788 



SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC. 



ported to have armed some of the Baralongs, and 

 when one reverse after another had overtaken 

 British arms and a commando went through 

 Zululand hoisting the Transvaal vierkleur flag, 

 Mr. Balfour announced in Parliament the in- 

 tention of arming the Zulus so that they could 

 defend their country. This policy was not car- 

 ried out, however. Natives were employed freely 

 on both sides in transport service and other labor 

 which white men are not used to doing in Africa. 

 The extensive fortifications of Kimberley supple- 

 menting the bulwark already existing that was 

 formed by the mounds from the diamond mines 

 were entirely the work of the 20.000 native 

 miners. 



Just before the meeting of the hostile forces 

 at Dundee commandos began to gather at Donk- 

 erspoort, near the southern border of the Free 

 State, and soon afterward to move down to 

 Bethulie, Norval's Pont, and other points on 

 Orange river. Sailors were sent from Simon's Bay 

 to assist in the defense of Naauwpoort. Coles- 

 berg was evacuated by the British when a Boer 

 commando appeared on the other side of Orange 

 river with artillery. In the early days of Novem- 

 ber the burghers crossed into Cape Colony at 

 Norval's Pont, another force at Bethulie, and not 

 till the middle of the month a third commando at 

 Aliwal North. They destroyed the bridge at 

 Achterung on Nov. 6, and Colesberg bridge two 

 days later. The Dutch joined the invaders in 

 large numbers. In Barkly East the citizens seized 

 the arsenal before the arrival of a Boer force. 

 The British fell back from Aliwal North, Naauw- 

 poort, and Stormberg, to the railroad junctions, 

 concentrating at De Aar and Queenstown, which 

 were put in a state of defense with feverish haste. 

 Premier Schreiner issued a circular adjuring the 

 colonists to remain loyal. Martial law was pro- 

 claimed by the Cape Government in the northern 

 districts on Nov. 15, and the proclamation of the 

 Free State annexing the districts occupied by the 

 burgher forces was denounced as of no effect by 

 the Governor. Although re-enforcements from 

 England sufficient to defend the colony had not 

 arrived, those that had arrived having been sent 

 on to Natal, still the burghers were not aggres- 

 sive, but seized only those places where they were 

 welcomed by the colonists. They gave receipts 

 for all supplies requisitioned by them. They 

 were still nervous lest the British should allow 

 the Basutos to ravage their own country, and 

 their advance to Colesberg was delayed till Nov. 

 15. Van Hendric Olivier, chief commandant of 

 the invading forces, ordered the burghers of the 

 districts in which he had hoisted the Free State 

 flag to take the field. Though only the young 

 Dutch colonists who voluntarily joined his com- 

 mandos were taken, the loyalists were ordered out 

 of the occupied districts. On Nov. 18 Sir William 

 Gatacre arived at Queenstown with the advance 

 guard of the force that was destined to defend 

 the colony and repel the invaders. Gen. French, 

 who had been recalled from Ladysmith before the 

 siege was complete to take command of the 

 cavalry division, advanced by the railroad from 

 Port Elizabeth and reoccupied Naauwpoort in 

 order to support Sir William Gatacre and protect 

 the flank of Lord Methuen's Kimberley relief col- 

 umn. The arrival of re-enforcements at De Aar 

 enabled Gen. French thus to assume the offensive 

 soon after he took the command. On Nov. 23 a 

 sharp skirmish ensued at Arundel when a British 

 reconnoitering force appeared. On Nov. 6 the Brit- 

 ish advanced and occupied a strong position in 

 the direction of Colesberg. The invaders who 

 crossed at Bethulie, led by Swanepoel and Du- 



ploy, deferred their advance to Burghersdorp 

 until after the western force had occupied Coirs- 

 berg. Steynsburg was occupied on Nov. 20, and 

 Stormberg not till Nov. 20. From there they over- 

 ran the whole country as far as Molteno. Gen. 

 Gatacre soon got into touch with these advance 

 parties. On Nov. 22, following a reconnoissance I 

 to Molteno, he advanced to Putter's Kraal, on I 

 Nov. 24 Sterkstroom was occupied, and on Nov. j 

 27 an advanced position was occupied at Bu>h- 

 manshoek, causing the Boers to fall back on 1 

 Molteno. In the Barkly and Aliwal districts the 

 Boers from Rouxville, who crossed at Aliwal 

 North, found no British force to oppose them. ? 

 They seized Aliwal North on Nov. 14, Ladyn-y 

 on Nov. 18, and Barkly East on Nov. 22. A de- 

 tachment occupied Jamestown on Nov. 18, but i 

 evacuated it on Nov. 24. 



The plan of operations that military men rec- 

 ommended for the British was to advance slo\\ly 

 and surely with overwhelming strength from 

 Cape Colony to Bloemfontein and Pretoria, leav- 

 ing Ladysmith and Kimberley to be reduced by 

 the Boers or to be relieved automatically by the 

 withdrawal of the besiegers for the defense ..i 

 their own country. Political and sentimental em 

 siderations dictated the splitting up of the Brit- 

 ish army corps and the sending of one 1 

 division *to Natal to raise the siege of Lady-mith 

 and another to the west for the relief of Kiinln 

 ley. The forces under Gen. French and Gen. 

 Gatacre in the center were only large enough to 

 stay the tide of invasion and preserve the Cape 

 ra if roads from destruction, hardly large enough 

 to restrain the growing rebellion among the colo- 

 nial Dutch. Jamestown and Dordrecht were oc- j 

 cupied by the Boers, and at Stormberg, their for- 

 tified camp, they were gaining accessions not only 

 from the Free Staters, but from the coloni-t^. 

 Sir William Gatacre, when his force had grown to 

 more than half a division, decided to begin ag- 

 gressive operations with a night attack on Storm- 

 berff. Bringing up his troops from Putter's Kraal 

 to Molteno by train, he set out with 2,500 men. 

 and marched all night. Owing to the treachery 

 or ignorance of the guides, he had not reached 

 his objective when the morning light appeared on 

 Dec. 10. The Boers were aware of his movement, 

 and instead of surprising them he was surprised 

 by volleys poured into the marching column from 

 an unscalable ridge running alongside of the road. 

 The British formed for action, and their guns 

 played upon the enemy'- position. The infantry 

 ascended one of the hills in skirmishing order, 

 only to find themselves exposed at the top to rifle 

 fire from front, flank, and rear. They fell back 

 and sought cover, while the two field batteries 

 engaged in a duel with the Boer guns. A retreat 

 was ordered, and in the beginning it was executed 

 in good order. The Boers had guns and mi- 

 trailleuses, and when the British retreated they 

 followed along the crest of the hills and did 

 good execution with their artillery, which was 

 well served and carried accuratelv 5,000 yrtrds. 

 The British threw down everything and 'made 

 their way back over 9 miles of hills, pursued and 

 shelled almost to Molteno, all except the wounded 

 and 672 men who were cut off and forced to 

 surrender. Two guns were abandoned. The 

 British commander had intended to attack the 

 southwest part of the Boer position, but the 

 guides had led him around to the northwest end. 

 The Boers had 6 laagers at Stormberg. com- 

 manded by Commandants Swanepoel and Olivier. 



After his reverse Gen. Gatacre was obliged to 

 remain inactive, and the spirit of rebellion spread 

 among the population. On Dec. 18 he directed 



