EVERYONE GOES TO HIS OWN DISTRICT
Here at Tafel Kop, after the chief officers had held a council of war,
the commandos separated. We of Harrismith, together with burghers of
other districts, were now again under the command of General Philip
Botha. The rest were to go under Generals Fourie and Froneman.
General de Wet shortly afterwards fitted out a second expedition to
invade Cape Colony, which, however, did not get farther than Brak River.
I did not accompany it (during January and February 1901), and have
therefore nothing to relate about it. It is, however, well known that
General de Wet, in this second attempt to make an inroad into British
territory south of the Orange River, underwent still greater hardships
than in the first. But although he was prevented by heavy rains from
gaining his object, and had to turn back, he was not altogether
dissatisfied; for on his return he declared, when addressing the
burghers, that he had gained what he wanted. He had certainly succeeded
in forcing the English to march long distances, and to concentrate large
forces at points where at that time it was not convenient for them to do
so.
But let me revert to my own experiences. On the 26th of December, when
darkness had fallen, we left Tafel Kop, and camped for the night to the
north of Wit Kop. There were, when we got to the neighbourhood of
Senekal, no English in that town; but after we had been at Wit Kop for a
day news was brought that a body of the enemy had again entered it.
General Botha therefore sent a number of burghers to take up a position
along the road from Senekal to Bethlehem, whilst the laager remained at
Wit Kop. The object of this was to allow time for about ten waggons,
which had been sent to Ficksburg to fetch meal, to return. Before,
however, these waggons reached Ficksburg the English had again occupied
that town, and with regretful eyes we saw the long train of waggons
returning without having accomplished their purpose.
On Friday, the 28th of December, we went on to Zuringtrans, and early on
the following morning we started from there towards Kaffir Kop, while
General Botha with a number of burghers took up positions. We were
outspanned, and quite at our ease, when a report came that the enemy was
advancing from Wit Kop. At first we did not believe this, but soon it
proved to be true enough, and then there was again a hurried inspanning.
The Maxim-Nordenfeldt was dangerously near, and we had to hasten away
with the greatest speed. We passed the Sand River and Kaffir Kop to the
left, and at night we encamped not far from that kop.
The following day, Sunday, we could hold no service. The burghers had to
take up positions against the advancing foe at Kaffir Kop, while the
waggons and carts went forward during the whole of the day to
Elandsfontein, not far from Lindley.
How unfortunate was the lot of our burghers when, without cannon, they
had to hold a position. Before they could get a chance of firing a
single shot the position was shelled, and the English, far beyond the
reach of rifles, moved round the flanks in large numbers. If, then, our
men wished to avoid being surrounded they had to retreat. This now at
Kaffir Kop. The frequent withdrawal of our burghers from their positions
made the enemy taunt them with being unwilling to fight, and with
running away. But since the English as a rule kept our men at a distance
of five thousand yards with their cannon, and kept themselves also at a
safe distance, how could our people get a chance of fighting?
If the Boers, then, had no chance of fighting, they should not keep the
war going: they should not attack the English when few in numbers and
when they had a fair chance of firing at the enemy's troops on their
flanks. So the English kept on saying; yet, oh mine enemy, what right
had'st thou to prescribe to us how we should fight? Did not thine own
great hero, Wellington, declare that a nation has the right to adopt
every means to resist a foe that is invading its country?
We went on a little farther that night, and the sun rose on us on the
1st of January 1901 not far from Liebenberg's Vlei. We proceeded a short
distance farther, and held service to celebrate the day in the garden of
a farm where we had halted. I addressed the burghers on the subject of
"the Old and the New."
In the evening we proceeded in the direction of Reitz, and camped at the
confluence of Liebenberg's Vlei and Tyger Kloof; for it was General
Botha's object to give the burghers some rest somewhere in the
neighbourhood of that village.
