BOERS BECOME AGGRESSIVE--AMERICAN GOVERNMENT COMES TO ENGLAND'S
ASSISTANCE AND FURNISHES HORSES, MULES AND MEN.
The year 1901 began well, and the month of January was a very lively
one, as there was hot fighting in every direction throughout the land
and as far south as Cape Town. The English were alarmed; affairs in
South Africa looked dubious and dark. The Boers were becoming more
aggressive, Johannesburg was in a constant state of excitement,
expecting every moment to be attacked and captured; the people were
calling for protection, Kitchener was clamoring for re-enforcements
from England, and England was calling for help from Ireland, Scotland,
Wales, Canada, India, New Zealand and Australia. At the same time Lord
Roberts was pulling the ropes for his earldom, and $500,000 for his
proclamations annexing the Free State and the Transvaal, and declaring
the war at an end. The English were short on horses and mules and these
she must have at any cost, otherwise they were swamped.
There was but one country in the world from which she could hope to get
them, and that was the last country in the world that should supply
them.
_The Government of the United States of America disgraced itself by
violating the law and allowing British officers to establish recruiting
camps for horses, mules and men on its sacred soil, thereby assisting
the great monarchy of the British Empire to destroy two little
republics in South Africa struggling so hard for their liberty and
independence. One of these camps was in New Orleans, at Chalmette, a
spot of ground sacred in the eyes and hearts of all true Americans._
The governor of the state protested against this camp. The mayor of the
city protested against this camp, and the people of America protested
against this camp, yet it was allowed to remain. The Government in
Washington City sent two officers clothed in the army uniform to visit
and report on this camp. The two officers went there, shook hands with
the British officers, had some wine, returned to Washington, reported
that all was well, and the Government established a police force to
protect those British officers and that camp while recruiting horses,
mules and men for the British Army in South Africa.
_During the war of 1812 the English tried to lay waste our land,
employed the Indian savages to murder our women and children, burnt
our capitol, and the war closed, with one of its greatest battles,
in 1815, at Chalmette, in New Orleans. So our English Government
in Washington waited some eighty-five years for the opportunity to
apologize to the British Government for the terrible thrashing that the
famous Andrew Jackson gave General Pakenham and his English army at
Chalmette, New Orleans._
It seems to me that this is enough to bring the blush of shame to the
cheeks of every true American. If the people of the United States of
America cannot find enough true Americans to fill the highest office
in their gift, then the time has arrived when they should change their
name and cease to call themselves Americans. Suffice it to say that
just as the struggling Boers had all England alarmed and the English
army pushed to hard straits, ship load after ship load of horses, mules
and men from America began to arrive in Cape Town and Durban, and with
them Lord Kitchener was soon able to put into the field ninety-one
mobile columns. Many of these Americans were captured, and some of
them said that the English forced them to enlist and fight, after they
reached South Africa, while others declared that they were duly hired
by the British in New Orleans to go with the horses and mules to South
Africa and on arrival there take up arms against the Boers.
Little good it would do them, but all those who claim they were forced
by the British to take up arms against the Boers, should at least
vindicate themselves to the extent of laying their complaints with the
proper officials in Washington City. Those who confess that they were
duly hired by the English to take up arms against the Boers should be
made to feel the stigma of their disgrace by being disfranchised and
deprived of the rights of American citizenship.
I certainly feel that any republican who voluntarily assists a king or
queen, or both, to kill or enslave other republicans, is not fit to
live among republicans, for such a man in time of war is sure to commit
treason if he gets an opportunity.
Strange as it may seem, it is yet true, the English never once attacked
the Boers in the month of January. They were forced to fight on the
defensive and the Boers made them do plenty of fighting. Without horses
and mules what could the English do but spend their time in throwing
up earthworks to defend themselves against Boer attacks, and I tell
you the English were kept pretty busy from morn till night. The Boers
were having a first class picnic with them, and had not the English
Government in Washington, D.C., lent a helping hand, the British army
in South Africa would have been hopelessly lost in the struggle. Now
the reader can understand what I meant when I said some time back that
the two little Republics would have won their independence had not
the devil and his angels been against them. It is significant, and it
means something when 35,000 Boers put an English army 250,000 strong
strictly on the defensive, and the Government of the United States did
not fail to come promptly to the British Army's rescue. But I must go
ahead and tell what happened in the various and widely separated parts
of South Africa during the month of January, 1901. It may not interest
the reader, but it was a month of great worry and excitement both to
the British army and the British Government.
