A Handbook of the Boer War
Page 1 of 192
A HANDBOOK OF THE BOER WAR
With General Map of South Africa and 18 Sketch Maps and Plans
GALE AND POLDEN LIMITED
LONDON AND ALDERSHOT
1910
BUTLER & TANNER
THE SELWOOD PRINTING WORKS
FROME AND LONDON
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I PROLEGOMENA 1
I The Roundheads of South Africa 1
II Patriotism, Duty and Discipline 19
III War considered as a Branch of Sport 26
II THE NATAL WEDGE 36
III DEUS EX MACHINA NO. I 51
IV KIMBERLEY AND THE SIEGE OF RHODES 82
V A TRAGEDY OF ERRORS 96
VI MORE TUGELA TROUBLES 116
VII LADYSMITH AT BAY 138
VIII DEUS EX MACHINA NO. 2 156
IX ALARMS AND EXCURSIONS 193
X BADEN-POWELL AND THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING 212
XI BLOEMFONTEIN TO PRETORIA 229
XII THE NEW COLONY 247
XIII NEC CELER NEC AUDAX 262
XIV THE TAMING OF THE TRANSVAAL 273
XV THE RECURRENCES OF DE WET 294
XVI LORD KITCHENER AT WORK 311
XVII THE MECHANICAL PHASE 345
I Orange River Colony 345
II Eastern Transvaal 354
III Western Transvaal 357
IV Cape Colony 363
XVIII THE END 365
COMMANDERS OF DIVISIONS AND BRIGADES 368
INDEX OF PERSONS AND PLACES 369
SKETCH MAPS AND PLANS[1]
PAGE
Northern Natal 50
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: A Handbook of the Boer War
- 2: A general impression of topographical features
- 3: The Boer movement in South Africa
- 4: In the XVIIth century the Boers of the Netherlands
- 5: The military qualities of the Boers
- 6: Kimberley and Mafeking were threatened on the west
- 7: For in a generation or two they began to trek
- 8: Whose kraal was a hundred miles away
- 9: Dingaan retaliated by sending an impi to Durban
- 10: Was the undoing of the trekkers of 1836
- 11: Pretorius retired across the Vaal where he joined Potgieter
- 12: Many hard things have been said of Patriotism
- 13: Is briefly the history of Patriotism
- 14: Sneering at him as a mercenary
- 15: Is not confirmed by the South African War
- 16: That is to disguise himself as a civilian
- 17: Now Militarism is not in itself a desirable thing
- 18: He enjoyed the sport and the game
- 19: Has of late years suffered many rebuffs
- 20: Footnote 14 To the various courses
- 21: And the base was the Tugela River
- 22: The donga on the left was found to be useless
- 23: The fight for Talana Hill encouraged each belligerent
- 24: And Elandslaagte station was seized
- 25: And the tactical victory was complete
- 26: And Pepworth Hill were the chief physical features
- 27: Grimwood was suffering severely from artillery fire
- 28: Who had just escaped from Ladysmith
- 29: And reached Pietermaritzburg on November 25
- 30: The Boers were greatly discouraged by Belmont and Graspan
- 31: That between Spytfontein and the river
- 32: Illustration Modder River and Magersfontein
- 33: Six miles from the key of the position on Magersfontein
- 34: Next day he retired to the Modder River Camp
- 35: Where Gatacre arrived on November 18
- 36: And in order to cover the retreat opened upon Kissieberg
- 37: Some hesitation with regard to Hlangwhane
- 38: And then to seize the kopjes north of the iron bridge
- 39: 23 The sketch also duplicated the loop
- 40: Brought about the reverse at Colenso
- 41: The battle orders had been orally anticipated by Buller
- 42: But not necessarily the Vth Division
- 43: And occupied a commanding position outside Colesberg
- 44: One of which became known as the town of Kimberley
- 45: Which after a short sojourn in Natal he found at Kimberley
- 46: Kimberley under any circumstances was a prize worth winning
- 47: And who had little confidence in military men
- 48: And was now mounted before Kimberley
