WITH GENERAL DE WET TO THE ORANGE RIVER--THE TAKING OF DE WET'S DORP
On the following day the President and General de Wet addressed the
burghers, and informed them that they were to go to the Cape Colony.
On that same afternoon, the 15th of November, the march thither
commenced. It was touching to see, however contrary to the desire of
many Free Staters it was, how eager the colonists among us were to
start. One of them sitting on his horse, said to a friend of his seated
on a cart drawn by two mules, "Yes, John, though it be only with mules,
still, every step is a step nearer!"
The intention was to go that evening to a store at Brand's Drift, but on
the way we heard that the English were there, and we spent the night on
a ridge to the left of the road. On the next day we proceeded, and
passed the store without any mishap; for the English had either gone
away, or had not been there. In some heavy showers of rain we continued
our journey to Newberry's Mill, and there we halted for some hours.
The weather cleared up in the afternoon, and we saddled our horses
shortly before sunset, with the object of passing through Sprinkhaans
Nek[5] that same night. But General de Wet knew that the English had
forts there, and that in all probability this could not be done without
coming into contact with the enemy. He therefore sent the burgher Frank
van Reenen with a white flag to the fort nearest to the route we should
have to take, with a message that if it did not surrender we should have
to take more drastic measures. As was to be expected, the English
refused this demand, and the fort was thereupon bombarded.
[Footnote 5: So the ridge was named near Zwartlapberg ever since the
famous passage of the 14th December 1900. Sprinkhaans Nek proper lies
somewhat farther north.]
Darkness fell, and while General Botha with a number of men was
attacking the fort, the rest of the commando with the carts and waggons
passed through to the eastward. The bullets from the fort whistled over
those passing by, and Assistant Commandant Meyer, who sat in a cart, was
again wounded. But beyond this, except that some horses were hit, we
passed through without any loss. The object not being to take the fort,
but to get through the nek, General Botha was called back as soon as the
commando was safely through. We encamped a short distance from
Zwartlapberg.
Mr. Pontsma of the Netherlands Ambulance in the Transvaal joined us in
the nek, and I was glad to hand over the wounded to his care.
Early the following morning we went forward. We passed through what was
formerly Maroko's territory. Here we had no trouble from wire
en-closures or gates. What peaceable people the Barolong Kaffirs must be
not to require that peace-maker "Barbed wire."
Our road now led us across the sources of the Modder River, and on
Sunday, the 18th November, we rested, and held service about six miles
from De Wet's Dorp, while General Botha went to reconnoitre the forts of
the English garrison stationed at that town.
During the following two days we went from farm to farm, but remained
in the neighbourhood of the town, and on Tuesday night the General
commenced the attack from three sides. He ordered General Botha to take
possession of a high hill on the southwest of the town, while Commandant
Lategun was told to approach from the west. He himself with Commandant
de Vos took the ridge on the north of the town. Early the following
morning the outlying forts were bombarded by our cannon, as well as
harassed by our rifles. A few burghers were wounded early in the fight
and brought to the laager.
On the day after, the attack was proceeded with, and we had the pleasure
of seeing several important forts taken. But the chief work was done on
the following day, Friday, 23rd November. Nearer and nearer our men
approached, steadily drawing the cordon round the British closer, and it
was a very great satisfaction to General de Wet to see that he had men
under him who carried out his plans. No attack certainly was better
planned or better carried out than this during the whole war.
In the course of the day Commandant de Vos and Field-Cornet Baljon took
a fort, in which a lieutenant with twenty men had to surrender. But the
grandest work was done by Field-Cornet (afterwards General) Wessel
Wessels, who was under General Botha,--to him the honour must be
accorded of taking most of the forts.
His method of attack was as follows. He gave his men orders to direct a
heavy fire on the loopholes of a fort he wished to take. This rendered
it impossible for the defenders to fire, and gave him the opportunity of
rushing swiftly with a few men to the fort. There he lay down under the
loopholes, out of the fire. From this point of vantage he called out
"Hands up!" and in this manner he took all the forts that fell to his
share.
