[Illustration: J.Y.F. BLAKE
Colonel Boer-Irish Brigade at time of general surrender in June, 1902.]
A WEST POINTER
WITH THE BOERS
Personal Narrative of
COLONEL J.Y.F. BLAKE,
_Commander_
of the
IRISH BRIGADE
1903
Angel Guardian Press, Boston
Copyright, 1903
Colonel J.Y.F. Blake
Dedicated
TO THE MEMORY
OF THE
TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND
BOER WOMEN AND CHILDREN
MURDERED
IN THE
ENGLISH PRISON CAMPS
OF SOUTH AFRICA
DURING THE ANGLO-BOER WAR.
1899-1902
Introduction.
Friends have advised me to say a little something about myself, by way
of a beginning, and to please them, I will commence with the statement
that I was born in the State of Missouri, in 1856, and waked up on
a horse and cattle ranch on the plains of Denton County, Texas. At
least, here it was that I first saw light, as far as I can remember.
As I grew up I learned to ride the Texas pony, and became fairly well
acquainted with the character and habits of horses and cattle, by
having, year after year, to look after them, and see that none strayed
away. Happy were those days of loneliness and ignorance spent on those
far-stretching plains, where roamed hundreds of thousands of horses,
cattle and buffalo!
In 1871, my father started me to school at the Arkansas State
University, at Fayetteville. In 1876, while still at the University,
I received the cadet appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, through the kindness of Hon. Thomas M. Gunter, M.C., an old
friend of my father. I entered the Academy in September, of the same
year, and graduated in June, 1880. I was assigned as 2nd Lieutenant of
the 6th U.S. Cavalry stationed in Arizona. I passed through the Apache
wars, serving first under General Wilcox, then under General Crook, and
lastly under Gen. Nelson A. Miles.
General Crook put me in command of the Apache Indian scouts, and with
them I roamed about the mountains till 1885, when my troop was ordered
to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. I passed through the Infantry and Cavalry
school, and, on being promoted to the rank of 1st. Lieutenant in 1887,
was ordered to Fort Wingate, New Mexico. Now General Miles put me in
command of the Navajo Indian scouts.
The Indians remained quiet and peaceful on their reservations. Post
life became monotonous, and I resigned in 1889.
I went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to try my hand in business, but soon
found that the "tricks of the trade" were too deep for me, so I made
up my mind to go to South Africa, where the gold mining prospects were
attracting adventurous men from every part of the world.
Preface.
I wish the following pages to be considered as a simple narrative of
some of the important events of the Anglo-Boer War and a very terse and
unpolished narrative at that. I have endeavored to tell the truth in as
brief a way as possible and, to speak the truth again, I believe I have
been too brief in many instances.
Ordinary readers sicken of long military details of battles and I have
purposely refrained from giving them. During the first nine months of
the war, many American correspondents were present and I think they can
give a pretty correct account of what happened during their time, and
I don't believe my account will in any way conflict with any they may
give. Among many whom I know, are Rev. Peter MacQueen, Richard Harding
Davis, Mr. Unger, Mr. Hillegas, Allen Sangree and E.E. Easton, and
such men as these will not lie because the English are happy to call
themselves our "Cousins across the Sea."
Some criticism has been made of Captain Patrick O'Connor, Lieutenants
John Quinn and Mike Enright, who were in charge of the Chicago
Ambulance Corps, sent by Colonel John F. Finerty and Patrick J. Judge
to South Africa to assist the Boers, for laying aside the Red Crosses
and taking up the mauser. These were all good and true men and had
the Boers asked them to do Red Cross duty, they would have willingly
consented. But they were not needed in this line, so they were equipped
for fighting.
At Spion Kop, General Buller had many of the ambulance men remove their
Red Crosses and take the rifle during the battle. We captured several
of these and they told the whole story. After the battle was over, all
those not captured were required to pin on the Red Cross again and look
after the numerous dead and wounded. If the English ambulance men could
remove their Red Crosses and take up rifles at the pleasure of the
British commander, I can't understand why the Boer ambulance men could
not do the same.
I have not said as much about the English commanders of the war as I
might have said; and now a word about them may not be taken amiss.
The Boers generally acknowledge General Buller as by far the ablest
commander the English had in the field. True it is, he made mistakes
on the Tugela, but it should be remembered that he had but 35,000 or
40,000 men to dislodge some 6,000 Boers intrenched for a distance of
thirty miles along the river. Had Buller been in supreme command, I
firmly believe the war would have been brought to an end within six
months after the relief of Ladysmith.
