South Africa and the Transvaal War

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V SOUTHAFR AND THE TRANSVAAL WA

BY! LOUIS CRESWICKE

South Africa AND THE Transvaal War

by LOUIS C^ESWICKE

AUTHOR TJF" ROXANE," ETC.

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS

IN SIX VOLUMES

VOL. VI.—FROM THE OCCUPATION OF PRETORIA TO MR. KRUGER'S DEPARTURE FROM SOUTH AFRICA, WITH A SUMMARISED ACCOUNT OF THE GUERILLA WAR TO MARCH 1901

EDINBURGH : T. C. & E. C. JACK

MANCHESTER: KENNETH MACLENNAN, 75 PICCADILLY 1901 1

CONTENTS—Vol. VI

PAGE CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE V

OFFICIAL TABLE OF CASUALTIES IN SOUTH AFRICA . viii

CHAPTER I PAGE

At Pretoria, June 5 to io I Guarding THE COMMUNICA- The Battle of Diamond Hill TIONS June ii to 12

CHAPTER II PAGE Gkneral Buller's Operations The Advance from Laing's —Routing the Boers from Nek to Standerton—Joining Laing's Nek, May 19 to June Hands with Lord Roberts's 12 ..... 27 Force, June 13 to 22 32 CHAPTER III

In Orange River Colony (East), In the Western Transvaal, June June ..... to July 9 40 CHAPTER IV PAGE The Battle of Bethlehem—The —The Capture of Middel- Surrender of Prinsloo . 43 burg ..... 54 Affairs in and around Pretoria Protecting the Krugersdorp- potchefstroom railroad 66 CHAPTER V

Chasing De Wet in the Western Plots and Proclamations, Transvaal .... 70 August 81 CHAPTER VI

General Buller's Movements—Clearing the Transvaal between Volks- rust and Belfast ...... 88 CHAPTER VII PAGE PAGE The Lydenburg Campaign 93 The Western Transvaal 117 The Orange River Colony 112 Exit Mr. Kruger I20 CHAPTER VIII PAGE PAGE Guerilla Warfare 125 Afterword J J 37 BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF NOTABLE PERSONS ENGAGED IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN '52

RECIPIENTS OF THE VICTORIA CROSS 191 LEXICON OF TERMS AND PLACES CONNECTED WITH THE CAMPAIGN 197 DEATHS IN ACTION AND FROM DISEASE 208 LIST OF CASUALTIES 21 INDEX 213

iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS—Vol. VI.

Map Illustrating General Buller's Campaign in Natal, May-June 1900 At Front

COLOURED PLATES PAGE Muster of the Cape Town Guard The Royal Welsh Fusiliers 120 Frontispiece The 2nd Northampton Regiment 140 The Grenadier Guards ... 8 Market Square, Johannesburg . 148 The Highland Light Infantry . . 56 Commander and Able-Seaman, R.N. 192

Tin-; Victoria Mounted Rifles . . 72

2. FULL-PAGE PLATES PAGE

Australian Bushmen on the March 24 The Debacle : on the Track of a

A Historic Battlefield : Majuba . 32 Fleeing Commando . . . . 11a

Prinsloo's Commando Retreating to Simon's Town, Cape Colony . .124 the brandwater basin ... 44 Burning the Farm of a Treacherous Prinsloo's Last Stand in the Valley Burgher 128 of the Little Caledon ... 48 The Harbour, East London . . 132 The Surrender of Prinsloo's Force 52 The Inspection of Colonial Soldiers

Algoa Bay and Port Elizabeth . 64 at Windsor 136 Boers Taking the Oath of Neutrality 88 Return of the City Imperial

Prisoners' Camp at Nooitgedacht . 96 Volunteers 144 The Night Charge of the 19TH Durban. Natai 200

Hussars near Lydenburg . . 104

3. FULL-PAGE PORTRAITS PAGE PAGE The Earl of Airlie 16 H.R.H. Prince Christian l60

Major-General Clements, D.S.O. 40 Sir Francis Clery, KC.B. . 168 De Wet 80 Major-General Smith-Dorrien, D.S.O. 176 Major-Gf.neral Barton 152 Lieut.-General Tucker, C.B.

4. MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS IN THE TEXT PAGE PACK of Map Seat of War 5 Map—The Battlefields of Pretoria 73 Plans— Battle of Diamond Hill 14, 16 Commando's Nek, Magaliesberg . 79 Lines Torn up by De Wet . 22 A Capital on Wheels . 94 Battle of — Almond's Nek (Majuba) . 28 Map Lydenburg Campaign . 104 Repairing Laing's Nek Tunnel . 31 Barberton 107 Railway Map— E. and S.E. of Pretoria 33 Harrismith 113 »> „ W. and S.W. of Pretoria 41 Major-General Bkabazon 155

n „ E. Orange RiverColony Brigadier-General Broadwood . 155 and Natal . 45 Lieut. -Colonel Dalgety 161 Position of Troops round the Brand- Hon. Sir W. Hely-Hutchinson . 169 water Basin before the Surrender Major-General. Hutton, C.B. 171 of Prinsloo 50 Colonel Kekewich 172 Nitral's Nek 58 Lieutenant Roberts, V.C. 182 Map Illustrating the Eastward Move Lieutenant-Colonel Thorneycroft 186 from Eerstefabrieken to Middel- Captain Towse, V.C. . 186 BURG 64 Surg. -General W. D. Wilson 1S9

IV CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE— Vol. VI.

JUNE 1900. General Ian Hamilton occupied Heidelburg. 5. The British flag hoisted in Pretoria. — 26. —Boer attack repulsed near Senekal, 7. 4th Battalion Derbyshire Regi- —The and enemy's laager burned. ment (Sherwood Foresters) cap- 27. —Attack on British at Roodeval Spruit. tured by the enemy at Roodeval. Boers beaten off. 9. —Klerksdorp surrendered to General Hunter JULY 1900. 11. — Lord Methuen gained a complete victory over De Wet. 1. —Generals Hunter and MacDonald 12. —Almond's Nek having been forced the joined hands at Frankfort. previous day, the Boers evacuated 4. —General Buller's forces and those of Laing's Nek and Majuba at night- the Commander-in-Chief joined at fall, and General Buller encamped Vlakfontein. four miles north of Volksrust. Entire railway from Natal to lohan- The battle of Diamond Hill. Lord nesburg in hands of the British. Roberts defeated Botha 15 miles General Paget drove the enemy from east of Pretoria. The Boers re- strong positions towards Beth- treated in the night farther east. lehem. 13.—The Boers continued their aggres- 7. —General Buller arrived at Pretoria. sions on the Senekal-Ficksburg Bethlehem captured by Generals line. The Senekal-Winburg tele- Clements and Paget. De Wet graph line was damaged. General put to flight. Lyttelton occupied Wakkerstroom. 11.—Squadron of Scots Greys, five com- 14.—Rustenburg occupied by General panies of the Lincolnshire Regi- Baden Powell. ment, with two guns of the O Botha's rearguard surprised and Battery of the Royal Horse Ar- "thoroughly routed" by General tillery, captured at Nitrals Nek. Ian Hamilton's Mounted Infantry. General Smith-Dorrien success- Position on Zand River attacked by fully engaged the Boers near 800 Boers with three guns. Enemy Krugersdorp. driven off by General Knox. 16. — Determined attacks by Boers on 15.—Column left Pretoria to meet General left flank of British posts in the Baden-Powell and repair telegraph Pretoria district. Enemy driven between Pretoria and Rustenburg. off with loss. 18.—General Baden-Powell arrived at 19. —General Little engaged De Wet near Pretoria. Lindley, and broke up his forces. General Hunter occupied Krugers- 21. —Advance begun from Pretoria east, dorp. along Delagoa Bay Railway. 19.—Lord Methuen defeated De Wet at A supply train, with 100 Welsh Heilbron. Fusiliers, captured near Honing 20.— Extinction of rebellion in Cape Spruit. Colony. Surrender of De Villiers. 23. —The Black Watch capture a hill 22. —Lord Dundonald occupied Stan- at Retief's Nek. The Highland derton. Light Infantry were compelled .24. —General Clements defeated the Boers to retire from a steep hill above at Winburg. the Nek. The Transvaal War

