JULY
THE BATTLE OF BETHLEHEM AND THE SURRENDER OF PRINSLOO
The drama in Natal having been concluded, the curtain rose on the last
act of the drama in Orange River Colony, the final scenes of which went
"on greased wheels," as it were, owing to the tremendous energy and
talent in the field of, first, General Sir Leslie Rundle, who had had all
the hard preliminary work to do; second, Generals Clements and Paget, and
finally of the greatest martial performer of all--General Sir Archibald
Hunter. It will be remembered that this officer, after the accident to
General Ian Hamilton, had taken over his command, but July found him
released from the eastern Transvaal and in act of assisting in the
concluding operations in the Orange River Colony. His force now consisted
of the 2nd and 3rd Brigades of Mounted Infantry, Kitchener's Horse,
Lovat's Scouts, the Composite Regiment of Cavalry from the Transvaal, the
Highland Brigade (minus the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders guarding
Heilbron), the Munsters, the Yorkshire Light Infantry, the Scottish
Rifles (Militia), and South Staffordshire (Militia), under the command of
General Arthur Paget, the 38th Battery Royal Field Artillery and Battery
of the City Imperial Volunteers, the Scottish Yeomanry, under Colonel
Burn, the 14th and 15th Imperial Yeomanry, and the Imperial Australian
Regiment. In conjunction with General Brabant and General Rundle, who
were in or around Senekal and Hammonia respectively, he moved steadily to
the south-east, the main object of the operations being to dislodge the
Boers from Bethlehem and sweep them off from the rich grain country on
the eastern side of the Orange River Colony, and prevent them from
penetrating lower and disturbing already pacified districts.
Near Lindley, as we are aware, as a commencement of the combined closing
in movement, Generals Clements and Paget had effected a junction. The
Boers clustering in the neighbourhood of Winburg and Senekal were known
to be yet active, though many of their number came in at times and
surrendered, while others, longing to do likewise, were caught sneaking
forth and were sjamboked by their compatriots. In fact, strong guards had
to be posted round the laagers to prevent the desertion of Boers of
pacific tendencies. Still, when they fought, they fought well and
tenaciously, and managed to give a vast amount of trouble at every turn
of the road.
General Paget, on the 3rd, attacked the Dutchmen in their strong position
at Pleisirfontein, driving them off across Leeuw Kop to Broncrifontein.
He bivouacked for the night in the position he had secured, not without
some fierce fighting, an account of which was given by one of the
Imperial Yeomanry:--
"We moved from Lindley on the morning of July 2, and by midday
were in touch with the enemy, who had taken up a position on
some kopjes overlooking the road on which we had to pass. We
opened fire with the 38th Battery Field Artillery 15-pounder,
and also with the C.I.V. 12-pounder quick-firing guns. The
Boers replied with two 15-pounders, but we were too much for
them, and by 2 P.M. we had driven them off and our Mounted
Infantry and Yeomanry had taken the position. It was a
miserably cold day with drizzling rain, so you may imagine it
was anything but pleasant.
"We camped that night at a farm which the enemy had occupied
all day. They retired some distance, and continued shelling our
camp till dark, and though some of their shells fell into our
camp and among the waggons no harm was done. Our casualties
were two of our men wounded. After we had pitched our camp it
came on to rain, so we had to lie down in our wet blankets on
the damp veldt. We were, however, able to get plenty of wood
from the farmhouse, so we made a large fire which, with some
warm tea, was a comfort. Next day we moved camp at 8 A.M. and
proceeded, after the Boers had dropped a few shells into us.
Our artillery went on ahead, and took up a position on a kopje,
and shortly after we located the Boer guns on another kopje.
To-day we found they had a large gun, a Creusot, which
outranged ours. The artillery duel lasted all day till 4 P.M.
when a general attack was made by the Infantry and Yeomanry on
the kopje. While this was going on a force of Boers dressed in
khaki and helmets, the same as those used at Lindley, managed
to creep up on the 38th Battery, who had run short of
ammunition, and shot the men down at the guns. The captain and
lieutenant were killed, and Major Oldfield was mortally
wounded."
[Illustration: PRINSLOO'S COMMANDO RETREATING TO THE BRANDWATER BASIN
AFTER THE FIGHT AT RETIEF'S NEK
From a Sketch by M. F. R.]
As may be imagined the situation was now verging on disaster. Major
Oldfield had received his death-blow, Captain Fitzgerald was helpless
with a bullet in the thigh, Lieutenant Belcher was shot at his guns. The
gunners and drivers of the guns had nearly all dropped dead or were
disabled--their horses in death agonies strewing the ground. It was
impossible, therefore, to remove the guns. The Bushmen had been forced to
retire at a critical moment, and it seemed as though the day were lost.
Then up came the C.I.V. Battery, and with the assistance of Captain
Budworth--whose wits and gallantry were never better displayed--fired
their two guns trail to trail over the heads of the 38th, battered the
triumphantly advancing foe on the left front and, in a word, saved the
situation. Off scudded the Boers, after them went the Bushmen,
Budworth riding at the head, and finally with the assistance of the
Infantry--the Yorkshire Light Infantry, the Munster Fusiliers, and the
Imperial Yeomanry who had rushed up the hills and scattered the remaining
Dutchmen at the point of the bayonet--they succeeded in getting the guns
limbered up and away! The dashing work cost forty killed and wounded,
besides Captain Dill, 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, wounded, and
Lieutenant and Adjutant A. F. C. Williams, Indian Staff Corps (Attached
Brabant's Horse), dangerously wounded.
[Illustration: RAILWAY MAP OF EASTERN PORTION OF ORANGE RIVER COLONY AND
NATAL. (Scale, 1 inch=64 miles. By permission of the Publishers of "South
Africa.")]
On the following day, 4th, the enemy was pursued as far as Blaauw Kop,
fifteen miles north-west of Bethlehem, where Mr. Steyn's seat of
government was now supposed to be. Mr. Steyn had cautiously betaken
himself to Fouriesburg (between Bethlehem and Ficksburg), leaving De Wet
and some 3000 men to await the attack of the British forces. Meanwhile
round Ficksburg fierce fighting was taking place, the Boers making a
midnight attack with the despairing idea of reoccupying that town. Their
furious effort lasted but an hour, when they found themselves beaten.
On the 5th the position at Doornberg, on the Winburg-Senekal road, which
the Dutchman had evacuated, was promptly taken possession of by General
Brabant, who thereby ousted them from a vantage-point whence they could
pounce on convoys proceeding to and from the base at Winburg, and secured
the line of rail in the vicinity of Zand River, round which hovering
gangs of wreckers had persistently congregated.
To return to the Dutchmen inside Bethlehem. The town, like many other
South African towns, is dominated by cliffs or kopjes, two of these being
on the north-west, while another (Wolhunter Kop) rises in the south in a
high and solitary peak above the plain, and descends steeply towards the
side of the town. Naturally these obstructive eminences were chosen as
the stronghold of the foe, and as naturally the object of the British was
now to clear the Boers from them, and to this end General Arthur Paget
marched his force to within two miles of his objective, and encamped near
the northerly spurs of the north-western kopjes.
General Clements's column, consisting of the Royal Irish, Worcesters,
Wiltshires, a battery of Field Artillery, and two 5-inch guns moved about
six miles on the left rear of General Paget's force towards the east of
the town; where, on all the available ridges and cliffs were Boer
trenches and gun emplacements, some of these knowingly and skilfully
arranged at a right angle with the cliffs and with their backs to the
town, in order that any approaching force could be swept from all
directions as they neared the position. General Clements sent to De Wet a
flag of truce demanding the surrender of the place, and on receipt of a
refusal the hammer-and-tong process of warfare began.
