Black With Sun And Dust,
Staggering After A March Of Thirty-Eight Miles, Gaunt And Haggard,
With Their Clothes In
Such a state that decency demanded that some
of the men should be discreetly packed away in the heart of
The
dense column, they still swung into the town with the aspect of
Kentish hop-pickers and the bearing of heroes. She, the venerable
mother, could remember the bearded ranks who marched past her when
they came with sadly thinned files back from the Crimean winter;
even those gallant men could not have endured more sturdily, nor
have served her more loyally, than these their worthy descendants.
It was just a month after the start from Ramdam that Lord Roberts
and his army rode into the enemy's capital. Up to that period we
had in Africa Generals who were hampered for want of troops, and
troops who were hampered for want of Generals. Only when the
Commander-in-Chief took over the main army had we soldiers enough,
and a man who knew how to handle them. The result was one which has
not only solved the question of the future of South Africa, but has
given an illustration of strategy which will become classical to
the military student. How brisk was the course of events, how
incessant the marching and fighting, may be shown by a brief
recapitulation. On February 13th cavalry and infantry were marching
to the utmost capacity of men and horses. On the 14th the cavalry
were halted, but the infantry were marching hard. On the 15th the
cavalry covered forty miles, fought an action, and relieved
Kimberley. On the 16th the cavalry were in pursuit of the Boer guns
all day, and were off on a thirty-mile march to the Modder at
night, while the infantry were fighting Cronje's rearguard action,
and closing up all day. On the 17th the infantry were marching
hard. On the 18th was the battle of Paardeberg. From the 19th to
the 27th was incessant fighting with Cronje inside the laager and
with De Wet outside. From the 28th to March 6th was rest. On March
7th was the action of Poplars Grove with heavy marching; on March
10th the battle of Driefontein. On the 11th and 12th the infantry
covered forty miles, and on the 13th were in Bloemfontein. All this
was accomplished by men on half-rations, with horses which could
hardly be urged beyond a walk, in a land where water is scarce and
the sun semi-tropical, each infantryman carrying a weight of nearly
forty pounds. There are few more brilliant achievements in the
history of British arms. The tactics were occasionally faulty, and
the battle of Paardeberg was a blot upon the operations; but the
strategy of the General and the spirit of the soldier were alike
admirable.
CHAPTER 21.
STRATEGIC EFFECTS OF LORD ROBERTS'S MARCH.
From the moment that Lord Roberts with his army advanced from
Ramdam all the other British forces in South Africa, the Colesberg
force, the Stormberg force, Brabant's force, and the Natal force,
had the pressure relieved in front of them, a tendency which
increased with every fresh success of the main body.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 209 of 435
Words from 108156 to 108689
of 225456
