TRANSVAAL (EAST)—DECEMBER
General Bruce-Hamilton, for the purpose of protecting the constabulary posts, was now operating in the country that had been so effectively cleared by General French in the beginning of the year. On the 9th of December he engaged in a brilliant converging movement over the old ground (see map, p. 20), with the result that 130 prisoners, 4000 cattle, and a large convoy fell into his hands. Briefly the tale is this: the General discovered that a large force of Boers had collected north of Bethel, and were moving south with a view to escaping round his left flank. Quickly, he summoned Colonels Wing and Williams (who were moving upon Kalabasfontein) to join him at Spioenkop, and by night the whole force made a secret march on the lair of the enemy at Trigaardtsfontein. The movement was magnificently carried out, and the laager was rushed by the troops at dawn. In the scrimmage seven Boers were killed, and many who escaped pursuit were mopped up by Colonel Allenby, who was moving from Middelkraal to Onverwacht. General Hamilton’s force after this successful action marched into Bethel, having covered sixty miles in the previous forty-eight hours.
His repose was short-lived. The Boers who had escaped from the pursuit of his force gathered now, under Viljoen, twenty-five miles north-east of Bethel. He determined to secure them. With the troops under Colonels Sir H. Rawlinson, Wing, and Williams, he started on the 12th on another exciting march. He neared his destination in darkness, and then in the dim dusk of the morn galloped upon the objective. It was a splendid achievement, and seventy Boers, including Field-Cornets Badenhorst and Swanepool, closed their military career. Sixteen were killed in the engagement, and one of the two 15-pounder guns taken from Benson’s force at Brakenlaagte was recovered. The other gun had been disabled by the enemy. The scattered remnants of this commando fled north, and were tackled by Colonels Mackenzie and Fortescue, who were operating in that direction. These officers captured more prisoners and stock.
On the 19th of December General Bruce-Hamilton left Ermelo, marching towards the east, while Colonel Mackenzie simultaneously moved from Carolina upon Lake Banagher (twenty-two miles north-east of Ermelo). Colonel Mackenzie on the night of the 19th made a forced march and attacked, at Schalk Meyer’s farm, Smits’ laager, and inflicted upon the enemy a loss of six killed. He took sixteen prisoners. He afterwards moved on Bothwell, and pursued for thirty miles a convoy which turned out to be Smits, and after a stiff engagement (on the 21st) secured 17 prisoners, 44 vehicles, and 2000 cattle. General Plumer and Colonel Pulteney co-operated in the vicinity of Spitzkop, and near there at dawn on the 23rd these officers engaged a gang of 500, and captured 6 prisoners.
On the same day General Bruce-Hamilton’s troops attacked Grobelaar’s laager at Maryvale (fifteen miles north of Amsterdam). Owing to the denseness of the morning mist the majority of the Boers got off scot free, and only four were killed and eleven captured, but 700 cattle and a number of waggons fell into British hands. The captures were mainly due to the leading of Lieutenants Rendall and Huddleston, who, in spite of every obstruction, dashed in among the enemy before they could gather themselves together for more than flight. General Hamilton returned to Ermelo, and on the 29th pushed again to Maryvale. Again he repeated his manœuvres, again he pounced on the Boers and thinned their numbers by twenty-two (taken prisoners), capturing also their waggons and cattle. This was on the 1st of January. On the following day, with the columns under Colonels Simpson and Scott, General Hamilton followed the spoor of the Pretoria commando up hill and down dale, over circuitous bridle-paths and into deep kloofs in the sides of the hills north-east of Amsterdam, hunting, and chasing, and burrowing. As reward of his dogged patience and perseverance forty-nine Boers were hemmed in and taken (among this number General Erasmus and Mr. Custer, late J.P. of Amsterdam). Colonel Wing, who was at the same time engaged in identical exploits, brought in twenty prisoners and five waggons.
While these activities were going forward in the east, Generals Spens and Plumer, and Colonel Colville, on a line Beginderlyn-Rotterdam-Derby, watched the surrounding districts, and here on the 3rd of January Plumer’s New Zealanders encountered the enemy at Twyfelaar. Fighting fast and furious, during which the commanding officer and twenty Colonials were wounded, resulted in the discomfiture of the foe and a loss to them of 300 cattle and a waggon-load of ammunition.