- 49: Rhodes refrained from publishing a Kimberley book
- 50: And which in his honour received the name of Rhodesia
- 51: Of a direct advance by way of Hlangwhane and Pieter's Hill
- 52: That Warren heard from Dundonald
- 53: Clery was ordered to direct the operation
- 54: But he pointed out that Spion Kop
- 55: Illustration Sketch Plan of Spion Kop
- 56: And without communicating with Thorneycroft
- 57: 27 Thorneycroft saw that if these wavered
- 58: Thorneycroft was a junior major in the Army
- 59: The lonely figure of Thorneycroft
- 60: And said that Thorneycroft had exercised a wise discretion
- 61: The Brakfontein ridge slopes down towards Vaalkrantz Hill
- 62: Viljoen remaining on Vaalkrantz
- 63: Vaalkrantz standing between Doorn Kop and the Twin Peaks
- 64: That Hlangwhane was the key of the position
- 65: While Warren's Vth Division attacked Green Hill
- 66: When the Boers were driven out of the Hlangwhane positions
- 67: His scouting line came under fire from the Grobelaar slopes
- 68: And that they could cross the Tugela by pontoon
- 69: On Hlangwhane was Barton with the 6th Fusilier Brigade
- 70: And from the east covered Dundonald
- 71: Were still on the right bank of the Tugela
- 72: Illustration The siege of Ladysmith
- 73: Of the Klip River were occupied by the Transvaalers
- 74: The assaulters encircled the emplacement
- 75: And he sanctioned another assault on the Platrand
- 76: Led White to report to Buller soon after noon
- 77: Such as the attempt to dam the Klip River
- 78: 000 men and 36 field guns to endeavour to join Buller
- 79: 000 burghers standing up to Buller on the Tugela
- 80: Lord Roberts reached Capetown in the Dunottar Castle
- 81: Anxiety on account of Kimberley
- 82: Illustration Sketch map of the Riet and Modder Drifts
- 83: He withdrew his own commando towards Koffyfontein
- 84: While on its left flank was Cronje's new camp at Bosjespan
- 85: And were soon pushed on to Wegdraai Drift
- 86: The convoy was ordered to follow Colvile to Wegdraai at 5 p
- 87: Which Lord Roberts received soon after he reached Jacobsdaal
- 88: Cronje's laager at Vendutie Drift
- 89: Kelly Kenny proposed a preliminary investment of Cronje
- 90: Which Hannay was about to cross
- 91: Kitchener ordered an assault on the donga
- 92: De Wet had been reinforced at Koffyfontein
- 93: And the agony of the laager was drawn out for six days
- 94: And after his return to Osfontein with Kitchener
- 95: And cut off his retreat to Bloemfontein
- 96: Kelly Kenny occupied Seven Kopjes without opposition
- 97: And another group at Damvallei
- 98: Delarey was expelled from Driefontein
- 99: Cronje was gone into captivity
- 100: The commandos which had been opposed to Gatacre
- 101: Who had attended the Krijgsraad in feeble health
- 102: His intention was to seize Amphlett at the Waterworks
- 103: The spruit was shelled with little effect by Q Battery
- 104: Broadwood ordered a general retirement
- 105: Was in possession of the Waterval Drift
- 106: Sent by Gatacre to garrison Dewetsdorp
- 107: While he himself made for Wepener
- 108: De Wet will be the central figure
- 109: Montsioa fought for his rights
- 110: Cronje appeared before Mafeking
- 111: Baden Powell thoroughly understood the Boer temperament
- 112: Five weeks of Baden Powell were enough for Cronje
- 113: And by the appearance of young Eloff
- 114: On the eve of the war he was sent by Baden Powell to Tuli
- 115: Afterwards advancing to Sefetili
- 116: Which joins the Vaal at Barkly West
- 117: Met with opposition in the Prieska district
- 118: And Lord Roberts sent Rundle to Dewetsdorp
- 119: Lord Roberts' position at Bloemfontein
