General Lyttelton At Naauwpoort Directed The Operations,
And The Possession Of The Railway Line Enabled Him To Concentrate
His Columns Rapidly At The Point Of Danger.
On February 11th De Wet
forded the Orange River at Zand Drift, and found himself once more
upon British territory.
Lyttelton's plan of campaign appears to
have been to allow De Wet to come some distance south, and then to
hold him in front by De Lisle's force, while a number of small
mobile columns under Plumer, Crabbe, Henniker, Bethune, Haig, and
Thorneycroft should shepherd him behind. On crossing, De Wet at
once moved westwards, where, upon February 12th, Plumer's column,
consisting of the Queensland Mounted Infantry, the Imperial
Bushmen, and part of the King's Dragoon Guards, came into touch
with his rearguard. All day upon the 13th and 14th, amid terrific
rain, Plumer's hardy troopers followed close upon the enemy,
gleaning a few ammunition wagons, a maxim, and some prisoners. The
invaders crossed the railway line near Houtnek, to the north of De
Aar, in the early hours of the 15th, moving upon a front of six or
eight miles. Two armoured trains from the north and the south
closed in upon him as he passed, Plumer still thundered in his
rear, and a small column under Crabbe came pressing from the south.
This sturdy Colonel of Grenadiers had already been wounded four
times in the war, so that he might be excused if he felt some
personal as well as patriotic reasons for pushing a relentless
pursuit.
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