Early in the month General Botha planned to attack Machadadorp,
Dalmanutha, Belfast, Wonderfontein and Balmoral, all fortified stations
of the Delagoa railway line. All the forts were well equipped both with
men and guns, and the forts at each station were so placed that each
could protect the other.
It was during the dark and rainy night of January 8th, that a
simultaneous attack on all the stations on the line was to be made. For
a distance of seventy-five miles the midnight hour was made hideous
by the singing of rifle bullets, whizzing grape shot, and the roar of
cannon.
The frightful noise could be heard for miles, and the Boers and English
were face to face at the forts, some shooting and others using their
rifles as clubs. The English lost heavily, but the attack was only
partially successful. The Boers had tried to outdo ten to one against
them in well fortified positions. The English at night always removed
their guns at Belfast from the forts for safety and it was fortunate
for them that they did, for General Viljoen with the Johannesburg boys
took the big fort on Monument Hill with its maxims and men. He lost
his bravest and best veldtcornet in the attack, Ceroni, who fell at
the wall of the fort. Plucky Dick Hunt, of the Irish Brigade, was by
his side, and he received three wounds, one in the lungs being a very
severe one, from which he is suffering to this very day. He, however,
with his three wounds, was among the very first to scale the walls
and capture the fort. The fort at the coal mine was attacked by Major
Wolmorans and about twenty-five artillery boys, including Sergeant
Joe Wade, Sergeant Mike Halley, Joe Kennedy, John McGlew, Jim French,
Captain McCallum and Jerry O'Leary, of the Irish Brigade. Here the
Boers and the English were within two feet of each other, each trying
to take the other's head off. Some of the Irish boys actually pulled
the rifles out of the Tommies' hands. Finally the Tommies weakened and
the boys jumped over the wall and took the fort. Lieutenant Cotzee
showed remarkable bravery, was severely wounded and afterwards murdered
by some Kaffirs that had been armed by the British. The Boers held the
two forts a few hours, helped to care for the dead and wounded English,
and then with all their booty returned to camp. At all the other
stations the Boers had to fall back because the English were too strong
for them.
This affair put all the English to work next day along the line,
strengthening existing forts, building others, digging trenches and so
forth, to make their positions as strong for defence as possible. They
were not only frightened, but astonishingly alarmed by the boldness
and the aggressiveness of the Boers. We were camped about seven miles
from Belfast, about 150 strong, could see everyone in the town, and
the English, about 3,000 strong, could see us, yet they never dared
to attack us. We had no defences whatever and were camped on the open
prairie. "We were as safe as the people in Piccadilly."
General Chris. Botha near Blauwkop and not far from Standerton,
attacked the English and had a good warm fight, and at the end the
English thought it wise to pull themselves nearer Standerton. Shortly
afterwards General Chris. Botha found the English between Ermelo and
Carolina and again attacked and made it warm for them. In fact, he made
the English commands that had sufficient horses hustle away lively, and
they kept close to the railway lines for protection. General De Wet
in the Free State was at all times next to the English, who now were
not striving to corner him, but to keep shy of him. Near Lindley he
attacked and had a fight with a column much stronger in men and guns
than himself, but he was eminently successful, and before all could
escape he made several prisoners. In Cape Colony, south of Kimberly
and as far down as Cape Town, there was good fighting in many places.
It required an English army 30,000 strong to protect the various
towns, and yet the Boers had no trouble in accomplishing their ends.