Lords Roberts and Kitchener had treble the number of men, an open
country and only about 4,000 Boers in front of them; yet Buller
relieved Ladysmith by the time they could relieve Kimberly.
In fighting negroes armed with sticks both Roberts and Kitchener were
enabled to add a list of letters to their names almost equal to the
number in the alphabet; but when confronted with an armed Boer, both
found themselves practically helpless.
Roberts for his proclamations received from the British Government
$500,000, and an earldom. Kitchener received $150,000 for wiping out
of existence 22,000 women and children. It must be added, however,
that he was simply carrying out Lord Roberts' instructions, to his
great pleasure. Though degenerate and incompetent, yet the English
soldier knows a little something. The 29th of September, 1902, was the
King's Procession Day. I was present and witnessed the circus. Between
Trafalgar Square and St. Paul's Cathedral, Lord Roberts was violently
hissed and the people called for General Buller, who had done all the
fighting and reaped disgrace as his reward. Roberts bit his lip but
that is all the satisfaction he got.
There is no doubt about it, the English lords and generals in command
of the British army are degenerate and incompetent and that, too, far
more so than the English soldier. In hundreds of instances, I am quite
sure had an English sergeant been in command, we would have been badly
beaten where we gained successes. The English commanders had large
numbers, but small brains.
The quiet, modest little de la Bey, with his dancing, hazel eyes, was
unquestionably the ablest of the Boer generals and the greatest man of
the war.
The stalwart, restless, commanding General De Wet was the great
strategist and Stonewall Jackson of the war. The handsome, refined and
polished General Louis Botha proved a most brilliant commander and
fighter, and another war will mark him as one of the brightest military
stars of modern times. He is young and cool-headed and has in him all
the necessary material to make a great military leader. May the time
soon come for him to make use of his material.
Although the Boers had three such able leaders, yet the two little
Republics lost their liberty and independence because the 25,000
patriots under their command thought it better to surrender and save
their women and children and therefore their race from extinction.
Horses, mules and men from the United States of America destroyed the
two little republics.
We can always point with pride to our great liberty lovers, Washington,
Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Jackson, Monroe, and Lincoln, but since
the days of these great patriots and Americans our leader-ship has
degenerated; trade and greed have taken the place of lofty ideals
which made the country the hope and model of every people aspiring to
freedom; vulgar ambition for territorial extension has put us on the
low level of all the conquering nations of old; the late war with Spain
developed all the latent greed of an ambitious upstart among nations;
neither the plausible protestations of one president nor the open
boldness of another justified our un-American policy in the far East.
When it came to the question of acting towards the republics of South
Africa as our forefathers had acted towards the republic of Texas,
neither the oily McKinley nor the vociferous Roosevelt showed the honor
and courage of a pure-blooded American. I do not mean they were bought
by England. Our State Department is not the kind of a courtesan whose
favors have to be paid for in anything but smiles and flattery. England
smiled and flattered and America smiled back as she strangled the
liberties of a brave people. The Philistines captured Samson, thanks to
the American Delilah.
Contents.
PAGE
Introduction i
Preface v
CHAP.
I. Lobengula and the Chartered Company 13
II. A Carnival of Murder--Preceding Jameson's
Raid and Chamberlain's Conspiracy 24
III. Boer Commissary--"Mealie Pap" as a
Ration--I Take Command of the Irish
Brigade--War Declared 44
IV. The Boer Ultimatum--The Brigade at the
Front--Butchery of Prisoners by English
Lancers 52
V. Besieging Ladysmith 93
VI. British Treachery at Colenso 100
VII. Spion Kop 109
VIII. White's Incapacity 122
IX. The Fighting in the Free State 134
X. Magersfontein and Paardeberg 141
XI. De Wet Looms Up 154
XII. Paying an Instalment on the Irish Debt 164
XIII. Lord Roberts Breaks his Pledge Made in
Proclamation--Boers in Great Disorder
on Leaving Pretoria--Make Grand Stand
at Donkerhoek--General Buller Arrives in
Transvaal--Battle of Dalmanutha 185
