clearing of the north-east. In August there were very large captures by + Broadwood's force, which had attained considerable mobility, ninety miles + being covered by it on one occasion in two days. + </p> + <p> + Of General Rundle there is little to be said, as he was kept busy in + exploring the rough country in his own district—the same district + which had been the scene of the operations against Prinsloo and the + Fouriesburg surrender. Into this district Kritzinger and his men trekked + after they were driven from the Colony in July, and many small skirmishes + and snipings among the mountains showed that the Boer resistance was still + alive. + </p> + <p> + July and August were occupied in the Orange River Colony by energetic + operations of Spens' and Rimington's columns in the midland districts, and + by a considerable drive to the north-eastern corner, which was shared by + three columns under Elliot and two under Plumer, with one under Henry and + several smaller bodies. A considerable number of prisoners and a large + amount of stock were the result of the movement, but it was very evident + that there was a waste of energy in the employment of such forces for such + an end. The time appeared to be approaching when a strong force of + military police stationed permanently in each district might prove a more + efficient instrument. One interesting development of this phase of the war + was the enrolment of a burgher police among the Boers who had surrendered. + These men—well paid, well mounted, and well armed—were an + efficient addition to the British forces. The movement spread until before + the end of the war there were several thousand burghers under such + well-known officers as Celliers, Villonel, and young Cronje, fighting + against their own guerilla countrymen. Who, in 1899, could have prophesied + such a phenomenon as that! + </p> + <p> + Lord Kitchener's proclamation issued upon August 9th marked one more turn + in the screw upon the part of the British authorities. By it the burghers + were warned that those who had not laid down their arms by September 15th + would in the case of the leaders be banished, and in the case of the + burghers be compelled to support their families in the refugee camps. As + many of the fighting burghers were men of no substance, the latter threat + did not affect them much, but the other, though it had little result at + the time, may be useful for the exclusion of firebrands during the period + of reconstruction. Some increase was noticeable in the number of + surrenders after the proclamation, but on the whole it had not the result + which was expected, and its expediency is very open to question. This date + may be said to mark the conclusion of the winter campaign and the opening + of a new phase in the struggle. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0035" id="link2HCH0035"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 35. THE GUERILLA OPERATIONS IN CAPE COLONY. + </h2> + <p> + In the account which has been given in a preceding chapter of the invasion + of Cape Colony by the Boer forces, it was shown that the Western bands + were almost entirely expelled, or at least that they withdrew, at the time + when De Wet was driven across the Orange River. This was at the beginning + of March 1901. It was also mentioned that though the Boers evacuated the + barren and unprofitable desert of the Karoo, the Eastern bands which had + come with Kritzinger did not follow the same course, but continued to + infest the mountainous districts of the Central Colony, whence they struck + again and again at the railway lines, the small towns, British patrols, or + any other quarry which was within their reach and strength. From the + surrounding country they gathered a fair number of recruits, and they were + able through the sympathy and help of the Dutch farmers to keep themselves + well mounted and supplied. In small wandering bands they spread themselves + over a vast extent of country, and there were few isolated farmhouses from + the Orange River to the Oudtshoorn Mountains, and from the Cape Town + railroad in the west to the Fish River in the east, which were not visited + by their active and enterprising scouts. The object of the whole movement + was, no doubt, to stimulate a general revolt in the Colony; and it must be + acknowledged that if the powder did not all explode it was not for want of + the match being thoroughly applied. + </p> + <p> + It might at first sight seem the simplest of military operations to hunt + down these scattered and insignificant bands; but as a matter of fact + nothing could be more difficult. Operating in a country which was both + vast and difficult, with excellent horses, the best of information and + supplies ready for them everywhere, it was impossible for the slow-moving + British columns with their guns and their wagons to overtake them. + Formidable even in flight, the Boers were always ready to turn upon any + force which exposed itself too rashly to retaliation, and so amid the + mountain passes the British chiefs had to use an amount of caution which + was incompatible with extreme speed. Only when a commando was exactly + localised so that two or three converging British forces could be brought + to bear upon it, was there a reasonable chance of forcing a fight. Still, + with all these heavy odds against them, the various little columns + continued month after month to play hide-and-seek with the commandos, and + the game was by no means always on the one side. The varied fortunes of + this scrambling campaign can only be briefly indicated in these pages. + </p> + <p> + It has already been shown that Kritzinger's original force broke into many + bands, which were recruited partly from the Cape rebels and partly from + fresh bodies which passed over from the Orange River Colony. The more + severe the pressure in the north, the greater reason was there for a trek + to this land of plenty. The total number of Boers who were wandering over + the eastern and midland districts may have been about two thousand, who + were divided into bands which varied from fifty to three hundred. The + chief leaders of separate commandos were Kritzinger, Scheepers, Malan, + Myburgh, Fouche, Lotter, Smuts, Van Reenen, Lategan, Maritz, and Conroy, + the two latter operating on the western side of the country. To hunt down + these numerous and active bodies the British were compelled to put many + similar detachments into the field, known as the columns of Gorringe, + Crabbe, Henniker, Scobell, Doran, Kavanagh, Alexander, and others. These + two sets of miniature armies performed an intricate devil's dance over the + Colony, the main lines of which are indicated by the red lines upon the + map. The Zuurberg mountains to the north of Steynsburg, the Sneeuwberg + range to the south of Middelburg, the Oudtshoorn Mountains in the south, + the Cradock district, the Murraysburg district, and the Graaf-Reinet + district—these were the chief centres of Boer activity. + </p> + <p> + In April Kritzinger made his way north to the Orange River Colony, for the + purpose of consulting with De Wet, but he returned with a following of 200 + men about the end of May. Continual brushes occurred during this month + between the various columns, and much hard marching was done upon either + side, but there was nothing which could be claimed as a positive success. + </p> + <p> + Early in May two passengers sailed for Europe, the journey of each being + in its way historical. The first was the weary and overworked Pro-Consul + who had the foresight to distinguish the danger and the courage to meet + it. Milner's worn face and prematurely grizzled hair told of the crushing + weight which had rested upon him during three eventful years. A gentle + scholar, he might have seemed more fitted for a life of academic calm than + for the stormy part which the discernment of Mr. Chamberlain had assigned + to him. The fine flower of an English university, low-voiced and urbane, + it was difficult to imagine what impression he would produce upon those + rugged types of which South Africa is so peculiarly prolific. But behind + the reserve of a gentleman there lay within him a lofty sense of duty, a + singular clearness of vision, and a moral courage which would brace him to + follow whither his reason pointed. His visit to England for three months' + rest was the occasion for a striking manifestation of loyalty and regard + from his fellow-countrymen. He returned in August as Lord Milner to the + scene of his labours, with the construction of a united and loyal + commonwealth of South Africa as the task of his life. + </p> + <p> + The second traveller who sailed within a few days of the Governor was Mrs. + Botha, the wife of the Boer General, who visited Europe for private as + well as political reasons. She bore to Kruger an exact account of the + state of the country and of the desperate condition of the burghers. Her + mission had no immediate or visible effect, and the weary war, exhausting + for the British but fatal for the Boers, went steadily on. + </p> + <p> + To continue the survey of the operations in the Cape, the first point + scored was by the invaders, for Malan's commando succeeded upon May 13th + in overwhelming a strong patrol of the Midland Mounted Rifles, the local + colonial corps, to the south of Maraisburg. Six killed, eleven wounded, + and forty-one prisoners were the fruits of his little victory, which + furnished him also with a fresh supply of rifles and ammunition. On May + 21st Crabbe's column was in touch with Lotter and with Lategan, but no + very positive result came from the skirmish. + </p> + <p> + The end of May showed considerable Boer activity in the Cape Colony, that + date corresponding with the return of Kritzinger from the north. Haig had + for the moment driven Scheepers back from the extreme southerly point + which he had reached, and he was now in the Graaf-Reinet district; but on + the other side of the colony Conroy had appeared near Kenhart, and upon + May 23rd he fought a sharp skirmish with a party of Border Scouts. The + main Boer force under Kritzinger was in the midlands, however, and had + concentrated to such an extent in the Cradock district that it was clear + that some larger enterprise was on foot. This soon took shape, for on June + 2nd, after a long and rapid march, the Boer leader threw himself upon + Jamestown, overwhelmed the sixty townsmen who formed the guard, and looted + the town, from which he drew some welcome supplies and 100 horses. British + columns were full cry upon his heels, however, and the Boers after a few + hours left the gutted town and vanished into the hills once more. On June + 6th the British had a little luck at last, for on that date Scobell and + Lukin in the Barkly East district surprised a laager and took twenty + prisoners, 166 horses, and much of the Jamestown loot. On the same day + Windham treated Van Reenen in a similar rough fashion near Steynsburg, and + took twenty-two prisoners. + </p> + <p> + On June 8th the supreme command of the operations in Cape Colony was + undertaken by General French, who from this time forward manoeuvred his + numerous columns upon a connected plan with the main idea of pushing the + enemy northwards. It was some time, however, before his disposition bore + fruit, for the commandos were still better mounted and lighter than their + pursuers. On June 13th the youthful and dashing Scheepers, who commanded + his own little force at an age when he would have been a junior lieutenant + of the British army, raided Murraysburg and captured a patrol. On June + 17th Monro with Lovat's Scouts and Bethune's Mounted Infantry had some + slight success near Tarkastad, but three days later the ill-fated Midland + Mounted Rifles were surprised in the early morning by Kritzinger at + Waterkloof, which is thirty miles west of Cradock, and were badly mauled + by him. They lost ten killed, eleven wounded, and sixty-six prisoners in + this unfortunate affair. Again the myth that colonial alertness is greater + than that of regular troops seems to have been exposed. + </p> + <p> + At the end of June, Fouche, one of the most enterprising of the guerilla + chiefs, made a dash from Barkly East into the native reserves of the + Transkei in order to obtain horses and supplies. It was a desperate + measure, as it was vain to suppose that the warlike Kaffirs would permit + their property to be looted without resistance, and if once the assegais + were reddened no man could say how far the mischief might go. With great + loyalty the British Government, even in the darkest days, had held back + those martial races—Zulus, Swazis, and Basutos—who all had old + grudges against the Amaboon. Fouche's raid was stopped, however, before it + led to serious trouble. A handful of Griqualand Mounted Rifles held it in + front, while Dalgety and his colonial veterans moving very swiftly drove + him back northwards. + </p> + <p> + Though baulked, Fouche was still formidable, and on July 14th he made a + strong attack in the neighbourhood of Jamestown upon a column of Connaught + Rangers who were escorting a convoy. Major Moore offered a determined + resistance, and eventually after some hours of fighting drove the enemy + away and captured their laager. Seven killed and seventeen wounded were + the British losses in this spirited engagement. + </p> + <p> + On July 10th General French, surveying from a lofty mountain peak the vast + expanse of the field of operations, with his heliograph calling up + responsive twinkles over one hundred miles of country, gave the order for + the convergence of four columns upon the valley in which he knew Scheepers + to be lurking. We have it from one of his own letters that his commando at + the time consisted of 240 men, of whom forty were Free Staters and the + rest colonial rebels. Crewe, Windham, Doran, and Scobell each answered to + the call, but the young leader was a man of resource, and a long kloof up + the precipitous side of the hill gave him a road to safety. Yet the + operations showed a new mobility in the British columns, which shed their + guns and their baggage in order to travel faster. The main commando + escaped, but twenty-five laggards were taken. The action took place among + the hills thirty miles to the west of Graaf-Reinet. + </p> + <p> + On July 21st Crabbe and Kritzinger had a skirmish in the mountains near + Cradock, in which the Boers were strong enough to hold their own; but on + the same date near Murraysburg, Lukin, the gallant colonial gunner, with + ninety men rode into 150 of Lategan's band and captured ten of them, with + a hundred horses. On July 27th a small party of twenty-one Imperial + Yeomanry was captured, after a gallant resistance, by a large force of + Boers at the Doorn River on the other side of the Colony. The Kaffir + scouts of the British were shot dead in cold blood by their captors after + the action. There seems to be no possible excuse for the repeated murders + of coloured men by the Boers, as they had themselves from the beginning of + the war used their Kaffirs for every purpose short of actually fighting. + The war had lost much of the good humour which marked its outset. A + fiercer feeling had been engendered on both sides by the long strain, but + the execution of rebels by the British, though much to be deplored, is + still recognised as one of the rights of a belligerent. When one remembers + the condonation upon the part of the British of the use of their own + uniforms by the Boers, of the wholesale breaking of paroles, of the + continual use of expansive bullets, of the abuse of the pass system and of + the red cross, it is impossible to blame them for showing some severity in + the stamping out of armed rebellion within their own Colony. If stern + measures were eventually adopted it was only after extreme leniency had + been tried and failed. The loss of five years' franchise as a penalty for + firing upon their own flag is surely the most gentle correction which an + Empire ever laid upon a rebellious people. + </p> + <p> + At the beginning of August the connected systematic work of French's + columns began to tell. In a huge semicircle the British were pushing + north, driving the guerillas in front of them. Scheepers in his usual + wayward fashion had broken away to the south, but the others had been + unable to penetrate the cordon and were herded over the Stormberg to + Naauwport line. The main body of the Boers was hustled swiftly along from + August 7th to August 10th, from Graaf-Reinet to Thebus, and thrust over + the railway line at that point with some loss of men and a great shedding + of horses. It was hoped that the blockhouses on the railroad would have + held the enemy, but they slipped across by night and got into the + Steynsburg district, where Gorringe's colonials took up the running. On + August 18th he followed the commandos from Steynsburg to Venterstad, + killing twenty of them and taking several prisoners. On the 15th, + Kritzinger with the main body of the invaders passed the Orange River near + Bethulie, and made his way to the Wepener district of the Orange River + Colony. Scheepers, Lotter, Lategan, and a few small wandering bands were + the only Boers left in the Colony, and to these the British columns now + turned their attention, with the result that Lategan, towards the end of + the month, was also driven over the river. For the time, at least, the + situation seemed to have very much improved, but there was a drift of + Boers over the north-western frontier, and the long-continued warfare at + their own doors was undoubtedly having a dangerous effect upon the Dutch + farmers. Small successes from time to time, such as the taking of sixty of + French's Scouts by Theron's commando on August 10th, served to keep them + from despair. Of the guerilla bands which remained, the most important was + that of Scheepers, which now numbered 300 men, well mounted and supplied. + He had broken back through the cordon, and made for his old haunts in the + south-west. Theron, with a smaller band, was also in the Uniondale and + Willowmore district, approaching close to the sea in the Mossel Bay + direction, but being headed off by Kavanagh. Scheepers turned in the + direction of Cape Town, but swerved aside at Montagu, and moved northwards + towards Touws River. + </p> + <p> + So far the British had succeeded in driving and injuring, but never in + destroying, the Boer bands. It was a new departure therefore when, upon + September 4th, the commando of Lotter was entirely destroyed by the column + of Scobell. This column consisted of some of the Cape Mounted Rifles and + of the indefatigable 9th Lancers. It marked the enemy down in a valley to + the west of Cradock and attacked them in the morning, after having secured + all the approaches. The result was a complete success. The Boers threw + themselves into a building and held out valiantly, but their position was + impossible, and after enduring considerable punishment they were forced to + hoist the white flag. Eleven had been killed, forty-six wounded, and + fifty-six surrendered—figures which are in themselves a proof of the + tenacity of their defence. Lotter was among the prisoners, 260 horses were + taken, and a good supply of ammunition, with some dynamite. A few days + later, on September 10th, a similar blow, less final in its character, was + dealt by Colonel Crabbe to the commando of Van der Merve, which was an + offshoot of that of Scheepers. The action was fought near Laingsburg, + which is on the main line, just north of Matjesfontein, and it ended in + the scattering of the Boer band, the death of their boy leader (he was + only eighteen years of age), and the capture of thirty-seven prisoners. + Seventy of the Boers escaped by a hidden road. To Colonials and Yeomanry + belongs the honour of the action, which cost the British force seven + casualties. Colonel Crabbe pushed on after the success, and on September + 14th he was in touch with Scheepers's commando near Ladismith (not to be + confused with the historical town of Natal), and endured and inflicted + some losses. On the 17th a patrol of Grenadier Guards was captured in the + north of the Colony, Rebow, the young lieutenant in charge of them, + meeting with a soldier's death. + </p> + <p> + On the same day a more serious engagement occurred near Tarkastad, a place + which lies to the east of Cradock, a notorious centre of disaffection in + the midland district. Smuts's commando, some hundreds strong, was marked + down in this part, and several forces converged upon it. One of the + outlets, Elands River Poort, was guarded by a single squadron of the 17th + Lancers. Upon this the Boers made a sudden and very fierce attack, their + approach being facilitated partly by the mist and partly by the use of + khaki, a trick which seems never to have grown too stale for successful + use. The result was that they were able to ride up to the British camp + before any preparations had been made for resistance, and to shoot down a + number of the Lancers before they could reach their horses. So terrible + was the fire that the single squadron lost thirty-four killed and + thirty-six wounded. But the regiment may console itself for the disaster + by the fact that the sorely stricken detachment remained true to the + spirited motto of the corps, and that no prisoners appear to have been + lost. + </p> + <p> + After this one sharp engagement there ensued several weeks during which + the absence of historical events, or the presence of the military censor, + caused a singular lull in the account of the operations. With so many + small commandos and so many pursuing columns it is extraordinary that + there should not have been a constant succession of actions. That there + was not must indicate a sluggishness upon the part of the pursuers, and + this sluggishness can only be explained by the condition of their horses. + Every train of thought brings the critic back always to the great horse + question, and encourages the conclusion that there, at all seasons of the + war and in all scenes of it, is to be found the most damning indictment + against British foresight, common-sense, and power of organisation. That + the third year of the war should dawn without the British forces having + yet got the legs of the Boers, after having penetrated every portion of + their country and having the horses of the world on which to draw, is the + most amazingly inexplicable point in the whole of this strange campaign. + From the telegram 'Infantry preferred' addressed to a nation of + rough-riders, down to the failure to secure the excellent horses on the + spot, while importing them unfit for use from the ends of the earth, there + has been nothing but one long series of blunders in this, the most vital + question of all. Even up to the end, in the Colony the obvious lesson had + not yet been learnt that it is better to give 1000 men two horses each, + and to let them reach the enemy, than give 2000 men one horse each, with + which they can never attain their object. The chase during two years of + the man with two horses by the man with one horse, has been a sight + painful to ourselves and ludicrous to others. + </p> + <p> + In connection with this account of operations within the Colony, there is + one episode which occurred in the extreme north-west which