Both Generals simultaneously attacked from different points, but owing to
the crusted and gibbose nature of the ground in this part of the Orange
Colony it was impossible for the Cavalry to attempt any very wide turning
movement. The result was that on the dash and daring of the Infantry much
was found to depend and that eventually carried all before it. The
Cavalry, the 14th and 15th Imperial Yeomanry, and Imperial Australian
Regiment operated on the right, and made themselves masters of a position
on a kopje at the northerly ridge of the eminences held by the Boers.
General Clements engaged the foe in his eastern fastnesses, capturing
them on the following day through the gallantry of the Royal Irish
Regiment, while the Infantry with General Paget fought with splendid
persistence, till their ammunition being exhausted they finally charged
with the bayonet so gallantly, so effectively, that the Boers were
routed, and General Paget at nightfall found himself in possession of a
kopje which faced and was the key to the terrific steeps leading to the
precipitous peak of Wolhunter's Kop. This charge of the Munsters,
supported by the Yorkshire Light Infantry, was described by one of the
officers of the former splendid regiment in glowing terms: "The Royal
Munster Fusiliers had to storm a kopje at the point of the bayonet. For
the last 800 yards my men had not a round of ammunition left. We kept
advancing, cheering as we went on, with bayonets fixed. We got within
fifty yards, when the Boers fired their last volley and bolted. The
position was won. The G.O.C., in his despatch to Lord Roberts, said the
gallantry displayed by the Munsters was beyond all praise.... My men
behaved excellently. I never want finer fellows to be with in an attack."
Mr. Blundell, of the _Morning Post_, related a characteristic anecdote
which served to show the debonnair spirit, the coolness and aplomb of
some of the doughty band: "In the midst of the rush past some Kaffir
kraals a goose waddled out through the line, and a man, not too
preoccupied to forget the future, lowered his bayonet, swung the bird
over his shoulder in his stride, and took possession of the captured
position with his dinner on his back." The goose was eaten in face of the
frowning Wolhunter's Kop, which next day, the 7th, fell into the hands of
the British through a series of ingenious martial manoeuvres, assisted
by the brilliant execution of the 38th Battery R.F.A. and the C.I.V.
Battery under Major M'Micking. The decisive move in the operations was
brought about by the splendid persistence of the Royal Irish, who,
extended in three lines, stormed a formidable kopje amidst cascades of
fire, dropping, and sweating, and shouting, yet never halting till they
had reached the crest, captured it, and in addition to it a prize--a gun,
one of our own lost in the fatal affair at Stormberg. By midday the enemy
was in full retreat, and the town was occupied by the combined forces.
The casualty list on the first day, considering the magnitude of the
operations and the strength of the positions assailed, was not large:
Thirty-two men of the Munster Fusiliers were wounded and one man missing;
seven men of the Yorkshire Light Infantry wounded; one man of the 58th
Company Imperial Yeomanry was killed, and two men wounded. The wounded
officers were: Lieutenant A. H. D. West, 8th Battery Royal Field
Artillery; Captain T. W. Williams, 5th Volunteer Battalion Liverpool
Regiment (attached Royal Irish Regiment); Captain G. D. M'Pherson, 1st
Munster Fusiliers; Captain W. C. Oates, 1st Munster Fusiliers; Lieutenant
Conway, 1st Munster Fusiliers; Second Lieutenant Boyd Rochford, 4th
Scottish Rifles. The following casualty occurred on the 7th: Captain J.
B. H. Alderson, 1st Royal Irish Rifles, wounded (since dead).
On the morrow, Broadwood's Brigade, preceding General Hunter, arrived.
After this, by systematic and strategic pressure, the Free Staters were
being pushed off their impregnable heights to a mountainous place called
the Brandwater Basin, some fifteen miles square, in the region of the
Caledon River, leaving us in possession of practically the last of their
towns--Lindley, Bethlehem, Biddulph's Berg, and Senekal. Bethlehem was
occupied by General Paget, Biddulph's Berg by General Clements, Senekal
by General Rundle, and thus a cordon was supposed to be drawn round the
wily enemy. Unluckily, on the 15th, between Bethlehem and Ficksburg, a
small gap existed--a gap which but for delay in regard to his supplies
would have been held by General Paget--and through this loophole,
Stabbert's Nek, that very slippery fish De Wet contrived to slide, taking
with him 1500 men and five guns. This was unfortunate, as the escaped
enemy threatened to become a serious diversion from the business in hand,
particularly as no general advance could be made till the necessary
convoys had arrived for the enormous amount of troops forming the cordon.
Nevertheless while General Hunter, on one side, actively engaged in
reconnoitring the positions held by the remainder of De Wet's forces
between Bethlehem, Ficksburg, Fouriesburg, Retief's and Stabbert's Neks,
General Little (temporarily commanding the 3rd Brigade) pursued De Wet
himself, and the force that had recently broken through the cordon was
found to be hovering between Bethlehem and Lindley. A smart contest
ensued, which lasted till dusk, when the Boers broke up into two parties
and again vanished, leaving several dead and two wounded upon the field.
On the same day, 19th, General Broadwood, commanding 2nd Cavalry Brigade,
who had been following up the fleeing Boers since the 16th, spent some
hours in an animated engagement near Palmietfontein, between Ventersburg
and Lindley. The enemy, with swelled numbers, and said to be accompanied
by Steyn and one of the De Wets, had been wheeling round the railway
communications as moths circle around a chandelier. Having caught them
here General Broadwood made a brisk fight of it, but the Boers under
cover of darkness evaded pursuit. On the following morning it was found
that they had doubled back to Paardekraal during the night. The line on
the north of Honing Spruit showed signs of their depredations, and on the
western side the telegraph wires to Pretoria _viâ_ Potchefstroom were
cut. During the fight Major Moore, West Australian Mounted Infantry, was
killed, and Lieutenant the Hon. F. Stanley, 10th Hussars, Lieutenant
Tooth, Australian Contingent, and fourteen men were wounded. General
Broadwood proceeded to Vaal Krantz, which place was reached on the 22nd.
[Illustration: PRINSLOO'S LAST STAND IN THE VALLEY OF THE LITTLE CALEDON:
THE BOERS' POSITION ON THE HEIGHTS
From a Sketch by M. F. R.]
Meanwhile the desperadoes, routed on all sides, made a rush upon the
line near Roodeval, tore up the rails, and succeeded in capturing on the
night of the 21st, between Kroonstad and the Vaal, a supply train with
two officers and a hundred men of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. De Wet's
force, doubtless well pleased with itself, then moved _viâ_ Vredefort in
a north-easterly direction, quickly pursued by General Broadwood, who, in
his turn, was followed by General Little. The former officer succeeded on
the 23rd in capturing some of De Wet's waggons at Vredefort, at which
place he halted till joined by General Little. On the 25th De Wet,
ubiquitous, was found posted on some comfortable heights at Reitzburg,
some seven miles south of the Vaal, while General Broadwood, like a cat
watching a bird, was preparing to spring. But the bird was too wary, and
kept his wings flapping for flight at the first provocation. Indeed, he
had dodges at his fingers' end, and tried a new variety every time he was
warned of the British approach. One of these was at a certain place to
keep a dozen or so Boer hats, which had previously been strung on a line,
continually bobbing over a certain entrenched spot in order to impress
the British and lead them astray, while he and his horde took an opposite
direction.
