On The First Day No More
Than Eleven Hundred Men Of The Ficksburg And Ladybrand Commandos,
With Fifteen Hundred Horses And Two Guns, Were Surrendered.
Next
day seven hundred and fifty more men came in with eight hundred
horses, and by August 6th the total of the prisoners had mounted to
four thousand one hundred and fifty with three guns, two of which
were our own.
But Olivier, with fifteen hundred men and several
guns, broke away from the captured force and escaped through the
hills. Of this incident General Hunter, an honourable soldier,
remarks in his official report: 'I regard it as a dishonourable
breach of faith upon the part of General Olivier, for which I hold
him personally responsible. He admitted that he knew that General
Prinsloo had included him in the unconditional surrender.' It is
strange that, on Olivier's capture shortly afterwards, he was not
court-martialled for this breach of the rules of war, but that
good-natured giant, the Empire, is quick - too quick, perhaps - to
let byegones be byegones. On August 4th Harrismith surrendered to
Macdonald, and thus was secured the opening of the Van Reenen's
Pass and the end of the Natal system of railways. This was of the
very first importance, as the utmost difficulty had been found in
supplying so large a body of troops so far from the Cape base. In a
day the base was shifted to Durban, and the distance shortened by
two-thirds, while the army came to be on the railway instead of a
hundred miles from it. This great success assured Lord Roberts's
communications from serious attack, and was of the utmost
importance in enabling him to consolidate his position at Pretoria.
CHAPTER 28.
THE HALT AT PRETORIA.
Lord Roberts had now been six weeks in the capital, and British
troops had overrun the greater part of the south and west of the
Transvaal, but in spite of this there was continued Boer
resistance, which flared suddenly up in places which had been
nominally pacified and disarmed. It was found, as has often been
shown in history, that it is easier to defeat a republican army
than to conquer it. From Klerksdorp, from Ventersdorp, from
Rustenburg, came news of risings against the newly imposed British
authority. The concealed Mauser and the bandolier were dug up once
more from the trampled corner of the cattle kraal, and the farmer
was a warrior once again. Vague news of the exploits of De Wet
stimulated the fighting burghers and shamed those who had
submitted. A letter was intercepted from the guerilla chief to
Cronje's son, who had surrendered near Rustenburg. De Wet stated
that he had gained two great victories and had fifteen hundred
captured rifles with which to replace those which the burghers had
given up. Not only were the outlying districts in a state of
revolt, but even round Pretoria the Boers were inclined to take the
offensive, while both that town and Johannesburg were filled with
malcontents who were ready to fly to their arms once more.
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