612 



SOUTH AFRICA. 



Gen. Botha justified such action, to which the 

 Boer commandant-general replied on Aug. 30, 

 1900, that British troops had destroyed the homes 

 of well-disposed families and seized their provi- 

 sions and stock, driving women and children out 

 into the veld to tramp for miles in search of food 

 and shelter, saying that he expected the British 

 commander-in-chief to make an end to these bar- 

 barous actions, exceeding the teachings of civi- 

 lized warfare, and also to the robberies of small 

 roving bands of so-called scouts, who could not 

 expect to be treated as prisoners of war when they 

 fell into his hands. The houses destroyed often 

 contained only women and children and in no 

 case did bodies of burghers hide themselves in 

 these houses, as the commandoes were all on the 

 other side of the railroad. Lord Roberts replied 

 on Aug. 23 that the Boers destroyed the property 

 of burghers who had taken the oath of neutrality 

 when they refused to violate their oath, and that 

 he would* punish all who did violate their oath 

 and confiscate their property. On Sept. 2 he in- 

 formed Gen. Botha of his proclamation ordering 

 the destruction of all farms within a radius of 

 10 miles of any attempt to injure the railroad or 

 wreck trains, saying that the war was degener- 

 ating into guerrilla operations which he felt bound 

 to prevent. Gen. Botha replied that whatever the 

 Boers accomplished .must necessarily be done by 

 insignificant bodies as compared with the British 

 forces, and that it was necessary to split up the 

 commandoes more and more in order to oppose the 

 robber patrols which under Lord Roberts's com- 

 mand go about everywhere to seize the cattle and 

 provisions on the farms; the burgher forces were 

 organized and commanded exactly as they had 

 been from the beginning of the war and in ac- - 

 cordance with the laws of the country; and as 

 to farm burning by the British troops, houses had 

 been burned down or blown up with dynamite and 

 women and children turned out of them without 

 food or covering in all parts of the country wher- 

 ever the British troops had gone, not along the 

 line of the railroad alone. Lord Roberts, replying 

 on Sept. 7, 1900, intimated that he recognized no 

 regular warfare except in the constantly dimin- 

 ishing area occupied by the army under Gen. 

 Botha's personal command, and that in the other 

 territories of the republics he would adopt the 

 measures prescribed by the customs of war as 

 applicable in dealing with irregular and irrespon- 

 sible guerrilla operations, measures ruinous to the 

 country, entailing endless suffering on its inhabit- 

 ants which would necessarily become more and 

 more rigorous. Gen. Botha replied on Oct. 17, 

 1900, that although such barbarous actions as the 

 blowing up of private dwellings and the removal 

 of all food from the families of fighting burghers 

 in a spirit of revenge against them for merely 

 doing their duty according to law were done with 

 the approval of Lord Roberts and on his special 

 instructions, he would himself continue to carry 

 on the war in the same humane manner as hither- 

 to, yet if he were compelled to take reprisals the 

 responsibility would rest with the British com- 

 mander. Lord Roberts replied that whatever the 

 organization of the burgher forces might be their 

 tactics were those of guerrilla warfare, which he 

 would be compelled to repress by the exceptional 

 methods approved among civilized nations. Lord 

 Roberts subsequently tried to impress upon the 

 Boer generals the duty of providing for the home- 

 less women and children. He relaxed the work 

 of destruction and let burghers who took the oath 

 of neutrality return to their farms in the dis- 

 tricts protected by British troops. Some of these 

 rejoined their commandoes, and when the districts 



were evacuated by the British the only safety for 

 burghers who would not give active aid to the 

 Boers was inside the British lines. 



Mr. Chamberlain on Dec. 7, 1900, proposed to 

 issue a proclamation announcing that, while an- 

 nexation was irrevocable, the inhabitants would 

 be accorded full liberty, equal laws, and the en- 

 joyment of their property, and on Dec. 10, 1900, 

 he asked whether it would be possible to offer 

 terms to those leaders who were excepted from 

 the general amnesty previously proclaimed or to 

 send emissaries possessing influence to convey 

 these offers. Sir Alfred Milner, with the con- 

 currence of Lord Roberts, thought that such a 

 proclamation would be regarded as a sign of 

 weakness and that to send emissaries to the Boer 

 commandoes would do more harm than good. 

 On Dec. 13 Mr. Chamberlain pointed out the de- 

 sirability of making it clear not only to the Boers, 

 but to the British public, that the Imperial Gov- 

 ernment was doing all that was possible to stop 

 the war consistent with the interests of the loyal- 

 ists in South Africa and with the necessity of 

 avoiding the charge of weakness, and that the 

 continuation of the war was forced upon the Gov- 

 ernment by the refusal of the Boer leaders to 

 accept the generous terms that had been offered 

 to them. Burghers who surrendered to the Brit- 

 ish and took the oath of allegiance when Britisli 

 forces occupied their districts were commandeered 

 by the Boers when the British were compelled 

 to retire, and whenever they fell into the hands 

 of the British later they were severely punished 

 as traitors, as were also all colonists and British 

 subjects who actively assisted the Boers. The 

 Boers adopted rigorous measures also to prevent 

 the burghers from surrendering, and threatened 

 to confiscate their property and burn their houses. 

 Commandant-Gen. Botha ordered all field-cor- 

 nets to make a list of the burghers who had laid 

 down their arms and taken an oath of neutrality, 

 and on their refusal to rejoin their commandoes 

 to send them to jail and to seize their movable 

 property for commando purposes, making an in- 

 ventory of the property taken and leaving enough 

 for the support of the family. Passes and permits 

 given by the enemy to burghers who had sur- 

 rendered must be returned, and such burghers as 

 were not fit for military service must be com- 

 pelled to take a new oath declaring that the oath 

 of neutrality was taken without sanction of their 

 military officers and was null and void. 



Lord Kitchener, who succeeded to the com- 

 mand-in-chief of the British forces in South 

 Africa when Lord Roberts returned to England 

 to become commander-in-chief of the British army, 

 at the instance of Sir Alfred Milner began to 

 form local peace committees among the Boers who 

 surrendered, and on Jan. 5, 1901, issued a procla- 

 mation telling burghers who gave up their arms 

 that they would be allowed to live with their 

 wives and families at the centers on the railroad 

 under military protection. Each district would 

 have its central refuge camp. Breaking the oath 

 of neutrality would not be considered, criminal 

 unless done voluntarily, and leaders would be 

 well treated if they had not violated the rules of 

 war. Cattle remaining in military possession at 

 the end of the war would be distributed among 

 those who had suffered through surrendering vol- 

 untarily, and all would be allowed to return to 

 their farms. Sir Alfred Milner framed a procla- 

 mation which Lord Kitchener did not think it 

 advisable to issue while the Boers were success- 

 fully invading Cape Colony. He let it be known 

 that he would receive an officer from the Boers 

 proposing peace or would meet Gen. Botha at any 