While the chase was going forward some fighting took place, in which the
Berkshire Yeomanry, the Imperial Bushmen, and the 38th Field Battery took
part. They disputed the possession of a high hill to west of Bethlehem,
but as possession makes nine points of the law, the Boers, posted in
strength upon the hill, caused the small force to retire. During the
retirement one officer and nine men were lost. General Bruce Hamilton
also engaged in some active work, which cost him three of the Cameron
Highlanders, whose regiment, assisted by 500 Mounted Infantry and the
82nd Battery, succeeded in securing a strong position on Spitzray.
Captain Keith Hamilton, Oxford Light Infantry, was wounded severely, and
Captain Brown, Captain A. C. M'Lean, and Lieutenant Stewart, Cameron
Highlanders, Captain E. S. C. Hobson, Mounted Infantry Worcester
Regiment, and thirteen Cameron Highlanders were all more or less severely
injured.
Of the terribly hard work done by the 21st Brigade it has been impossible
to take due note. Since the 28th of April they had covered on foot some
1200 miles, and had done more fighting and marching than any brigade at
the front. They could count as many as forty-three engagements to their
credit, and as one of the Sussex men said, "We have been in several tight
corners, but have always come out on top." The Irish, Scottish, and
Colonial Corps had all received their meed of praise, but certain English
regiments, notably the Sussex, the Wiltshire, and the Liverpool
Regiments, owing to the fact of their not being prominently engaged in
the "historic" battles, got less than their share of appreciation,
though no better and braver and more enduring regiments could be found
in the British army.
[Illustration: POSITION OF TROOPS ROUND THE BRANDWATER BASIN BEFORE THE
SURRENDER OF PRINSLOO.]
Operations were now carried forward with additional vigour, for it was
known that Boers, some 6000 of them, led by Roux and Prinsloo, who had
not bolted with De Wet, must still be in the neighbourhood of the Caledon
Valley, the river behind them, the only passes available among the
snow-capped mountains, Commando Nek below Fouriesburg, Stabbert's and
Retief's Neks near Bethlehem, and Golden Gate, leading out of the valley.
But these, it must be remembered, were fairly far apart, and loopholes of
necessity were many. At all these points the British, lynx-eyed, furious
at being given the slip by De Wet, crouched. General Hunter himself
observed Retief's Nek, while General Bruce Hamilton barred Golden Gate,
and Generals Paget and Rundle took up positions watching Stabbert's and
Commando Neks respectively.
To appreciate the nicety of the movement a glance at the map is
necessary. The geographical nature of the situation in which the Boers
found themselves after the battle of Bethlehem was thus concisely
sketched by Mr. Spenser Wilkinson:--
"The Boers were holding a great mountain horse-shoe, of which
the curved end is at the north, and the open end or back is on
the Caledon River, the inside of the shoe being the basin of
the Brandwater. On the right-hand limb of the shoe at the
second nail from the end is Fouriesburg, and Retief's Nek is at
the top right-hand nail, the road from Ficksburg to Bethlehem
going up the Brandwater valley and over Retief's Nek.
"Outside the horse-shoe to the right, the east, the road from
Fouriesburg to Harrismith goes by the Little Caledon River,
which is separated by a long east and west range of hills from
the hilly plain of Bethlehem. North of this range is
Naauwpoort, and from the Caledon Valley to Naauwpoort the road
crosses over Naauwpoort's Nek and goes on to Harrismith on the
north side of the range."
Having blocked the passes to the best of his ability, General Hunter
hoped for the best. He knew the Boers might evaporate--as they seemed so
magically to do--over the mountains, but he guessed, and guessed rightly,
that it would be too much of a wrench to tear themselves from their
effects--horses, oxen, carts, and waggons--and these could never be
dragged over the barring acclivities.
The first attack on Retief's Nek was made on the 23rd by General
MacDonald, the Highland Brigade, Lovat's Scouts, Remington's Guides, and
a battery and two 5-inch "cow"-guns. The Boers had previously been thrown
off the scent owing to the British troops having taken a wide detour, and
they were somewhat surprised in their rocky caves to find themselves in
the thick of lyddite, which growled and crashed and fumed at them. Then
the Highland Light Infantry, with the Sussex to help them, deployed, the
former bearing to left, the latter, with the 81st Battery of Field
Artillery, to right, the Infantry making brilliant rushes towards the
impregnable lair of the enemy, despite the murderous jets from the rifles
of the Dutchmen, which spouted disaster the nearer they approached. Each
battalion lost thirty men or so, but brilliant and inexhaustible as they
were, found themselves unable, on the initial day, to push the attack.
The Black Watch were more fortunate, however, and gallantly carving their
passage with the bayonet, managed before nightfall to secure a foothold
on the summit of the hills whence they could now await the morrow. At
that time General Clements's Yeomanry were attempting to force the
passage of Stabbert's Nek, gaining ground with difficulty, but clinging
to it all night in a perilous position; while on the south-western fringe
General Rundle demonstrated in the region of Commando Nek. The morning
brought success all round. Stabbert's Nek was forced by the renewed and
sturdy efforts of the Yeomanry and the Royal Irish, and the afternoon of
the 24th found the combined columns camped inside the Nek. The Boers,
quickly recognising the inconvenience of their position, by noon had
stampeded towards the east, hoping to cut through Naauwpoort's Nek and
gain the Harrismith Road, galloping off, however, with the sagacity of
purpose for which at all times they had made themselves notable.
The losses so far were sufficiently large, but considering the importance
of the position gained they were looked upon as insignificant, and
General Hunter formally expressed the opinion that it was owing to the
excellent work done by Lovat's Scouts, who for days in advance had
scouted, stalked, and "spied" over the country, that so few losses were
recorded.
The casualties at Stabbert's Nek were:--
_Killed_:--1st Royal Irish Regiment--Captain W. Gloster.
_Wounded_:--Royal Field Artillery--Captain H. E. T. Kelly. 2nd
Wiltshire Regiment--Captain E. Evans. 6th Company Imperial
Yeomanry--Lieutenant G. A. Clay. 1st Royal Irish
Regiment--Captain E. F. Milner.
Those at Retief's Nek were:--
_Wounded_:--Royal Sussex--Captain E. L. M'Kenzie, Second
Lieutenant J. C. W. Anderson, Second Lieutenant H. G.
Montgomerie, Second Lieutenant G. E. Leachman. 2nd Royal
Highlanders--Major E. M. Wiltshire (since dead), Lieutenant H.
K. Smith. Captain Sir W. G. Barttelot, 2nd Volunteer Battalion,
Royal Sussex Regiment, was killed.
The 25th found Generals Hunter, Clements, and Paget in possession of
Brandwater Basin, while Generals MacDonald and Bruce Hamilton were
blocking Inguwooni and Golden Gate. Fouriesburg was occupied by the
Eighth Division, and there they found a number of British prisoners and
Mrs. Steyn, who was left in charge of the chief of the Commissariat
Department. Generals Hunter and Rundle paid the lady a complimentary
visit. On the following day General MacDonald, who had kept an eye on
Naauwpoort's Nek and Golden Gate, had a hard day's fighting outside
Naauwpoort in the Bethlehem Hills, but the effect of this doughty
rearguard action was the blocking of Naauwpoort's Nek for the Boer waggon
traffic, and without their precious carts the Boers were "winged."
Among the wounded were Lieutenant A. M. Brodie, Lovat's Scouts, and
Lieutenant W. E. Campion, Mounted Infantry Company, East Yorkshire
Regiment.
