Louis Creswicke

“ Early in the day the southern slopes of Diamond Hill became the scene of contest between Ridley’s Brigade and the enemy, whose rifles poured their sleet over the advancing mass and whose guns clamoured loudly in the distance. Broadwood’s Brigade, meanwhile, began a bold advance—across a spruit and over a plain to a passage towards the railway line—an advance which was hailed more boisterously than pleasantly by a converging storm from the enemy’s heavy guns. Still the cavalry pushed forward, while Lieutenant Conolly with two horse guns was set to clear the course. ”

“ In a thick fog impenetrable as an iced blanket—the same that gathered around the gorges of the Spitz Kop and helped the flying Boers—the troops moved to the place of rendezvous on the Dalmanutha Road, passing the field of the battle of the previous week and the graves of many gallant fellows of the Rifle Brigade who had fallen on that occasion. The troops proceeded according to orders, marching over rough, mountainous, and capricious country, that caused so much inconvenience with the transport that as many as seven waggons upset within the space of a mile. ”

“ Away scudded the Boers to both sides, scattering over the distance towards Diamond Hill, while their oppressive propinquity to the British guns and Broadwood’s right flank was brought to an abrupt close. This done, Lord Airlie decided, as the horses were too jaded and overworked to engage in effective pursuit, to become no further involved. He was about to withdraw his regiment when suddenly a bullet caught him, and, almost instantly, he fell dead. Thus the Empire lost one of its finest soldiers, one of its most honourable, well-beloved of men. ”

“ Most appropriately, the day was chosen to announce the appointment of the gallant Field-Marshal to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the British army—an appointment which was looked upon both in England and abroad as an auspicious omen for the thorough reform of the British military system, and as a guarantee for the future defence of the Empire. The whole British world united in wishes—one may almost say prayers—for the long life and welfare of its grandest soldier. ”

“ The Natal Force had had a prodigious number of kicks, and knew what hard fighting meant, and had felt sore to find themselves, so to speak, “on the unfashionable side.” It became a question with these much battered warriors whether the kicks would be productive of halfpence, and whether, when honours were ladled out, those who so richly deserved it would come in for a bare spoonful. The splendid “little battle that did a big thing”—that, on the 11th of June, left Almond’s Nek purged of Boers and enabled General Clery and his Division to occupy Laing’s Nek—settled all misgivings. ”

“ With great difficulty the Boers righted the cart, pulled the hood down, as being too conspicuous a mark, and putting in two horses we dashed off. Fortunately, when we toppled over the British stopped shelling, but directly we started, whiz! bang! came the shells, until we reached a dip in the road, which shielded us from view, and, dashing on, we caught up their main body, a mass of Cape carts and guns, yelling and shrieking drivers, flogging their oxen and urging them on, while the rattle of Mausers and boom of guns showed that a fierce rearguard action was in progress. ”

“ Pretoria, like most South African towns, dozes in the lap of the hills, dozes tranquilly in a haven of generous nature, as dozed her Dutchmen in the midst of growing civilisation. The place from the distance is fair to the eye, poplar-groved, verdant, and picturesque, with the glimmer of red roofs cutting against the green, and veils of gauzy clouds, now grey, now purple, now azure, interlacing the hills and linking them with the sky. ”

“ Meanwhile a western commando made for Carnarvon and tore on to Fraserburgh, with De Lisle and Thorneycroft’s columns thundering at their heels, losing horses in the heat of their rush, and living from hand to mouth, as it were, on the country they were harassing, but still succeeding admirably in evading the skill of their pursuers. Fortunately this rolling stone of a commando gathered little moss in the form of rebels, for though they received help in stores and supplies, and the British gained no information, the number of the enemy was little augmented by the invasion. ”

“ The view thence towards Barberton is unique. From a precipitous height you gaze over rank on rank of irregular spurs seamed with gullies of sand, russet, and orange, the cradles of alluvial gold. The object of the operation was to clear these districts of Boers and secure General French’s left flank, and also enable the Eleventh Division to advance and take possession of the railway route to Godwan Station. General Hutton’s force consisted of Colonel Alderson’s command, Brabant’s Horse, with one 15-pounder and one Hotchkiss gun, 300 men of 1st Mounted Infantry Corps, and two pom-poms. ”

“ Our aim is to put an end to this cruel bloodshed on both sides, but especially the destruction of our own fellow-citizens, who are indispensable to our continued existence as a people. We hope this appeal to the Government and people of America will not be in vain, and that our manner of conducting the war will have shown that we have the right to demand the independent existence of our people as an independent State in South Africa. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The troops were here, there, and everywhere, just where fate had landed them after their chases of De Wet and their scurries to protect threatened posts on the lines of communication. At one point were knots of mounted men and guns in plenty, while at another there was found a mere handful of troops to maintain some important strategic position; here, remote and useless, were gathered batteries of artillery; there, where Boers threatened to pounce at any moment, a scarcely protected gun or two offered invitation to the clustering foe. ”