will not fit in + with this connected narrative, but which will justify the distraction of + the reader's intelligence, for few finer deeds of arms are recorded in the + war. This was the heroic defence of a convoy by the 14th Company of Irish + Imperial Yeomanry. The convoy was taking food to Griquatown, on the + Kimberley side of the seat of war. The town had been long invested by + Conroy, and the inhabitants were in such straits that it was highly + necessary to relieve them. To this end a convoy, two miles long, was + despatched under Major Humby of the Irish Yeomanry. The escort consisted + of seventy-five Northumberland Fusiliers, twenty-four local troops, and + 100 of the 74th Irish Yeomanry. Fifteen miles from Griquatown, at a place + called Rooikopjes, the convoy was attacked by the enemy several hundred in + number. Two companies of the Irishmen seized the ridge, however, which + commanded the wagons, and held it until they were almost exterminated. The + position was covered with bush, and the two parties came to the closest of + quarters, the Yeomen refusing to take a backward step, though it was clear + that they were vastly outnumbered. Encouraged by the example of Madan and + Ford, their gallant young leaders, they deliberately sacrificed their + lives in order to give time for the guns to come up and for the convoy to + pass. Oliffe, Bonynge, and Maclean, who had been children together, were + shot side by side on the ridge, and afterwards buried in one grave. Of + forty-three men in action, fourteen were killed and twenty severely + wounded. Their sacrifice was not in vain, however. The Boers were beaten + back, and the convoy, as well as Griquatown, was saved. Some thirty or + forty Boers were killed or wounded in the skirmish, and Conroy, their + leader, declared that it was the stiffest fight of his life. + </p> + <p> + In the autumn and winter of 1901 General French had steadily pursued the + system of clearing certain districts, one at a time, and endeavouring by + his blockhouses and by the arrangement of his forces to hold in strict + quarantine those sections of the country which were still infested by the + commandos. In this manner he succeeded by the November of this year in + confining the active forces of the enemy to the extreme north-east and to + the south-west of the peninsula. It is doubtful if the whole Boer force, + three-quarters of whom were colonial rebels, amounted to more than fifteen + hundred men. When we learn that at this period of the war they were + indifferently armed, and that many of them were mounted upon donkeys, it + is impossible, after making every allowance for the passive assistance of + the farmers, and the difficulties of the country, to believe that the + pursuit was always pushed with the spirit and vigour which was needful. + </p> + <p> + In the north-east, Myburgh, Wessels, and the truculent Fouche were allowed + almost a free hand for some months, while the roving bands were rounded up + in the midlands and driven along until they were west of the main + railroad. Here, in the Calvinia district, several commandos united in + October 1901 under Maritz, Louw, Smit, and Theron. Their united bands rode + down into the rich grain-growing country round Piquetberg and Malmesbury, + pushing south until it seemed as if their academic supporters at Paarl + were actually to have a sight of the rebellion which they had fanned to a + flame. At one period their patrols were within forty miles of Cape Town. + The movement was checked, however, by a small force of Lancers and + district troops, and towards the end of October, Maritz, who was chief in + this quarter, turned northwards, and on the 29th captured a small British + convoy which crossed his line of march. Early in November he doubled back + and attacked Piquetberg, but was beaten off with some loss. From that time + a steady pressure from the south and east drove these bands farther and + farther into the great barren lands of the west, until, in the following + April, they had got as far as Namaqualand, many hundred miles away. + </p> + <p> + Upon October 9th, the second anniversary of the Ultimatum, the hands of + the military were strengthened by the proclamation of Cape Town and all + the seaport towns as being in a state of martial law. By this means a + possible source of supplies and recruits for the enemy was effectually + blocked. That it had not been done two years before is a proof of how far + local political considerations can be allowed to over-ride the essentials + of Imperial policy. Meanwhile treason courts were sitting, and sentences, + increasing rapidly from the most trivial to the most tragic, were teaching + the rebel that his danger did not end upon the field of battle. The + execution of Lotter and his lieutenants was a sign that the patience of a + long-suffering Empire had at last reached an end. + </p> + <p> + The young Boer leader, Scheepers, had long been a thorn in the side of the + British. He had infested the southern districts for some months, and he + had distinguished himself both by the activity of his movements and by the + ruthless vigour of some of his actions. Early in October a serious illness + and consequent confinement to his bed brought him at last within the range + of British mobility. On his recovery he was tried for repeated breaches of + the laws of war, including the murder of several natives. He was condemned + to death, and was executed in December. Much sympathy was excited by his + gallantry and his youth—he was only twenty-three. On the other hand, + our word was pledged to protect the natives, and if he whose hand had been + so heavy upon them escaped, all confidence would have been lost in our + promises and our justice. That British vengeance was not indiscriminate + was shown soon afterwards in the case of a more important commander, + Kritzinger, who was the chief leader of the Boers within Cape Colony. + Kritzinger was wounded and captured while endeavouring to cross the line + near Hanover Road upon December 15th. He was put upon his trial, and his + fate turned upon how far he was responsible for the misdeeds of some of + his subordinates. It was clearly shown that he had endeavoured to hold + them within the bounds of civilised warfare, and with congratulations and + handshakings he was acquitted by the military court. + </p> + <p> + In the last two months of the year 1901, a new system was introduced into + the Cape Colony campaign by placing the Colonial and district troops + immediately under the command of Colonial officers and of the Colonial + Government. It had long been felt that some devolution was necessary, and + the change was justified by the result. Without any dramatic incident, an + inexorable process of attrition, caused by continual pursuit and hardship, + wore out the commandos. Large bands had become small ones, and small ones + had vanished. Only by the union of several bodies could any enterprise + higher than the looting of a farmhouse be successfully attempted. + </p> + <p> + Such a union occurred, however, in the early days of February 1902, when + Smuts, Malan, and several other Boer leaders showed great activity in the + country round Calvinia. Their commandos seem to have included a proportion + of veteran Republicans from the north, who were more formidable fighting + material than the raw Colonial rebels. It happened that several + dangerously weak British columns were operating within reach at that time, + and it was only owing to the really admirable conduct of the troops that a + serious disaster was averted. Two separate actions, each of them severe, + were fought on the same date, and in each case the Boers were able to + bring very superior numbers into the field. + </p> + <p> + The first of these was the fight in which Colonel Doran's column + extricated itself with severe loss from a most perilous plight. The whole + force under Doran consisted of 350 men with two guns, and this handful was + divided by an expedition which he, with 150 men, undertook in order to + search a distant farm. The remaining two hundred men, under Captain + Saunders, were left upon February 5th with the guns and the convoy at a + place called Middlepost, which lies about fifty miles south-west of + Calvinia. These men were of the 11th, 23rd, and 24th Imperial Yeomanry, + with a troop of Cape Police. The Boer Intelligence was excellent, as might + be expected in a country which is dotted with farms. The weakened force at + Middlepost was instantly attacked by Smuts's commando. Saunders evacuated + the camp and abandoned the convoy, which was the only thing he could do, + but he concentrated all his efforts upon preserving his guns. The night + was illuminated by the blazing wagons, and made hideous by the whoops of + the drunken rebels who caroused among the captured stores. With the first + light of dawn the small British force was fiercely assailed on all sides, + but held its own in a manner which would have done credit to any troops. + The much criticised Yeomen fought like veterans. A considerable position + had to be covered, and only a handful of men were available at the most + important points. One ridge, from which the guns would be enfiladed, was + committed to the charge of Lieutenants Tabor and Chichester with eleven + men of the 11th Imperial Yeomanry, their instructions being 'to hold it to + the death.' The order was obeyed with the utmost heroism. After a + desperate defence the ridge was only taken by the Boers when both officers + had been killed and nine out of eleven men were on the ground. In spite of + the loss of this position the fight was still sustained until shortly + after midday, when Doran with the patrol returned. The position was still + most dangerous, the losses had been severe, and the Boers were increasing + in strength. An immediate retreat was ordered, and the small column, after + ten days of hardship and anxiety, reached the railway line in safety. The + wounded were left to the care of Smuts, who behaved with chivalry and + humanity. + </p> + <p> + At about the same date a convoy proceeding from Beaufort West to + Fraserburg was attacked by Malan's commando. The escort, which consisted + of sixty Colonial Mounted Rifles and 100 of the West Yorkshire militia, + was overwhelmed after a good defence, in which Major Crofton, their + commander, was killed. The wagons were destroyed, but the Boers were + driven off by the arrival of Crabbe's column, followed by those of Capper + and Lund. The total losses of the British in these two actions amounted to + twenty-three killed and sixty-five wounded. + </p> + <p> + The re-establishment of settled law and order was becoming more marked + every week in those south-western districts, which had long been most + disturbed. Colonel Crewe in this region, and Colonel Lukin upon the other + side of the line, acting entirely with Colonial troops, were pushing back + the rebels, and holding, by a well-devised system of district defence, all + that they had gained. By the end of February there were none of the enemy + south of the Beaufort West and Clanwilliam line. These results were not + obtained without much hard marching and a little hard fighting. Small + columns under Crabbe, Capper, Wyndham, Nickall, and Lund, were continually + on the move, with little to show for it save an ever-widening area of + settled country in their rear. In a skirmish on February 20th Judge Hugo, + a well-known Boer leader, was killed, and Vanheerden, a notorious rebel, + was captured. At the end of this month Fouche's tranquil occupation of the + north-east was at last disturbed, and he was driven out of it into the + midlands, where he took refuge with the remains of his commando in the + Camdeboo Mountains. Malan's men had already sought shelter in the same + natural fortress. Malan was wounded and taken in a skirmish near Somerset + East a few days before the general Boer surrender. Fouche gave himself up + at Cradock on June 2nd. + </p> + <p> + The last incident of this scattered, scrambling, unsatisfactory campaign + in the Cape peninsula was the raid made by Smuts, the Transvaal leader, + into the Port Nolloth district of Namaqualand, best known for its copper + mines. A small railroad has been constructed from the coast at this point, + the terminus being the township of Ookiep. The length of the line is about + seventy miles. It is difficult to imagine what the Boers expected to gain + in this remote corner of the seat of war, unless they had conceived the + idea that they might actually obtain possession of Port Nolloth itself, + and so restore the communications with their sympathisers and allies. At + the end of March the Boer horsemen appeared suddenly out of the desert, + drove in the British outposts, and summoned Ookiep to surrender. Colonel + Shelton, who commanded the small garrison, sent an uncompromising reply, + but he was unable to protect the railway in his rear, which was wrecked, + together with some of the blockhouses which had been erected to guard it. + The loyal population of the surrounding country had flocked into Ookiep, + and the Commandant found himself burdened with the care of six thousand + people. The enemy had succeeded in taking the small post of Springbok, and + Concordia, the mining centre, was surrendered into their hands without + resistance, giving them welcome supplies of arms, ammunition, and + dynamite. The latter was used by the Boers in the shape of hand-bombs, and + proved to be a very efficient weapon when employed against blockhouses. + Several of the British defences were wrecked by them, with considerable + loss to the garrison; but in the course of a month's siege, in spite of + several attacks, the Boers were never able to carry the frail works which + guarded the town. Once more, at the end of the war as at the beginning of + it, there was shown the impotence of the Dutch riflemen against a British + defence. A relief column, under Colonel Cooper, was quickly organised at + Port Nolloth, and advanced along the railway line, forcing Smuts to raise + the siege in the first week of May. Immediately afterwards came the news + of the negotiations for peace, and the Boer general presented himself at + Port Nolloth, whence he was conveyed by ship to Cape Town, and so north + again to take part in the deliberations of his fellow-countrymen. + Throughout the war he had played a manly and honourable part. It may be + hoped that with youth and remarkable experience, both of diplomacy and of + war, he may now find a long and brilliant career awaiting him in a wider + arena than that for which he strove. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0036" id="link2HCH0036"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 36. THE SPRING CAMPAIGN (SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER, 1901). + </h2> + <p> + The history of the war during the African winter of 1901 has now been + sketched, and some account given of the course of events in the Transvaal, + the Orange River Colony, and the Cape Colony. The hope of the British that + they might stamp out resistance before the grass should restore mobility + to the larger bodies of Boers was destined to be disappointed. By the + middle of September the veld had turned from drab to green, and the great + drama was fated to last for one more act, however anxious all the British + and the majority of the Boers might be to ring down the curtain. + Exasperating as this senseless prolongation of a hopeless struggle might + be, there was still some consolation in the reflection that those who + drank this bitter cup to the very lees would be less likely to thirst for + it again. + </p> + <p> + September 15th was the date which brought into force the British + Proclamation announcing the banishment of those Boer leaders who continued + in arms. It must be confessed that this step may appear harsh and + unchivalrous to the impartial observer, so long as those leaders were + guilty of no practices which are foreign to the laws of civilised warfare. + The imposition of personal penalties upon the officers of an opposing army + is a step for which it is difficult to quote a precedent, nor is it wise + to officially rule your enemy outside the pale of ordinary warfare, since + it is equally open to him to take the same step against you. The only + justification for such a course would be its complete success, as this + would suggest that the Intelligence Department were aware that the leaders + desired some strong excuse for coming in—such an excuse as the + Proclamation would afford. The result proved that nothing of the kind was + needed, and the whole proceeding must appear to be injudicious and + high-handed. In honourable war you conquer your adversary by superior + courage, strength, or wit, but you do not terrorise him by particular + penalties aimed at individuals. The burghers of the Transvaal and of the + late Orange Free State were legitimate belligerents, and to be treated as + such—a statement which does not, of course, extend to the Afrikander + rebels who were their allies. + </p> + <p> + The tendency of the British had been to treat their antagonists as a + broken and disorganised banditti, but with the breaking of the spring they + were sharply reminded that the burghers were still capable of a formidable + and coherent effort. The very date which put them beyond the pale as + belligerents was that which they seem to have chosen in order to prove + what active and valiant soldiers they still remained. A quick succession + of encounters occurred at various parts of the seat of war, the general + tendency of which was not entirely in favour of the British arms, though + the weekly export of prisoners reassured all who noted it as to the + sapping and decay of the Boer strength. These incidents must now be set + down in the order of their occurrence, with their relation to each other + so far as it is possible to trace it. + </p> + <p> + General Louis Botha, with the double intention of making an offensive move + and of distracting the wavering burghers from a close examination of Lord + Kitchener's proclamation, assembled his forces in the second week of + September in the Ermelo district. Thence he moved them rapidly towards + Natal, with the result that the volunteers of that colony had once more to + grasp their rifles and hasten to the frontier. The whole situation bore + for an instant an absurd resemblance to that of two years before—Botha + playing the part of Joubert, and Lyttelton, who commanded on the frontier, + that of White. It only remained, to make the parallel complete, that some + one should represent Penn Symons, and this perilous role fell to a gallant + officer, Major Gough, commanding a detached force which thought itself + strong enough to hold its own, and only learned by actual experiment that + it was not. + </p> + <p> + This officer, with a small force consisting of three companies of Mounted + Infantry with two guns of the 69th R.F.A., was operating in the + neighbourhood of Utrecht in the south-eastern corner of the Transvaal, on + the very path along which Botha must descend. On September 17th he had + crossed De Jagers Drift on the Blood River, not very far from Dundee, when + he found himself in touch with the enemy. His mission was to open a path + for an empty convoy returning from Vryheid, and in order to do so it was + necessary that Blood River Poort, where the Boers were now seen, should be + cleared. With admirable zeal Gough pushed rapidly forward, supported by a + force of 350 Johannesburg Mounted Rifles under Stewart. Such a proceeding + must have seemed natural to any British officer at this stage of the war, + when a swift advance was the only chance of closing with the small bodies + of Boers; but it is strange that the Intelligence Department had not + warned the patrols upon the frontier that a considerable force was coming + down upon them, and that they should be careful to avoid action against + impossible odds. If Gough had known that Botha's main commando was coming + down upon him, it is inconceivable that he would have pushed his advance + until he could neither extricate his men nor his guns. A small body of the + enemy, said to have been the personal escort of Louis Botha, led him on, + until a large force was able to ride down upon him from the flank and + rear. Surrounded at Scheepers Nek by many hundreds of riflemen in a + difficult country, there was no alternative but a surrender, and so sharp + and sudden was the Boer advance that the whole action was over in a very + short time. The new tactics of the Boers, already used at Vlakfontein, and + afterwards to be successful at Brakenlaagte and at Tweebosch, were put in + force. A large body of mounted men, galloping swiftly in open order and + firing from the saddle, rode into and over the British. Such temerity + should in theory have met with severe punishment, but as a matter of fact + the losses of the enemy seem to have been very small. The soldiers were + not able to return an effective fire from their horses, and had no time to + dismount. The sights and breech-blocks of the two guns are said to have + been destroyed, but the former statement seems more credible than the + latter. A Colt gun was also captured. Of the small force twenty were + killed, forty wounded, and over two hundred taken. Stewart's force was + able to extricate itself with some difficulty, and to fall back on the + Drift. Gough managed to escape that night and to report that it was Botha + himself, with over a thousand men, who had eaten up his detachment. The + prisoners and wounded were sent in a few days later to Vryheid, a town + which appeared to be in some danger of capture had not Walter Kitchener + hastened to carry reinforcements to the garrison. Bruce Hamilton was at + the same time despatched to head Botha off, and every step taken to + prevent his southern advance. So many columns from all parts converged + upon the danger spot that Lyttelton, who commanded upon the Natal + frontier, had over 20,000 men under his orders. + </p> + <p> + Botha's plans appear to have been to work through Zululand and then strike + at Natal, an operation which would be the more easy as it would be + conducted a considerable distance from the railway line. Pushing on a few + days after his successful action with Gough, he crossed the Zulu frontier, + and had in front of him an almost unimpeded march as far as the Tugela. + Crossing this far from the British base of power, his force could raid the + Greytown district and raise recruits among the Dutch farmers, laying waste + one of the few spots in South Africa which had been untouched by the + blight of war. All this lay before him, and in his path nothing save only + two small British posts which might be either disregarded or gathered up + as he passed. In an evil moment for himself, tempted by the thought of the + supplies which they might contain, he stopped to gather them up, and the + force of the wave of invasion broke itself as upon two granite rocks. + </p> + <p> + These two so-called forts were posts of very modest strength, a chain of + which had been erected at the time of the old Zulu war. Fort Itala, the + larger, was garrisoned by 300 men of the 5th Mounted Infantry, drawn from + the Dublin Fusiliers, Middlesex, Dorsets, South Lancashires, and + Lancashire Fusiliers—most of them old soldiers of many