On the 28th, Hunter, with Clements's and Paget's Brigades, attacked the
Boers, who were posted on two neks. The first nek, after a vigorous
fight, was secured by the Royal Irish, Wiltshire, and Leicester
Regiments; the final position, Slaapkrantz, later on and under cover of
the dusk, by the brilliant dash of the Scots Guards. During the
operations Lieutenant Hon. R. B. F. Robertson, 1st Battalion
Imperial Yeomanry (Machine Gun Section), and Second Lieutenant F. G.
Alston, 2nd Scots Guards, were wounded.
[Illustration: THE SURRENDER OF PRINSLOO'S FORCE AT THE CALEDON RIVER
Drawing by Ernest Prater, from a Sketch by Major Romilly, D.S.O.,
Commanding 2nd Scots Guards]
The net result of all the combined blockage of the passes was a demand on
Sunday morning, 29th, from Prinsloo, under a flag of truce, for a four
days' armistice in order to enter into peace negotiations. As this demand
was tantamount to saying, "Hold on while I get wind for another bout,"
General Hunter sent a message refusing to enter into any negotiations,
and saying that the only terms he could accept was unconditional
surrender. Until these were complied with, hostilities could not cease.
This settled the matter. Prinsloo, knowing it was impossible to get his
guns and waggons over the mountains, forthwith handed himself over--arms,
ammunition, and the rest of his warlike impedimenta--to the conqueror.
With him were Villiers and Crowther and about 1000 men, but other Boer
leaders, Olivier among them, who had succeeded in slipping to the farther
side of the hills, refused to abide their chief's ruling, and declined to
submit. Hostilities in respect to these malcontents had consequently to
be resumed, but the surrender of Prinsloo, and with him the Ficksburg
commando of some 550 men and the Ladybrand commando, about 450 strong,
together with 1500 horses, three guns, two of which were our own, lost at
Koorn Spruit, 50 waggons and 50 carts, may be considered as the closing
scene of the Free Stater's resistance.
The finale at Fouriesburg was an impressive affair. The Generals, their
staffs, Sir Godfrey and Lady Lagden from Basutoland, grouped on
horseback, were surrounded by the troops drawn up in two lines on the
hills overlooking the valley. Between the lines thus made rode Prinsloo,
tall, fair--even prepossessing. He handed up his rifle to the General,
setting the example to his followers, an agriculturalist rabble, motley
of mien as of habit, who, on their small, nimble ponies, galloped up,
throwing down rifle and bandolier with a certain effort at swagger,
though seemingly nothing loth to finish their fighting career. In cart
and waggon they came, too, with all their curious nomadic luggage and
blankets, cook-pots and the like, some laughing, and some chaffing as
they gave up arms and ammunition, and then moved on to the camp of
Brabant's Colonials, with whom they soon got on the best of terms. The
formalities occupied three days, the haul of cattle that were hidden in
the neighbouring gorges being enormous. The condition of the captured
Boer horses contrasted strangely with that of the dilapidated hacks which
now remained to the British force, and, as may be imagined, remounts were
more than acceptable.
July ended with a triumphant flourish of trumpets in honour of the united
labours of, first, General Sir Leslie Rundle, who may claim the east of
the Orange Colony as his military perquisite, and finally General Sir
Archibald Hunter. Prinsloo's surrender was followed by that of 1200 more
Free Staters, and the Commandants Roux and Fonternel. To General Bruce
Hamilton came Commandants Deploy, Potgieter, and Joubert, and Lieutenant
Alderson, a Danish officer of Staats Artillery, and with them 1200
rifles, 650 ponies, and an Armstrong gun.
The Free State army was therefore only represented by De Wet and his
followers--some 1500--who were hovering in the neighbourhood of the Vaal,
and Olivier, who, having refused to consider himself bound by Prinsloo's
actions, had taken up a position in the direction of Harrismith, where he
was being tracked by General Rundle.
AFFAIRS IN AND AROUND PRETORIA--THE CAPTURE OF MIDDELBURG
Late in June, at the time of the armistice before-mentioned, there seemed
to have been some hesitation on the part of Botha and Kruger whether they
should unconditionally surrender, but they were incapable of decisive
action while Steyn, who now had nothing to lose and everything to gain,
kept the field. The position was best described by Mr. Spenser Wilkinson
when he likened Kruger and Steyn to Hannibal and Hasdrubal: "the
strongest proof that his cause was lost that could be given to Hannibal
was Hasdrubal's head sent into his camp." Another important consideration
influenced the President in his hesitation; he bargained, or wished to
bargain, that he might remain in the country, a condition which of course
could not be entertained.
Both Mrs. Kruger and Mrs. Botha exerted themselves to bring about the
termination of the useless struggle. One went to her husband's camp in
hope to influence him, while the other wrote imploring her better half to
come to terms. But their efforts were of no avail. According to some
accounts, the President was in the hands of his generals, who, declaring
he had played his cards and played them badly, arrogated to themselves
the right to judge when hostilities should cease. He was, moreover, in
bad odour even with his own burghers, and many of them were openly
denouncing him for his conduct in feathering his own nest, and leaving
his compatriots alone to face ruin and extricate themselves from the
hurly-burly into which he had inveigled them. His foreign mercenaries,
too, were furious. They had been calculating on magnificent rewards for
their championship of the Boer cause, and now found it hard to digest the
philosophic maxim, "Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall
not be disappointed!"
On the 24th, 25th, and 26th of June, efforts were made to surround the
enemy in the hills some fifteen miles to the east beyond Silverton.
General French on the left, General Ian Hamilton on the right, and the
Eleventh Division in the centre engaged in the enveloping movement; but,
by the night of Tuesday the 26th, there was nothing to envelop--the Boers
had vanished along the Delagoa Bay Railway. The operation caused a loss
of about 150.
Stringent measures had now to be adopted to frustrate the wily efforts of
the Boer generals to obtain news of the military movements of the
British. The town was teeming with spies, who actively communicated to
the foe the secret doings of the authorities, and diffused intelligence
in relation to the intentions of the Boer forces, which was both alarming
and paralysing to the inhabitants. It was reported that a combination
existed between the Boer leader without the town and the burghers who had
surrendered within it, to join forces and attack the place, and in
consequence of these rumours extensive precautions were adopted, the
number of guards around the capital were increased, and armoured trains
patrolled the line daily. Nevertheless, in other ways the town was
assuming a more business-like and settled aspect. Some of the Dutch
women, knowing themselves safe in the hands of the British, continued to
flaunt their national colours, while others flung insulting epithets at
the officers, thus unintentionally and subtly complimenting them, as such
demeanour demonstrated a firm conviction on the part of the ladies that
those whom they insulted were too chivalrous to retaliate.
Revelations respecting the intrigues of the late Transvaal Government
came gradually to hand, and documents found in Pretoria divulged some
unpleasant secrets. First, that large bribes had been paid to sundry
prominent foreigners who had visited the Transvaal during the war and
promised intervention; second, that letters of dubious complexion had
been sent by certain members of the British House of Commons to the
Boers--letters which those who were apt to dub a spade a spade called
traitorous, and others who talked of "implement of agriculture" styled
unpatriotic!
The enemy, who had succeeded in capturing Lieutenant Rundle (6th Dragoon
Guards) and some men of his patrol, continued to engage himself in
mischief around the right flank, so much so that Lord Roberts decided
that he must make a clean sweep towards the east of Bronker's Spruit. It
must be remembered that after the battle of Diamond Hill the Boers had
moved off, only to widen, if to thin, their half-circle round the
neighbourhood of Pretoria. Botha remained astride the Delagoa Railway
line toward the east, threatening with his left, so far as he dared, the
south-east of the town. Grobler gathered his force on the north, while
beyond him, to north-west, went Delarey and his hovering hordes, bent on
menacing the road to Rustenburg. It was impossible as yet to engage in
very decisive operations owing to lack of remounts, but some action was
necessary.
