Grenfell, Who Commanded The
Force, Broke Up Several Laagers, And Captured A Number Of
Prisoners, Operations In Which He Was Much Assisted By Colenbrander
And His Men.
Finally the last of the great Creusot guns, the
formidable Long Toms, was found mounted near Haenertsburg.
It was
the same piece which had in succession scourged Mafeking and
Kimberley. The huge gun, driven to bay, showed its powers by
opening an effective fire at ten thousand yards. The British
galloped in upon it, the Boer riflemen were driven off, and the gun
was blown up by its faithful gunners. So by suicide died the last
of that iron brood, the four sinister brothers who had wrought much
mischief in South Africa. They and their lesson will live in the
history of modern artillery.
The sweeping of the Roos-Senekal district being over, Plumer left
his post upon the River of the Elephants, a name which, like
Rhenoster, Zeekoe, Kameelfontein, Leeuw Kop, Tigerfontein, Elands
River, and so many more, serves as a memorial to the great mammals
which once covered the land. On April 28th the force turned south,
and on May 4th they had reached the railroad at Eerstefabrieken
close to Pretoria. They had come in touch with a small Boer force
upon the way, and the indefatigable Vialls hounded them for eighty
miles, and tore away the tail of their convoy with thirty
prisoners. The main force had left Pretoria on horseback on March
28th, and found themselves back once again upon foot on May 5th.
They had something to show, however, for the loss of their horses,
since they had covered a circular march of 400 miles, had captured
some hundreds of the enemy, and had broken up their last organised
capital. From first to last it was a most useful and well-managed
expedition.
It is the more to be regretted that General Blood was recalled from
his northern trek before it had attained its full results, because
those operations to which he turned did not offer him any great
opportunities for success. Withdrawing from the north of the
railway with his columns, he at once started upon a sweep of that
portion of the country which forms an angle between the Delagoa
line and the Swazi frontier - the Barberton district. But again the
two big fish, Viljoen and Botha, had slipped away, and the usual
collection of sprats was left in the net. The sprats count also,
however, and every week now telegrams were reaching England from
Lord Kitchener which showed that from three to five hundred more
burghers had fallen into our hands. Although the public might begin
to look upon the war as interminable, it had become evident to the
thoughtful observer that it was now a mathematical question, and
that a date could already be predicted by which the whole Boer
population would have passed into the power of the British.
Among the numerous small British columns which were at work in
different parts of the country, in the latter half of May, there
was one under General Dixon which was operating in the
neighbourhood of the Magaliesberg Range. This locality has never
been a fortunate one for the British arms. The country is
peculiarly mountainous and broken, and it was held by the veteran
De la Rey and a numerous body of irreconcilable Boers. Here in July
we had encountered a check at Uitval's Nek, in December Clements
had met a more severe one at Nooitgedacht, while shortly afterwards
Cunningham had been repulsed at Middelfontein, and the Light Horse
cut up at Naauwpoort. After such experiences one would have thought
that no column which was not of overmastering strength would have
been sent into this dangerous region, but General Dixon had as a
matter of fact by no means a strong force with him. With 1600 men
and a battery he was despatched upon a quest after some hidden guns
which were said to have been buried in those parts.
On May 26th Dixon's force, consisting of Derbyshires, King's Own
Scottish Borderers, Imperial Yeomanry, Scottish Horse, and six guns
(four of 8th R.F.A. and two of 28th R.F.A.), broke camp at
Naauwpoort and moved to the west. On the 28th they found themselves
at a place called Vlakfontein, immediately south of Oliphant's Nek.
On that day there were indications that there were a good many
Boers in the neighbourhood. Dixon left a guard over his camp and
then sallied out in search of the buried guns. His force was
divided into three parts, the left column under Major Chance
consisting of two guns of the 28th R.F.A., 230 of the Yeomanry, and
one company of the Derbys. The centre comprised two guns (8th R.F.
A.), one howitzer, two companies of the Scottish Borderers and one
of the Derbys; while the right was made up of two guns (8th R.F.A.
), 200 Scottish Horse, and two companies of Borderers. Having
ascertained that the guns were not there, the force about midday
was returning to the camp, when the storm broke suddenly and
fiercely upon the rearguard.
There had been some sniping during the whole morning, but no
indications of the determined attack which was about to be
delivered. The force in retiring upon the camp had become divided,
and the rearguard consisted of the small column under Major Chance
which had originally formed the left wing. A veld fire was raging
on one flank of this rearguard, and through the veil of smoke a
body of five hundred Boers charged suddenly home with magnificent
gallantry upon the guns. We have few records of a more dashing or
of a more successful action in the whole course of the war. So
rapid was it that hardly any time elapsed between the glimpse of
the first dark figures galloping through the haze and the thunder
of their hoofs as they dashed in among the gunners. The Yeomanry
were driven back and many of them shot down.
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