battles. They + had two guns of the 69th R.F.A., the same battery which had lost a section + the week before. Major Chapman, of the Dublins, was in command. + </p> + <p> + Upon September 25th the small garrison heard that the main force of the + Boers was sweeping towards them, and prepared to give them a soldiers' + welcome. The fort is situated upon the flank of a hill, on the summit of + which, a mile from the main trenches, a strong outpost was stationed. It + was upon this that the first force of the attack broke at midnight of + September 25th. The garrison, eighty strong, was fiercely beset by several + hundred Boers, and the post was eventually carried after a sharp and + bloody contest. Kane, of the South Lancashires, died with the words 'No + surrender' upon his lips, and Potgieter, a Boer leader, was pistolled by + Kane's fellow officer, Lefroy. Twenty of the small garrison fell, and the + remainder were overpowered and taken. + </p> + <p> + With this vantage-ground in their possession the Boers settled down to the + task of overwhelming the main position. They attacked upon three sides, + and until morning the force was raked from end to end by unseen riflemen. + The two British guns were put out of action and the maxim was made + unserviceable by a bullet. At dawn there was a pause in the attack, but it + recommenced and continued without intermission until sunset. The span + betwixt the rising of the sun and its last red glow in the west is a long + one for the man who spends it at his ease, but how never-ending must have + seemed the hours to this handful of men, outnumbered, surrounded, pelted + by bullets, parched with thirst, torn with anxiety, holding desperately on + with dwindling numbers to their frail defences! To them it may have seemed + a hard thing to endure so much for a tiny fort in a savage land. The + larger view of its vital importance could have scarcely come to console + the regimental officer, far less the private. But duty carried them + through, and they wrought better than they knew, for the brave Dutchmen, + exasperated by so disproportionate a resistance, stormed up to the very + trenches and suffered as they had not suffered for many a long month. + There have been battles with 10,000 British troops hotly engaged in which + the Boer losses have not been so great as in this obscure conflict against + an isolated post. When at last, baffled and disheartened, they drew off + with the waning light, it is said that no fewer than a hundred of their + dead and two hundred of their wounded attested the severity of the fight. + So strange are the conditions of South African warfare that this loss, + which would have hardly made a skirmish memorable in the slogging days of + the Peninsula, was one of the most severe blows which the burghers had + sustained in the course of a two years' warfare against a large and + aggressive army. There is a conflict of evidence as to the exact figures, + but at least they were sufficient to beat the Boer army back and to change + their plan of campaign. + </p> + <p> + Whilst this prolonged contest had raged round Fort Itala, a similar attack + upon a smaller scale was being made upon Fort Prospect, some fifteen miles + to the eastward. This small post was held by a handful of Durham Artillery + Militia and of Dorsets. The attack was delivered by Grobler with several + hundred burghers, but it made no advance although it was pushed with great + vigour, and repeated many times in the course of the day. Captain Rowley, + who was in command, handled his men with such judgment that one killed and + eight wounded represented his casualties during a long day's fighting. + Here again the Boer losses were in proportion to the resolution of their + attack, and are said to have amounted to sixty killed and wounded. + Considering the impossibility of replacing the men, and the fruitless + waste of valuable ammunition, September 26th was an evil day for the Boer + cause. The British casualties amounted to seventy-three. + </p> + <p> + The water of the garrison of Fort Itala had been cut off early in the + attack, and their ammunition had run low by evening. Chapman withdrew his + men and his guns therefore to Nkandhla, where the survivors of his gallant + garrison received the special thanks of Lord Kitchener. The country around + was still swarming with Boers, and on the last day of September a convoy + from Melmoth fell into their hands and provided them with some badly + needed supplies. + </p> + <p> + But the check which he had received was sufficient to prevent any + important advance upon the part of Botha, while the swollen state of the + rivers put an additional obstacle in his way. Already the British + commanders, delighted to have at last discovered a definite objective, + were hurrying to the scene of action. Bruce Hamilton had reached Fort + Itala upon September 28th and Walter Kitchener had been despatched to + Vryheid. Two British forces, aided by smaller columns, were endeavouring + to surround the Boer leader. On October 6th Botha had fallen back to the + north-east of Vryheid, whither the British forces had followed him. Like + De Wet's invasion of the Cape, Botha's advance upon Natal had ended in + placing himself and his army in a critical position. On October 9th he had + succeeded in crossing the Privaan River, a branch of the Pongolo, and was + pushing north in the direction of Piet Retief, much helped by misty + weather and incessant rain. Some of his force escaped between the British + columns, and some remained in the kloofs and forests of that difficult + country. + </p> + <p> + Walter Kitchener, who had followed up the Boer retreat, had a brisk + engagement with the rearguard upon October 6th. The Boers shook themselves + clear with some loss, both to themselves and to their pursuers. On the + 10th those of the burghers who held together had reached Luneburg, and + shortly afterwards they had got completely away from the British columns. + The weather was atrocious, and the lumbering wagons, axle-deep in mud, + made it impossible for troops who were attached to them to keep in touch + with the light riders who sped before them. For some weeks there was no + word of the main Boer force, but at the end of that time they reappeared + in a manner which showed that both in numbers and in spirit they were + still a formidable body. + </p> + <p> + Of all the sixty odd British columns which were traversing the Boer states + there was not one which had a better record than that commanded by Colonel + Benson. During seven months of continuous service this small force, + consisting at that time of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders, the 2nd + Scottish Horse, the 18th and 19th Mounted Infantry, and two guns, had + acted with great energy, and had reduced its work to a complete and highly + effective system. Leaving the infantry as a camp guard, Benson operated + with mounted troops alone, and no Boer laager within fifty miles was safe + from his nocturnal visits. So skilful had he and his men become at these + night attacks in a strange, and often difficult country, that out of + twenty-eight attempts twenty-one resulted in complete success. In each + case the rule was simply to gallop headlong into the Boer laager, and to + go on chasing as far as the horses could go. The furious and reckless pace + may be judged by the fact that the casualties of the force were far + greater from falls than from bullets. In seven months forty-seven Boers + were killed and six hundred captured, to say nothing of enormous + quantities of munitions and stock. The success of these operations was + due, not only to the energy of Benson and his men, but to the untiring + exertions of Colonel Wools-Sampson, who acted as intelligence officer. If, + during his long persecution by President Kruger, Wools-Sampson in the + bitterness of his heart had vowed a feud against the Boer cause, it must + be acknowledged that he has most amply fulfilled it, for it would be + difficult to point to any single man who has from first to last done them + greater harm. + </p> + <p> + In October Colonel Benson's force was reorganised, and it then consisted + of the 2nd Buffs, the 2nd Scottish Horse, the 3rd and 25th Mounted + Infantry, and four guns of the 84th battery. With this force, numbering + nineteen hundred men, he left Middelburg upon the Delagoa line on October + 20th and proceeded south, crossing the course along which the Boers, who + were retiring from their abortive raid into Natal, might be expected to + come. For several days the column performed its familiar work, and + gathered up forty or fifty prisoners. On the 26th came news that the Boer + commandos under Grobler were concentrating against it, and that an attack + in force might be expected. For two days there was continuous sniping, and + the column as it moved through the country saw Boer horsemen keeping pace + with it on the far flanks and in the rear. The weather had been very bad, + and it was in a deluge of cold driving rain that the British set forth + upon October 30th, moving towards Brakenlaagte, which is a point about + forty miles due south of Middelburg. It was Benson's intention to return + to his base. + </p> + <p> + About midday the column, still escorted by large bodies of aggressive + Boers, came to a difficult spruit swollen by the rain. Here the wagons + stuck, and it took some hours to get them all across. The Boer fire was + continually becoming more severe, and had broken out at the head of the + column as well as the rear. The situation was rendered more difficult by + the violence of the rain, which raised a thick steam from the ground and + made it impossible to see for any distance. Major Anley, in command of the + rearguard, peering back, saw through a rift of the clouds a large body of + horsemen in extended order sweeping after them. 'There's miles of them, + begob!' cried an excited Irish trooper. Next instant the curtain had + closed once more, but all who had caught a glimpse of that vision knew + that a stern struggle was at hand. + </p> + <p> + At this moment two guns of the 84th battery under Major Guinness were in + action against Boer riflemen. As a rear screen on the farther side of the + guns was a body of the Scottish Horse and of the Yorkshire Mounted + Infantry. Near the guns themselves were thirty men of the Buffs. The rest + of the Buffs and of the Mounted Infantry were out upon the flanks or else + were with the advance guard, which was now engaged, under the direction of + Colonel Wools-Sampson, in parking the convoy and in forming the camp. + These troops played a small part in the day's fighting, the whole force of + which broke with irresistible violence upon the few hundred men who were + in front of or around the rear guns. Colonel Benson seems to have just + ridden back to the danger point when the Boers delivered their furious + attack. + </p> + <p> + Louis Botha with his commando is said to have ridden sixty miles in order + to join the forces of Grobler and Oppermann, and overwhelm the British + column. It may have been the presence of their commander or a desire to + have vengeance for the harrying which they had undergone upon the Natal + border, but whatever the reason, the Boer attack was made with a spirit + and dash which earned the enthusiastic applause of every soldier who + survived to describe it. With the low roar of a great torrent, several + hundred horsemen burst through the curtain of mist, riding at a furious + pace for the British guns. The rear screen of Mounted Infantry fell back + before this terrific rush, and the two bodies of horsemen came pell-mell + down upon the handful of Buffs and the guns. The infantry were ridden into + and surrounded by the Boers, who found nothing to stop them from galloping + on to the low ridge upon which the guns were stationed. This ridge was + held by eighty of the Scottish Horse and forty of the Yorkshire M.I., with + a few riflemen from the 25th Mounted Infantry. The latter were the escort + of the guns, but the former were the rear screen who had fallen back + rapidly because it was the game to do so, but who were in no way shaken, + and who instantly dismounted and formed when they reached a defensive + position. + </p> + <p> + These men had hardly time to take up their ground when the Boers were on + them. With that extraordinary quickness to adapt their tactics to + circumstances which is the chief military virtue of the Boers, the + horsemen did not gallop over the crest, but lined the edge of it, and + poured a withering fire on to the guns and the men beside them. The heroic + nature of the defence can be best shown by the plain figures of the + casualties. No rhetoric is needed to adorn that simple record. There were + thirty-two gunners round the guns, and twenty-nine fell where they stood. + Major Guinness was mortally wounded while endeavouring with his own hands + to fire a round of case. There were sixty-two casualties out of eighty + among the Scottish Horse, and the Yorkshires were practically annihilated. + Altogether 123 men fell, out of about 160 on the ridge. 'Hard pounding, + gentlemen,' as Wellington remarked at Waterloo, and British troops seemed + as ready as ever to endure it. + </p> + <p> + The gunners were, as usual, magnificent. Of the two little bullet-pelted + groups of men around the guns there was not one who did not stand to his + duty without flinching. Corporal Atkin was shot down with all his + comrades, but still endeavoured with his failing strength to twist the + breech-block out of the gun. Another bullet passed through his upraised + hands as he did it. Sergeant Hayes, badly wounded, and the last survivor + of the crew, seized the lanyard, crawled up the trail, and fired a last + round before he fainted. Sergeant Mathews, with three bullets through him, + kept steadily to his duty. Five drivers tried to bring up a limber and + remove the gun, but all of them, with all the horses, were hit. There have + been incidents in this war which have not increased our military + reputation, but you might search the classical records of valour and fail + to find anything finer than the consistent conduct of the British + artillery. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Benson was hit in the knee and again in the stomach, but wounded + as he was he despatched a message back to Wools-Sampson, asking him to + burst shrapnel over the ridge so as to prevent the Boers from carrying off + the guns. The burghers had ridden in among the litter of dead and wounded + men which marked the British position, and some of the baser of them, much + against the will of their commanders, handled the injured soldiers with + great brutality. The shell-fire drove them back, however, and the two guns + were left standing alone, with no one near them save their prostrate + gunners and escort. + </p> + <p> + There has been some misunderstanding as to the part played by the Buffs in + this action, and words have been used which seem to imply that they had in + some way failed their mounted companions. It is due to the honour of one + of the finest regiments in the British army to clear this up. As a matter + of fact, the greater part of the regiment under Major Dauglish was engaged + in defending the camp. Near the guns there were four separate small bodies + of Buffs, none of which appears to have been detailed as an escort. One of + these parties, consisting of thirty men under Lieutenant Greatwood, was + ridden over by the horsemen, and the same fate befell a party of twenty + who were far out upon the flank. Another small body under Lieutenant Lynch + was over taken by the same charge, and was practically destroyed, losing + nineteen killed and wounded out of thirty. In the rear of the guns was a + larger body of Buffs, 130 in number, under Major Eales. When the guns were + taken this handful attempted a counter-attack, but Eales soon saw that it + was a hopeless effort, and he lost thirty of his men before he could + extricate himself. Had these men been with the others on the gun ridge + they might have restored the fight, but they had not reached it when the + position was taken, and to persevere in the attempt to retake it would + have led to certain disaster. The only just criticism to which the + regiment is open is that, having just come off blockhouse duty, they were + much out of condition, which caused the men to straggle and the movements + to be unduly slow. + </p> + <p> + It was fortunate that the command of the column devolved upon so + experienced and cool-headed a soldier as Wools-Sampson. To attempt a + counter-attack for the purpose of recapturing the guns would, in case of + disaster, have risked the camp and the convoy. The latter was the prize + which the Boers had particularly in view, and to expose it would be to + play their game. Very wisely, therefore, Wools-Sampson held the attacking + Boers off with his guns and his riflemen, while every spare pair of hands + was set to work entrenching the position and making it impregnable against + attack. Outposts were stationed upon all those surrounding points which + might command the camp, and a summons to surrender from the Boer leader + was treated with contempt. All day a long-range fire, occasionally very + severe, rained upon the camp. Colonel Benson was brought in by the + ambulance, and used his dying breath in exhorting his subordinate to hold + out. 'No more night marches' are said to have been the last words spoken + by this gallant soldier as he passed away in the early morning after the + action. On October 31st the force remained on the defensive, but early on + November 1st the gleaming of two heliographs, one to the north-east and + one to the south-west, told that two British columns, those of De Lisle + and of Barter, were hastening to the rescue. But the Boers had passed as + the storm does, and nothing but their swathe of destruction was left to + show where they had been. They had taken away the guns during the night, + and were already beyond the reach of pursuit. + </p> + <p> + Such was the action at Brakenlaagte, which cost the British sixty men + killed and 170 wounded, together with two guns. Colonel Benson, Colonel + Guinness, Captain Eyre Lloyd of the Guards, Major Murray and Captain + Lindsay of the Scottish Horse, with seven other officers were among the + dead, while sixteen officers were wounded. The net result of the action + was that the British rear-guard had been annihilated, but that the main + body and the convoy, which was the chief object of the attack, was saved. + The Boer loss was considerable, being about one hundred and fifty. In + spite of the Boer success nothing could suit the British better than hard + fighting of the sort, since whatever the immediate result of it might be, + it must necessarily cause a wastage among the enemy which could never be + replaced. The gallantry of the Boer charge was only equalled by that of + the resistance offered round the guns, and it is an action to which both + sides can look back without shame or regret. It was feared that the + captured guns would soon be used to break the blockhouse line, but nothing + of the kind was attempted, and within a few weeks they were both recovered + by British columns. + </p> + <p> + In order to make a consecutive and intelligible narrative, I will continue + with an account of the operations in this south-eastern portion of the + Transvaal from the action of Brakenlaagte down to the end of the year + 1901. These were placed in the early part of November, under the supreme + command of General Bruce Hamilton, and that energetic commander set in + motion a number of small columns, which effected numerous captures. He was + much helped in his work by the new lines of blockhouses, one of which + extended from Standerton to Ermelo, while another connected Brugspruit + with Greylingstad. The huge country was thus cut into manageable + districts, and the fruits were soon seen by the large returns of prisoners + which came from this part of the seat of war. + </p> + <p> + Upon December 3rd Bruce Hamilton, who had the valuable assistance of + Wools-Sampson to direct his intelligence, struck swiftly out from Ermelo + and fell upon a Boer laager in the early morning, capturing ninety-six + prisoners. On the 10th he overwhelmed the Bethel commando by a similar + march, killing seven and capturing 131. Williams and Wing commanded + separate columns in this operation, and their energy may be judged from + the fact that they covered fifty-one miles during the twenty-four hours. + On the 12th Hamilton's columns were on the war-path once more, and another + commando was wiped out. Sixteen killed and seventy prisoners were the + fruits of this expedition. For the second time in a week the columns had + done their fifty miles a day, and it was no surprise to hear from their + commander that they were in need of a rest. Nearly four hundred prisoners + had been taken from the most warlike portion of the Transvaal in ten days + by one energetic commander, with a list of twenty-five casualties to + ourselves. The thanks of the Secretary of War were specially sent to him + for his brilliant work. From then until the end of the year 1901, numbers + of smaller captures continued to be reported from the same region, where + Plumer, Spens, Mackenzie, Rawlinson, and others were working. On the other + hand there was one small setback which occurred to a body of two hundred + Mounted Infantry under Major Bridgford, who had been detached from Spens's + column to search some farmhouses at a place called Holland, to the south + of Ermelo. The expedition set forth upon the night of December 19th, and + next morning surrounded and examined the farms. + </p> + <p> + The British force became divided in doing this work, and were suddenly + attacked by several hundred of Britz's commando, who came to close + quarters through their khaki dress, which enabled them to pass as Plumer's + vanguard. The brunt of the fight fell upon an outlying body of fifty men, + nearly all of whom were killed, wounded or taken. A second body of fifty + men were overpowered in the same way, after a creditable defence. Fifteen + of the British were killed and thirty wounded, while Bridgford the + commander was also taken. Spens came up shortly afterwards with the + column, and the Boers were driven off. There seems every reason to think + that upon this occasion the plans of the British had leaked out, and that + a deliberate ambush had been laid for them round the farms, but in such + operations these are chances against which it is not always possible to + guard. Considering the number of the Boers, and the cleverness of their + dispositions, the British were fortunate in being able to extricate their + force without greater loss, a feat which was largely due to the leading of + Lieutenant Sterling. + </p> + <p> + Leaving the Eastern Transvaal, the narrative must now return to several + incidents of importance which had occurred at various points of the seat + of war during the latter months of 1901. + </p> + <p> + On September 19th, two days after Gough's disaster, a misfortune occurred + near Bloemfontein by which two guns and a hundred and forty men fell + temporarily into the hands of the enemy. These guns, belonging to U + battery, were moving south under an escort of Mounted Infantry, from that + very Sanna's Post which had