A Short
Chapter Must Be Devoted To Following Rapidly The Fortunes Of These
Various Armies, And Tracing The Effect Of Lord Roberts's Strategy
Upon Their Movements.
They may be taken in turn from west to east.
The force under General Clements (formerly French's) had, as has
already been told, been denuded of nearly all its cavalry and horse
artillery, and so left in the presence of a very superior body of
the enemy. Under these circumstances Clements had to withdraw his
immensely extended line, and to concentrate at Arundel, closely
followed by the elated enemy. The situation was a more critical one
than has been appreciated by the public, for if the force had been
defeated the Boers would have been in a position to cut Lord
Roberts's line of communications, and the main army would have been
in the air. Much credit is due, not only to General Clements, but
to Carter of the Wiltshires, Hacket Pain of the Worcesters, Butcher
of the 4th R.F.A., the admirable Australians, and all the other
good men and true who did their best to hold the gap for the
Empire.
The Boer idea of a strong attack upon this point was strategically
admirable, but tactically there was not sufficient energy in
pushing home the advance. The British wings succeeded in
withdrawing, and the concentrated force at Arundel was too strong
for attack Yet there was a time of suspense, a time when every man
had become of such importance that even fifty Indian syces were for
the first and last time in the war, to their own supreme
gratification, permitted for twenty-four hours to play their
natural part as soldiers. [Footnote: There was something piteous in
the chagrin of these fine Sikhs at being held back from their
natural work as soldiers. A deputation of them waited upon Lord
Roberts at Bloemfontein to ask, with many salaams, whether 'his
children were not to see one little fight before they returned.']
But then with the rapid strokes in front the hour of danger passed,
and the Boer advance became first a halt and then a retreat.
On February 27th, Major Butcher, supported by the Inniskillings and
Australians, attacked Rensburg and shelled the enemy out of it.
Next morning Clements's whole force had advanced from Arundel and
took up its old position. The same afternoon it was clear that the
Boers were retiring, and the British, following them up, marched
into Colesberg, around which they had manoeuvred so long. A
telegram from Steyn to De Wet found in the town told the whole
story of the retirement: 'As long as you are able to hold the
positions you are in with the men you have, do so. If not, come
here as quickly as circumstances will allow, as matters here are
taking a serious turn.' The whole force passed over the Orange
River unimpeded, and blew up the Norval's Pont railway bridge
behind it. Clements's brigade followed on March 4th, and succeeded
in the course of a week in throwing a pontoon bridge over the river
and crossing into the Orange Free State.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 210 of 435
Words from 108690 to 109213
of 225456