Judge Hertzog and General Brand were in one section, Commandant Fouche
and General Kritsinger in another, while Commandant Wynand Malan and
Commandant Scheepers were near to Cape Town. All these generals and
commandants were playing havoc with the English, and Commandant Malan,
one of the most successful and daring young officers of the war, was
within twenty miles of Cape Town when he captured a convoy. While he
was here great excitement prevailed in Cape Town and the people were
daily expecting the Boers to attack. Near Kimberly the other generals
and commandants were attacking and driving the English, and once again
Kimberly was in a great state of worry. So alarming were the conditions
in Cape Colony that it became necessary to proclaim martial law in many
districts, and re-enforcements were called for in order to try and
suppress the invaders.
[Illustration: COMMANDANTS IN THE BOER SERVICE
Colonel Blake, John Muller, Commandant Malan, Lieutenant Malan,
Commandant Conroy, Commandant Lategan, Commandant Piet Moll.]
Now we will see what General de la Rey is doing in the Western
Transvaal. The English are numerous everywhere and protected by forts
in all parts. At Zeerust a large command is tied up by General de la
Rey's men, not one of them shows his head above the wall. They cry for
food and relief, but in vain. Only a small number of General de la
Rey's men are there, but the number seems quite sufficient. The English
are hard pushed and much worried, yet they do not dare to leave their
walls and face the Boers.
For many miles along the Magaliesburg Mountains southwest of Pretoria,
de la Rey is attacking and driving the English, and before the end of
the month had cleared them all from the mountains and taken possession
himself. Every advantage, both in men, guns and fortified positions
were in the hands of the English, yet so fierce was General de la Rey's
attack that they had to give way and abandon that mountain range. Near
Ventersdorp and Lichtenburg some of de la Rey's commandos attacked
the intrenched and fortified English, and at Lichtenburg, where the
general was in person, half the defences were taken and many English
killed and wounded. Fighting continued here for several days, and had
not re-enforcements arrived, General de la Rey would have captured or
killed all the English commands.
In the Western Transvaal one of de la Rey's commandos attacked a
convoy and its escort near Modderfontein, and a hard fight for several
days, was the result. In the end, 250 men surrendered with two maxims,
plenty of ammunition, loaded wagon train, and so forth. Having disarmed
them and taken possession of the booty, the Boers sent the escort back
to the English lines. It was during this month that General Beyers
passed from the high veldt on the east to the Western Transvaal,
crossing the railway line between Johannesburg and Pretoria. He did not
forget to take a railway station as he passed. Some of his men made a
raid to Johannesburg, upset the nerves of the whole population, took
about two thousand cattle, a good number of goats and sheep and then
returned to camp, satisfied with their day's work. Many other small
fights occurred during the month, but not of sufficient importance to
deserve mention. I think that I have given enough to show that Lord
Roberts' war was at an end, and that he fully deserved his $500,000 and
earldom for his proclamations. I have not heard yet what Conan Doyle
received, but he is certain to have reaped a reward of some kind.
It was during the months of December and January that Lord Kitchener
did some of his dirtiest paper work in the form of circulars praying
the burghers to come in and surrender, and offering them all sorts of
inducements to commit treason. He made use of the burghers who had
long since surrendered and whom he had not shipped out of the country
because they were so loyal, to carry out these circulars and distribute
them among the Boer commandos.
When they began to arrive they were at once sent back and told to warn
all persons who should in the future appear in the Boer camps with such
treasonable papers that they would be shot. Lord Kitchener prevailed
upon them, however, and out they came again. Generals De Wet, de la
Rey, Louis Botha, Chris. Botha and Viljoen all had some of them shot.
Lord Kitchener protested against the shooting of his loyal subjects,
but he was very careful not to send any more out. These Anglo-Africans
who did this work correspond to what is known in the United States as
Anglo-Americans or Anglo-Saxons, and just as much confidence can be
put in the one in time of war as in the other. For it is this class
of people who, in time of war, will be sure to ally themselves with
that power which they believe most likely will be victorious in the
end, regardless of their citizenship. Any English lord or general, or
any general who, to gain his end, puts a premium upon treason, will
himself, under proper conditions commit treason, just as sure as he who
offers a bribe is equally sure to accept one. An Anglo-African is a
born or naturalized burgher of the Free State or the Transvaal who has
an English heart, just as an Anglo-American is a born or naturalized
citizen of the United States who has an English heart.