been so fatal to the same battery eighteen + months before. When fifteen miles south of the Waterworks, at a place + called Vlakfontein (another Vlakfontein from that of General Dixon's + engagement), the small force was surrounded and captured by Ackermann's + commando. The gunner officer, Lieutenant Barry, died beside his guns in + the way that gunner officers have. Guns and men were taken, however, the + latter to be released, and the former to be recovered a week or two later + by the British columns. It is certainly a credit to the Boers that the + spring campaign should have opened by four British guns falling into their + hands, and it is impossible to withhold our admiration for those gallant + farmers who, after two years of exhausting warfare, were still able to + turn upon a formidable and victorious enemy, and to renovate their + supplies at his expense. + </p> + <p> + Two days later, hard on the heels of Gough's mishap, of the Vlakfontein + incident, and of the annihilation of the squadron of Lancers in the Cape, + there was a serious affair at Elands Kloof, near Zastron, in the extreme + south of the Orange River Colony. In this a detachment of the Highland + Scouts raised by the public spirit of Lord Lovat was surprised at night + and very severely handled by Kritzinger's commando. The loss of Colonel + Murray, their commander, of the adjutant of the same name, and of + forty-two out of eighty of the Scouts, shows how fell was the attack, + which broke as sudden and as strong as a South African thunderstorm upon + the unconscious camp. The Boers appear to have eluded the outposts and + crept right among the sleeping troops, as they did in the case of the + Victorians at Wilmansrust. Twelve gunners were also hit, and the only + field gun taken. The retiring Boers were swiftly followed up by + Thorneycroft's column, however, and the gun was retaken, together with + twenty of Kritzinger's men. It must be confessed that there seems some + irony in the fact that, within five days of the British ruling by which + the Boers were no longer a military force, these non-belligerents had + inflicted a loss of nearly six hundred men killed, wounded, or taken. Two + small commandos, that of Koch in the Orange River Colony, and that of + Carolina, had been captured by Williams and Benson. Combined they only + numbered a hundred and nine men, but here, as always, they were men who + could never be replaced. + </p> + <p> + Those who had followed the war with care, and had speculated upon the + future, were prepared on hearing of Botha's movement upon Natal to learn + that De la Rey had also made some energetic attack in the western quarter + of the Transvaal. Those who had formed this expectation were not + disappointed, for upon the last day of September the Boer chief struck + fiercely at Kekewich's column in a vigorous night attack, which led to as + stern an encounter as any in the campaign. This was the action at + Moedwill, near Magato Nek, in the Magaliesberg. + </p> + <p> + When last mentioned De la Rey was in the Marico district, near Zeerust, + where he fought two actions with Methuen in the early part of September. + Thence he made his way to Rustenburg and into the Magaliesberg country, + where he joined Kemp. The Boer force was followed up by two British + columns under Kekewich and Fetherstonhaugh. The former commander had + camped upon the night of Sunday, September 30th, at the farm of Moedwill, + in a strong position within a triangle formed by the Selous River on the + west, a donga on the east, and the Zeerust-Rustenburg road as a base. The + apex of the triangle pointed north, with a ridge on the farther side of + the river. + </p> + <p> + The men with Kekewich were for the most part the same as those who had + fought in the Vlakfontein engagement—the Derbys, the 1st Scottish + Horse, the Yeomanry, and the 28th R.F.A. Every precaution appears to have + been taken by the leader, and his pickets were thrown out so far that + ample warning was assured of an attack. The Boer onslaught came so + suddenly and fiercely, however, in the early morning, that the posts upon + the river bank were driven in or destroyed and the riflemen from the ridge + on the farther side were able to sweep the camp with their fire. In + numbers the two forces were not unequal, but the Boers had already + obtained the tactical advantage, and were playing a game in which they are + the schoolmasters of the world. Never has the British spirit flamed up + more fiercely, and from the commander to the latest yeoman recruit there + was not a man who flinched from a difficult and almost a desperate task. + The Boers must at all hazard be driven from the position which enabled + them to command the camp. No retreat was possible without such an + abandonment of stores as would amount to a disaster. In the confusion and + the uncertain light of early dawn there was no chance of a concerted + movement, though Kekewich made such dispositions as were possible with + admirable coolness and promptness. Squadrons and companies closed in upon + the river bank with the one thought of coming to close quarters and + driving the enemy from their commanding position. Already more than half + the horses and a very large number of officers and men had gone down + before the pelting bullets. Scottish Horse, Yeomanry, and Derbys pushed + on, the young soldiers of the two former corps keeping pace with the + veteran regiment. 'All the men behaved simply splendidly,' said a + spectator, 'taking what little cover there was and advancing yard by yard. + An order was given to try and saddle up a squadron, with the idea of + getting round their flank. I had the saddle almost on one of my ponies + when he was hit in two places. Two men trying to saddle alongside of me + were both shot dead, and Lieutenant Wortley was shot through the knee. I + ran back to where I had been firing from and found the Colonel slightly + hit, the Adjutant wounded and dying, and men dead and wounded all round.' + But the counter-attack soon began to make way. At first the advance was + slow, but soon it quickened into a magnificent rush, the wounded Kekewich + whooping on his men, and the guns coming into action as the enemy began to + fall back before the fierce charge of the British riflemen. At six o'clock + De la Rey's burghers had seen that their attempt was hopeless, and were in + full retreat—a retreat which could not be harassed by the victors, + whose cavalry had been converted by that hail of bullets into footmen. The + repulse had been absolute and complete, for not a man or a cartridge had + been taken from the British, but the price paid in killed and wounded was + a heavy one. No fewer than 161 had been hit, including the gallant leader, + whose hurt did not prevent him from resuming his duties within a few days. + The heaviest losses fell upon the Scottish Horse, and upon the Derbys; but + the Yeomanry also proved on this, as on some other occasions, how + ungenerous were the criticisms to which they had been exposed. There are + few actions in the war which appear to have been more creditable to the + troops engaged. + </p> + <p> + Though repulsed at Moedwill, De la Rey, the grim, long-bearded fighting + man, was by no means discouraged. From the earliest days of the campaign, + when he first faced Methuen upon the road to Kimberley, he had shown that + he was a most dangerous antagonist, tenacious, ingenious, and indomitable. + With him were a body of irreconcilable burghers, who were the veterans of + many engagements, and in Kemp he had an excellent fighting subordinate. + His command extended over a wide stretch of populous country, and at any + time he could bring considerable reinforcements to his aid, who would + separate again to their farms and hiding-places when their venture was + accomplished. For some weeks after the fight at Moedwill the Boer forces + remained quiet in that district. Two British columns had left Zeerust on + October 17th, under Methuen and Von Donop, in order to sweep the + surrounding country, the one working in the direction of Elands River and + the other in that of Rustenburg. They returned to Zeerust twelve days + later, after a successful foray, which had been attended with much sniping + and skirmishing, but only one action which is worthy of record. + </p> + <p> + This was fought on October 24th at a spot near Kleinfontein, upon the + Great Marico River, which runs to the north-east of Zeerust. Von Donop's + column was straggling through very broken and bush-covered country when it + was furiously charged in the flank and rear by two separate bodies of + burghers. Kemp, who commanded the flank attack, cut into the line of + wagons and destroyed eight of them, killing many of the Kaffir drivers, + before he could be driven off. De la Rey and Steenkamp, who rushed the + rear-guard, had a more desperate contest. The Boer horsemen got among the + two guns of the 4th R.F.A., and held temporary possession of them, but the + small escort were veterans of the 'Fighting Fifth,' who lived up to the + traditions of their famous north-country regiment. Of the gun crews of the + section, amounting to about twenty-six men, the young officer, Hill, and + sixteen men were hit. Of the escort of Northumberland Fusiliers hardly a + man was left standing, and forty-one of the supporting Yeomanry were + killed and wounded. It was for some little time a fierce and concentrated + struggle at the shortest of ranges. The British horsemen came galloping to + the rescue, however, and the attack was finally driven back into that + broken country from which it had come. Forty dead Boers upon the ground, + with their brave chieftain, Ouisterhuisen, amongst them, showed how + manfully the attack had been driven home. The British losses were + twenty-eight killed and fifty-six wounded. Somewhat mauled, and with eight + missing wagons, the small column made its way back to Zeerust. + </p> + <p> + From this incident until the end of the year nothing of importance + occurred in this part of the seat of war, save for a sharp and + well-managed action at Beestekraal upon October 29th, in which + seventy-nine Boers were surrounded and captured by Kekewich's horsemen. + The process of attrition went very steadily forwards, and each of the + British columns returned its constant tale of prisoners. The blockhouse + system had now been extended to such an extent that the Magaliesberg was + securely held, and a line had been pushed through from Klerksdorp and + Fredericstad to Ventersdorp. One of Colonel Hickie's Yeomanry patrols was + roughly handled near Brakspruit upon November 13th, but with this + exception the points scored were all upon one side. Methuen and Kekewich + came across early in November from Zeerust to Klerksdorp, and operated + from the railway line. The end of the year saw them both in the + Wolmaranstad district, where they were gathering up prisoners and clearing + the country. + </p> + <p> + Of the events in the other parts of the Transvaal, during the last three + months of the year 1901, there is not much to be said. In all parts the + lines of blockhouses and of constabulary posts were neutralising the Boer + mobility, and bringing them more and more within reach of the British. The + only fighting forces left in the Transvaal were those under Botha in the + south-east and those under De la Rey in the west. The others attempted + nothing save to escape from their pursuers, and when overtaken they + usually gave in without serious opposition. Among the larger hauls may be + mentioned that of Dawkins in the Nylstrom district (seventy-six + prisoners), Kekewich (seventy-eight), Colenbrander in the north + (fifty-seven), Dawkins and Colenbrander (104), Colenbrander (sixty-two); + but the great majority of the captures were in smaller bodies, gleaned + from the caves, the kloofs, and the farmhouses. + </p> + <p> + Only two small actions during these months appear to call for any separate + notice. The first was an attack made by Buys' commando, upon November + 20th, on the Railway Pioneers when at work near Villiersdorp, in the + extreme north-east of the Orange River Colony. This corps, consisting + mainly of miners from Johannesburg, had done invaluable service during the + war. On this occasion a working party of them was suddenly attacked, and + most of them taken prisoners. Major Fisher, who commanded the pioneers, + was killed, and three other officers with several men were wounded. + Colonel Rimington's column appeared upon the scene, however, and drove off + the Boers, who left their leader, Buys, a wounded prisoner in our hands. + </p> + <p> + The second action was a sharp attack delivered by Muller's Boers upon + Colonel Park's column on the night of December 19th, at Elandspruit. The + fight was sharp while it lasted, but it ended in the repulse of the + assailants. The British casualties were six killed and twenty-four + wounded. The Boers, who left eight dead behind them, suffered probably to + about the same extent. + </p> + <p> + Already the most striking and pleasing feature in the Transvaal was the + tranquillity of its central provinces, and the way in which the population + was settling down to its old avocations. Pretoria had resumed its normal + quiet life, while its larger and more energetic neighbour was rapidly + recovering from its two years of paralysis. Every week more stamps were + dropped in the mines, and from month to month a steady increase in the + output showed that the great staple industry of the place would soon be as + vigorous as ever. Most pleasing of all was the restoration of safety upon + the railway lines, which, save for some precautions at night, had resumed + their normal traffic. When the observer took his eyes from the dark clouds + which shadowed every horizon, he could not but rejoice at the + ever-widening central stretch of peaceful blue which told that the storm + was nearing its end. + </p> + <p> + Having now dealt with the campaign in the Transvaal down to the end of + 1901, it only remains to bring the chronicle of the events in the Orange + River Colony down to the same date. Reference has already been made to two + small British reverses which occurred in September, the loss of two guns + to the south of the Waterworks near Bloemfontein, and the surprise of the + camp of Lord Lovat's Scouts. There were some indications at this time that + a movement had been planned through the passes of the Drakensberg by a + small Free State force which should aid Louis Botha's invasion of Natal. + The main movement was checked, however, and the demonstration in aid of it + came to nothing. + </p> + <p> + The blockhouse system had been developed to a very complete extent in the + Orange River Colony, and the small bands of Boers found it increasingly + difficult to escape from the British columns who were for ever at their + heels. The southern portion of the country had been cut off from the + northern by a line which extended through Bloemfontein on the east to the + Basuto frontier, and on the west to Jacobsdal. To the south of this line + the Boer resistance had practically ceased, although several columns moved + continually through it, and gleaned up the broken fragments of the + commandos. The north-west had also settled down to a large extent, and + during the last three months of 1901 no action of importance occurred in + that region. Even in the turbulent north-east, which had always been the + centre of resistance, there was little opposition to the British columns, + which continued every week to send in their tale of prisoners. Of the + column commanders, Williams, Damant, Du Moulin, Lowry Cole, and Wilson + were the most successful. In their operations they were much aided by the + South African Constabulary. One young officer of this force, Major + Pack-Beresford, especially distinguished himself by his gallantry and + ability. His premature death from enteric was a grave loss to the British + army. Save for one skirmish of Colonel Wilson's early in October, and + another of Byng's on November 14th, there can hardly be said to have been + any actual fighting until the events late in December which I am about to + describe. + </p> + <p> + In the meanwhile the peaceful organisation of the country was being pushed + forward as rapidly as in the Transvaal, although here the problems + presented were of a different order, and the population an exclusively + Dutch one. The schools already showed a higher attendance than in the days + before the war, while a continual stream of burghers presented themselves + to take the oath of allegiance, and even to join the ranks against their + own irreconcilable countrymen, whom they looked upon with justice as the + real authors of their troubles. + </p> + <p> + Towards the end of November there were signs that the word had gone forth + for a fresh concentration of the fighting Boers in their old haunts in the + Heilbron district, and early in December it was known that the + indefatigable De Wet was again in the field. He had remained quiet so long + that there had been persistent rumours of his injury and even of his + death, but he was soon to show that he was as alive as ever. President + Steyn was ill of a most serious complaint, caused possibly by the mental + and physical sufferings which he had undergone; but with an indomitable + resolution which makes one forget and forgive the fatuous policy which + brought him and his State to such a pass, he still appeared in his Cape + cart at the laager of the faithful remnant of his commandos. To those who + remembered how widespread was our conviction of the half-heartedness of + the Free Staters at the outbreak of the war, it was indeed a revelation to + see them after two years still making a stand against the forces which had + crushed them. + </p> + <p> + It had been long evident that the present British tactics of scouring the + country and capturing the isolated burghers must in time bring the war to + a conclusion. From the Boer point of view the only hope, or at least the + only glory, lay in reassembling once more in larger bodies and trying + conclusions with some of the British columns. It was with this purpose + that De Wet early in December assembled Wessels, Manie Botha, and others + of his lieutenants, together with a force of about two thousand men, in + the Heilbron district. Small as this force was, it was admirably mobile, + and every man in it was a veteran, toughened and seasoned by two years of + constant fighting. De Wet's first operations were directed against an + isolated column of Colonel Wilson's, which was surrounded within twenty + miles of Heilbron. Rimington, in response to a heliographic call for + assistance, hurried with admirable promptitude to the scene of action, and + joined hands with Wilson. De Wet's men were as numerous, however, as the + two columns combined, and they harassed the return march into Heilbron. A + determined attack was made on the convoy and on the rearguard, but it was + beaten off. That night Rimington's camp was fired into by a large body of + Boers, but he had cleverly moved his men away from the fires, so that no + harm was done. The losses in these operations were small, but with troops + which had not been trained in this method of fighting the situation would + have been a serious one. For a fortnight or more after this the burghers + contented themselves by skirmishing with British columns and avoiding a + drive which Elliot's forces made against them. On December 18th they took + the offensive, however, and within a week fought three actions, two of + which ended in their favour. + </p> + <p> + News had come to British headquarters that Kaffir's Kop, to the north-west + of Bethlehem, was a centre of Boer activity. Three columns were therefore + turned in that direction, Elliot's, Barker's, and Dartnell's. Some + desultory skirmishing ensued, which was only remarkable for the death of + Haasbroek, a well-known Boer leader. As the columns separated again, + unable to find an objective, De Wet suddenly showed one of them that their + failure was not due to his absence. Dartnell had retraced his steps nearly + as far as Eland's River Bridge, when the Boer leader sprang out of his + lair in the Langberg and threw himself upon him. The burghers attempted to + ride in, as they had successfully done at Brakenlaagte, but they were + opposed by the steady old troopers of the two regiments of Imperial Horse, + and by a General who was familiar with every Boer ruse. The horsemen never + got nearer than 150 yards to the British line, and were beaten back by the + steady fire which met them. Finding that he made no headway, and learning + that Campbell's column was coming up from Bethlehem, De Wet withdrew his + men after four hours' fighting. Fifteen were hit upon the British side, + and the Boer loss seems to have been certainly as great or greater. + </p> + <p> + De Wet's general aim in his operations seems to have been to check the + British blockhouse building. With his main force in the Langberg he could + threaten the line which was now being erected between Bethlehem and + Harrismith, a line against which his main commando was destined, only two + months later, to beat itself in vain. Sixty miles to the north a second + line was being run across country from Frankfort to Standerton, and had + reached a place called Tafelkop. A covering party of East Lancashires and + Yeomanry watched over the workers, but De Wet had left a portion of his + force in that neighbourhood, and they harassed the blockhouse builders to + such an extent that General Hamilton, who was in command, found it + necessary to send in to Frankfort for support. The British columns there + had just returned exhausted from a drive, but three bodies under Damant, + Rimington, and Wilson were at once despatched to clear away the enemy. + </p> + <p> + The weather was so atrocious that the veld resembled an inland sea, with + the kopjes as islands rising out of it. By this stage of the war the + troops were hardened to all weathers, and they pushed swiftly on to the + scene of action. As they approached the spot where the Boers had been + reported, the line had been extended over many miles, with the result that + it had become very attenuated and dangerously weak in the centre. At this + point Colonel Damant and his small staff were alone with the two guns and + the maxim, save for a handful of Imperial Yeomanry (91st), who acted as + escort to the guns. Across the face of this small force there rode a body + of men in khaki uniforms, keeping British formation, and actually firing + bogus volleys from time to time in the direction of some distant Boers. + Damant and his staff seem to have taken it for granted that these were + Rimington's men, and the clever ruse succeeded to perfection. Nearer and + nearer came the strangers, and suddenly throwing off all disguise, they + made a dash for the guns. Four rounds of case failed to stop them, and in + a few minutes they were over the kopje on which the guns stood and had + ridden among the gunners, supported in their attack by a flank fire from a + number of dismounted riflemen. + </p> + <p> + The instant that the danger was realised Damant, his staff, and the forty + Yeomen who formed the escort dashed for the crest in the hope of + anticipating the Boers. So rapid was the charge of the others that they + had overwhelmed the gunners before the supports could reach the hill, and + the latter found themselves under the deadly fire of the Boer rifles from + above. Damant was hit in four places, all of his staff were wounded, and + hardly a man of the small body of Yeomanry was left standing. Nothing + could exceed their gallantry. Gaussen their captain fell at their head. On + the ridge the men about the guns were nearly all killed or wounded. Of the + gun detachment only two men remained, both of them hit, and Jeffcoat their + dying captain bequeathed them fifty pounds each in a will drawn upon the + spot. In half an hour the centre of the British line had been absolutely + annihilated. Modern warfare is on the whole much less bloody than of old, + but when one party has gained the tactical mastery it is a choice between + speedy surrender and total destruction. + </p> + <p> + The wide-spread British wings had begun to understand that there was + something amiss, and to ride in towards the centre. An officer on the far + right peering through his glasses saw those tell-tale puffs at the very + muzzles of the British guns, which showed that they were firing case at + close quarters. He turned his squadron inwards and soon gathered up + Scott's squadron of Damant's Horse, and both rode for the kopje. + Rimington's men were appearing on the other side, and the Boers rode off. + They were unable to remove the guns which they had taken, because all the + horses had perished. 