Accordingly, General Hutton's Mounted Infantry was despatched to
reinforce Colonel Mahon, who on the 6th of July was attacked at
Rietfontein by some 3000 Boers with six guns and two Vickers-Maxims.
Fighting fierce and sustained was continued for two days, when the
desired object was achieved, and the Boers cleared from the immediate
neighbourhood. The Imperial Light Horse, brilliant as ever, unhappily
lost two officers--Captain Currie and Lieutenant Kirk--and thirteen men,
their unusual loss being occasioned by the gallantry of B Squadron in
pressing to the assistance of a wounded comrade in the teeth of a host of
the enemy.
Poor young Kirk was a volunteer in the highest sense of the term. His
career was typical of the careers of many of the gallant Colonials who
rushed to the aid of their country. He had served in the Matabele War,
and jumped to arms at the outbreak of the present campaign. He was
conspicuous among the heroes of the heroic regiment during the siege of
Ladysmith, and was wounded while binding up the injuries of a comrade. He
received his commission, and afterwards took part in the famous relief of
Mafeking, and later, was again wounded, and severely, while out on patrol
with Colonel Baden-Powell. Nevertheless he managed to rejoin the Imperial
Light Horse in the great advance _viâ_ Lichtenburg and Potchefstroom to
Johannesburg and Pretoria. Among others wounded was Captain and Adjutant
Nelles, 1st Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles.
General Hutton on the following day was attacked by 5000 of the enemy
near Rietfontein, but he succeeded in routing his assailants, capturing a
French officer and inflicting considerable loss, the enemy leaving their
injured upon the field. Lieutenant Young, 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles,
was slightly wounded.
[Illustration: OFFICERS OF THE HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
Photo by Gregory & Co., London.]
Meanwhile Sir Redvers Buller had arrived in Pretoria, looking remarkably
well in spite of the tremendous strain of the work of the relief of
Ladysmith and the more brilliant achievements that had secured the whole
of Natal. Report came in from Ladysmith that some 800 prisoners--Yeomanry
and Derbyshire Militia--without officers, had been put over the Natal
border from Reitz, and were making their way towards Acton Homes. The
plight of these unhappy fellows, without food, tattered, torn, and
limping, with only a poor acquaintanceship with the country through which
they plodded, was deplorable. Waggons and food were sent out by the O.C.
of the Drakensberg Defence Force, and the wretched men were encountered
and brought in. Having been marched about for over a month with De Wet,
they were so footsore and exhausted that some could barely crawl. The
Boers had treated them well, but they had too many mouths of their own to
feed, and had been forced by the pressure of circumstance to turn them
adrift.
[Illustration: NITRAL'S NEK.]
On the 11th Botha decided there should be fighting all along the line,
and so cleverly were things managed that the British suffered
considerably. At dawn the Boers under Delarey, having failed in getting
round the right rear of the British, collected on the hills surrounding
Nitral's Nek with a view to attacking the left flank. Nitral's Nek, a
position some eighteen miles west of Pretoria, near where the road
crosses the Crocodile River, was held in order to maintain telegraphic
and road communication with Rustenburg. Garrisoning this place were one
squadron of Scots Greys, two guns of O Battery Royal Horse Artillery, and
five companies of the Lincolnshire Regiment. The Dutchmen were in great
force, and admirably disposed, evidently by a preconcerted arrangement,
and succeeded in directing a converging fire on the small garrison and on
the various portions of it occupying the plain some distance off. As
early as possible the news of the attack was sent to Pretoria, whereupon
the King's Own Scottish Borderers, under Colonel Godfrey, were despatched
to the rescue. It took some hours to reach the scene of the fray, and by
the time the reinforcements arrived the small garrison, who had been
fighting all day, and had expended their ammunition, were overpowered. It
appeared that about this time the Scots Greys had been ordered to proceed
to Crocodile Bridge to relieve General Baden-Powell. They followed the
same route they had taken when marching to relieve the prisoners at
Watervall, a route with only one attraction--it passed through one of the
most golden orange groves of the Transvaal, and jaded and depressed as
they were, they felt thankful that their ways were cast among the
refreshing fruit. A squadron was left at Tulikat's or Nitral's Nek, while
the rest of the party, cold, worn, and famishing, reached camp at 10 P.M.
on the 7th. On Sunday, the 8th, the force still further divided, one
squadron, under Captain Maude, going to Commando Nek, while the remainder
recrossed the river and took up a position on a kopje between the two
neks guarded by the squadrons mentioned.
"To understand the position," said one who was present, and whose
description is so interesting and so pathetic that it must be quoted at
length, "imagine a kopje in the hollow of your hand, the spaces between
your thumb and forefinger, and between your little finger and third
finger, Tulikat's Nek and Commando Nek respectively. At your wrist,
twenty miles eastward, lay Pretoria. On our front the hills were very
steep and high, but on the far side they sloped and were covered with
brushwood. It was through this brushwood that the Boers cunningly crept
on Tuesday night to make their attack at dawn.
"This attack was a bit of first-class generalship. It was made at five
different points against five separate forces, and at exactly the same
hour, and, when the day was over, the Boers had by far the best of it. On
Tuesday afternoon five companies of the Lincolns, under Colonel Roberts,
arrived to relieve our squadron at the Nek, who were on the fatal morning
to join the other squadrons and march to reinforce General Smith-Dorrien.
About 5.30 on Wednesday morning I was awakened by the crackle of rifles.
I thought they were just behind the kopje. I jumped up, and picking up my
glass, I made for the top. I was soon joined by other officers, and,
while we could see nothing, we listened with serious and solemn awe,
owing to the continuous rattle of many Mausers. We knew what it meant to
our comrades in the gully, and worst of all, we could not help them very
much. About eight o'clock a galloper came from Major Scobell to bring
over all the guns. This was done, and soon our shells were dropping on
the ridges where we could see some Boers. We could not fire into the
hollow for fear of killing our own men. The fire became fiercer and
fiercer. We now knew the Boers had secured both sides of the valley, and
that our poor comrades were at their mercy. Were it not for the many
boulders, nooks, and crevices which were taken for cover, few should have
come out alive. The situation was critical in the extreme. What was to be
done? Colonel Alexander asked me if I would ride into Pretoria, see Lord
Roberts, explain the situation, and urge out reinforcements. I went off
at full gallop. After riding ten miles I noticed a gentleman on a
bicycle. Something said to me, secure this bike. I gave my horse to the
cyclist, told him to wait for me and I would return his bike, and then
mounted and scorched to headquarters. I sketched and explained the whole
situation to Lords Roberts and Kitchener, and by this time strong
reinforcements were despatched. After a much needed and kindly provided
lunch in Lord Roberts's dining-room, I, with his despatch to our Colonel,
cycled back, anxious to see what was what, and hoping that something had
been done to help our comrades in their dire straits.
"There was scarcely a soldier left to guard Pretoria, so the order I
carried was to run no risks and return to Pretoria as soon as possible.
Oh, it was hard when I overtook them and found they could do nothing for
these poor fellows who had held out against the tremendous odds
throughout that fatal day, and who were now either dead, wounded, or in
the hands of the enemy. We all retired, reaching our camp outside
Pretoria about 1 A.M. Oh, the sadness and gloom at our mess that night!
