After This Victory Hamilton's
Men, Who Had Fought For Seven Days Out Of Ten, Halted For A Rest At
Jacobsrust, Where They Were Joined By Broadwood's Cavalry And Bruce
Hamilton's Infantry Brigade.
Ian Hamilton's column now contained
two infantry brigades (Smith-Dorrien's and Bruce Hamilton's),
Ridley's Mounted Infantry, Broadwood's Cavalry Brigade, five
batteries of artillery, two heavy guns, altogether 13,000 men.
With
this force in constant touch with Botha's rearguard, Ian Hamilton
pushed on once more on May 4th. On May 5th he fought a brisk
cavalry skirmish, in which Kitchener's Horse and the 12th Lancers
distinguished themselves, and on the same day he took possession of
Winburg, thus covering the right of Lord Roberts's great advance.
The distribution of the troops on the eastern side of the Free
State was, at the time of this the final advance of the main army,
as follows - Ian Hamilton with his mounted infantry, Smith-Dorrien's
brigade, Macdonald's brigade, Bruce Hamilton's brigade, and
Broadwood's cavalry were at Winburg. Rundle was at Thabanchu, and
Brabant's colonial division was moving up to the same point.
Chermside was at Dewetsdorp, and had detached a force under Lord
Castletown to garrison Wepener. Hart occupied Smithfield, whence he
and his brigade were shortly to be transferred to the Kimberley
force. Altogether there could not have been fewer than thirty
thousand men engaged in clearing and holding down this part of the
country. French's cavalry and Pole-Carew's division had returned to
take part in the central advance.
Before entering upon a description of that great and decisive
movement, one small action calls for comment. This was the cutting
off of twenty men of Lumsden's Horse in a reconnaissance at Karee.
The small post under Lieutenant Crane found themselves by some
misunderstanding isolated in the midst of the enemy. Refusing to
hoist the flag of shame, they fought their way out, losing half
their number, while of the other half it is said that there was not
one who could not show bullet marks upon his clothes or person. The
men of this corps, volunteer Anglo-Indians, had abandoned the ease
and even luxury of Eastern life for the hard fare and rough
fighting of this most trying campaign. In coming they had set the
whole empire an object-lesson in spirit, and now on their first
field they set the army an example of military virtue. The proud
traditions of Outram's Volunteers have been upheld by the men of
Lumsden's Horse. Another minor action which cannot be ignored is
the defence of a convoy on April 29th by the Derbyshire Yeomanry
(Major Dugdale) and a company of the Scots Guards. The wagons were
on their way to Rundle when they were attacked at a point about ten
miles west of Thabanchu. The small guard beat off their assailants
in the most gallant fashion, and held their own until relieved by
Brabazon upon the following morning.
This phase of the war was marked by a certain change in the temper
of the British. Nothing could have been milder than the original
intentions and proclamations of Lord Roberts, and he was most ably
seconded in his attempts at conciliation by General Pretyman, who
had been made civil administrator of the State. There was evidence,
however, that this kindness had been construed as weakness by some
of the burghers, and during the Boer incursion to Wepener many who
had surrendered a worthless firearm reappeared with the Mauser
which had been concealed in some crafty hiding-place. Troops were
fired at from farmhouses which flew the white flag, and the good
housewife remained behind to charge the 'rooinek' extortionate
prices for milk and fodder while her husband shot at him from the
hills. It was felt that the burghers might have peace or might have
war, but could not have both simultaneously. Some examples were
made therefore of offending farmhouses, and stock was confiscated
where there was evidence of double dealing upon the part of the
owner. In a country where property is a more serious thing than
life, these measures, together with more stringent rules about the
possession of horses and arms, did much to stamp out the chances of
an insurrection in our rear. The worst sort of peace is an enforced
peace, but if that can be established time and justice may do the
rest.
The operations which have been here described may be finally summed
up in one short paragraph. A Boer army came south of the British
line and besieged a British garrison. Three British forces, those
of French, Rundle, and Ian Hamilton, were despatched to cut it off.
It successfully threaded its way among them and escaped. It was
followed to the northward as far as the town of Winburg, which
remained in the British possession. Lord Roberts had failed in his
plan of cutting off De Wet's army, but, at the expense of many
marches and skirmishes, the south-east of the State was cleared of
the enemy.
CHAPTER 24.
THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING.
This small place, which sprang in the course of a few weeks from
obscurity to fame, is situated upon the long line of railway which
connects Kimberley in the south with Rhodesia in the north. In
character it resembles one of those western American townlets which
possess small present assets but immense aspirations. In its litter
of corrugated-iron roofs, and in the church and the racecourse,
which are the first-fruits everywhere of Anglo-Celtic civilisation,
one sees the seeds of the great city of the future. It is the
obvious depot for the western Transvaal upon one side, and the
starting-point for all attempts upon the Kalahari Desert upon the
other. The Transvaal border runs within a few miles.
It is not clear why the imperial authorities should desire to hold
this place, since it has no natural advantages to help the defence,
but lies exposed in a widespread plain. A glance at the map must
show that the railway line would surely be cut both to the north
and south of the town, and the garrison isolated at a point some
two hundred and fifty miles from any reinforcements.
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