'I actually thought,' says one officer who saw them + ride away, 'that I had made a mistake and been fighting our own men. They + were dressed in our uniforms and some of them wore the tiger-skin, the + badge of Damant's Horse, round their hats.' The same officer gives an + account of the scene on the gun-kopje. 'The result when we got to the guns + was this, gunners all killed except two (both wounded), pom-pom officers + and men all killed, maxim all killed, 91st (the gun escort) one officer + and one man not hit, all the rest killed or wounded; staff, every officer + hit.' That is what it means to those who are caught in the vortex of the + cyclone. The total loss was about seventy-five. + </p> + <p> + In this action the Boers, who were under the command of Wessels, delivered + their attack with a cleverness and dash which deserved success. Their + stratagem, however, depending as it did upon the use of British uniforms + and methods, was illegitimate by all the laws of war, and one can but + marvel at the long-suffering patience of officers and men who endured such + things without any attempt at retaliation. There is too much reason to + believe also, that considerable brutality was shown by those Boers who + carried the kopje, and the very high proportion of killed to wounded among + the British who lay there corroborates the statement of the survivors that + several were shot at close quarters after all resistance had ceased. + </p> + <p> + This rough encounter of Tafelkop was followed only four days later by a + very much more serious one at Tweefontein, which proved that even after + two years of experience we had not yet sufficiently understood the courage + and the cunning of our antagonist. The blockhouse line was being gradually + extended from Harrismith to Bethlehem, so as to hold down this turbulent + portion of the country. The Harrismith section had been pushed as far as + Tweefontein, which is nine miles west of Elands River Bridge, and here a + small force was stationed to cover the workers. This column consisted of + four squadrons of the 4th Imperial Yeomanry, one gun of the 79th battery, + and one pom-pom, the whole under the temporary command of Major Williams + of the South Staffords, Colonel Firmin being absent. + </p> + <p> + Knowing that De Wet and his men were in the neighbourhood, the camp of the + Yeomen had been pitched in a position which seemed to secure it against + attack. A solitary kopje presented a long slope to the north, while the + southern end was precipitous. The outposts were pushed well out upon the + plain, and a line of sentries was placed along the crest. The only + precaution which seems to have been neglected was to have other outposts + at the base of the southern declivity. It appears to have been taken for + granted, however, that no attack was to be apprehended from that side, and + that in any case it would be impossible to evade the vigilance of the + sentries upon the top. + </p> + <p> + Of all the daring and skilful attacks delivered by the Boers during the + war there is certainly none more remarkable than this one. At two o'clock + in the morning of a moonlight night De Wet's forlorn hope assembled at the + base of the hill and clambered up to the summit. The fact that it was + Christmas Eve may conceivably have had something to do with the want of + vigilance upon the part of the sentries. In a season of good will and + conviviality the rigour of military discipline may insensibly relax. + Little did the sleeping Yeomen in the tents, or the drowsy outposts upon + the crest, think of the terrible Christmas visitors who were creeping on + to them, or of the grim morning gift which Santa Claus was bearing. + </p> + <p> + The Boers, stealing up in their stockinged feet, poured under the crest + until they were numerous enough to make a rush. It is almost inconceivable + how they could have got so far without their presence being suspected by + the sentries—but so it was. At last, feeling strong enough to + advance, they sprang over the crest and fired into the pickets, and past + them into the sleeping camp. The top of the hill being once gained, there + was nothing to prevent their comrades from swarming up, and in a very few + minutes nearly a thousand Boers were in a position to command the camp. + The British were not only completely outnumbered, but were hurried from + their sleep into the fight without any clear idea as to the danger or how + to meet it, while the hissing sleet of bullets struck many of them down as + they rushed out of their tents. Considering how terrible the ordeal was to + which they were exposed, these untried Yeomen seem to have behaved very + well. 'Some brave gentlemen ran away at the first shot, but I am thankful + to say they were not many,' says one of their number. The most veteran + troops would have been tried very high had they been placed in such a + position. 'The noise and the clamour,' says one spectator, 'were awful. + The yells of the Dutch, the screams and shrieks of dying men and horses, + the cries of natives, howls of dogs, the firing, the galloping of horses, + the whistling of bullets, and the whirr volleys make in the air, made up + such a compound of awful and diabolical sounds as I never heard before nor + hope to hear again. In the confusion some of the men killed each other and + some killed themselves. Two Boers who put on helmets were killed by their + own people. The men were given no time to rally or to collect their + thoughts, for the gallant Boers barged right into them, shooting them + down, and occasionally being shot down, at a range of a few yards. Harwich + and Watney, who had charge of the maxim, died nobly with all the men of + their gun section round them. Reed, the sergeant-major, rushed at the + enemy with his clubbed rifle, but was riddled with bullets. Major + Williams, the commander, was shot through the stomach as he rallied his + men. The gunners had time to fire two rounds before they were overpowered + and shot down to a man. For half an hour the resistance was maintained, + but at the end of that time the Boers had the whole camp in their + possession, and were already hastening to get their prisoners away before + the morning should bring a rescue. + </p> + <p> + The casualties are in themselves enough to show how creditable was the + resistance of the Yeomanry. Out of a force of under four hundred men they + had six officers and fifty-one men killed, eight officers and eighty men + wounded. There have been very few surrenders during the war in which there + has been such evidence as this of a determined stand. Nor was it a + bloodless victory upon the part of the Boers, for there was evidence that + their losses, though less than those of the British, were still severe. + </p> + <p> + The prisoners, over two hundred in number, were hurried away by the Boers, + who seemed under the immediate eye of De Wet to have behaved with + exemplary humanity to the wounded. The captives were taken by forced + marches to the Basuto border, where they were turned adrift, half clad and + without food. By devious ways and after many adventures, they all made + their way back again to the British lines. It was well for De Wet that he + had shown such promptness in getting away, for within three hours of the + end of the action the two regiments of Imperial Horse appeared upon the + scene, having travelled seventeen miles in the time. Already, however, the + rearguard of the Boers was disappearing into the fastness of the Langberg, + where all pursuit was vain. + </p> + <p> + Such was the short but vigorous campaign of De Wet in the last part of + December of the year 1901. It had been a brilliant one, but none the less + his bolt was shot, and Tweefontein was the last encounter in which British + troops should feel his heavy hand. His operations, bold as they had been, + had not delayed by a day the building of that iron cage which was + gradually enclosing him. Already it was nearly completed, and in a few + more weeks he was destined to find himself and his commando struggling + against bars. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0037" id="link2HCH0037"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 37. THE CAMPAIGN OF JANUARY TO APRIL, 1902. + </h2> + <p> + At the opening of the year 1902 it was evident to every observer that the + Boer resistance, spirited as it was, must be nearing its close. By a long + succession of captures their forces were much reduced in numbers. They + were isolated from the world, and had no means save precarious smuggling + of renewing their supplies of ammunition. It was known also that their + mobility, which had been their great strength, was decreasing, and that in + spite of their admirable horsemastership their supply of remounts was + becoming exhausted. An increasing number of the burghers were volunteering + for service against their own people, and it was found that all fears as + to this delicate experiment were misplaced, and that in the whole army + there were no keener and more loyal soldiers. + </p> + <p> + The chief factor, however, in bringing the Boers to their knees was the + elaborate and wonderful blockhouse system, which had been strung across + the whole of the enemy's country. The original blockhouses had been far + apart, and were a hindrance and an annoyance rather than an absolute + barrier to the burghers. The new models, however, were only six hundred + yards apart, and were connected by such impenetrable strands of wire that + a Boer pithily described it by saying that if one's hat blew over the line + anywhere between Ermelo and Standerton one had to walk round Ermelo to + fetch it. Use was made of such barriers by the Spaniards in Cuba, but an + application of them on such a scale over such an enormous tract of country + is one of the curiosities of warfare, and will remain one of several + novelties which will make the South African campaign for ever interesting + to students of military history. + </p> + <p> + The spines of this great system were always the railway lines, which were + guarded on either side, and down which, as down a road, went flocks, + herds, pedestrians, and everything which wished to travel in safety. From + these long central cords the lines branched out to right and left, cutting + up the great country into manageable districts. A category of them would + but weary the reader, but suffice it that by the beginning of the year the + south-east of the Transvaal and the north-east of the Orange River Colony, + the haunts of Botha and De Wet, had been so intersected that it was + obvious that the situation must soon be impossible for both of them. Only + on the west of the Transvaal was there a clear run for De la Rey and Kemp. + Hence it was expected, as actually occurred, that in this quarter the most + stirring events of the close of the campaign would happen. + </p> + <p> + General Bruce Hamilton in the Eastern Transvaal had continued the + energetic tactics which had given such good results in the past. With the + new year his number of prisoners fell, but he had taken so many, and had + hustled the remainder to such an extent, that the fight seemed to have + gone out of the Boers in this district. On January 1st he presented the + first-fruits of the year in the shape of twenty-two of Grobler's burghers. + On the 3rd he captured forty-nine, while Wing, co-operating with him, took + twenty more. Among these was General Erasmus, who had helped, or failed to + help, General Lucas Meyer at Talana Hill. On the 10th Colonel Wing's + column, which was part of Hamilton's force, struck out again and took + forty-two prisoners, including the two Wolmarans. Only two days later + Hamilton returned to the same spot, and was rewarded with thirty-two more + captures. On the 18th he took twenty-seven, on the 24th twelve, and on the + 26th no fewer than ninety. So severe were these blows, and so difficult + was it for the Boers to know how to get away from an antagonist who was + ready to ride thirty miles in a night in order to fall upon their laager, + that the enemy became much scattered and too demoralised for offensive + operations. Finding that they had grown too shy in this much shot over + district, Hamilton moved farther south, and early in March took a cast + round the Vryheid district, where he made some captures, notably General + Cherry Emmett, a descendant of the famous Irish rebel, and brother-in-law + of Louis Botha. For all these repeated successes it was to the + Intelligence Department, so admirably controlled by Colonel Wools-Sampson, + that thanks are mainly due. + </p> + <p> + Whilst Bruce Hamilton was operating so successfully in the Ermelo + district, several British columns under Plumer, Spens, and Colville were + stationed some fifty miles south to prevent the fugitives from getting + away into the mountainous country which lies to the north of Wakkerstroom. + On January 3rd a small force of Plumer's New Zealanders had a brisk + skirmish with a party of Boers, whose cattle they captured, though at some + loss to themselves. These Boers were strongly reinforced, however, and + when on the following day Major Vallentin pursued them with fifty men he + found himself at Onverwacht in the presence of several hundred of the + enemy, led by Oppermann and Christian Botha. Vallentin was killed and + almost all of his small force were hit before British reinforcements, + under Colonel Pulteney, drove the Boers off. Nineteen killed and + twenty-three wounded were our losses in this most sanguinary little + skirmish. Nine dead Boers, with Oppermann himself, were left upon the + field of battle. His loss was a serious one to the enemy, as he was one of + their most experienced Generals. + </p> + <p> + From that time until the end these columns, together with Mackenzie's + column to the north of Ermelo, continued to break up all combinations, and + to send in their share of prisoners to swell Lord Kitchener's weekly list. + A final drive, organised on April 11th against the Standerton line, + resulted in 134 prisoners. + </p> + <p> + In spite of the very large army in South Africa, so many men were absorbed + by the huge lines of communications and the blockhouse system that the + number available for active operations was never more than forty or fifty + thousand men. With another fifty thousand there is no doubt that at least + six months would have been taken from the duration of the war. On account + of this shorthandedness Lord Kitchener had to leave certain districts + alone, while he directed his attention to those which were more essential. + Thus to the north of the Delagoa Railway line there was only one town, + Lydenburg, which was occupied by the British. They had, however, an + energetic commander in Park of the Devons. This leader, striking out from + his stronghold among the mountains, and aided by Urmston from Belfast, + kept the commando of Ben Viljoen and the peripatetic Government of Schalk + Burger continually upon the move. As already narrated, Park fought a sharp + night action upon December 19th, after which, in combination with Urmston, + he occupied Dulstroom, only missing the government by a few hours. In + January Park and Urmston were again upon the war-path, though the + incessant winds, fogs, and rains of that most inclement portion of the + Transvaal seriously hampered their operations. Several skirmishes with the + commandos of Muller and Trichardt gave no very decisive result, but a + piece of luck befell the British on January 25th in the capture of General + Viljoen by an ambuscade cleverly arranged by Major Orr in the + neighbourhood of Lydenburg. Though a great firebrand before the war, + Viljoen had fought bravely and honourably throughout the contest, and he + had won the respect and esteem of his enemy. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Park had had no great success in his last two expeditions, but on + February 20th he made an admirable march, and fell upon a Boer laager + which lay in placid security in the heart of the hills. One hundred and + sixty-four prisoners, including many Boer officers, were the fruits of + this success, in which the National Scouts, or 'tame Boers,' as they were + familiarly called, played a prominent part. This commando was that of + Middelburg, which was acting as escort to the government, who again + escaped dissolution. Early in March Park was again out on trek, upon one + occasion covering seventy miles in a single day. Nothing further of + importance came from this portion of the seat of war until March 23rd, + when the news reached England that Schalk Burger, Reitz, Lucas Meyer, and + others of the Transvaal Government had come into Middelburg, and that they + were anxious to proceed to Pretoria to treat. On the Eastern horizon had + appeared the first golden gleam of the dawning peace. + </p> + <p> + Having indicated the course of events in the Eastern Transvaal, north and + south of the railway line, I will now treat one or two incidents which + occurred in the more central and northern portions of the country. I will + then give some account of De Wet's doings in the Orange River Colony, and + finally describe that brilliant effort of De la Rey's in the west which + shed a last glory upon the Boer arms. + </p> + <p> + In the latter days of December, Colenbrander and Dawkins operating + together had put in a great deal of useful work in the northern district, + and from Nylstrom to Pietersburg the burghers were continually harried by + the activity of these leaders. Late in the month Dawkins was sent down + into the Orange River Colony in order to reinforce the troops who were + opposed to De Wet. Colenbrander alone, with his hardy colonial forces, + swept through the Magaliesburg, and had the double satisfaction of + capturing a number of the enemy and of heading off and sending back a war + party of Linchwe's Kaffirs who, incensed by a cattle raid of Kemp's, were + moving down in a direction which would have brought them dangerously near + to the Dutch women and children. This instance and several similar ones in + the campaign show how vile are the lies which have been told of the use, + save under certain well-defined conditions, of armed natives by the + British during the war. It would have been a perfectly easy thing at any + time for the Government to have raised all the fighting native races of + South Africa, but it is not probable that we, who held back our admirable + and highly disciplined Sikhs and Ghoorkas, would break our self-imposed + restrictions in order to enrol the inferior but more savage races of + Africa. Yet no charge has been more often repeated and has caused more + piteous protests among the soft-hearted and soft-headed editors of + Continental journals. + </p> + <p> + The absence of Colenbrander in the Rustenburg country gave Beyers a chance + of which he was not slow to avail himself. On January 24th, in the early + morning, he delivered an attack upon Pietersburg itself, but he was easily + driven off by the small garrison. It is probable, however, that the attack + was a mere feint in order to enable a number of the inmates of the refugee + camp to escape. About a hundred and fifty made off, and rejoined the + commandos. There were three thousand Boers in all in this camp, which was + shortly afterwards moved down to Natal in order to avoid the recurrence of + such an incident. + </p> + <p> + Colenbrander, having returned to Pietersburg once more, determined to + return Beyers's visit, and upon April 8th he moved out with a small force + to surprise the Boer laager. The Inniskilling Fusiliers seized the ground + which commanded the enemy's position. The latter retreated, but were + followed up, and altogether about one hundred and fifty were killed, + wounded, and taken. On May 3rd a fresh operation against Beyers was + undertaken, and resulted in about the same loss to the Boers. On the other + hand, the Boers had a small success against Kitchener's Scouts, killing + eighteen and taking thirty prisoners. + </p> + <p> + There is one incident, however, in connection with the war in this region + which one would desire to pass over in silence if such a course were + permissible. Some eighty miles to the east of Pietersburg is a wild part + of the country called the Spelonken. In this region an irregular corps, + named the Bushveld Carbineers, had been operating. It was raised in South + Africa, but contained both Colonials and British in its ranks. Its wild + duties, its mixed composition, and its isolated situation must have all + militated against discipline and restraint, and it appears to have + degenerated into a band not unlike those Southern 'bush-whackers' in the + American war to whom the Federals showed little mercy. They had given + short shrift to the Boer prisoners who had fallen into their hands, the + excuse offered for their barbarous conduct being that an officer who had + served in the corps had himself been murdered by the Boers. Such a reason, + even if it were true, could of course offer no justification for + indiscriminate revenge. The crimes were committed in July and August 1901, + but it was not until January 1902 that five of the officers were put upon + their trial and were found to be guilty as principals or accessories of + twelve murders. The corps was disbanded, and three of the accused + officers, Handcock, Wilton, and Morant, were sentenced to death, while + another, Picton, was cashiered. Handcock and Morant were actually + executed. This stern measure shows more clearly than volumes of argument + could do how high was the standard of discipline in the British Army, and + how heavy was the punishment, and how vain all excuses, where it had been + infringed. In the face of this actual outrage and its prompt punishment + how absurd becomes that crusade against imaginary outrages preached by an + ignorant press abroad, and by renegade Englishmen at home. + </p> + <p> + To the