HARRY SMITH CHIEF OF THE STAFF UNDER SIR BENJAMIN D’URBAN—HE
MAKES TWO FORAYS INTO THE FISH RIVER BUSH AND ONE INTO THE
UMDIZINI BUSH—THE FORCE UNDER SIR B. D’URBAN MARCHES FROM
FORT WILLSHIRE TO THE POORTS OF THE BUFFALO, FROM WHENCE
HARRY SMITH MAKES ANOTHER FORAY.
My duty now, although not of so directly responsible a nature, was
laborious and active in the extreme in conformity to the General Orders
which follow:—
“Colonel Smith will, for the present, resume his duties as Deputy
Quartermaster-General and acting Deputy Adjutant-General of the
forces, and, in this capacity as Chief of the Staff, will take charge
of the organization of a force to be prepared for active operations;
for carrying which into effect he is hereby authorized to make
requisitions upon the competent departments, and to approve all
requisitions and contracts, which approvals will be then sufficient
warrant for the corresponding issues and purchases; and he will be so
good as to make a daily report of the progress of this service to the
Commander-in-Chief.”
In the progress of these arduous services, I organized two corps of
Hottentots, consisting of every loose vagabond I could lay my hand on,
called the 1st and 2nd Battalion Hottentot Infantry. They consisted
of four Companies each, 100 men to a Company. It is scarcely to be
credited how rapidly these men trained as soldiers. No nation in the
world, with the exception of the inhabitants of the South of France,
have such a natural turn to become soldiers as the Hottentots.
In the various operations I had carried on, I had never been able
to give a command to Lieut.-Colonel Z—— of the — Regiment, who had
been active and useful under me, but I promised him that, as soon
as I possibly could do so, he should have one. I ascertained that a
considerable body of Kafirs, cattle, etc., were concentrated in the
dense fastnesses of the Fish River bush, from which it was necessary to
dislodge them before the advance of the invading force. I laid my plan
before Sir Benjamin D’Urban, who fully approved of it, and as I wished,
he consented that Colonel Z—— should have the command of the troops to
effect this service. I sent for the Colonel, and he was delighted. I
said, “Now, make your own arrangements. You know the country; you know
the desire I have had to give you a command, and I should be sorry if I
did not everything in my power to make it agreeable.”
All was arranged, and Z—— and his expedition marched. I was under no
apprehension of its success, and my mind was devoted to the eternal
subject of organization of Boers, Hottentots, waggons, etc., when
most unexpectedly Colonel Z—— returned to headquarters, and I could
observe by his manner victory was not the subject. He of course never
acknowledged reverse; said he had not sufficient troops, etc., and
that to dislodge the savages, as he always termed them, more must be
employed. “But,” I said, “how came you to leave your command?” “Oh, I
thought I could best explain matters myself.” “Well,” I said, “come to
the Commander-in-Chief.”
His Excellency received him very coldly, being exceedingly offended
at his leaving his troops, especially under the circumstances. When
Colonel Z—— went, Sir Benjamin D’Urban broke out and said, “G——, he has
had a licking, and what the devil made him leave his troops? Smith,”
says Sir B., “this check must be immediately repaired, and you must go
yourself. Take with you what you deem sufficient, and lose no time.”
I certainly did not, for that afternoon some more infantry were on the
march. In the course of the day Jim Cox came to me from Z——, describing
how hurt he was that I had to command. I positively laughed at the
idea of such a command adding to anything but my labours, and I said,
“Willingly will I go to Sir Benjamin D’Urban and tell him Z—— is hurt
and in some degree imputes to me the arrangement.” The only time Sir
Benjamin D’Urban was ever angry with me was on this occasion. “I have
decided on what I consider the service demands, and I little expected
any remonstrances from you, Smith.” I said quietly, “It was only to
serve another, sir.” “Yes, at the risk of the public service.” Z—— was
furious. He was ordered to rejoin his former command.
So soon as I reached the troops on the banks of the river, I
reconnoitred the enemy’s position, rendered extraordinarily strong from
dense bush, almost impenetrable to any but a creeping Kafir, ravines,
mountains, etc. I found it necessary to attack at three points, and
disposed of my troops accordingly, giving the command of the right and
cavalry division to Colonel Somerset, and the left to Colonel Z——,
while I remained with the centre.
The river was up, and prevented me crossing for three days. The heat on
its banks was intense. I determined, however, that so soon as the river
was practicable, I would attack and that my infantry should penetrate
the thickets while the cavalry should intercept the retreat of the
enemy and their cattle. The evening before the attack, when I gave
Colonel Z—— his orders, he said, “Any further orders?” I said, “None.”
