A Week Or Ten Days Were Spent In
Pacifying The Large North-Eastern Portion Of Cape Colony, To Which
Aliwal Acts As A Centre.
Barkly East, Herschel, Lady Grey, and
other villages were visited by small detachments of the colonial
horsemen, who pushed forward also into the south-eastern portion of
the Free State, passing through Rouxville, and so along the
Basutoland border as far as Wepener.
The rebellion in the Colony
was now absolutely dead in the north-east, while in the north-west
in the Prieska and Carnarvon districts it was only kept alive by
the fact that the distances were so great and the rebel forces so
scattered that it was very difficult for our flying columns to
reach them. Lord Kitchener had returned from Paardeberg to attend
to this danger upon our line of communications, and by his
exertions all chance of its becoming serious soon passed. With a
considerable force of Yeomanry and Cavalry he passed swiftly over
the country, stamping out the smouldering embers.
So much for the movements into the Free State of Clements, of
Gatacre, and of Brabant. It only remains to trace the not very
eventful history of the Natal campaign after the relief of
Ladysmith.
General Buller made no attempt to harass the retreat of the Boers,
although in two days no fewer than two thousand wagons were counted
upon the roads to Newcastle and Dundee. The guns had been removed
by train, the railway being afterwards destroyed. Across the north
of Natal lies the chain of the Biggarsberg mountains, and to this
the Transvaal Boers had retired, while the Freestaters had hurried
through the passes of the Drakensberg in time to make the fruitless
opposition to Roberts's march upon their capital. No accurate
information had come in as to the strength of the Transvaalers, the
estimates ranging from five to ten thousand, but it was known that
their position was formidable and their guns mounted in such a way
as to command the Dundee and Newcastle roads.
General Lyttelton's Division had camped as far out as Elandslaagte
with Burn Murdoch's cavalry, while Dundonald's brigade covered the
space between Burn Murdoch's western outposts and the Drakensberg
passes. Few Boers were seen, hut it was known that the passes were
held in some strength. Meanwhile the line was being restored in the
rear, and on March 9th the gallant White was enabled to take train
for Durban, though it was not until ten days later that the Colenso
bridge was restored. The Ladysmith garrison had been sent down to
Colenso to recruit their health. There they were formed into a new
division, the 4th, the brigades being given to Howard and Knox, and
the command to Lyttelton, who had returned his former division, the
second, to Clery. The 5th and 6th brigades were also formed into
one division, the 10th, which was placed under the capable command
of Hunter, who had confirmed in the south the reputation which he
had won in the north of Africa.
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