TRANSVAAL. 



vance was also stubbornly opposed. On Aug. 28 

 Gen. Botha retreated toward Lydenburg, leaving 

 1,800 British prisoners to be released at Nooitge- 

 daeht. 



Guerrilla Fighting. The action at Bergendal 

 was the last regular battle of the campaign, which 

 degenerated into guerrilla warfare and became 

 more distressing and more bitter in consequence 

 of the retaliatory measures employed on both sides. 

 Commandant Theron began operations in the 

 vicinity of Johannesburg, where hardships were 

 suffered by the civil population remaining in the 

 city, about 30,000, though none greater than the 

 refugees suffered in Cape Town and the other ports, 

 who vainly besought Lord Roberts to let them 

 return to the gold city and resume work. Com- 

 mandant Olivier led an assault on Winburg, and 

 was himself captured in a sally. New commandos 

 sprang up in the vicinity of Senekal and Bethle- 

 hem when l)e Wet returned to the Orange Free 

 State, and he himself recruited a fresh force around 

 Heilbron. The surrenders of Free Staters to Gen. 

 Hunter at Naauwpoort and to Gen. Rundle at 

 llarrismith now ceased. Commandant Fourie bom- 

 barded and captured Ladybrand. Another com- 

 mando threatened Thaba Nchu. The bands of De 

 Wet cut tne railroad north and south of Kroon- 

 stad and captured a supply train. The western 

 Transvaal also was in arms in spite of the pres- 

 ence of large forces under Gen. Ian Hamilton, 

 Lord Methuen, and Gen. Carrington. 



Gen. Buller, starting from Machadodorp on 

 Sept. 1, moved slowly toward Spitzkop, driving 

 the Boers before him through a difficult moun- 

 tainous country, and Gen. French pressed on to 

 Barberton, which was occupied on Sept. 13. Ly- 

 denburg was occupied previously by Lord Dun- 

 donald and Gen. Brocklehurst. When the British 

 cleared the railroad to Komatipoort, which was 

 reached on Sept. 24, Gen. Pienaar with about 3,000 

 Boers went over the border to surrender to the 

 Portuguese, who destroyed their guns and ammu- 

 nition. The war was regarded by Lord Roberts 

 as practically over except guerrilla righting, to 

 deal with which large columns were not necessary. 

 The Boers sometimes captured outposts and sur- 

 prised detachments, and wherever the British were 

 not present in sufficient strength the whole popu- 

 lation was hostile. The organization of a military 

 police capable of carrying out the Avork of pacifi- 

 cation under the changed conditions was intrusted 

 In liaden-l'o\vell, a major when in command of the 

 starving garrison of Mafeking, and now a lieuten- 

 ant general. Up to the end of October the casual- 

 ties of the war on the British side were estimated 

 at 40,000. The deaths, including G,4S2 from dis- 

 ease, had been 11,739. The Boer losses in killed, 

 wounded, and prisoners were believed to amount 

 to 30,000, half that number being prisoners. The 

 annexation of the South African Republic to the 

 Urit ish dominions under the title of the Transvaal 

 Colony was proclaimed by Lord Roberts on Sept. 1. 

 The liners were informed that none of them would 

 be treated as prisoners of war except those who 

 had been continuously in arms and attached to 

 their commandos; that noncombatants who failed 

 to acquaint the troops of the presence of the enemy 

 would be treated as rebels, buildings sheltering 

 the enemy would be razed, and a fine of 2i. an 

 acre would be collected on all farms in the vicin- 

 ity of which railroad tracks were destroyed. Col. 

 Maxwell became Military Governor of the Trans- 

 vaal. President Kruger and his staff with the 

 archives went to Lourenco Marques. President 

 Steyn returned to the Orange Free State. Vice- 

 I'n-ident Sohalk Burger became acting President 

 of the South African Republic upon the departure 



of President Kruger, who before he left the country 

 issued a proclamation declaring the annexations 

 void, as the republics were unconquered and their 

 independence was acknowledged by the powers. 

 The peace delegates in Europe, A. Fischer, C. H. 

 Wessels, and A. D. W. Wolmarans, issued from The 

 Hague an appeal to all nations for intervention 

 and a protest against the action of the British 

 commanders in denouncing and treating as rebels 

 the burghers of the republics, whom until the 

 proclamations of annexation they had recognized 

 as belligerents. 



Botha's remaining force, led by Commandant 

 Viljoen, went northward over the mountains with 

 30 guns. Lord Roberts issued another proclama- 

 tion calling upon the burghers to lay down their 

 arms, promising that those would not be deported 

 who voluntarily surrendered unless they were 

 prominent military or political personages or for- 

 eigners or had broken their oath of submission, 

 and announcing that he would confiscate the stock 

 and supplies of families any of whose members had 

 returned on commando and burn the houses of 

 those who were guilty of sniping. The war mean- 

 while wa actively carried on both north and south 

 of the Vaal by leaders who held isolated British 

 garrisons besieged, captured detachments, usually 

 releasing their prisoners from this time forth after 

 taking their weapons and ammunition, destroyed 

 railroad bridges, and seized supply trains. Louis 

 Botha in the bush veldt of the northeastern Trans- 

 vaal had a safe base, but could not accomplish 

 much. Delarey to the west of Pretoria was very 

 active, and continued his raids after Grobler, Eras- 

 mus, and Theron became quiescent. Christian de 

 Wet, when he gathered his men around him, was 

 the most formidable of all, and kept the whole 

 eastern part of the Free State in a condition in 

 which no British force was safe except in a forti- 

 fied position. Gen. Charles Knox had the special 

 task of capturing this elusive and resourceful guer- 

 rilla chief, and other generals had their forces 

 posted so as to cut off his retreat. Many times 

 he was reported to have been routed or to be com- 

 pletely surrounded, yet at the end of the year he 

 was as formidable as ever, and continued to give 

 occupation to several British generals. When the 

 Canadian and other colonial volunteers returned 

 to their homes Gen. Baden-Powell had 12,000 mili- 

 tary police. There were still 200,000 British troops 

 in occupation of the country, and yet parties nf 

 Boers could commandeer supplies in Ficksburg, 

 Wepener, Rouxville, Philippolis. and other town-. 

 and in innumerable petty engagements they in- 

 flicted almost as great losses on the British as in 

 the regular warfare. Jacobsdal Avas captured l>y 

 the Boers after a brave defense. An armored 

 train was captured at Vlakfontein, and a convoy 

 and its escort near Blood river. A train was up-ct 

 into the Kaap riA'cr. and the party sent out to 

 open the line Avas annihilated. A sharp en 

 ment Avas fought by Gen. Barton with De Wot at 

 Frcderiekstad on Oct. 25. On Nov. (i Col. le Cnl- 

 lais attacked De Wet at Bothaville. The 1 

 and privations incident to the guerrilla campaign- 

 ing caused increasing mortality. Gen. Hundle 

 marched a column through the eastern part of the 

 Orange Free State from Vrede to Hnrrismith. meet- 

 ing considerable opposition, and Gen. French 

 marched from Machadodorp through Ermelo and 

 Bethel to Heidelberg, fighting all the way with the 

 forces of Commandant Smuts and Commandant 

 Hans Botha. In November a plot against the lite 

 of Lord Roberts Avas discoA'ered, in which Greek- 

 and Italians AA-ere the conspirators. 



It Avas decided to enroll tho British residents in 

 a corps called the Rand Rifles, the Military 



