A Little Training In Taking Cover,
Leggings Instead Of Boots, And A Rifle Instead Of A Carbine Would
Give Us A Formidable Force Of Twenty Thousand Men Who Could Do All
That Our Cavalry Does, And A Great Deal More Besides.
It is
undoubtedly possible on many occasions in this war, at Colesberg,
at Diamond Hill, to say 'Here our cavalry did well.' They are brave
men on good horses, and they may be expected to do well.
But the
champion of the cavalry cause must point out the occasions where
the cavalry did something which could not have been done by the
same number of equally brave and equally well-mounted infantry.
Only then will the existence of the cavalry be justified. The
lesson both of the South African and of the American civil war is
that the light horseman who is trained to fight on foot is the type
of the future.
A few more words as a sequel to this short sketch of the siege and
relief of Kimberley. Considerable surprise has been expressed that
the great gun at Kamfersdam, a piece which must have weighed many
tons and could not have been moved by bullock teams at a rate of
more than two or three miles an hour, should have eluded our
cavalry. It is indeed a surprising circumstance, and yet it was due
to no inertia on the part of our leaders, but rather to one of the
finest examples of Boer tenacity in the whole course of the war.
The instant that Kekewich was sure of relief he mustered every
available man and sent him out to endeavour to get the gun. It had
already been removed, and its retreat was covered by the strong
position of Dronfield, which was held both by riflemen and by light
artillery. Finding himself unable to force it, Murray, the
commander of the detachment, remained in front of it. Next morning
(Friday) at three o'clock the weary men and horses of two of
French's brigades were afoot with the same object. But still the
Boers were obstinately holding on to Dronfield, and still their
position was too strong to force, and too extended to get round
with exhausted horses. It was not until the night after that the
Boers abandoned their excellent rearguard action, leaving one light
gun in the hands of the Cape Police, but having gained such a start
for their heavy one that French, who had other and more important
objects in view, could not attempt to follow it.
CHAPTER 19.
PAARDEBERG.
Lord Roberts's operations, prepared with admirable secrecy and
carried out with extreme energy, aimed at two different results,
each of which he was fortunate enough to attain. The first was that
an overpowering force of cavalry should ride round the Boer
position and raise the siege of Kimberley: the fate of this
expedition has already been described. The second was that the
infantry, following hard on the heels of the cavalry, and holding
all that they had gained, should establish itself upon Cronje's
left flank and cut his connection with Bloemfontein.
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