From position to position the British were driven, until at last the
town was in our possession!
In the afternoon there were only three forts still held by them. These
had now to be taken, and the danger to our burghers was very great,
especially in the storming of one of them! Field-Cornet Wessels was
ordered to attack it from the town side, and he began, when the sun was
already rapidly sinking in the west, to approach it from a donga. We
should undoubtedly have lost very heavily here if the English had
opposed us any longer, for the ravine along which Field-Cornet Wessels
approached afforded little or no shelter, but just as the sun was
setting the white flag was hoisted. De Wet's Dorp was taken.
The loss of the English was 20 killed and 85 wounded. Eight officers and
400 men were taken prisoners, and we captured two Armstrong guns, one
Maxim-Nordenfeldt, and a great deal of ammunition and provisions. Our
loss was seven killed and fourteen wounded.
The English said that it was an overwhelming number of Boers that
compelled this garrison to surrender; but it is certain that not more
than 500 men took part in the attack. For, in the first place, all the
burghers were not taken from the laager; but patrols also had to be sent
in all directions to see if the enemy were not sending reinforcements.
How ready the English always were to magnify our numbers when they
suffered defeat.
We were generally, according to their reports, "small, roving, sniping
bands"; but when anything happened to them, like the taking of a town,
we were transformed as if by magic into "_overwhelming numbers_"!
We were all greatly elated, and the President was of opinion that we
ought to hold a thanksgiving service. It was agreed that this should
take place on the following Sunday in the church, but we were hindered
in this through the arrival of a hostile reinforcement from Edenburg,
which immediately occupied the attention of General De Wet.
The laager then trekked to Plat Kop, taking the prisoners along with it.
We remained there, while a considerable number of burghers went to meet
the enemy. As, however, it was not our purpose to fight in the Free
State, but to invade the Cape Colony, the reinforcements were left where
they were, while the laager and all the men trekked on Monday far into
the night in the direction of Breipaal and Klein-Bloemfontein.
That night the prisoners complained that they were made to march too
far, but General De Wet reminded them some marches of Lord Roberts were
still longer.
It was a most dreary trek across wide plains, and we were not in a
particularly happy mood when we arose the following morning, none too
early.
We were still busy with our breakfasts when we heard a cry that the
English were at our heels. And such indeed was the case. There was only
one ridge between us and the enemy. Presently the bullets were dropping
into the laager. Confusion followed, and the majority wanted to do
nothing but flee. It was only with great trouble that the officers
managed to get the men into position. There was also trouble with the
prisoners. They thought that they would now be relieved. They shouted,
Hurrah! refused to go on, and sought shelter from the bullets of their
friends behind a stone wall. But the stern bearing of our officers and
the determination of their guards compelled them to continue the march.
The laager got away, and we went on to Hex River Berg and across the
sources of Riet River, still in the direction of Breipaal.
In the night we passed Treur Kop, and halted on Mr. Heper's farm. In
the meanwhile the English had left us, and had gone towards Smithfield.
The country through which we now travelled presented a dreary appearance
on account of the prevailing drought. The veld was yellow and scorched
by the sun, and when we halted for a while on the farm I have just
mentioned, the west wind sang a mournful ditty over the parched country.
I remarked upon the cheerless aspect of our surroundings, and Mr. Louw
Wepener remarked that it must surely have been on such a day that the
hill, which we had passed during the night, was named "Treur Kop" (Hill
of mourning).
On the following day we reached Klein-Bloemfontein, and remained there
the following day also.
Here a Council of War was held for the purpose of trying a man named Van
der Berg and a number of Kaffirs who had been captured at De Wet's Dorp.
Van der Berg was sentenced to death, and the Kaffirs were set at liberty
with a message to Lorothodi, their chief, that as we were not at war
with him, and as we wished to remain on good terms with him and his
people, we sent his men back as proof of our friendship: that we hoped
besides that he would remain strictly neutral, and prove this by
advising his men not to enter into the service of the British.