south of Johannesburg, half-way between that town and the frontier, + there is a range of hills called the Zuikerboschrand, which extends across + from one railway system to the other. A number of Boers were known to have + sought refuge in this country, so upon February 12th a small British force + left Klip River Post in order to clear them out. There were 320 men in + all, composing the 28th Mounted Infantry, drawn from the Lancashire + Fusiliers, Warwicks, and Derbys, most of whom had just arrived from Malta, + which one would certainly imagine to be the last place where mounted + infantry could be effectively trained. Major Dowell was in command. An + advance was made into the hilly country, but it was found that the enemy + was in much greater force than had been imagined. The familiar Boer + tactics were used with the customary success. The British line was held by + a sharp fire in front, while strong flanking parties galloped round each + of the wings. It was with great difficulty that any of the British + extricated themselves from their perilous position, and the safety of a + portion of the force was only secured by the devotion of a handful of + officers and men, who gave their lives in order to gain time for their + comrades to get away. Twelve killed and fifty wounded were our losses in + this unfortunate skirmish, and about one hundred prisoners supplied the + victors with a useful addition to their rifles and ammunition. A stronger + British force came up next day, and the enemy were driven out of the + hills. + </p> + <p> + A week later, upon February 18th, there occurred another skirmish at + Klippan, near Springs, between a squadron of the Scots Greys and a party + of Boers who had broken into this central reserve which Lord Kitchener had + long kept clear of the enemy. In this action the cavalry were treated as + roughly as the mounted infantry had been the week before, losing three + officers killed, eight men killed or wounded, and forty-six taken. They + had formed a flanking party to General Gilbert Hamilton's column, but were + attacked and overwhelmed so rapidly that the blow had fallen before their + comrades could come to their assistance. + </p> + <p> + One of the consequences of the successful drives about to be described in + the Orange River Colony was that a number of the Free Staters came north + of the Vaal in order to get away from the extreme pressure upon the south. + At the end of March a considerable number had reinforced the local + commandos in that district to the east of Springs, no very great distance + from Johannesburg, which had always been a storm centre. A cavalry force + was stationed at this spot which consisted at that time of the 2nd Queen's + Bays, the 7th Hussars, and some National Scouts, all under Colonel Lawley + of the Hussars. After a series of minor engagements east of Springs, + Lawley had possessed himself of Boschman's Kop, eighteen miles from that + town, close to the district which was the chief scene of Boer activity. + From this base he despatched upon the morning of April 1st three squadrons + of the Bays under Colonel Fanshawe, for the purpose of surprising a small + force of the enemy which was reported at one of the farms. Fanshawe's + strength was about three hundred men. + </p> + <p> + The British cavalry found themselves, however, in the position of the + hunter who, when he is out for a snipe, puts up a tiger. All went well + with the expedition as far as Holspruit, the farm which they had started + to search. Commandant Pretorius, to whom it belonged, was taken by the + energy of Major Vaughan, who pursued and overtook his Cape cart. It was + found, however, that Alberts's commando was camped at the farm, and that + the Bays were in the presence of a very superior force of the enemy. The + night was dark, and when firing began it was almost muzzle to muzzle, with + the greatest possible difficulty in telling friend from foe. The three + squadrons fell back upon some rising ground, keeping admirable order under + most difficult circumstances. In spite of the darkness the attack was + pressed fiercely home, and with their favourite tactics the burghers + rapidly outflanked the position taken up by the cavalry. The British moved + by alternate squadrons on to a higher rocky kopje on the east, which could + be vaguely distinguished looming in the darkness against the skyline. B + squadron, the last to retire, was actually charged and ridden through by + the brave assailants, firing from their saddles as they broke through the + ranks. The British had hardly time to reach the kopje and to dismount and + line its edge when the Boers, yelling loudly, charged with their horses up + the steep flanks. Twice they were beaten back, but the third time they + seized one corner of the hill and opened a hot fire upon the rear of the + line of men who were defending the other side. Dawn was now breaking, and + the situation most serious, for the Boers were in very superior numbers + and were pushing their pursuit with the utmost vigour and determination. A + small party of officers and men whose horses had been shot covered the + retreat of their comrades, and continued to fire until all of them, two + officers and twenty-three men, were killed or wounded, the whole of their + desperate defence being conducted within from thirty to fifty yards of the + enemy. The remainder of the regiment was now retired to successive ridges, + each of which was rapidly outflanked by the Boers, whose whole method of + conducting their attack was extraordinarily skilful. Nothing but the + excellent discipline of the overmatched troopers prevented the retreat + from becoming a rout. Fortunately, before the pressure became intolerable + the 7th Hussars with some artillery came to the rescue, and turned the + tide. The Hussars galloped in with such dash that some of them actually + got among the Boers with their swords, but the enemy rapidly fell back and + disappeared. + </p> + <p> + In this very sharp and sanguinary cavalry skirmish the Bays lost eighty + killed and wounded out of a total force of 270. To stand such losses under + such circumstances, and to preserve absolute discipline and order, is a + fine test of soldierly virtue. The adjutant, the squadron leaders, and six + out of ten officers were killed or wounded. The Boers lost equally + heavily. Two Prinsloos, one of them a commandant, and three field-cornets + were among the slain, with seventy other casualties. The force under + General Alberts was a considerable one, not fewer than six hundred rifles, + so that the action at Holspruit is one which adds another name of honour + to the battle-roll of the Bays. It is pleasing to add that in this and the + other actions which were fought at the end of the war our wounded met with + kindness and consideration from the enemy. + </p> + <p> + We may now descend to the Orange River Colony and trace the course of + those operations which were destined to break the power of De Wet's + commando. On these we may concentrate our attention, for the marchings and + gleanings and snipings of the numerous small columns in the other portions + of the colony, although they involved much arduous and useful work, do not + claim a particular account. + </p> + <p> + After the heavy blow which he dealt Firmin's Yeomanry, De Wet retired, as + has been told, into the Langberg, whence he afterwards retreated towards + Reitz. There he was energetically pushed by Elliot's columns, which had + attained such mobility that 150 miles were performed in three days within + a single week. Our rough schoolmasters had taught us our lesson, and the + soldiering which accomplished the marches of Bruce Hamilton, Elliot, + Rimington, and the other leaders of the end of the war was very far + removed from that which is associated with ox-wagons and harmoniums. + </p> + <p> + Moving rapidly, and covering himself by a succession of rearguard + skirmishes, De Wet danced like a will-o'the-wisp in front of and round the + British columns. De Lisle, Fanshawe, Byng, Rimington, Dawkins, and + Rawlinson were all snatching at him and finding him just beyond their + finger-tips. The master-mind at Pretoria had, however, thought out a + scheme which was worthy of De Wet himself in its ingenuity. A glance at + the map will show that the little branch from Heilbron to Wolvehoek forms + an acute angle with the main line. Both these railways were strongly + blockhoused and barbed-wired, so that any force which was driven into the + angle, and held in it by a force behind it, would be in a perilous + position. To attempt to round De Wet's mobile burghers into this obvious + pen would have been to show one's hand too clearly. In vain is the net + laid in sight of the bird. The drive was therefore made away from this + point, with the confident expectation that the guerilla chief would break + back through the columns, and that they might then pivot round upon him + and hustle him so rapidly into the desired position that he would not + realise his danger until it was too late. Byng's column was left behind + the driving line to be ready for the expected backward break. All came off + exactly as expected. De Wet doubled back through the columns, and one of + his commandos stumbled upon Byng's men, who were waiting on the Vlei River + to the west of Reitz. The Boers seem to have taken it for granted that, + having passed the British driving line, they were out of danger, and for + once it was they who were surprised. The South African Light Horse, the + New Zealanders, and the Queensland Bushmen all rode in upon them. A + fifteen-pounder, the one taken at Tweefontein, and two pom-poms were + captured, with thirty prisoners and a considerable quantity of stores. + </p> + <p> + This successful skirmish was a small matter, however, compared to the + importance of being in close touch with De Wet and having a definite + objective for the drive. The columns behind expanded suddenly into a spray + of mounted men forming a continuous line for over sixty miles. On February + 5th the line was advancing, and on the 6th it was known that De Wet was + actually within the angle, the mouth of which was spanned by the British + line. Hope ran high in Pretoria. The space into which the burgher chief + had been driven was bounded by sixty-six miles of blockhouse and wire on + one side and thirty on the other, while the third side of the triangle was + crossed by fifty-five miles of British horsemen, flanked by a blockhouse + line between Kroonstad and Lindley. The tension along the lines of defence + was extreme. Infantry guarded every yard of them, and armoured trains + patrolled them, while at night searchlights at regular intervals shed + their vivid rays over the black expanse of the veld and illuminated the + mounted figures who flitted from time to time across their narrow belts of + light. + </p> + <p> + On the 6th De Wet realised his position, and with characteristic audacity + and promptness he took means to clear the formidable toils which had been + woven round him. The greater part of his command scattered, with orders to + make their way as best they might out of the danger. Working in their own + country, where every crease and fold of the ground was familiar to them, + it is not surprising that most of them managed to make their way through + gaps in the attenuated line of horsemen behind them. A few were killed, + and a considerable number taken, 270 being the respectable total of the + prisoners. Three or four slipped through, however, for every one who stuck + in the meshes. De Wet himself was reported to have made his escape by + driving cattle against the wire fences which enclosed him. It seems, + however, to have been nothing more romantic than a wire-cutter which + cleared his path, though cattle no doubt made their way through the gap + which he left. With a loss of only three of his immediate followers be Wet + won his way out of the most dangerous position which even his adventurous + career had ever known. Lord Kitchener had descended to Wolvehoek to be + present at the climax of the operations, but it was not fated that he was + to receive the submission of the most energetic of his opponents, and he + returned to Pretoria to weave a fresh mesh around him. + </p> + <p> + This was not hard to do, as the Boer General had simply escaped from one + pen into another, though a larger one. After a short rest to restore the + columns, the whole pack were full cry upon his heels once more. An acute + angle is formed by the Wilge River on one side and the line of blockhouses + between Harrismith and Van Reenen upon the other. This was strongly manned + by troops and five columns; those of Rawlinson, Nixon, Byng, Rimington, + and Keir herded the broken commandos into the trap. From February 20th the + troops swept in an enormous skirmish line across the country, ascending + hills, exploring kloofs, searching river banks, and always keeping the + enemy in front of them. At last, when the pressure was severely felt, + there came the usual breakback, which took the form of a most determined + night attack upon the British line. This was delivered shortly after + midnight on February 23rd. It struck the British cordon at the point of + juncture between Byng's column and that of Rimington. So huge were the + distances which had to be covered, and so attenuated was the force which + covered them, that the historical thin red line was a massive formation + compared to its khaki equivalent. The chain was frail and the links were + not all carefully joined, but each particular link was good metal, and the + Boer impact came upon one of the best. This was the 7th New Zealand + Contingent, who proved themselves to be worthy comrades to their six + gallant predecessors. Their patrols were broken by the rush of wild, + yelling, firing horsemen, but the troopers made a most gallant resistance. + Having pierced the line the Boers, who were led in their fiery rush by + Manie Botha, turned to their flank, and, charging down the line of weak + patrols, overwhelmed one after another and threatened to roll up the whole + line. They had cleared a gap of half a mile, and it seemed as if the whole + Boer force would certainly escape through so long a gap in the defences. + The desperate defence of the New Zealanders gave time, however, for the + further patrols, which consisted of Cox's New South Wales Mounted + Infantry, to fall back almost at right angles so as to present a fresh + face to the attack. The pivot of the resistance was a maxim gun, most + gallantly handled by Captain Begbie and his men. The fight at this point + was almost muzzle to muzzle, fifty or sixty New Zealanders and Australians + with the British gunners holding off a force of several hundred of the + best fighting men of the Boer forces. In this desperate duel many dropped + on both sides. Begbie died beside his gun, which fired eighty rounds + before it jammed. It was run back by its crew in order to save it from + capture. But reinforcements were coming up, and the Boer attack was beaten + back. A number of them had escaped, however, through the opening which + they had cleared, and it was conjectured that the wonderful De Wet was + among them. How fierce was the storm which had broken on the New + Zealanders may be shown by their roll of twenty killed and forty wounded, + while thirty dead Boers were picked up in front of their picket line. Of + eight New Zealand officers seven are reported to have been hit, an even + higher proportion than that which the same gallant race endured at the + battle of Rhenoster Kop more than a year before. + </p> + <p> + It was feared at first that the greater part of the Boers might have + escaped upon this night of the 23rd, when Manie Botha's storming party + burst through the ranks of the New Zealanders. It was soon discovered that + this was not so, and the columns as they closed in had evidence from the + numerous horsemen who scampered aimlessly over the hills in front of them + that the main body of the enemy was still in the toils. The advance was in + tempestuous weather and over rugged country, but the men were filled with + eagerness, and no precaution was neglected to keep the line intact. + </p> + <p> + This time their efforts were crowned with considerable success. A second + attempt was made by the corraled burghers to break out on the night of + February 26th, but it was easily repulsed by Nixon. The task of the + troopers as the cordon drew south was more and more difficult, and there + were places traversed upon the Natal border where an alpen stock would + have been a more useful adjunct than a horse. At six o'clock on the + morning of the 27th came the end. Two Boers appeared in front of the + advancing line of the Imperial Light Horse and held up a flag. They proved + to be Truter and De Jager, ready to make terms for their commando. The + only terms offered were absolute surrender within the hour. The Boers had + been swept into a very confined space, which was closely hemmed in by + troops, so that any resistance must have ended in a tragedy. Fortunately + there was no reason for desperate councils in their case, since they did + not fight as Lotter had done, with the shadow of judgment hanging over + him. The burghers piled arms, and all was over. + </p> + <p> + The total number captured in this important drive was 780 men, including + several leaders, one of whom was De Wet's own son. It was found that De + Wet himself had been among those who had got away through the picket lines + on the night of the 23rd. Most of the commando were Transvaalers, and it + was typical of the wide sweep of the net that many of them were the men + who had been engaged against the 28th Mounted Infantry in the district + south of Johannesburg upon the 12th of the same month. The loss of 2000 + horses and 50,000 cartridges meant as much as that of the men to the Boer + army. It was evident that a few more such blows would clear the Orange + River Colony altogether. + </p> + <p> + The wearied troopers were allowed little rest, for in a couple of days + after their rendezvous at Harrismith they were sweeping back again to pick + up all that they had missed. This drive, which was over the same ground, + but sweeping backwards towards the Heilbron to Wolvehoek line, ended in + the total capture of 147 of the enemy, who were picked out of holes, + retrieved from amid the reeds of the river, called down out of trees, or + otherwise collected. So thorough were the operations that it is recorded + that the angle which formed the apex of the drive was one drove of game + upon the last day, all the many types of antelope, which form one of the + characteristics and charms of the country, having been herded into it. + </p> + <p> + More important even than the results of the drive was the discovery of one + of De Wet's arsenals in a cave in the Vrede district. Half-way down a + precipitous krantz, with its mouth covered by creepers, no writer of + romance could have imagined a more fitting headquarters for a guerilla + chief. The find was made by Ross's Canadian Scouts, who celebrated + Dominion Day by this most useful achievement. Forty wagon-loads of + ammunition and supplies were taken out of the cave. De Wet was known to + have left the north-east district, and to have got across the railway, + travelling towards the Vaal as if it were his intention to join De la Rey + in the Transvaal. The Boer resistance had suddenly become exceedingly + energetic in that part, and several important actions had been fought, to + which we will presently turn. + </p> + <p> + Before doing so it would be as well to bring the chronicle of events in + the Orange River Colony down to the conclusion of peace. There were still + a great number of wandering Boers in the northern districts and in the + frontier mountains, who were assiduously, but not always successfully, + hunted down by the British troops. Much arduous and useful work was done + by several small columns, the Colonial Horse and the Artillery Mounted + Rifles especially distinguishing themselves. The latter corps, formed from + the gunners whose field-pieces were no longer needed, proved themselves to + be a most useful body of men; and the British gunner, when he took to + carrying his gun, vindicated the reputation which he had won when his gun + had carried him. + </p> + <p> + From the 1st to the 4th of May a successful drive was conducted by many + columns in the often harried but never deserted Lindley to Kroonstad + district. The result was propitious, as no fewer than 321 prisoners were + brought in. Of these, 150 under Mentz were captured in one body as they + attempted to break through the encircling cordon. + </p> + <p> + Amid many small drives and many skirmishes, one stands out for its + severity. It is remarkable as being the last action of any importance in + the campaign. This was the fight at Moolman's Spruit, near Ficksburg, upon + April 20th, 1902. A force of about one hundred Yeomanry and forty Mounted + Infantry (South Staffords) was despatched by night to attack an isolated + farm in which a small body of Boers was supposed to be sleeping. Colonel + Perceval was in command. The farm was reached after a difficult march, but + the enemy were found to have been forewarned, and to be in much greater + strength than was anticipated. A furious fire was opened on the advancing + troops, who were clearly visible in the light of a full moon. Sir Thomas + Fowler was killed and several men of the Yeomanry were hit. The British + charged up to the very walls, but were unable to effect an entrance, as + the place was barricaded and loopholed. Captain Blackwood, of the + Staffords, was killed in the attack. Finding that the place was + impregnable, and that the enemy outnumbered him, Colonel Perceval gave the + order to retire, a movement which was only successfully carried out + because the greater part of the Boer horses had been shot. By morning the + small British force had extricated itself, from its perilous position with + a total loss of six killed, nineteen wounded, and six missing. The whole + affair was undoubtedly a cleverly planned Boer ambush, and the small force + was most fortunate in escaping destruction. + </p> + <p> + One other isolated incident may be mentioned here, though it occurred far + away in the Vryheid district of the Transvaal. This was the unfortunate + encounter between Zulus and Boers by which the latter lost over fifty of + their numbers under deplorable circumstances. This portion of the + Transvaal has only recently been annexed, and is inhabited by warlike + Zulus, who are very different from the debased Kaffirs of the rest of the + country. These men had a blood-feud against the Boers, which was + embittered by the fact that they had lost heavily through Boer + depredations. Knowing that a party of fifty-nine men were sleeping in a + farmhouse, the Zulus crept on to it and slaughtered every man of the + inmates. Such an incident is much to be regretted, and yet, looking back + upon the long course of the war, and remembering the turbulent tribes who + surrounded the combatants—Swazis, Basutos, and Zulus—we may + well congratulate ourselves that we have been able to restrain those black + warriors, and to escape the brutalities and the bitter memories of a + barbarian invasion. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0038" id="link2HCH0038"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 38. DE LA REY'S CAMPAIGN OF 1902. + </h2> + <p> + IT will be remembered that at the close of 1901 Lord Methuen and Colonel + Kekewich had both come across to the eastern side of their district and + made their base at the railway line in the Klerksdorp section. Their + position was strengthened by the fact that a blockhouse cordon now ran + from Klerksdorp to Ventersdorp, and from Ventersdorp to Potchefstroom, so + that this triangle could be effectively controlled. There remained, + however, a huge tract of difficult country which was practically in the + occupation of the enemy. Several thousand stalwarts were known to be + riding with De la Rey and his energetic lieutenant Kemp. The strenuous + operations of the British in the Eastern Transvaal and in the Orange River + Colony had caused this district to be comparatively neglected, and so + everything was in favour of an aggressive movement of the Boers. There was + a long lull after the unsuccessful attack upon Kekewich's camp at + Moedwill, but close observers of the war distrusted this ominous calm and + expected a storm to follow. + </p> + <p> + The new year found the British connecting Ventersdorp with Tafelkop by a + blockhouse line. The latter place had been a centre of Boer activity. + Colonel Hickie's column covered this operation. Meanwhile Methuen had + struck across through Wolmaranstad as far as Vryburg. In these operations, + which resulted in constant small captures, he was assisted by a column + under Major Paris working from Kimberley. From Vryburg Lord Methuen made + his way in the middle of January to Lichtenburg, meeting with a small + rebuff in the neighbourhood of that town, for a detachment of Yeomanry was + overwhelmed by General Celliers, who killed eight, wounded fifteen, and + captured forty. From Lichtenburg Lord Methuen continued his enormous trek, + and arrived on February 1st at Klerksdorp once more. Little rest was given + to his hard-worked troops, and they were sent off again within the week + under the command of Von Donop, with the result that on February 8th, near + Wolmaranstad, they captured Potgieter's laager with forty Boer prisoners. + Von Donop remained at Wolmaranstad until late in February; On the 23rd he + despatched an empty convoy back to Klerksdorp, the fate of which will be + afterwards narrated. + </p> + <p> + Kekewich and Hickie had combined their forces at the beginning of + February. On February 4th an attempt was made by them to surprise General + De la Rey. The mounted troops who were despatched under Major Leader + failed in this enterprise, but they found and overwhelmed the laager of + Sarel Alberts, capturing 132 prisoners. By stampeding the horses the Boer + retreat was cut off, and the attack was so furiously driven home, + especially by the admirable Scottish Horse, that few of the enemy got + away. Alberts himself with all his officers were among the prisoners. From + this time until the end of February this column was not seriously engaged. + </p> + <p> + It has been stated above that on February 23rd Von Donop sent in an empty + convoy from Wolmaranstad to Klerksdorp, a distance of about fifty miles. + Nothing had been heard for some time of De la Rey, but he had called + together his men and was waiting to bring off some coup. The convoy gave + him the very opportunity for which he sought. + </p> + <p> + The escort of the convoy consisted of the 5th Imperial Yeomanry, sixty of + Paget's Horse, three companies of the ubiquitous Northumberland Fusiliers, + two guns of the 4th R.F.A., and a pom-pom, amounting in all to 630 men. + Colonel Anderson was in command. On the morning of Tuesday, February 25th, + the convoy was within ten miles of its destination, and the sentries on + the kopjes round the town could see the gleam of the long line of + white-tilted wagons. Their hazardous voyage was nearly over, and yet they + were destined to most complete and fatal wreck within sight of port. So + confident were they that the detachment of Paget's Horse was permitted to + ride on the night before into the town. It was as well, for such a handful + would have shared and could not have averted the disaster. + </p> + <p> + The night had been dark and wet, and the Boers under cover of it had crept + between the sleeping convoy and the town. Some bushes which afford + excellent cover lie within a few hundred yards of the road, and here the + main ambush was laid. In the first grey of the morning the long line of + the convoy, 130 wagons in all, came trailing past—guns and Yeomanry + in front, Fusiliers upon the flanks and rear. Suddenly the black bank of + scrub was outlined in flame, and a furious rifle fire was opened upon the + head of the column. The troops behaved admirably under most difficult + circumstances. A counter-attack by the Fusiliers and some of the Yeomanry, + under cover of shrapnel from the guns, drove the enemy out of the scrub + and silenced his fire at this point. It was evident, however, that he was + present in force, for firing soon broke out along the whole left flank, + and the rearguard found itself as warmly attacked as the van. Again, + however, the assailants were driven off. It was now broad daylight, and + the wagons, which had got into great confusion in the first turmoil of + battle, had been remarshalled and arranged. It was Colonel Anderson's hope + that he might be able to send them on into safety while he with the escort + covered their retreat. His plan was certainly the best one, and if it did + not succeed it was due to nothing which he could avert, but to the nature + of the ground and the gallantry of the enemy. + </p> + <p> + The physical obstacle consisted in a very deep and difficult spruit, the + Jagd Spruit, which forms an ugly passage in times of peace, but which when + crowded and choked with stampeding mules and splintering wagons, under + their terrified conductors, soon became impassable. Here the head of the + column was clubbed and the whole line came to a stand. Meanwhile the + enemy, adopting their new tactics, came galloping in on the left flank and + on the rear. The first attack was repelled by the steady fire of the + Fusiliers, but on the second occasion the horsemen got up to the wagons, + and galloping down them were able to overwhelm in detail the little knots + of soldiers who were scattered along the flank. The British, who were + outnumbered by at least three to one, made a stout resistance, and it was + not until seven o'clock that the last shot was fired. The result was a + complete success to the burghers, but one which leaves no shadow of + discredit on any officer or man among those who were engaged. Eleven + officers and 176 men fell out of about 550 actually engaged. The two guns + were taken. The convoy was no use to the Boers, so the teams were shot and + the wagons burned before they withdrew. The prisoners too, they were + unable to retain, and their sole permanent trophies consisted of the two + guns, the rifles, and the ammunition. Their own losses amounted to about + fifty killed and wounded. + </p> + <p> + A small force sallied out from Klerksdorp in the hope of helping Anderson, + but on reaching the Jagd Drift it was found that the fighting was over and + that the field was in possession of the Boers. De la Rey was seen in + person among the burghers, and it is pleasant to add that he made himself + conspicuous by his humanity to the wounded. His force drew off in the + course of the morning, and was soon out of reach of immediate pursuit, + though this was attempted by Kekewich, Von Donop, and Grenfell. It was + important to regain the guns if possible, as they were always a menace to + the blockhouse system, and for this purpose Grenfell with sixteen hundred + horsemen was despatched to a point south of Lichtenburg, which was + conjectured to be upon the Boer line of retreat. At the same time Lord + Methuen was ordered up from Vryburg in order to cooperate in this + movement, and to join his forces to those of Grenfell. It was obvious that + with an energetic and resolute adversary like De la Rey there was great + danger of these two forces being taken in detail, but it was hoped that + each was strong enough to hold its own until the other could come to its + aid. The result was to show that the danger was real and the hope + fallacious. + </p> + <p> + It was on March 2nd that Methuen left Vryburg. The column was not his old + one, consisting of veterans of the trek, but was the Kimberley column + under Major Paris, a body of men who had seen much less service and were + in every way less reliable. It included a curious mixture of units, the + most solid of which were four guns (two of the 4th, and two of the 38th + R.F.A.), 200 Northumberland Fusiliers, and 100 Loyal North Lancashires. + The mounted men included 5th Imperial Yeomanry (184), Cape Police (233), + Cullinan's Horse (64), 86th Imperial Yeomanry (110), Diamond Fields Horse + (92), Dennison' s Scouts (58), Ashburner's Horse (126), and British South + African Police (24). Such a collection of samples would be more in place, + one would imagine, in a London procession than in an operation which + called for discipline and cohesion. In warfare the half is often greater + than the whole, and the presence of a proportion of halfhearted and + inexperienced men may be a positive danger to their more capable + companions. + </p> + <p> + Upon March 6th Methuen, marching east towards Lichtenburg, came in touch + near Leeuwspruit with Van Zyl's commando, and learned in the small + skirmish which ensued that some of his Yeomanry were unreliable and + ill-instructed. Having driven the enemy off by his artillery fire, Methuen + moved to Tweebosch, where he laagered until next morning. At 3 A.M. of the + 7th the ox-convoy was sent on, under escort of half of his little force. + The other half followed at 4. 20, so as to give the slow-moving oxen a + chance of keeping ahead. It was evident, however, immediately after the + column had got started that the enemy were all round in great numbers, and + that an attack in force was to be expected. Lord Methuen gave orders + therefore that the ox-wagons should be halted and that the mule-transport + should close upon them so as to form one solid block, instead of a + straggling line. At the same time he reinforced his rearguard with mounted + men and with two guns, for it was in that quarter that the enemy appeared + to be most numerous and aggressive. An attack was also developing upon the + right flank, which was held off by the infantry and by the second section + of the guns. + </p> + <p> + It has been said that Methuen's horsemen were for the most part + inexperienced irregulars. Such men become in time excellent soldiers, as + all this campaign bears witness, but it is too much to expose them to a + severe ordeal in the open field when they are still raw and untrained. As + it happened, this particular ordeal was exceedingly severe, but nothing + can excuse the absolute failure of the troops concerned to rise to the + occasion. Had Methuen's rearguard consisted of Imperial Light Horse, or + Scottish Horse, it is safe to say that the battle of Tweebosch would have + had a very different ending. + </p> + <p> + What happened was that a large body of Boers formed up in five lines and + charged straight home at the rear screen and rearguard, firing from their + saddles as they had done at Brakenlaagte. The sight of those wide-flung + lines of determined men galloping over the plain seems to have been too + much for the nerves of the unseasoned troopers. A panic spread through + their ranks, and in an instant they had turned their horses' heads and + were thundering to their rear, leaving the two guns uncovered and + streaming in wild confusion past the left flank of the jeering infantry + who were lying round the wagons. The limit of their flight seems to have + been the wind of their horses, and most of them never drew rein until they + had placed many miles between themselves and the comrades whom they had + deserted. 'It was pitiable,' says an eye-witness, 'to see the grand old + General begging them to stop, but they would not; a large body of them + arrived in Kraaipan without firing a shot,' It was a South African 'Battle + of the Spurs.' + </p> + <p> + By this defection of the greater portion of the force the handful of brave + men who remained were left in a hopeless position. The two guns of the + 38th battery were overwhelmed and ridden over by the Boer horsemen, every + man being killed or wounded, including Lieutenant Nesham, who acted up to + the highest traditions of his corps. + </p> + <p> + The battle, however, was not yet over. The infantry were few in number, + but they were experienced troops, and they maintained the struggle for + some hours in the face of overwhelming numbers. Two hundred of the + Northumberland Fusiliers lay round the wagons and held the Boers off from + their prey. With them were the two remaining guns, which were a mark for a + thousand Boer riflemen. It was while encouraging by his presence and + example the much-tried gunners of this section that the gallant Methuen + was wounded by a bullet which broke the bone of his thigh. Lieutenant + Venning and all the detachment fell with their General round the guns. + </p> + <p> + An attempt had been made to rally some of the flying troopers at a + neighbouring kraal, and a small body of Cape Police and Yeomanry under the + command of Major Paris held out there for some hours. A hundred of the + Lancashire Infantry aided them in their stout defence. But the guns taken + by the Boers from Von Donop's convoy had free play now that the British + guns were out of action, and they were brought to bear with crushing + effect upon both the kraal and the wagons. Further resistance meant a + useless slaughter, and orders were given for a surrender. Convoy, + ammunition, guns, horses—nothing was saved except the honour of the + infantry and the gunners. The losses, 68 killed and 121 wounded, fell + chiefly upon these two branches of the service. There were 205 unwounded + prisoners. + </p> + <p> + This, the last Boer victory in the war, reflected equal credit upon their + valour and humanity, qualities which had not always gone hand in hand in + our experience of them. Courtesy and attention were extended to the + British wounded, and Lord Methuen was sent under charge of his chief + medical officer, Colonel Townsend (the doctor as severely wounded as the + patient), into Klerksdorp. In De la Rey we have always found an opponent + who was as chivalrous as he was formidable. The remainder of the force + reached the Kimberley to Mafeking railway line in the direction of + Kraaipan, the spot where the first bloodshed of the war had occurred some + twenty-nine months before. + </p> + <p> + On Lord Methuen himself no blame can rest for this unsuccessful action. If + the workman's tool snaps in his hand he cannot be held responsible for the + failure of his task. The troops who misbehaved were none of his training. + 'If you hear anyone slang him,' says one of his men, 'you are to tell them + that he is the finest General and the truest gentleman that ever fought in + this war.' Such was the tone of his own troopers, and such also that of + the spokesmen of the nation when they commented upon the disaster in the + Houses of Parliament. It was a fine example of British justice and sense + of fair play, even in that bitter moment, that to hear his eulogy one + would have thought that the occasion had been one when thanks were being + returned for a victory. It is a generous public with fine instincts, and + Paul Methuen, wounded and broken, still remained in their eyes the heroic + soldier and the chivalrous man of honour. + </p> + <p> + The De Wet country had been pretty well cleared by the series of drives + which have already been described, and Louis Botha's force in the Eastern + Transvaal had been much diminished by the tactics of Bruce Hamilton and + Wools-Sampson. Lord Kitchener was able, therefore, to concentrate his + troops and his attention upon that wide-spread western area in which + General De la Rey had dealt two such shrewd blows within a few weeks of + each other. Troops were rapidly concentrated at Klerksdorp. Kekewich, + Walter Kitchener, Rawlinson, and Rochfort, with a number of small columns, + were ready in the third week of March to endeavour to avenge Lord Methuen. + </p> + <p> + The problem with which Lord Kitchener was confronted was a very difficult + one, and he has never shown more originality and audacity than in the + fashion in which he handled it. De la Rey's force was scattered over a + long tract of country, capable of rapidly concentrating for a blow, but + otherwise as intangible and elusive as a phantom army. Were Lord Kitchener + simply to launch ten thousand horsemen at him, the result would be a weary + ride over illimitable plains without sight of a Boer, unless it were a + distant scout upon the extreme horizon. De la Rey and his men would have + slipped away to his northern hiding-places beyond the Marico River. There + was no solid obstacle here, as in the Orange River Colony, against which + the flying enemy could be rounded up. One line of blockhouses there was, + it is true—the one called the Schoonspruit cordon, which flanked the + De la Rey country. It flanked it, however, upon the same side as that on + which the troops were assembled. If the troops were only on the other + side, and De la Rey was between them and the blockhouse line, then, + indeed, something might be done. But to place the troops there, and then + bring them instantly back again, was to put such a strain upon men and + horses as had never yet been done upon a large scale in the course of the + war. Yet Lord Kitchener knew the mettle of the men whom he commanded, and + he was aware that there were no exertions of which the human frame is + capable which he might not confidently demand. + </p> + <p> + The precise location of the Boer laagers does not appear to have been + known, but it was certain that a considerable number of them were + scattered about thirty miles or so to the west of Klerksdorp and the + Schoonspruit line. The plan was to march a British force right through + them, then spread out into a wide line and come straight back, driving the + burghers on to the cordon of blockhouses, which had been strengthened by + the arrival of three regiments of Highlanders. But to get to the other + side of the Boers it was necessary to march the columns through by night. + It was a hazardous operation, but the secret was well kept, and the + movement was so well carried out that the enemy had no time to check it. + On the night of Sunday, March 23rd, the British horsemen passed stealthily + in column through the De la Rey country, and then, spreading out into a + line, which from the left wing at Lichtenburg to the right wing at + Commando Drift measured a good eighty miles, they proceeded to sweep back + upon their traces. In order to reach their positions the columns had, of + course, started at different points of the British blockhouse line, and + some had a good deal farther to go than others, while the southern + extension of the line was formed by Rochfort's troops, who had moved up + from the Vaal. Above him from south to north came Walter Kitchener, + Rawlinson, and Kekewich in the order named. + </p> + <p> + On the morning of Monday, March 24th, a line of eighty miles of horsemen, + without guns or transport, was sweeping back towards the blockhouses, + while the country between was filled with scattered parties of Boers who + were seeking for gaps by which to escape. It was soon learned from the + first prisoners that De la Rey was not within the cordon. His laager had + been some distance farther west. But the sight of fugitive horsemen rising + and dipping over the rolling veld assured the British that they had + something within their net. The catch was, however, by no means as + complete as might have been desired. Three hundred men in khaki slipped + through between the two columns in the early morning. Another large party + escaped to the southwards. Some of the Boers adopted extraordinary devices + in order to escape from the ever-narrowing cordon. 'Three, in charge of + some cattle, buried themselves, and left a small hole to breathe through + with a tube. Some men began to probe with bayonets in the new-turned earth + and got immediate and vociferous subterranean yells. Another man tried the + same game and a horse stepped on him. He writhed and reared the horse, and + practically the horse found the prisoner for us.' But the operations + achieved one result, which must have lifted a load of anxiety from Lord + Kitchener's mind. Three fifteen-pounders, two pom-poms, and a large amount + of ammunition were taken. To Kekewich and the Scottish Horse fell the + honour of the capture, Colonel Wools-Sampson and Captain Rice heading the + charge and pursuit. By this means the constant menace to the blockhouses + was lessened, if not entirely removed. One hundred and seventy-five Boers + were disposed of, nearly all as prisoners, and a considerable quantity of + transport was captured. In this operation the troops had averaged from + seventy to eighty miles in twenty-six hours without change of horses. To + such a point had the slow-moving ponderous British Army attained after two + years' training of that stern drill-master, necessity. + </p> + <p> + The operations had attained some success, but nothing commensurate with + the daring of the plan or the exertions of the soldiers. Without an + instant's delay, however, Lord Kitchener struck a second blow at his + enemy. Before the end of March Kekewich, Rawlinson, and Walter Kitchener + were all upon the trek once more. Their operations were pushed farther to + the west than in the last drive, since it was known that on that occasion + De la Rey and his main commando had been outside the cordon. + </p> + <p> + It was to one of Walter Kitchener's lieutenants that the honour fell to + come in direct contact with the main force of the burghers. This General + had moved out to a point about forty miles west of Klerksdorp. Forming his + laager there, he despatched Cookson on March 30th with seventeen hundred + men to work further westward in the direction of the Harts River. Under + Cookson's immediate command were the 2nd Canadian Mounted Infantry, + Damant's Horse, and four guns of the 7th R.F.A. His lieutenant, Keir, + commanded the 28th Mounted Infantry, the Artillery Mounted Rifles, and 2nd + Kitchener's Fighting Scouts. The force was well mounted, and carried the + minimum of baggage. + </p> + <p> + It was not long before this mobile force found itself within touch of the + enemy. The broad weal made by the passing of a convoy set them off at full + cry, and they were soon encouraged by the distant cloud of dust which + shrouded the Boer wagons. The advance guard of the column galloped at the + top of their speed for eight miles, and closed in upon the convoy, but + found themselves faced by an escort of five hundred Boers, who fought a + clever rearguard action, and covered their charge with great skill. At the + same time Cookson closed in upon his mounted infantry, while on the other + side De la Rey's main force fell back in order to reinforce the escort. + British and Boers were both riding furiously to help their own comrades. + The two forces were fairly face to face. + </p> + <p> + Perceiving that he was in front of the whole Boer army, and knowing that + he might expect reinforcements, Cookson decided to act upon the defensive. + A position was rapidly taken up along the Brakspruit, and preparations + made to resist the impending attack. The line of defence was roughly the + line of the spruit, but for some reason, probably to establish a cross + fire, one advanced position was occupied upon either flank. On the left + flank was a farmhouse, which was held by two hundred men of the Artillery + Rifles. On the extreme right was another outpost of twenty-four Canadians + and forty-five Mounted Infantry. They occupied no defensible position, and + their situation was evidently a most dangerous one, only to be justified + by some strong military reason which is not explained by any account of + the action. + </p> + <p> + The Boer guns had opened fire, and considerable bodies of the enemy + appeared upon the flanks and in front. Their first efforts were devoted + towards getting possession of the farmhouse, which would give them a point + d'appui from which they could turn the whole line. Some five hundred of + them charged on horseback, but were met by a very steady fire from the + Artillery Rifles, while the guns raked them with shrapnel. They reached a + point within five hundred yards of the building, but the fire was too hot, + and they wheeled round in rapid retreat. Dismounting in a mealie-patch + they skirmished up towards the farmhouse once more, but they were again + checked by the fire of the defenders and by a pompom which Colonel Keir + had brought up. No progress whatever was made by the attack in this + quarter. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime the fate which might have been foretold had befallen the + isolated detachment of Canadians and 28th Mounted Infantry upon the + extreme right. Bruce Carruthers, the Canadian officer in command, behaved + with the utmost gallantry, and was splendidly seconded by his men. + Overwhelmed by vastly superior numbers, amid a perfect hail of bullets + they fought like heroes to the end. 'There have been few finer instances + of heroism in the course of the campaign,' says the reticent Kitchener in + his official despatch. Of the Canadians eighteen were hit out of + twenty-one, and the Mounted Infantry hard by lost thirty out of forty-five + before they surrendered. + </p> + <p> + This advantage gained upon the right flank was of no assistance to the + Boers in breaking the British line. The fact that it was so makes it the + more difficult to understand why this outpost was so exposed. The burghers + had practically surrounded Cookson's force, and De la Rey and Kemp urged + on the attack; but their artillery fire was dominated by the British guns, + and no weak point could be found in the defence. At 1 o'clock the attack + had been begun, and at 5.30 it was finally abandoned, and De la Rey was in + full retreat. That he was in no sense routed is shown by the fact that + Cookson did not attempt to follow him up or to capture his guns; but at + least he had failed in his purpose, and had lost more heavily than in any + engagement which he had yet fought. The moral effect of his previous + victories had also been weakened, and his burghers had learned, if they + had illusions upon the subject, that the men who fled at Tweebosch were + not typical troopers of the British Army. Altogether, it was a well-fought + and useful action, though it cost the British force some two hundred + casualties, of which thirty-five were fatal. Cookson's force stood to arms + all night until the arrival of Walter Kitchener's men in the morning. + </p> + <p> + General Ian Hamilton, who had acted for some time as Chief of the Staff to + Lord Kitchener, had arrived on April 8th at Klerksdorp to take supreme + command of the whole operations against De la Rey. Early in April the + three main British columns had made a rapid cast round without success. To + the very end the better intelligence and the higher mobility seem to have + remained upon the side of the Boers, who could always force a fight when + they wished and escape when they wished. Occasionally, however, they + forced one at the wrong time, as in the instance which I am about to + describe. + </p> + <p> + Hamilton had planned a drive to cover the southern portion of De la Rey's + country, and for this purpose, with Hartebeestefontein for his centre, he + was manoeuvring his columns so as to swing them into line and then sweep + back towards Klerksdorp. Kekewich, Rawlinson, and Walter Kitchener were + all manoeuvring for this purpose. The Boers, however, game to the last, + although they were aware that their leaders had gone in to treat, and that + peace was probably due within a few days, determined to have one last + gallant fall with a British column. The forces of Kekewich were the + farthest to the westward, and also, as the burghers thought, the most + isolated, and it was upon them, accordingly, that the attack was made. In + the morning of April 11th, at a place called Rooiwal, the enemy, who had + moved up from Wolmaranstad, nineteen hundred strong, under Kemp and + Vermaas, fell with the utmost impetuosity upon the British column. There + was no preliminary skirmishing, and a single gallant charge by 1500 Boers + both opened and ended the engagement. 'I was just saying to the staff + officer that there were no Boers within twenty miles,' says one who was + present, 'when we heard a roar of musketry and saw a lot of men galloping + down on us.' The British were surprised but not shaken by this unexpected + apparition. 'I never saw a more splendid attack. They kept a distinct + line,' says the eye-witness. Another spectator says, 'They came on in one + long line four deep and knee to knee.' It was an old-fashioned cavalry + charge, and the fact that it got as far as it did shows that we have over + rated the stopping power of modern rifles. They came for a good five + hundred yards under direct fire, and were only turned within a hundred of + the British line. The Yeomanry, the Scottish Horse, and the Constabulary + poured a steady fire upon the advancing wave of horsemen, and the guns + opened with case at two hundred yards. The Boers were stopped, staggered, + and turned. Their fire, or rather the covering fire of those who had not + joined in the charge, had caused some fifty casualties, but their own + losses were very much more severe. The fierce Potgieter fell just in front + of the British guns. 'Thank goodness he is dead!' cried one of his wounded + burghers, 'for he sjamboked me into the firing line this morning.' Fifty + dead and a great number of wounded were left upon the field of battle. + Rawlinson's column came up on Kekewich's left, and the Boer flight became + a rout, for they were chased for twenty miles, and their two guns were + captured. It was a brisk and decisive little engagement, and it closed the + Western campaign, leaving the last trick, as well as the game, to the + credit of the British. From this time until the end there was a gleaning + of prisoners but little fighting in De la Rey's country, the most + noteworthy event being a surprise visit to Schweizer-Renecke by Rochfort, + by which some sixty prisoners were taken, and afterwards the drive of Ian + Hamilton's forces against the Mafeking railway line by which no fewer than + 364 prisoners were secured. In this difficult and well-managed operation + the gaps between the British columns were concealed by the lighting of + long veld-fires and the discharge of rifles by scattered scouts. The newly + arrived Australian Commonwealth Regiments gave a brilliant start to the + military history of their united country by the energy of their marching + and the thoroughness of their entrenching. + </p> + <p> + Upon May 29th, only two days before the final declaration of peace, a raid + was made by a few Boers upon the native cattle reserves near Fredericstad. + A handful of horsemen pursued them, and were ambushed by a considerable + body of the enemy in some hilly country ten miles from the British lines. + Most of the pursuers got away in safety, but young Sutherland, second + lieutenant of the Seaforths, and only a few months from Eton, found + himself separated from his horse and in a hopeless position. Scorning to + surrender, the lad actually fought his way upon foot for over a mile + before he was shot down by the horsemen who circled round him. Well might + the Boer commander declare that in the whole course of the war he had seen + no finer example of British courage. It is indeed sad that at this last + instant a young life should be thrown away, but Sutherland died in a noble + fashion for a noble cause, and many inglorious years would be a poor + substitute for the example and tradition which such a death will leave + behind. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0039" id="link2HCH0039"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER 39. THE END. + </h2> + <p> + It only remains in one short chapter to narrate the progress of the peace + negotiations, the ultimate settlement, and the final consequences of this + long-drawn war. However disheartening the successive incidents may have + been in which the Boers were able to inflict heavy losses upon us and to + renew their supplies of arms and ammunition, it was none the less certain + that their numbers were waning and that the inevitable end was steadily + approaching. With mathematical precision the scientific soldier in + Pretoria, with his web of barbed wire radiating out over the whole + country, was week by week wearing them steadily down. And yet after the + recent victory of De la Rey and various braggadocio pronouncements from + the refugees at The Hague, it was somewhat of a surprise to the British + public when it was announced upon March 22nd that the acting Government of + the Transvaal, consisting of Messrs. Schalk Burger, Lucas Meyer, Reitz, + Jacoby, Krogh, and Van Velden had come into Middelburg and requested to be + forwarded by train to Pretoria for the purpose of discussing terms of + peace with Lord Kitchener. A thrill of hope ran through the Empire at the + news, but so doubtful did the issue seem that none of the preparations + were relaxed which would ensure a vigorous campaign in the immediate + future. In the South African as in the Peninsular and in the Crimean wars, + it may truly be said that Great Britain was never so ready to fight as at + the dawning of peace. At least two years of failure and experience are + needed to turn a civilian and commercial nation into a military power. + </p> + <p> + In spite of the optimistic pronouncements of Mr. Fischer and the absurd + forecasts of Dr. Leyds the power of the Boers was really broken, and they + had come in with the genuine intention of surrender. In a race with such + individuality it was not enough that the government should form its + conclusion. It was necessary for them to persuade their burghers that the + game was really up, and that they had no choice but to throw down their + well-worn rifles and their ill-filled bandoliers. For this purpose a long + series of negotiations had to be entered into which put a strain upon the + complacency of the authorities in South Africa and upon the patience of + the attentive public at home. Their ultimate success shows that this + complacency and this patience were eminently the right attitude to adopt. + </p> + <p> + On March 23rd the Transvaal representatives were despatched to Kroonstad + for the purpose of opening up the matter with Steyn and De Wet. Messengers + were sent to communicate with these two leaders, but had they been British + columns instead of fellow-countrymen they could not have found greater + difficulty in running them to earth. At last, however, at the end of the + month the message was conveyed, and resulted in the appearance of De Wet, + De la Rey, and Steyn at the British outposts at Klerksdorp. The other + delegates had come north again from Kroonstad, and all were united in the + same small town, which, by a whimsical fate, had suddenly become the + centre both for the making of peace and for the prosecution of the war, + with the eyes of the whole world fixed upon its insignificant litter of + houses. On April 11th, after repeated conferences, both parties moved on + to Pretoria, and the most sceptical observers began to confess that there + was something in the negotiations after all. After conferring with Lord + Kitchener the Boer leaders upon April 18th left Pretoria again and rode + out to the commandos to explain the situation to them. The result of this + mission was that two delegates were chosen from each body in the field, + who assembled at Vereeniging upon May 15th for the purpose of settling the + question by vote. Never was a high matter of state decided in so + democratic a fashion. + </p> + <p> + Up to that period the Boer leaders had made a succession of tentative + suggestions, each of which had been put aside by the British Government. + Their first had been that they should merely concede those points which + had been at issue at the beginning of the war. This was set aside. The + second was that they should be allowed to consult their friends in Europe. + This also was refused. The next was that an armistice should be granted, + but again Lord Kitchener was obdurate. A definite period was suggested + within which the burghers should make their final choice between surrender + and a war which must finally exterminate them as a people. It was tacitly + understood, if not definitely promised, that the conditions which the + British Government would be prepared to grant would not differ much in + essentials from those which had been refused by the Boers a twelvemonth + before, after the Middelburg interview. + </p> + <p> + On May 15th the Boer conference opened at Vereeniging. Sixty-four + delegates from the commandos met with the military and political chiefs of + the late republics, the whole amounting to 150 persons. A more singular + gathering has not met in our time. There was Botha, the young lawyer, who + had found himself by a strange turn of fate commanding a victorious army + in a great war. De Wet was there, with his grim mouth and sun-browned + face; De la Rey, also, with the grizzled beard and the strong aquiline + features. There, too, were the politicians, the grey-bearded, genial + Reitz, a little graver than when he looked upon 'the whole matter as an + immense joke,' and the unfortunate Steyn, stumbling and groping, a broken + and ruined man. The burly Lucas Meyer, smart young Smuts fresh from the + siege of Ookiep, Beyers from the north, Kemp the dashing cavalry leader, + Muller the hero of many fights—all these with many others of their + sun-blackened, gaunt, hard-featured comrades were grouped within the great + tent of Vereeniging. The discussions were heated and prolonged. But the + logic of facts was inexorable, and the cold still voice of common-sense + had more power than all the ravings of enthusiasts. The vote showed that + the great majority of the delegates were in favour of surrender upon the + terms offered by the British Government. On May 31st this resolution was + notified to Lord Kitchener, and at half-past ten of the same night the + delegates arrived at Pretoria and set their names to the treaty of peace. + After two years seven and a half months of hostilities the Dutch republics + had acquiesced in their own destruction, and the whole of South Africa, + from Cape Town to the Zambesi, had been added to the British Empire. The + great struggle had cost us twenty thousand lives and a hundred thousand + stricken men, with two hundred millions of money; but, apart from a + peaceful South Africa, it had won for us a national resuscitation of + spirit and a closer union with our great Colonies which could in no other + way have been attained. We had hoped that we were a solid empire when we + engaged in the struggle, but we knew that we were when we emerged from it. + In that change lies an ample recompense for all the blood and treasure + spent. + </p> + <p> + The following were in brief the terms of surrender:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 1. That the burghers lay down their arms and acknowledge themselves + subjects of Edward VII. + 2. That all prisoners taking the oath of allegiance be returned. + 3. That their liberty and property be inviolate. + 4. That an amnesty be granted—save in special cases. + 5. That the Dutch language be allowed in schools and law-courts. + 6. That rifles be allowed if registered. + 7. That self-government be granted as soon as possible. + 8. That no franchise be granted for natives until after + self-government. + 9. That no special land tax be levied. + 10. That the people be helped to reoccupy the farms. + 11. That 3,000,000 pounds be given to help the farmers. + 12. That the rebels be disfranchised and their leaders tried, on + condition that no death penalty be inflicted. +</pre> + <p> + These terms were practically the same as those which had been refused by + Botha in March 1901. Thirteen months of useless warfare had left the + situation as it was. + </p> + <p> + It had been a war of surprises, but the surprises have unhappily been + hitherto invariably unpleasant ones. Now at last the balance swung the + other way, for in all the long paradoxical history of South African strife + there is nothing more wonderful than the way in which these two sturdy and + unemotional races clasped hands the instant that the fight was done. The + fact is in itself a final answer to the ill-natured critics of the + Continent. Men do not so easily grasp a hand which is reddened with the + blood of women and children. From all parts as the commandos came in there + was welcome news of the fraternisation between them and the soldiers; + while the Boer leaders, as loyal to their new ties as they had been to + their old ones, exerted themselves to promote good feeling among their + people. A few weeks seemed to do more to lessen racial bitterness than + some of us had hoped for in as many years. One can but pray that it will + last. + </p> + <p> + The surrenders amounted in all to twenty thousand men, and showed that in + all parts of the seat of war the enemy had more men in the field than we + had imagined, a fact which may take the sting out of several of our later + mishaps. About twelve thousand surrendered in the Transvaal, six thousand + in the Orange River Colony, and about two thousand in the Cape Colony, + showing that the movement in the rebel districts had always been more + vexatious than formidable. A computation of the prisoners of war, the + surrenders, the mercenaries, and the casualties, shows that the total + forces to which we were opposed were certainly not fewer than seventy-five + thousand well-armed mounted men, while they may have considerably exceeded + that number. No wonder that the Boer leaders showed great confidence at + the outset of the war. + </p> + <p> + That the heavy losses caused us by the war were borne without a murmur is + surely evidence enough how deep was the conviction of the nation that the + war was not only just but essential—that the possession of South + Africa and the unity of the Empire were at stake. Could it be shown, or + were it even remotely possible, that ministers had incurred so immense a + responsibility and entailed such tremendous sacrifices upon their people + without adequate cause, is it not certain that, the task once done, an + explosion of rage from the deceived and the bereaved would have driven + them for ever from public life? Among high and low, in England, in + Scotland, in Ireland, in the great Colonies, how many high hopes had been + crushed, how often the soldier son had gone forth and never returned, or + come back maimed and stricken in the pride of his youth. Everywhere was + the voice of pity and sorrow, but nowhere that of reproach. The deepest + instincts of the nation told it that it must fight and win, or for ever + abdicate its position in the world. Through dark days which brought out + the virtues of our race as nothing has done in our generation, we + struggled grimly on until the light had fully broken once again. And of + all gifts that God has given to Britain there is none to compare with + those days of sorrow, for it was in them that the nation was assured of + its unity, and learned for all time that blood is stronger to bind than + salt water is to part. The only difference in the point of view of the + Briton from Britain and the Briton from the ends of the earth, was that + the latter with the energy of youth was more whole-souled in the Imperial + cause. Who has seen that Army and can forget it—its spirit, its + picturesqueness—above all, what it stands for in the future history + of the world? Cowboys from the vast plains of the North-West, gentlemen + who ride hard with the Quorn or the Belvoir, gillies from the Sutherland + deer-forests, bushmen from the back blocks of Australia, exquisites of the + Raleigh Club or the Bachelor's, hard men from Ontario, dandy sportsmen + from India and Ceylon, the horsemen of New Zealand, the wiry South African + irregulars—these are the Reserves whose existence was chronicled in + no Blue-book, and whose appearance came as a shock to the pedant soldiers + of the Continent who had sneered so long at our little Army, since long + years of peace have caused them to forget its exploits. On the plains of + South Africa, in common danger and in common privation, the blood + brotherhood of the Empire was sealed. + </p> + <p> + So much for the Empire. But what of South Africa? There in the end we must + reap as we sow. If we are worthy of the trust, it will be left to us. If + we are unworthy of it, it will be taken away. Kruger's downfall should + teach us that it is not rifles but Justice which is the title-deed of a + nation. The British flag under our best administrators will mean clean + government, honest laws, liberty and equality to all men. So long as it + continues to do so, we shall hold South Africa. When, out of fear or out + or greed, we fall from that ideal, we may know that we are stricken with + that disease which has killed every great empire before us. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </p> +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> + <img alt="5_south_africa (131K)" src="images/5_south_africa.jpg" + width="100%" /><br /></div> +<p> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </p> +<div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img alt="app_1 (67K)" src="images/app_1.jpg" + width="100%" /><br /></div> + +<div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img alt="app_2 (83K)" src="images/app_2.jpg" + width="100%" /><br /></div> + +<div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img alt="app_3 (80K)" src="images/app_3.jpg" + width="100%" /><br /></div> + + +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's The Great Boer War, by Arthur Conan Doyle + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT BOER WAR *** + +***** This file should be named 3069-h.htm or 3069-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/0/6/3069/ + +Produced by Robert Laing, Sue Asscher, and David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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