Few words were spoken. Some of us hoped against hope. We earnestly
cherished the hope that Major Scobell would find some way out of this
gorge of death. At 5.30 we were up and ready to march. About eight a war
correspondent informed us that Major Scobell had escaped, two officers
had been killed, and one wounded, and the squadron prisoners. This was a
terrible blow to us all. We rejoiced at the escape of our popular and
gallant Major, but we mourned deeply the loss of the others. There was
brave Lieutenant Conolly, a dashing, ready-for-anything young soldier, a
great favourite in our midst. He, poor fellow, had fallen, shot through
the brain. His death was instantaneous. There was young Lieutenant
Pilkington, one of the most gentle and sweet-tempered fellows I ever met.
He had been five months a prisoner in Pretoria, and on being liberated
got his desire gratified by being attached to us. We all loved him, and
he, too, was among the dead, shot in several places while leading his men
against the foe. He had five months before been taken prisoner because he
refused to abandon a wounded comrade. Poor fellow! Black indeed was the
brief page of this fine young soldier's campaign. May his friends be
comforted by the assurance that we all loved him, and that he died as a
true and brave soldier at his terrible post. Captain Maxwell was
seriously wounded. I rode by his side for a long bit on our march to
that fatal death-trap, and had a very pleasant conversation together. He
didn't like the idea of being left in the Nek. He was, as we all
were--for we were all so happy together--dejected at the regiment being
divided. I'll never forget how, with a clap on the back, he said, 'Good
night, Padre.' Little I thought the next time I would see him would be
prostrated by the Boer bullet. When we heard the news, I was anxious to
get to the battle-field to lend what hand I could to the wounded and bury
our dead."
On the way the Samaritan, to his intense joy and relief, encountered
Major Scobell, who had been captured by the Boers and had escaped by a
marvel. From him he learnt the sad story of the battle, and the splendid
resistance of the troops till ammunition had been exhausted. He then
proceeded to visit Captain Maxwell, who was lying wounded in the hands of
the Boers, and afterwards engaged in carrying in the wounded on
stretchers, consoling the dying and tending the injured. Finally, after
Herculean labours, such sick as remained alive were carried off to
Pretoria. All, on this memorable day, behaved like heroes, but prominent
among them was Sergeant Rawdon, who worked a Maxim which was supporting
the D and F Companies of the Lincolns. While the others retired he stuck
to his gun under a concentrated fire from the enemy. As ill-luck would
have it his gun jammed, but the gallant fellow, undefeatable, dissected
the weapon, recoupled the parts, and resumed firing till the Maxim,
pocked with bullet marks, could be removed by volunteers of the D
Company!
An officer serving with General French described the sad events of the
day: "The Scots Greys were detached from their brigade, and one squadron
was sent to accompany a column under Colonel Roberts of the Lincoln
Regiment, which proceeded towards Commando Poort on the Crocodile River,
north-west of Pretoria.
"The fate of this column was briefly as follows. It encamped in a pass
with a poort on its front, consisting of high hills. The tops of these
hills were not occupied by our outposts, and at daybreak it was found
that the enemy had established himself there. The detachment of Greys and
Lincolns, with two guns, found themselves under a heavy fire, which
continued throughout the day. Our guns were unable to reply, as the Boers
were on high ground close on their front. The guns were abandoned, and
the fight was continued till evening, when our force surrendered. Major
Scobell, the squadron leader, escaped after having been taken prisoner,
and about fifty horses of the Greys were cut loose by the sergeant-major
and found their way back to our lines."
Simultaneously an attack was made by a commando under Grobler on the
outposts at Deerdepoort, about 8000 yards north of Wonderboom Fort. The
7th Dragoon Guards were briskly engaged, and Colonel Lowe with great
skill tackled the enemy, keeping the Dutchmen in check, and preventing
them from making a turning movement towards the extreme left of General
Pole-Carew's position. Some seventeen losses were sustained, however,
owing to the fact that the scouts mistook a party of Boers dressed in
khaki for the 14th Hussars, and were fired on at a range of 100 yards.
Few escaped, but these had managed to warn the regiment of the approach
of the enemy.
General Hutton in the meantime was opposing the southern detachment of
Boers near Lewpoort. He had four days' fighting, and finding that he was
being outflanked, asked for reinforcements. The 1st Cavalry Brigade left
Kameeldrift on the 9th of July, the 8th Hussars taking the place of the
Greys. On the 11th the Brigade carried Lewpoort Hill at the gallop--the
position for which General Hutton had been fighting before. Only one man
was lost in this operation. The Cavalry Brigade then went into camp at
Olifantsfontein, on the right of General Hutton's position at Reitvlei.
(The whole force continued to draw its supplies from Springs Station, the
terminus of a short mineral line from Johannesburg, where, at the end of
June, the Boers had been routed by the Canadians who garrisoned the
place.) The Dutchmen moved to some kopjes, and infested the high ground
on the east of Bronkhers Spruit. The outposts of the two forces were
continually in contact, and sniping was part of the daily programme.
The Cavalry remained at Olifantsfontein till after the 21st of July,
while preparing for a general advance towards Middelburg.
The list of casualties on that fatal 11th was a long one:--
Near Deerdepoort: _Killed_:--7th Dragoon Guards--Second
Lieutenant K. K. Mackellar. _Wounded_--Captain B. E. Church;
Lieutenant H. A. Chomeley.
At Nitral's Nek: _Killed_:--Royal Scots Greys--Lieutenant
Conolly. Royal Dragoons--Second Lieutenant Pilkington. 2nd
Lincoln--Lieutenant G. F. Prichard. _Wounded:_--Lincolnshire
Regiment--Captain J. J. Howley, Lieutenant C. J. Rennie, Major
E. Herapath.
_Made Prisoners_:--Lincolnshire Regiment--Colonel H. R.
Roberts, wounded; Lieutenant C. G. Lyall, unwounded.
At Kaalboschfontein: Royal Scots Greys--Captain C. J. Mitchell,
severely wounded.
Owing to the disaster at Nitral's Nek, it now became evident that all the
British movements within the capital were reported to the Boers--that, in
fact, they had organised an elaborate intelligence department, some of
their spies attending the markets as innocent farmers, while others
figured in khaki in the guise of British officers. Steps were taken to
identify _soi-disant_ soldiers attempting to pass through the lines, and
to clear out the natives who, either from fear or for pecuniary
advantage, were assisting in the transmission of information. Things in
Johannesburg were no better. It needed all the acumen of Colonel
Mackenzie, Director of Military Intelligence, to cope with the
duplicities of the rogues and vagabonds of all nationalities that spent
their time in hatching conspiracies. Three hundred and eighty of these
were put in prison, while their respective Consuls were communicated with
and held responsible for their good behaviour. In the course of these
proceedings the whole of a dramatic plot came to light, and the following
despatch, concisely describing the nature of the conspiracy, was
forwarded by Lord Roberts to the Secretary of State for War:--
"The police and the Military Governor received information
that, on the 14th July, the anniversary of the taking of
Bastille, an attempt would be made to overpower garrison and
murder British officers.
"A race meeting was to take place on that day, and it was
assumed that a large proportion of officers would attend it
unarmed.
"Bolder spirits among plotters were to go to the races armed,
and murder officers, while an ostensibly French national
gathering was to be the rallying point for the low class who
were to murder all the police, and then take possession of the
Government Offices, &c.
"A Boer commander at Zwart Kop, to the north of the town, was
in direct communication with the plotters.
"By the 13th July the police were in possession of sufficient
evidence to justify numerous arrests, which were accordingly
carried out during the night of 13th to 14th.