- 120: The Zand River and the town of Kroonstad forty miles beyond
- 121: On May 12 Lord Roberts entered Kroonstad
- 122: Botha had retired on the capital
- 123: Who was covering Waterval with 2
- 124: Commands the approaches to Kameelfontein ridge
- 125: Or the Rhenosterfontein heights on the other
- 126: Which was originally towards the Transvaal
- 127: He pushed on from Ventersburg without waiting for Spragge
- 128: He doggedly stared at the words Heilbron
- 129: Which came within four miles of Zwavel Kranz
- 130: And Roodeval were captured in succession
- 131: Had relieved Rundle at Senekal
- 132: The Little Caledon and the Brandwater
- 133: A few hours later Prinsloo agreed to surrender
- 134: The Boers on the Biggarsberg at first numbered about 15
- 135: And after dark they retired on Beith
- 136: Laing's Nek being the immediate objective
- 137: A fusillade broke out on Inkweloane
- 138: The capture of Alleman's Nek rendered Laing's Nek untenable
- 139: 48 its destination being Belfast on the Delagoa Bay line
- 140: Leaving only a small force at Rustenburg
- 141: Methuen marched at once on Rustenburg
- 142: A small British force was besieged in Brakfontein
- 143: Only necessary to head him from Magato Nek
- 144: Himself going south with a small commando
- 145: And the task of Delarey thereby lightened
- 146: Two days later French rode into Middelburg
- 147: Of which Bergendal was the last act
- 148: Drove Botha back to the line at Nelspruit
- 149: Reached Komati Poort on September 24
- 150: His strategy was freely criticized at first
- 151: Took up a position at Fredrikstad
- 152: And three days later invested Dewetsdorp
- 153: Near Bethulie he was reinforced by Hertzog and other leaders
- 154: Neither Kritzinger nor Hertzog
- 155: Between Stormberg and Naauwpoort
- 156: De Wet suddenly changed direction and made for Phillipolis
- 157: And forced to hurry on towards Hopetown
- 158: Have been blocked in the direction of Zand Drift
- 159: Nor was Knox marching on the Nek
- 160: Subsidiary lines of blockhouses
- 161: Botha and Steyn reached Pietersburg in September
- 162: His next divagation was to Eerstefabriken
- 163: They had been attacked by Beyers
- 164: Who had retired from Noitgedacht towards the S
- 165: Passed on and halted at Hartebeestfontein
- 166: Delarey was believed to be at Hartebeestfontein
- 167: If not already crushed by an enveloping movement on Ermelo
- 168: Northward or southward along the Steelpoort River
- 169: Crossing into the Transvaal near Standerton
- 170: Where he found Van der Venter waiting for him
- 171: Kritzinger and Brand parted company
- 172: Early in September he left the Ermelo district
- 173: The irregular Pondwana range lying eastward of Vryheid
- 174: And then charged Gun Hill with his main body under Grobler
- 175: Delarey was accurately informed of Kekewich's movements
- 176: Footnote 57 Lyttelton went to the Cape Colony in February
- 177: Dartnell continued his march to Harrismith
- 178: Corner of the Groen Kop wedge as the point of attack
- 179: And in the end Damant was overwhelmed on a hill
- 180: He then retired as usual to the Doornberg
- 181: On reaching Ermelo on December 3
- 182: Bruce Hamilton returned to Ermelo
- 183: Viljoen was not found in the wilderness
- 184: Having reached Tweebosch on the previous day
- 185: On April 8 he joined Kekewich at Middelbult
- 186: Which included the districts of Kenhart
- 187: Arrived at Kroonstad on March 22
- 188: And of Smuts and Hertzog on the other
- 189: Acting President of the Transvaal
- 190: 105 Green Hill near Vaalkrantz
- 191: 350 Kainguba Hill Nicholson's Nek
- 192: 125 Commando Orange River Colony