We remained here for some days to look for a suitable spot, and the
General went himself with Commandant Erwee to reconnoitre the forts of
the English at Reitz. Meanwhile we enjoyed the great privilege of being
able to bathe in the river; but we also experienced some discomfort from
rain. At midnight on the second day heavy showers fell, and many
burghers who had off-saddled in low-lying places were inundated. They
had hurriedly to jump up and carry their bedding to higher ground. This
they did laughing and joking, which certainly was a fine proof of the
good spirit that prevailed among them, and of the cheerfulness with
which they were ready to make any sacrifice for the sake of the great
cause.
It appeared that we could not remain in the neighbourhood of Reitz, for
on Thursday, the 3rd of January, our attention was called to an English
force marching from Senekal towards Heilbron. In a fight that day with
this force we unfortunately lost several dead and wounded. On the
following day another engagement took place with another body of English
going in the same direction. General Botha drove the infantry some
distance, but had to give it up when reinforcements with two cannon and
a Maxim-Nordenfeldt belonging to the English who had passed the day
before made its appearance. Whilst the General was engaged in this fight
some of our men halted the ambulance waggons of the enemy, which had
gone on in advance, and found in them a considerable number of the
English who had been wounded on the previous day. There was also one of
our burghers, but he was too weak to be removed.
Meanwhile we had from day to day gone farther and farther from Reitz,
and on Sunday, 6th January, we crossed Liebenberg's Vlei and remained
that night on the bank of that river not far from Leeuw Kop. Here we
remained till the following morning. We then proceeded east of Leeuw
Kop.
From a high ridge there, over which we passed, I saw in the distance
Platberg, at the foot of which Harrismith lies. I had not seen the
mountain for five months. A thrill of emotion went through me when I saw
it, but I had no desire to go to the town at its foot, for no one dear
to me was there now. And when I thought how the enemy had taken
possession of the town, and of all the vulgarity connected with a
military occupation, I felt a sort of aversion to the place.
Whither were we going now, now that we could not rest in the
neighbourhood of Reitz?
There was a rumour that picked men from each commando were to go with
General de Wet to the colony, and that the rest of the men were to
return to their own districts to be employed there as circumstances
might require. And now that we were "trekking" in the direction of
Harrismith it seemed as if this would be the case, at any rate as far as
the Harrismith burghers were concerned; but greatly to the
disappointment of most of us, we had to go back on Tuesday night, and
reached Bronkhorstfontein on Wednesday morning early, not far from
Valsch River.
On the following morning we trekked to Valsch River, not far from the
mill, and on Friday, 11th January, all the Harrismith men got leave to
go to their districts, upon the understanding that they should come
together again on the 22nd at Doornberg.
Afterwards leave was given to those burghers who had accompanied the
Chief-Commandant to Odendalstroom to remain in their own district, while
those who had not gone with him were now to accompany him on his second
expedition to the Cape Colony. There were some, however, of those who
had gone the first time who now went again, among whom were General
Wessel Wessels, Commandant Jan Jacobsz, and some men.
I set off towards Harrismith without the slightest delay. On Saturday
night I was on the farm of Jan Labuschagne, and on the following
afternoon, at sunset, I arrived at Zwart Klip, together with General C.
J. de Villiers.
It was pleasant to be there once more, and to see the trees, which were
leafless when I had last seen them, now clad in all the pride of summer.
Everything was calm and peaceful here, and although the English,
eighteen miles away, had our town in their possession, we could with
difficulty persuade ourselves that there peace had not been restored. We
were naturally glad to see one another again, and had much to tell and
much to listen to. What was particularly gratifying to us was to hear
the particulars in regard to the _quasi_ civil administration of the
English, of which we had already heard some account. Since the middle of
October the function of District Commissioner had ceased also in this
district. The patrols of five or six mounted police could no more ride
about in safety, and if the English wished to go from one town to
another this could not be accomplished unless they were in large numbers
and under the protection of cannon. But the burghers went about in small
numbers--north or south, east or west--wherever they listed. It became
clearer to us than ever, that whatever the English might have, they were
not yet in possession of our country, and that they could do nothing
unless they did it with overwhelming odds and under shelter of cannon.
We felt that this could not but be humiliating to such officers of the
British army as were capable of judging the merits of the case without
prejudice.