XIV. Dark Period of the War--President Kruger
Forced to Leave for Holland 194
XV. War Declared at an End by Roberts--Lady
Roberts Captured--De Wet Cornered--General
Clement's Camp taken by General
De la Rey--De Wet's Strategy 206
XVI. Boers Become Aggressive--American Government
Comes to England's Assistance
and Furnishes Horses, Mules and Men 215
XVII. Kitchener Alarmed and Asks for More
Troops--French Tries to Corner Botha--Failing,
Makes War on Boer Women--Botha
Attacks English at Lake Chrissi--
De Wet Alarms the English--Defeats
Them, Goes to the Colony and Returns 227
XVIII. Horses, Mules and Men Arrive from America--The
Author and Major Pretorius
Make a Long Ride with Despatches--An
Exciting Trip 237
XIX. De Wet Cornered Again--De la Rey Cornered
too--General Kemp Fights a Good
Fight--The Way by Which the Boers so
Successfully Outwitted the English 268
XX. An Irish Boy's Strategy--His Sad Death--Cavalry
Far Superior to Infantry 280
XXI. Kitchener Tries to Frighten the Boers--Failing,
Takes Revenge on Women and
Children--Capture of Fort Pison--English
Surprise the Boers and are Routed 288
XXII. Artillery Boys Surprised--A Great Race--Murder
of Two Young Boers under the
Impression they were Members of the
Irish Brigade--The only Naval Battle of
the War 296
XXIII. General Louis Botha's Brilliant Charge--Our
French Gun Captured--Major Pretorius
Captured--A Close Call but all Ends
Well--General De Wet's Daring Work 305
XXIV. Destruction of Women and Children--The
Only Way to End the War--Scots Greys
Routed--English Troops and Armed Kaffirs
Fight Side by Side--General De Wet
Completely Cornered 315
XXV. Peace Terms--Procedure to be Adopted in
Selecting Prisoners of War for Return to
South Africa 331
XXVI. Brutality of British Officers--Suffering in
the Concentration Camp--Poisoning of
Boer Prisoners at St. Helena 351
XXVII. A Perfect Spy System--Captain Naude and
His Female Spies of Great Service--The
Attitude of American Consuls 363
XXVIII. The English Arm Kaffirs--The Hague Conference
and Civilization--Hands-Uppers
and Their Position 375
Conclusion 400
A West Pointer With the Boers.
CHAPTER I.
LOBENGULA AND THE CHARTERED COMPANY.
On the fifth day of December, 1894, I sailed on the _City of Berlin_
from New York.
We started in a storm, continued in a storm, and landed in a mud bank
off the Isle of Wight, just below the Needles. This caused quite a
commotion among the passengers, and all seemed inclined to make the
last stand at those points of the deck nearest to the life-boats. By
reversing the screws, the old death-trap, after a few hours' hard work,
succeeded in releasing itself, and we were again on the high sea.
On the 14th, we landed, and I saw a foreign land for the first time.
I spent a week in London trying to see something, but the fog was so
thick that I could scarcely see myself, so I decided to move on toward
South Africa.
I left Southampton December 22d, 1894, on board the _Lismore Castle_
for Cape Town where I arrived January 12th, 1895. On the voyage I
could hear nothing talked but C.J. Rhodes and Dr. Jameson. We had them
for breakfast, dinner and supper, and at all intervening hours.
Connected with these names was a country known as Rhodesia, lying
north of the Transvaal, and it was always Golden Rhodesia, a land
overladen with diamonds and gold. I made up my mind on that voyage to
look up this C.J. Rhodes and his "pal," Dr. Jameson. One thing was
certain in my mind, and that was that either these two men were really
great men or monstrous rascals, and that Golden Rhodesia was either a
marvellous land or a smartly advertised fraud. I said to myself: "I
will investigate both the men and the new country before I am in South
Africa many months." On arriving at Cape Town, a city that expired many
years ago, I immediately went to Johannesburg, the Golden City of the
Transvaal.
January 16th I beheld this lively, wonderful city that rested then
and rests now on the greatest gold bed known in the world. Money was
so plentiful that there were no poor men in the city and I was simply
appalled by the very prosperity of the place. I had never seen anything
like it before and shall probably never see anything like it again. Yet
in this phenomenally prosperous city, I heard from the lips of everyone
with whom I conversed, of that far more wonderful country lying far
to the north, the land of Golden Rhodesia. Strange to say, however,
I could not find anyone who had visited this country so heavily laden
with gold.
First I will tell how Rhodesia received the name and became the
property of the notorious Chartered Company.