"At noon, 14th July, the Consuls of Germany, France, Sweden,
and America, of which nations some subjects had been arrested,
met the Commissioner of Police and discussed the question.
"Each Consul concerned was furnished with a statement of the
facts of the case.
"The interview passed off most satisfactorily, and the Consuls
expressed entire concurrence with action taken, and promised to
render every assistance.
"Between four hundred and five hundred arrests were made, but
of these seventy-five were subsequently released on being
vouched for by their respective Consuls."
The rest were deported, and none too soon, as will be seen.
On the 16th a new brigade, consisting of the Border Regiment, the King's
Own Scottish Borderers, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and the
Berkshires, under Colonel Cunningham, together with Colonel Hickman's
force of 1800 Mounted Infantry, various details, an Elswick battery, and
a Canadian battery attached to Colonel Cunningham's force, the whole
under General Ian Hamilton, was despatched to clear out the Boers from a
chain of hills on the north and north-west, in which they were
congregating. But their discretion prompted them, on receiving
information of the movement, to evacuate their position, and General
Hamilton moved unchallenged to Watervall, and from thence, on the 17th,
to Hamanskraal. Thus far the sweeping back of the northern portion of
the Boer crescent was satisfactorily accomplished, and the Boers were
forced towards their original position in the east, where Lord Roberts
eventually intended to drive them before him.
The fact was the Dutchmen, having found the right flank well guarded on
the 16th, had made a ferocious lunge at the left of General Pole-Carew's
position, and simultaneously all along the left. A tremendous day's
fighting followed, during which the posts held by the Royal Irish
Fusiliers, under Major Munn, the New Zealanders under Captain Vaughan,
the Canadians under Colonel Alderson, were defended with amazing valour
and persistence. So many officers distinguished themselves that it was
almost impossible to record their names. Colonel Clowes, who temporarily
commanded the 1st Cavalry Brigade on the extreme right of the line, was
commended by the Chief for his handling of his men. The gallantry of
Captain Barnes (R. A.), Major Hill, Lieutenants Knight and Hughes, Royal
Irish Fusiliers, was especially remarkable, the Irish officers having
defended their post against an onslaught at so close quarters that it was
possible to hear the raucous shouts of the enemy inviting the Fusiliers
to surrender! Heroic qualities were also displayed by two young Canadian
officers, Lieutenants Borden and Birch, 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles, who
were killed while leading their men in a counter-attack on the enemy's
flank at a critical juncture of the attack on the position. The loss of
young Borden was especially deplored. A soldier to the marrow, he had
been twice mentioned in despatches "for gallant and intrepid conduct." He
was the only son of the Canadian Minister of Militia, and was popular as
he was plucky. Among the wounded were Lieutenant C. Battye, Shropshire
Light Infantry; Civil Surgeon J. C. Willes, who was detained by the
Boers; Lieutenant J. Findlay, New Zealand Mounted Rifles; Captain Bourn
and Lieutenant J. Cameron, New Zealand Contingent (third), were missing.
Of the rank and file five men were killed (one Shropshire Light Infantry,
and four Royal Irish Fusiliers), twenty-six wounded and twenty-one
missing.
General Ian Hamilton and Colonel Mahon from Hamanskraal continued to
march eastward over country that was full of ruggedness, presenting
obstacles at every turn. The enemy, however, offered no opposition. Their
destination was Eerstefabrieken Station, where they joined hands with
General Pole-Carew's Division.
[Illustration: MAP ILLUSTRATING THE EASTWARD MOVE FROM EERSTEFABRIEKEN TO
MIDDELBURG.]
Lord Roberts now decided to advance, with a view to pushing back the
enemy, taking possession of the line to the Portuguese frontier, and
occupying the towns fringing thereon, thus diminishing the Boer
resources, breaking up their commandos, and reducing them rather to
guerilla bands than organised armies. The move was fraught with
difficulties, for every step gained implied so much loss to the bulk of
the main army, every point of the railway demanded its special guard--the
result being that, large as was Lord Roberts's force in theory, in action
it was daily thinning to an almost attenuated degree. It was impossible
to remain stationary, however. In the advance the same principles were
adopted as in the march from Bloemfontein to Pretoria, only now, while
General Pole-Carew continued to proceed along the railway, Generals
French and Hutton were to co-operate on his _right_, and General Ian
Hamilton to form the _left_ wing, and menace such Boers as hoped to
retreat to the north.
[Illustration: ALGOA BAY AND PORT ELIZABETH, FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE
Photo by Wilson, Aberdeen]
On the 23rd General Ian Hamilton took possession of Doornkraal (while
General Stephenson's Brigade occupied Elands River), and proceeded due
north of Bronkhers Spruit, thus so completely threatening the enemy's
line of retreat that they were forced to abandon the strong position
which they had hitherto been holding in face of General Pole-Carew's
Division. It was possible now to make an appreciable advance to the east.
The right was protected by the 1st and 4th Brigades of Cavalry (French)
and Hutton's Mounted Infantry, the former crossing to east of Wilge
River. There they came upon a huge body of the enemy, and succeeded in
driving them still farther back, and in taking many prisoners. One
officer, Lieutenant Ebsworth, 1st Australian Horse, was mortally wounded
during the encounter. The Boers, seeing the trend of affairs, quickly
scudded towards Lydenburg, whither Mr. Kruger was said to be travelling.
A certain number of the burly gang remained ensconced in the bush veldt,
where they hoped a few bridges might yet be destroyable, and unguarded
gaps of the line would offer invitation for the exercise of mischievous
ingenuity. Neither their position nor that of their hunters was to be
envied, for the rainy season had set in with roar and rampage, the wind,
blowing through the poorts that clave the ridges with which the landscape
was studded, roared like a giant through a fog-horn. At night the
freezing atmosphere nipped nose, toes, and eyelids, rain deluged, and
converted the whole surroundings into a vast universe of slime, till the
duties of the camp had to be executed in a series of ploughings and
plungings which were exhausting to man and beast.
On the 24th the Boers engaged French's Cavalry and Hutton's Mounted
Infantry about six miles south of Balmoral. Alderson's Mounted Infantry
attacked their right, while French made a wide turning movement to their
left, which proved entirely discomfiting, for the enemy rapidly "broke
and fled," followed by both forces. One officer, Lieutenant Wilson of the
Imperial Yeomanry, was wounded.
On the 25th Generals French and Hutton continued their pursuit of the
Dutchmen, and the former, having crossed Olifant's River, could view,
from the east bank, the enemy about seven miles off retiring in disorder
towards Middelburg. Violent efforts were made to be even with them, but
morass and sludge and temperature were in favour of the Boers. Finally
the pursuit had to be abandoned. Rain descended in torrents; the east
wind blustered, and the Mounted Infantry spent an ever-memorable night of
anguish on the west of the river where they bivouacked. One man died of
exposure, while the mules and oxen, uttering sounds that added horror to
the already horrific night, suffered so exceedingly that many were dead
by the dawn.
Owing to the exertions of the right and left wings of the advance, the
main army, without seeing a vestige of the Dutchmen, marched to Balmoral
where Generals Pole-Carew and Ian Hamilton concentrated, while General
French untiringly scoured more distant tracks towards the east.
