TRANSVAAL. 



681 



fantry fell into an ambuscade near Vryheid, and 

 few escaped capture or death. The Boers continued 

 their retreat by rail toward Heidelberg, and as 

 soon as they evacuated the country the British 

 occupied Utrecht, Volksrust, and the other places. 

 The burghers still held positions of great natural 

 strength from which they could impede the north- 

 ward march of Gen. Buller's army. They were 

 expelled with difficulty from Dornberg, east of 

 Newcastle. On May 30 Gen. Clery bombarded 

 Lang's Nek, where the Boers had made intrench- 

 ments and placed guns in position. They occupied 

 Majuba also, and Pongwana, a fresh commando 

 having arrived to stop the further advance of Gen. 

 Buller's army. 



In the west, Gen. Hunter crossed the Vaal at 

 Windsorton, occupied Fourteen Streams on May 7, 

 the Boers retreating hastily and abandoning stores 

 and ammunition, and sent a flying column toward 

 Mafeking, which occupied Yryburg on May 9. 

 This was the column that entered Mafeking on 

 May 17. Sir F. Carrington was at the same time 

 marching to the relief of the brave garrison and 

 the people of Mafeking, who had endured the sorest 

 privations and withstood the most persistent as- 

 saults, not because any military advantage would 

 be lost by surrender or gained by the Boers, but 

 because it had become a point of honor on the 

 part of the British to keep their flag flying and 

 on the part of the Boers to lower it. Gen. Car- 

 rington brought his troops into Rhodesia by the 

 Beira Railroad with the permission of the Portu- 

 guese Government, which defended its act of com- 

 plaisance to England on the plea of an ancient 

 alliance. Lord Methuen entered Hoopstad with- 

 out opposition on May 18. Gen. Duprez and Gen. 

 Daniels surrendered to the British, with a few of 

 their men. While the main army under Lord 

 Roberts was advancing up the line of the railroad 

 from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg and Pretoria, 

 Lord Methuen's division continued its march 

 through the Orange Free State to Heilbron in order 

 to occupy the places that were left behind by the 

 troops invading the Transvaal and to guard the 

 communications in conjunction with Gen. Rundle's 

 division, which marched northward east of the rail- 

 road through Senekal, while Gen. Brabant's horse 

 scoured the neighboring country. Before the ar- 

 rival of these troops a force of Boers made prisoners 

 of a whole battalion of yeomanry that was in- 

 trenched at Lindley. Lord Methuen by a forced 

 march attempted a rescue, but arrived too late. 



Campaign, of De Wet and Botha. President 

 Kruger established a new capital of the South 

 African Republic at Machadodorp, and President 

 Steyn made Bethlehem the seat of Government for 

 the Orange Free State. While the British were 

 endeavoring to organize a new rule at Pretoria and 

 Lord Roberts, with less success than at Bloemfon- 

 tein, was inviting the burghers to deliver up their 

 arms and return to their farms, the Boers devel- 

 oped fresh activity in his rear and struck at his 

 lengthened line of communications. On June 4 

 Commandant de Wet captured north of Rhenoster 

 a convoy of 55 wagons, containing food, clothing, 

 and ammunition on the way to Heilbron. He out 

 the telegraph and tore up the railroad at Roodeval, 

 north of Kroonstad, on June 5, and two days 

 later made captives of all the men of the Derby- 

 shire regiment except 35 killed and 111 wounded. 

 This was accomplished by a detachment of the 

 army that Gen. de Wet had assembled in the 

 Bethlehem district, which posted guns unob- 

 served on the heights surrounding the camp. Gen. 

 Louis Botha rallied and reorganized his forces east 

 of Pretoria. Gen. de Wet held a line extending 

 along the mountain ranges from Ficksburg on the 



Basutoland frontier 40 miles northwestward nearly 

 to Senekal, and from that point eastward for a like 

 distance to Bethlehem. Gen. Rundle's division, 

 resting on the railroad from Winburg, was unable 

 to take the offensive, and stood in danger of hav- 

 ing its communications cut off. Troops were moved 

 down from the north to relieve the pressure. Gen. 

 Rundle announced to the Boers who were fighting 

 that unless they surrendered within three days 

 their farms and all their possessions would be con- 

 fiscated. 



To the dismay caused by the defeat of the Boer 

 forces before Johannesburg and Pretoria and the 

 flight of the President was added mistrust because 

 President Kruger took with him 2,500,000 of 

 gold. Gen. Botha retired to a fortified position 

 at Pienaar's Poort, 12 miles east of the city. He 

 had a small force at first, which grew rapidly 

 until he was able to stop the supplies that the 

 British were collecting in the country. Even be- 

 fore the surrender of Pretoria, when it was seen 

 that Gen. Botha's plan of defense must fail, some 

 of the military leaders as well as civilians were 

 disposed to treat for peace, and afterward negotia- 

 tions were carried on with Gen. Botha until Gen. 

 de Wet succeeded in cutting the British communi- 

 cations. The burghers in Pretoria were greatly 

 encouraged by the rapid resumption of Boer activ- 

 ity, and ceased to surrender arms, whereas 5,000 

 Mauser rifles had been delivered up till then, so 

 that Lord Roberts determined to attack. Botha's 

 position in front was so strong that he could place 

 most of his troops on his flanks, which the British 

 assailed with two strong columns, which were re- 

 pulsed on June 11, but renewed the attack on the 

 following day and drove the Boers back to a sec- 

 ond position, which was evacuated when they saw 

 that they were nearly surrounded. Gen. Ian Ham- 

 ilton overtook the rear guard and was wounded in 

 the action that ensued. Gen. Botha fell back on 

 Middelburg. 



Gen. Buller in Natal forced Botha's pass on June 

 8, threatening the communications of, the Boers, 

 whose fortified position at Laing's Nek stopped his 

 advance along the line of the Durban Railroad. 

 Many of the Boers had gone to re-enforce Gen. 

 Botha, and many others now retreated. Volksrust, 

 Wakkerstroom, and Charlestown were occupied 

 without much opposition. The flanking force that 

 marched round by the Drakensberg mountains had 

 several fights, and before Laing's Nek was sur- 

 rounded and abandoned by the Boers on June 13 

 the British losses amounted to 30 killed and 130 

 wounded. Heavier losses were inflicted on the 

 retreating Boers at Almond's Nek. Natal being 

 cleared of Boers, Gen. Buller entered the Transvaal 

 and established contact with the troops of Lord 

 Roberts, whose plan was to establish a chain of 

 posts between the forces of Gen. Botha and Gen. 

 de Wet and to open the railroads to Durban and 

 Delagoa Bay. When all his columns joined hands 

 he was still unable to stop entirely the raids of 

 Christian de Wet on the Bloemfontein Railroad, 

 and it was long before he held the other railroads. 

 Krugersdorp, Potchefstroom, Frankfort, Stander- 

 ton, Ameersfoort, and other towns were occupied, 

 but without strong British garrisons they were 

 always open to the Boers, who were able to trav- 

 erse the two republics from one end to the other 

 in armed parties without fear of the British and 

 without their knowledge. 



The armies of De Wet and Botha baffled for 

 months the skill of Lord Roberts and Lord Kitch- 

 ener. Botha held his own only a few miles west 

 of Pretoria and kept a large part of the British 

 army there. When troops were sent south to pur- 

 sue De Wet he resumed active harassing operations, 