In 1889, C.D. Rudd, R. Maguire and F.R. Thompson, aided by a missionary
who knew a few Kaffir words, induced Chief Lobengula, of Matabeleland
and Mashonaland, to sign a paper which was first interpreted to
Lobengula and his Indunas, (sub chiefs) by the missionary. This
fellow told them that the three white men had said in the paper that
they would give the chief $500 per month, 1,000 rifles and 100,000
cartridges, for the right to put up a mill on a certain piece of gold
bearing ground. Lobengula told them to bring the money, rifles, etc.,
and then he would show them the ground and they could mine it. The
white men also agreed to give Lobengula a steamboat, to run up the
Zambesi River. This missionary convinced Lobengula that there was
nothing more in the paper, and he signed. By the document, he had given
Rudd, Maguire and Thompson, all the mining rights of his whole domain;
but, of course, he did not know it, as it had not occurred to him that
possibly the missionary had lied. In a short time, Lobengula learned
the truth and at once assembled his Indunas and called the white men to
attend. He could get no satisfaction, so in April, 1889, he wrote the
following letter to Queen Victoria:
_To Her Majesty, Queen Victoria_:--
Some time ago, a party of men came into my country, the principal one
appearing to be a man named Rudd. They asked me for a place to dig
for gold and said they would give me certain things for the right
to do so. I told them to bring what they would give me and I would
show them what I would give. A document was written and presented
to me for signature. I asked what it contained and was told, that
in it were my words and the words of those men. I put my hand on
it. About three months afterwards, I heard from other sources that
I had given by that document, the rights to all the minerals in my
country. I called a meeting of my Indunas and also of the white men,
and demanded a copy of the document. It was proved to me that I had
signed away the mineral rights of my whole country to Rudd and his
friends. I have since had a meeting of my Indunas and they will not
recognize the paper, as it contains neither my words nor the words
of those who got it. After the meeting, I demanded that the original
document be returned to me. It has not come yet, although it is two
months since and they promised to bring it back soon. The men of the
party who were in my country at the time were told to remain till
the document was brought back. One of them, Maguire, has now left,
without my knowledge and against my orders. I write to you, that you
may know the truth about this thing and may not be deceived. With
renewed and cordial greetings, I am your friend,
Lobengula.
Rudd, Maguire, Thompson and C.J. Rhodes were all in the same Company,
and working to the same end. They were determined to rob Lobengula of
his country. The Queen took no notice of Lobengula's letter, but Rudd
and his men knew that they could not swindle Lobengula without a fight.
He was honest, and in earnest, and did not know that he was dealing
with unscrupulous people. In the past, Lobengula and his father,
Umsiligaas, had befriended Dr. Livingston and other white men who
had ventured into their far away land, and had always in return been
treated honorably; so they were not prepared for sharpers. The English
boast of fair play and justice, but they give neither, unless forced to
it.
Now I will tell how just the Queen was to Lobengula and how humane
her subjects were to his people. Whether Lobengula told the truth or
lied, in his letter to the Queen, made no difference, for the British
Government on October 15th, 1889, granted a charter to C.J. Rhodes,
Alfred Beit, George Cawston, A.H.G. Grey, Duke of Abercorn and Duke of
Fife, as petitioners, under the corporate name of the British South
Africa Co., commonly known as the Chartered Company.
The Charter having been granted under the impression that Lobengula
had voluntarily given his country away, the Chartered Company must
continue to keep the English people in the dark. C.J. Rhodes now
employed and armed about seven hundred men, with the permission and
approval of the High Commissioner. That everything might appear well on
paper, he sent Jameson to Lobengula to get permission for this armed,
christianizing force to enter Mashonaland. Of course Jameson soon
returned and reported that Lobengula was delighted with this idea of
such an armed force entering his country.
Now everything being made satisfactory to the outside world, by
deliberate lying, the march began and was continued for four or five
months, when the band of humanity lovers reached Mount Hampden, without
the loss of a single life; and, having established Fort Salisbury
in honor of their Lord, declared the Chartered Company Monarch of
Mashonaland. The Company then hoisted its flag, bearing its motto
of "Justice, Commerce and Freedom," and all set to work to spread
civilization and Christianity. Sir John Willoughby, in the ecstacy
of joy, now wrote for the benefit of the general public that the
"Government in granting the Royal Charter, had secured 'Fairest Africa'
to England and spread blessings of hope, peace and security, among all
the nations of the land."
[Illustration: ALFRED LORD MILNER
High Commissioner of South Africa, who fell into Rhodes' hands because
of his money.]
It required about two and a half years to completely relieve the
Mashonas of all they possessed, spread terror among their women,
and rob the innocent public of about half a million pounds sterling,
by floating as gold mines a large number of sand hills. Now that their
real object in Mashonaland had been gained, and that it was evident
the Company would soon be forced again into hard straits, unless a new
field was opened up, all set to work to prepare the public mind for the
invasion of Matabeleland.