He laughed in a very satirical manner. “Ah, ah, catch a Kafir with
infantry.” I said, “Yes, Colonel, I intend it, and _you shall too_.”
Our success exceeded my most sanguine expectations.
Such was the extent of the country, that a considerable part of it I
had not been able to penetrate. I was resolved, therefore, to make a
second attempt, which I was not long about.
The evening previous to a long march for the different columns to gain
their ground, I received an application from Colonel Z—— for permission
to return to Grahamstown. I was thunderstruck, but of course said, “Go
when you like”; and I had to send Major Gregory, an excellent officer,
thirty miles to take the command of Z——’s force, which he reached just
in time for it to commence its march. On my second attempt I completely
scoured the holds and fastnesses of the Kafirs, namely, “the dense
and extensive thorny ravines, etc., of the great Fish River bush,”
which they had deemed impenetrable, and which in no previous war had
they ever been driven from. The Kafirs never again occupied this bush
permanently, although a brilliant affair subsequently occurred [9th
March] between some Boers under Field Commandant Rademeyer and a large
body of them.[98] Thus Kafirs were caught by infantry, and we secured a
considerable quantity of cattle, upwards of 5000, for which the savage
fights desperately. The nature of this bush service requires the most
practised light troops, and the advantage I derived from the service of
my old comrade Cox is not to be described.
After this I brought my two battalions of Hottentots into play. The
enemy in this bush had about thirty renegade Hottentots, many of them
runaway servants who had deserted with their masters’ double-barrelled
fowling-pieces. I never had more difficulty to dislodge a few men in
my life, and these fellows caused me a loss of some valuable men.
Sir Benjamin D’Urban was highly gratified with my success, and issued a
very complimentary General Order to that effect.[99]
Soon after this I went to Fort Willshire, to prepare the camp for the
rendezvous of the army under Sir Benjamin D’Urban in person, and, the
troops being much in want of cattle from the country having been so
driven, spoiled, and devastated, I resolved to make an inroad into
Kafirland to a dense bush (as it is in this country called) beyond the
Umdizini, where I was led to believe a considerable quantity of Kafirs
and cattle were collected. The distance from my camp was thirty-five
miles, and I had the rapid Keiskamma River to cross. I marched at
one o’clock in the morning, with a corps of mounted men, principally
composed of the Swellendam Burghers or Yeomanry, under a veteran old
Commandant who had made seven Kafir campaigns. My inroad was perfectly
successful, and I reached my bivouac at nine the following night,
having marched a distance from point to point of 70 miles, exclusive of
operations in the bush. I brought with me upwards of 2000 head of fat
cattle, which were most acceptable for the consumption of our troops.
In a few days the Commander-in-Chief reached the camp [31 March] at
Fort Willshire, and the troops were all ready for the field, and
as highly organized as such a mob of armed inhabitants could be.
Our train of commissariat waggons, each with twenty oxen in it, was
immense. With the head-quarters column alone we had 170 occupying about
two miles. From the length of these teams, I expected great difficulty
with them, and certainly took every pains to regulate and divide them
into divisions, departments, etc., appointing a captain over the whole.
To my astonishment, so excellent were the bullocks, I never had the
slightest trouble, and they could march over any country whatever with
the troops.
From Fort Willshire we marched to a position at the foot of what are
termed the Poorts of the Buffalo, very high wooded ridges, high up
the river of this name, and, as we were obliged to halt there for our
left column to get into its line, I requested Sir Benjamin D’Urban to
allow me to conduct a patrol into this bush. He consented; and I had
the prettiest affair by far of any during the war, and the most like a
fight.
I took with me a detachment of the 72nd Highlanders, under Captain
Murray, my faithful attendant always; one of the Hottentot Battalions;
and my Corps of Mounted Guides, gentlemen of the country and merchants
who had traded all over Kafirland and knew the country perfectly.
Never was there a more useful body. The Hottentot Battalion had a
considerable _détour_ to make, and I wished to occupy a ridge to
support and to observe their movement. In attempting this, I was
opposed by a considerable body of Kafirs posted on a sort of natural
castle of rocks, steep and scarped by nature, and so well did the
Kafirs maintain themselves, wounding Murray and several of his men,
that I had to turn them ere they were dislodged.[100] In the meanwhile,
the Hottentot Battalion, hearing the firing and seeing the bush full
of cattle, came flying on and drove the Kafirs in every direction,
killing many. We captured upwards of four thousand cattle. The care of
these cattle and the sending them to the rear were a very laborious and
arduous duty.