By the 28th the Cavalry commander, having by his wide turning movement
driven the Dutchmen from the Wilge River beyond Middelburg, occupied the
latter place. He was now eighty miles east of Pretoria and within sixty
of Machadodorp, whither the Boers were trekking. Reinforced by Hutton's
Mounted Infantry and two regiments of Infantry, General French held the
line of the Klein Olifant's River. General Pole-Carew with the Guards
Brigade followed to Brug Spruit, twenty miles to west of Middelburg, but
Lord Roberts himself returned to Pretoria. The closing month found the
British firmly posted some ten miles west of Machadodorp, where they were
temporarily checked by the enemy, while General Ian Hamilton's column,
"looking very fit and workmanlike," were once more moved back to
Pretoria.
PROTECTING THE KRUGERSDORP-POTCHEFSTROOM RAILROAD[8]
Lord Methuen continued his task of diligently patrolling the district
from Heilbron to Kroonstad, and succeeded in capturing at Paardekraal,
half-way between the two places, the commandant of De Wet's Scouts, and
also Andries Wessels, a person of some magnitude in relation to the
Africander Bond.
Just before the tragic 11th of July, General Smith-Dorrien sent out
orders that the 19th Brigade, consisting of the Shropshire Light
Infantry, Gordon Highlanders, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, and the
Royal Canadians, were to proceed by train to Krugersdorp, and marching
northwards were to co-operate with the Scots Greys, who were supposed to
be marching, on the said 11th of July, to meet them. On this day, the
Gordon Highlanders moved out in skirmishing order, protected on their
flanks by the Scottish Yeomanry under Sir James Miller, and two guns
under Lieutenant Turner, 78th Battery Royal Field Artillery. At
Dolverkranz they came in for a heavy fire from the two long low hills
where the enemy had posted themselves, to which a response was made by
the British guns, which had galloped up between the kopjes. Promptly the
Highlanders made for a kopje on the left which the Dutchmen naturally
coveted, and these scurried from their main position and poured vengeance
on the advance. Then, nearer approaching, they attacked the British guns
and their gunners, and the tornado on both sides was waxing both warm and
exhilarating when from the rear, to the dismay and horror of all, there
opened a volcano--spouts of death within 200 yards, bowling over the
horse of the brigade major, and trying to make matchwood of ambulance
waggons and baggage guard. Very soon fifteen out of seventeen British
gunners were hit, and at last Lieutenant Turner was seen serving his own
gun till wounded in three places. In the midst of the rampage, horror
followed horror. Just as the troops, thinking themselves surrounded, were
preparing to rush and capture the ridges of the main position, which
might shortly be remanned by the enemy, Lord Roberts sent a message
reporting the discomfiture of the Scots Greys at Nitral's Nek, and
commanding the cancelling of operations! Here was a situation! Colonel
MacBean hesitated. Was he to retire his Gordons and leave the guns in the
enemy's hands? Never! He called for volunteers to bring in the pieces,
and his Scotsmen leapt to the word. All could not be accepted--too large
a number must not be risked. Captains Gordon, Younger, and Allen, leading
a band of ten men, pushed forward in a blizzard from the Mausers of the
foe. Captain Younger, hit in three places, dropped, the others gloriously
struggled on, but in vain, to rescue the prized weapons of war. Still
undaunted, the Colonel asked permission to effect his object after dark,
and biding his time, held his fire-beaten ground till, in the gloom of
the evening, he could bring his team alongside of the guns and drag them
off into a place of safety. This was eventually accomplished. Meanwhile
Captain Younger--helpless, dying--had been borne out of the fray on the
back of a glorious fellow, M'Kay by name, who was no new hand at deeds of
valour, and had repeatedly faced death in order to tend the suffering.
Among others who were wounded was Captain Higginson, 2nd Shropshire Light
Infantry.
This hard day's work, the day of many heroes, set a brilliant seal on the
wonderful record of the 19th Brigade, which had been engaged in nearly
all the momentous actions in the Free State and Transvaal. Since its
formation on 12th of February it had marched 620 miles, often on half
rations and seldom on full. It had taken part in the capture of ten
towns, fought in ten general actions, and on twenty-seven other
occasions. Within a period of thirty days it had fought twenty-one times
and marched 327 miles. The casualties had been between four and five
hundred, the defeats nil!
The enemy continued active. Some of them, flitting about in the
neighbourhood of the line between Potchefstroom and Krugersdorp,
succeeded, on the 19th, in wrecking a train near Bank Station which was
carrying two officers and twenty-one sick men to the latter place. The
officers were Lieutenant Harris, Welsh Fusiliers, and Lieutenant
French-Brewster, Royal Fusiliers. Luckily no one was injured, for most of
the men were fairly convalescent.
Lord Methuen, who was clearing the country between Krugersdorp and
Rustenburg, occupied with little opposition the town of Heckpoort, which
lies on the road to Rustenburg, some fifteen miles north-west of
Krugersdorp. He then continued his march, and engaged the enemy's
rearguard near Zandfontein on the 20th, during which engagement one man
was killed and another wounded. Early on the 21st he was up and doing,
caught the enemy again at Olifant's Nek, and left him dilapidated and
retreating, thus, as he thought, saving Rustenburg from the overpowering
attentions which were at this time being lavished on General
Baden-Powell.
On the 22nd Colonels Airey and Lushington drove off 1000 Boers from a
strong position west of Pretoria, inflicting considerable loss and
sustaining some. Captain Robinson, Royal Marines, was killed, and five
men; nineteen men were wounded. Unluckily, as before said, the operations
in this region merely resembled the process of fanning off flies, which
were whisked from one corner to congregate in another.
About the same time the civilians who represented British authority had
some nasty experiences in Klerksdorp, where another commando threatened
them. The place was protected by some 120 armed men, and these, finding
themselves surrounded, had to take their choice between surrender or
stout defence. Many of the party belonged to the Kimberley Mounted Corps,
who at once made preparations to protect the town and hold it till their
last breath. But the gallant fellows received orders to surrender, and
had the humiliation of seeing the British flag torn to tatters and
trampled on by the burghers, who were only too glad to revenge themselves
for being thrust out of Klerksdorp some weeks before. The following were
taken prisoners: Lieutenant Blagden, Lieutenant Shepherd, Lieutenant
Purvis, Lieutenant W. A. White, all of the Kimberley Mounted Corps.
At Krugersdorp General Barton reconnoitered along the line to the station
where the train was wrecked on the 19th, and replenished the supplies of
Lord Methuen, who was moving on Potchefstroom, which place was reached at
the end of the month. On the eighteen miles' march from Frederickstad,
though the troops were engaged with the enemy the greater part of the
day, the casualties were few; but the Dutchmen, revenging themselves,
took up some of the rails on the Krugersdorp-Potchefstroom Railway, and
threw a supply train escorted by a detachment of the Shropshire Light
Infantry off the line, killing thirteen persons, including the
engine-driver, and causing injuries to thirty-nine more. This made a bad
termination for July, particularly disappointing, as General
Smith-Dorrien had told off special patrols to prevent trains from passing
over damaged parts of the rail, and a reason for the accidents was not
forthcoming.
The troops encamped near Frederickstad were set upon by Commandant
Lieseberg and his hordes, who, having requested the commanding officer to
surrender, had received the usual reply. The Dutchman was gallantly
routed by Colonel M'Kinnon and his dashing C.I.V., assisted by the
Suffolk and Bucks Yeomanry, before the arrival of Methuen's force, which
had been signalled for. In the course of the fray Captain A. V. Poynter,
10th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, was dangerously wounded.
This somewhat inexplicable forward and backward march on the part of Lord
Methuen was due to the necessity of acting in co-operation with the
movement of troops on the north-west of Pretoria, and thus saving any
particular portion of the position from affording loopholes for the
junction of Boer commandos.
FOOTNOTES:
[8] See Map at p. 41.