Some
thousands of Boers with a considerable number of guns were known to
be within the enclosure, and it was hoped that even if their own
extreme mobility enabled them to escape it would be impossible for
them to save their transport and their cannon.
Each of the British columns was about 2000 strong, making a total
of 14,000 men with about fifty guns engaged in the operations. A
front of not less than ten miles was to be maintained by each
force. The first decided move was on the part of the extreme left
wing, Smith-Dorrien's column, which moved south on Carolina, and
thence on Bothwell near Lake Chrissie. The arduous duty of passing
supplies down from the line fell mainly upon him, and his force was
in consequence larger than the others, consisting of 8500 men with
thirteen guns. On the arrival of Smith-Dorrien at Carolina the
other columns started, their centre of advance being Ermelo. Over
seventy miles of veld the gleam of the helio by day and the flash
of the signal lamps at night marked the steady flow of the British
tide. Here and there the columns came in touch with the enemy and
swept him before them. French had a skirmish at Wilge River at the
end of January, and Campbell another south of Middelburg, in which
he had twenty casualties. On February 4th Smith-Dorrien was at Lake
Chrissie; French had passed through Bethel and the enemy was
retiring on Amsterdam.
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