I discovered that the court had not been unanimous in sentencing Van der
Berg to death, and I therefore deemed it my duty to ask the President to
order a revision of the matter. He was willing to do so, and the Council
of War again took the matter into consideration, with the result,
however, that the death sentence was confirmed by a majority of one
vote.
The papers were handed to the Government for final decision. The
sentence was not carried out.
The veld yielded very little pasturage here for our horses. A long time
had elapsed since it had last rained, and the grass was withered. Our
horses and mules had therefore to live almost exclusively on the forage
which we could get on the farms. They had still some on the 1st of
December, but after that they had nothing but a little chaff for five
days. They had therefore to subsist on the herbage which grew between
the tufts of grass. It was marvellous to see the effect of this pasture
on the sheep of these parts. Their flesh was almost too fat to eat; but
our horses, not being used to this kind of veld, could not live on the
shrubs which fattened the sheep.
On Sunday, 2nd December, we trekked to Tafel Kop, not far from Bethulie.
There we would have held divine service had it been possible, but we
could not, as there was a small English laager on the farm Goede Hoop,
and a number of burghers set out for the purpose of taking it. They did
not, however, succeed, and had to remain on the ridges to the
north-east, while the rest of the commando trekked through Slikspruit.
The fight was continued the following day, when an adjutant of General
de Wet, whose name was also de Wet, was killed. At two o'clock we were
ordered to proceed to the Caledon River. It was not a moment too soon,
for another English force was approaching from the west, and their
shrapnels dropped a little way behind the trekking laager. We continued
till dark, and then we waited, our horses saddled, and the mules in
harness, until all the burghers were able to leave the positions.
It had rained a little in the afternoon, and while we waited there, dark
clouds lowered, and it seemed as if the drought had come to an end.
Presently some showers fell, and we expected to have a wet night. And so
it turned out, for shortly after we had resumed our march the darkness
became more intense, and the rain descended in heavy showers.
The light of morning ushered in a clouded sky, and we had the cheerless
prospect of a soaking day and a difficult march. In the rain we passed
the beautiful farm Carmel, belonging to Mr. Wessels, and proceeded
without a halt until we had crossed the Caledon River at the farm of old
Mr. du Plessis. Here also there was no forage. Mr. du Plessis said that
the English had passed there twice and had with a lavish hand used up
the forage. Our horses already began to suffer from hunger, and our
rapid march was exhausting them greatly.
At two o'clock General de Wet ordered us to resume our journey, and this
was done in the rain. Unfortunately the horses of the Krupp gun had
knocked up, and it was left behind at the river. When General de Wet
heard this on the following day he was very angry; for the gun should
have been brought on at any cost.
In the evening the vanguard of the commando had reached a range of hills
about two miles from the drift across the Orange River at Odendalstroom.
A Field-Cornet was ordered in the evening to go forward, to open up the
road into the Cape Colony. But the heavy travelling in the wet weather
had detained us so, that the darkness setting in as we approached the
drift made this impossible. We therefore had to halt at the hills above
referred to. I broke off some twigs from the shrubs, spread the ox-skin
upon them, and thus on the soaking ground I lay down to rest. It rained
softly almost the whole night, and on the following morning the bedding
of almost all the men was wet through. Our horses looked miserably worn,
after the rain and the forced marches. Those who accompany General de
Wet must be prepared for such things.
From the ridges on which we were we could see some tents. They belonged
to the English guard, and stood on the opposite side of the river, not
three miles away. The 400 prisoners-of-war were released here (5th
December), but the officers were still retained. Towards ten o'clock we
advanced, but--it was not to cross the Orange River, for it was in flood
and a passage was impossible. And we could not remain where we were
until the river became passable, for the English were pursuing us very
closely. There remained therefore no other way for General de Wet than,
for the present, to turn his back upon the Cape Colony. His
disappointment must have been great.
We now turned our faces northward towards the town of Smithfield. I
thought with sympathy of the colonists who were with us. No doubt many
of them had seen, on the other side, natural objects well known to them,
and now they had to be content with the sight of them only. For them
every step now was not nearer, but farther away.