“ As may be imagined, the man who could accomplish so much in so short a span of time remained unperturbed by a vision of clouds on the horizon. He knew that though with the fall of Pretoria the campaign nominally ended, there were many minor passages at arms to be expected in various parts of the two Republics. There were the remnants of Botha’s army to north and east; there were De Wet and his marauders playing havoc with lines and telegraph wires, prowling in search of ill-defended convoys, and inspirited to fresh deeds of aggression by the successful capture of Colonel Spragge’s Yeomanry ”

“ We only desire peace and tranquil possession of what is as dear to us as it is to the American people—namely, our independence, without impairing the rights of other peoples. We do not appeal to one or the other political party, but to the American people, hoping that all parties will unite on a common platform, since the greatness of a great nation like the United States will be still more enhanced if it aid a small nation in a struggle for its rights and freedom. ”

“ The Commander-in-Chief is a great soldier, but he is a greater man. It is in his character as a man rather than as a soldier that he has won the unrestrained affections even of the army. Since the ‘little corporal,’ no great commander has held so entirely the confidence and devotion of all sorts and conditions of soldiers; but, while Napoleon imposed himself upon his embattled hosts as a kind of demigod, he who is most widely known as ‘little Bobs’ has impressed his soldiers as a man of men, as the best, the most sympathetic, the cleverest and dearest of comrades. ”

“ His excursion from Bethlehem had been costly. Starting, he had some 1500 men and six or eight guns, while behind him in the hills were Prinsloo and some 5000 Dutchmen. He now was returning to find the Bethlehem band on its way to Ceylon and his own force thinned to attenuation. Poor De Wet! At this juncture his display of talent in the field had bred a feeling of pity which was “akin to love,” and those who were most interested in his capture were those loudest in appreciation of his sporting proclivities, and pronounced him “a first-class fighting man.” ”

“ You seek to settle matters quickly in Africa by your leniency and conceding the use of the Dutch language to us. See ‘British Leniency,’ in Morning Post, Saturday 13th inst. But I tell you that your leniency in general and your kindness to our men, now prisoners in your hands, are regarded by us only as bribes, offered to us to be faithless to our land and our independence. We will accept your bribes, but we will not be seduced by them to accept your friendship and to cease from working for our independence and the downfall of your Empire. ”

“ Carrington, as we know, had heard the report of their surrender, and having given battle to an overwhelming force of Boers for what he thought no purpose, had retired!
So, the 3000 Republicans in their hills laughed together, and trained their guns on to the spot where, at night, they knew the gallant men who defied them must water their horses and refresh themselves after their long day’s burrowing in the bowels of the earth. ”

“ On the 3rd of November Koffyfontein, which had been besieged since the 24th of October, was relieved by Sir Charles Parsons and some of General Settle’s Mounted troops. The dogged way in which a garrison of but fifty miners under a volunteer officer, Captain Robertson of the Kimberley Light Horse, withstood the persistence of the foe, excited the admiration of friends and enemies. The miners in the débris heaps contrived so cleverly to render their position impregnable that all the efforts of the enemy were frustrated. Captain Robertson escaped with his life by a miracle. ”

“ Have they not shown themselves worthy of their liberty and their fatherland? Will the world allow them to be crushed? The Powers have not intervened up to the present, perhaps abstaining from so [Pg 107] doing as long as the war was regular; but will the restoration of peace never be pronounced, not even now when Great Britain tramples under foot by her theoretical annexations all the principles of International Law, and thus endeavours to acquire freedom of action in order to exercise her powers, and if possible annihilate completely the existence of a free people? ”

“ From Cape Town to Komati, from Durban to Potchefstroom, from De Aar to Mafeking, from Mafeking to Pretoria, and from Mafeking to Rhodesia the British forces were distributed, and far from wondering why the regiments thus trickling along the country failed to annihilate the Boers, those who knew were inclined to marvel that there were any regiments to spare for giving chase to the marauders in their desultory schemes of annoyance. The British duty of sticking fast was infinitely more arduous than the Boer one of slipping away. ”

“ The absence of all sense of honour and truth, the sordid ambition and personal greed of the man, exposed now to the full, deprived him of the sympathy of those who had formerly watched his remarkable career with interest and admiration. Hitherto, most people had been prone to believe that the President of the Transvaal was, as the patriarchs of old, narrow-minded and obstinate no doubt, but saved by a simplicity that was picturesque as it was primitive. ”

“ The President sympathises heartily with the sincere desire of all the people of the United States that the war which is now afflicting South Africa may, for the sake of both parties engaged, come to a speedy close, but having done his full duty in preserving a strictly neutral position between them, and in seizing the first opportunity that presented itself for tendering his good offices in the interest of peace, he feels that in the present circumstances no course is open to him except to persist in his policy of impartial neutrality. ”