Bal- SEPTEMBER 1900. 25.- 1 ord Roberts's force reached ral on the way to Middelburg. Lord Roberts annexed to the British French's Cavalry and Hutton's Empire the South African Re- Mounted Infantry put Boers to public, which henceforth will be flight six miles south of Balmoral. known as the Transvaal Colony. Boers flee in disorder before Lord 4. General Buller and Botha engaged Roberts's advance. General French at Lydenburg. crosses Oliphant's River. Siege of Ladybrand raised. 26. — Philip de Wet, younger brother of British occupied Lydenburg Botha Christian de Wet, surrendered at retreated. Kroonstad. Spitz Kop captured. General Hunter occupied Fouries- 11.— Kruger, having fled from the Trans- burg. vaal, arrived in Portuguese terri- General MacDonald, after fighting a tory, and proceeded to Lorenzo rearguard action, blocked Naauw- Marques. poort Nek. 13.- Lord Roberts issued a proclamation 27. — Occupation of Middelburg by ad- calling upon the Boers to surrender. vance guard of Lord Roberts General French occupied Barberton. without opposition. 16. British occupied Nelspruit. 30. —Surrender of Generals Prinsloo, A. 20.- British occupation of Kaap Muiden. Villiers, and Crowther, and J. 24.- Arrival of the British at the Portu- 4000 Boers to General Hunter. guese frontier. Evacuation of all the Boer positions near the frontier. Roberts telegraphed to the AUGUST 1900. 25. Lord Lord Mayor of London that the Volunteers might 4. —Surrender of Harrismith to General City Imperial MacDonald. be expected home " before Novem- 10.—Discovery of the plot at Pretoria to ber 5th." kidnap Lord Roberts and the Surrender of Boers to the Portu- British officers. guese. Pursuit of De Wet continued. 12. Wet escaped. —De OCTOBER 1900. 16. — Eland's River garrison relieved. 24. — Lord Roberts left for the front in -Return of General Buller to Lyden- the Eastern Transvaal to operate burg after having marched through against General Botha. the whole of the hilly country to 25. — Lieutenant Hans Cordua shot in the north as far as Pilgrim's Rest, Pretoria for his participation in and having occupied the principal the plot against Lord Roberts. Boer positions. 26. — Great battle near Dalmanutha. -Continuous series of engagements Capture of Commandant Olivier and in the Transvaal and Orange River his two sons at Winburg. Colony, and defeat of De Wet, 27. — Important^positions captured near who was driven north, across the Dalmanutha. Vaal, at Venterstroom. 28. —General Buller's troops occupied 10. -General Buller prepared to return Machadodorp. home. Bergendal occupied. 11. -Anniversary of Kruger's insolent 29.— Kruger fled to Nelspruit. ultimatum. The Boers evacuated Helvetia, 19. -Mr. Kruger left Lorenzo Marques which was occupied by General for Europe, and made his exit from Buller. the political stage. 30. — British occupation of Waterval 24. -General Buller left Cape Town for Boven. England. Release of about 2000 British pris- Koffyfontein besieged. oners at Nooitgedacht. 25. -The Transvaal formally annexed. VI Chronological Table

NOVEMBER 1900 JANUARY 190 r 3. — Koffyfontein relieved. 1. "Call to arms" at Capetown. En- 6. — Engagement with De Wet near thusiastic response. Bothaville. 7. Boers attacked Belfast, Wonderfon- 16. —Conspirators against Lord Roberts tein, Nooitgedacht, Widfontein, arrested. and Pan, and after sharp fighting 18. — Lord Roberts met with an accident were dispersed. at Johannesburg. 10. Machadodorp attacked by night. Post 23. — Garrison at Dewetsdorp surrendered gallantly defended. to Ue Wet. 12. Boers driven eastward from Wit- 27. —General Charles Knox in touch with watersberg by General French. De Wet at Beyersberg. Activities in Cape Colony to frustrate 29. —Lord Kitchener took over the com- Hertzog's advance. mand in South Africa. 22. Death of Queen Victoria.. Lamenta- tion throughout the world. 23. Colonels De Lisle, Scobell, and Col- DECEMBER 1900. lenbrander drove the enemy out of Calvinia and Van Rhynsdorp, and 5. —De Wet crossed the Caledon pursued with a view to entering Cape him north to Carnarvon. Colony. 28. General French marched eastward, clearing the valley of the Wilge 11. — Lord Roberts left Cape Town for England. River. De Wet, after being turned northward by General Knox, moved to- FEBRUARY 1901. wards Reddersburg. 6. — General French, after encountering 13. —Reverse to General Clements near little resistance, entered Ermelo. the Magaliesberg. General Smith-Dorrien repulsed Brabant's Horse mishap near Zas- 2000 of the enemy. His losses tron. were 23 killed and 52 wounded. 19. —Boers under Delarey routed. 9. — Eastern movement continued in Boer raid into Cape Colony. deluges of rain, but invasion of 21. — War Office arranged for reinforce- Natal by Botha eventually frus- ments. trated. 22. —Boer movement in Cape Colony 10. —De Wet, after many contests with checked. the British forces in Orange River 26. —General Charles Knox engaged Colony, succeeded in crossing the with De Wet near Leeuw river at Sand Drift. Kop. 14. —Animated chases after De Wet. 28. —De Wet, frustrated in his attempt to 23. —De Wet succeeded in recrossing the break through to the south, with- river after losing 200 prisoners, drew to Senekal. all his guns, ammunition, and Cape raiders driven northward. waggons. 29. — British garrison at Helvetia cap- 27. —Lengthy negotiations for the promo- tured. tion of peace took place between 30 — Preparations made for the frustra- Lord Kitchener and Commandant tion of a more ambitious Boer raid Botha, which negotiations eventu- into Cape Colony. ally fell to the ground.

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MAP ILLUSTRATING GENERAL BULLER'S CAMPAIGN IN NATAL—MAY-JUNE 1900.