Another fierce engagement took place on the following day, when Major Vallentin with fifty mounted men were following up the band which had attacked the New Zealanders. Suddenly, upon the small party rushed some hundreds of the enemy, galloping at full speed. There were about a hundred in the first line, while about fifty were thrown back on each flank, the movement being covered by heavy fire from a crowd of dismounted riflemen in the background. Thus outnumbered, the British band realised that there was nothing for it but to sell life dearly, and in the desperate hand-to-hand conflict Major Vallentin and 18 men fell, 5 officers and 28 men were wounded, and indeed the small company would have been utterly annihilated but for the timely arrival of reinforcements under Colonel Pulteney, who forced the enemy to retire. But the Boer loss was considerable, for General Opperman, the leader of the eastern group of commandos, perished, together with nine others. Three wounded were left on our hands.
The enemy also had given considerable trouble to General Spens, who spent December working between Standerton and Ermelo. On the night of the 18th, the General detached the 14th Mounted Infantry under Major Bridgford to search the farms dotted around the junction of the Vaal with the Kaffir Spruit. After a long night’s march he encountered at dawn a gang of Boers. These he chased with the utmost zeal, but while, as result of the pursuit, the troops were scattered on a wide front, they were assailed by a vastly superior force under Commandant Britz. The engagement was desperate and our losses were lamentable, many men being taken prisoners. These were fortunately recovered later, but the enemy escaped punishment. Lieutenant Stirling, Dublin Fusiliers, and the remainder of the party fought their way doggedly through the enemy, and returned to the nearest point on the Standerton-Ermelo blockhouse line. Among the wounded were Captain G. F. W. Brindley, 2nd Manchester Regiment (since dead); Captain B. H. H. Cooke, Rifle Brigade; Lieutenant P. S. Fryer, 2nd West Yorks Regiment; Lieutenant B. A. W. C. Moeller, 2nd Middlesex Regiment; Second Lieutenant L. P. Russell, 2nd West Yorks Regiment (since dead).
General Beatson
(Photo by Russell & Sons, London)
At the end of the month combined action was taken to dispose of Commandant Britz’s guerillas, and to commence the pursuit the troops of General Plumer, Spens, and Colonel Pulteney assembled at Amersfoort on the 28th. Promptly some seven prisoners were captured near Schuilplaats, and Britz sent scurrying towards Platrand. Here General Spens came upon him again, and relieved him of twenty-four of his followers. The rest broke up into small knots running the gauntlet of the blockhouses, and some of them dropping wounded from their fire, while others sought shelter in the north along the Vaal River.
Some Boers at this time had succeeded in bursting into the protected area to the east of Springs, and the pursuit of them occupied Colonel Allenby’s troops and General G. Hamilton’s Cavalry Brigade. These succeeded in capturing sixty, while others surrendered to the Constabulary. In the securing of these interlopers some very exciting and interesting adventures are related. Major Butler and the Carabineers on the 18th accounted for thirty-four who were running riot south-west of Brugspruit, and on the 5th of January, north of Bethel, the 13th Hussars, under Major Williams, brilliantly effected the surprise of Breytenbach’s laager, taking 11 prisoners, 200 horses, 600 cattle, 50 mules, and 6 carts. The Commandant himself in the midst of the scrimmage made off with true Boer velocity, but Captain Tremayne (13th Hussars), who was better mounted than his men, spied the fugitive and engaged in a neck and neck race with the Dutchman and, single-handed, secured him.
Colonels Park and Urmston, in the midst of atrocious weather, made vigorous efforts to locate the so-called Boer Government, which was reported to be hidden north of the Delagoa line. Colonel Park on the night of the 19th was attacked in his camp at Elandspruit by a strong force under Muller, Trichardt, and Krieger. A tremendous amount of hard fighting took place before the guerillas were repulsed, and the losses on both sides were heavy. Of the British one officer and seven men were killed, and five officers and twenty-four non-commissioned officers and men were wounded. Of the Boers eight dead and three wounded were left on the ground. The number of those removed could not be ascertained. Among the slain were Commandant Krieger and Field-Cornet Malan. From the 21st to Christmas Day the two columns co-operated, skirmishing with and chasing the foe, who in small bodies flitted hither and thither in the dense mists that hung around Dullstroom. On the 22nd Colonel Urmston’s efforts were almost crowned with success. He occupied a Boer laager some miles north of Dullstroom from whence the Boer Government in a Cape cart some hours previously had fled.