They sent out reports to the effect that Lobengula was making raids on
his own people, the Mashonas, killing many of them, and taking their
cattle, and that every effort was being made to convince him that such
conduct was highly condemned by his loving friends in England. Such
reports were sent out daily, for some time, that the public might be
thoroughly aroused as to the awful state of affairs, and finally,
it was made known that Dr. Jameson, Rhodes' most willing tool, had
determined to invade Matabeleland, in order to instil into Lobengula
and his people the principles of love and humanity, and, by example,
make known to them the good effects of civilization and Christianity.
So in July, 1893, he mustered together his band of 600 full fledged
angels, and Major Wilson and Colonel Forbes, of the English Army, and
proceeded to old Buluwayo, the Royal Kraal; where he arrived without
scarcely seeing a Kaffir, till the end of his journey. Here he found a
fellow Scotchman and another white man, and expressed himself as much
astonished to see them safe and sound among a people so bent on war.
Strange to say, they knew nothing about a war till Jameson arrived. He
learned from them, that Lobengula was not in old Buluwayo, so having
nothing to fear, he proceeded to slaughter about 800 old men, women and
children.
Now they hoisted the British flag on top of a tree, to wave in peace
and love over the many hundred women and children whom they had
murdered, in the name of humanity. Then the band set out to kill
Lobengula, and having found him and his soldiers, on the banks of the
Shangani, they turned loose upon him and his men, as so many engines of
wholesale slaughter, but they soon found out that they had something
else to contend with besides women and children; for in a short time,
Major Wilson and his whole command, excepting two men, were completely
destroyed, and then Colonel Forbes' command made a rapid retreat to old
Buluwayo.
The two men who escaped were Americans, one being known as "Burnham the
Scout," and the other as "Ingram the honest man." As this man Burnham
often ran to America to boast and deceive, I will say half a dozen
words about him. He first claimed that he was a scout in America, but
all soon learned that there was no truth in his claim. At the time of
the Matabele War in 1896, he showed himself in his true light. He was
of no earthly use at Buluwayo, for all knew him, so he went to Mangwe,
a few miles to the south. Here he shot an innocent, unarmed Kaffir, if
he shot one at all, and reported that he had shot and killed M'Limo,
the Kaffir war-god. He was told that he was really a wonderful man and
undoubtedly the greatest shot in the world. So ignorant is he, that
Burnham did not know that M'Limo was a myth, a great Spirit, to whom
the Matabele would pray and look to as their guide.
But Burnham, the scout, managed to shoot and kill the great Spirit,
and, on receiving a report of this wonderful achievement, the London
_Graphic_ brought out his picture and his long story of how he killed
M'Limo, the war-god, and the terror of the Rhodesians. The Americans
in Rhodesia made it so warm for him, that Burnham left for the United
States to give a course of lectures. He now wears Khaki and is in the
British service, and his native land feels thankful.
Lobengula now sent in word that there was no cause for war with his
white brothers, and that he could not understand why they had suddenly
appeared in such a state of frenzy. Captain Blank, the famous scout,
and another man,--or beast,--were now employed, and sent out to
negotiate with Lobengula, and after a few days absence, returned to
report that he had died suddenly on the Zambesi River, which, you know,
is about three hundred miles distant. They were sure he was dead,
_Because Poison Seldom Lies_.
The Matabeles had no desire to fight, and did not know that the whites
contemplated attacking them, till it was too late, otherwise it might
have been a very different thing. Lobengula, who had ever been a warm
friend of his white brother, who had fed him, protected him and granted
him his every wish, within reason, had now, in return for his many
kindnesses, been foully murdered, because he was chief, and controlled
thousands of cattle which the Chartered Company must have, in order to
postpone, for a few years, its inevitable downfall. The truth is, that
Jameson sent word to Lobengula, that some of his people had come in and
killed some of the Mashonas, and that he must arrest and punish them.
Lobengula immediately sent a party to arrest the murderers, and Jameson
at once, on their approach, made it an excuse to invade Matabeleland.
The men who composed the police force tell the truth when they say
it was a put up job, and the Chartered Company and its officials
maliciously lie, when they say the war was provoked and prosecuted for
the cause of humanity. Matabeleland and Mashonaland together were now
christened Rhodesia. There was nothing more to fear, now that Lobengula
was dead, and the great Rhodesian swindle prospered for several years,
or until the Jameson raid.