A West Pointer with the Boers /

by John Y. Fillmore Blake

Brakenlaagte is a beautiful grassy plain, very tempting for a cavalry charge. About a mile behind the main column, the English commander, Colonel Benson, left a strong rear guard and two guns. General Botha decided to charge first the rear guard and then the main column, which was about 1,500 strong. He gave the word, and off the Boers went at high speed, whooping and yelling and crying, "Look out, Khakies, we are coming." The rear guard mounted and fled, leaving two guns behind them, but the most of the burghers passed the guns and continued the chase. So demoralized were the English, that many of them threw away helmets, rifles, belts, etc., and ran in all directions in hope of escaping. A part of the column, however, stood its ground well and poured in a hot fire on the Boers near the two captured guns. Finally the whole column, with its four remaining guns, fled, leaving wagons, carts, etc., in the hands of the Boers. General Botha with 470 had, by a dashing charge, won a most brilliant victory. Over 300 English were killed and wounded, and nearly 400 taken prisoners. These men were released. This column never again took part in the war, and was for months laid up for repairs. Its brave commander, Colonel Benson, was mortally wounded and soon died.

Among the first captured was one Tommie, with whom a young burgher had exchanged clothes, and by accident General Botha saw this Tommie and, taking him for one of his burghers who was lagging behind, struck him with his whip and ordered him into the fight.

WILL BARTER, JOHN HYGELSEN KLOPPER.
The Treasury Department in the Field. Wm. Barter, chief of the Money Printing Division, on the left.

The poor fellow was scared half to death, but found words enough to murmur, "I am an English prisoner." General Botha then saw what had happened to the young fellow, and he immediately apologized. The young fellow said in reply "That he was proud that he could say that he had been struck with a whip by such a brave man, and the commandant general of the Boer Army."

Among Colonel Benson's letters was one written that day to his wife, and in it he stated that he had been searching for the Boers all day and had been much disappointed in not finding them, for he was longing for a fight. The letter was returned to be forwarded. Colonel Benson had a great reputation as an artillerist, and was undoubtedly one of the bravest and most dashing officers in the English Army.

General De Wet and some of his commandants had a few small fights in the Free State, but none of any importance. General Smuts was creating considerable excitement in Cape Colony, and some of the commandants were doing likewise. One of Smuts' commandos captured about 200 men in one fight. The English press claim that these men deliberately refused to fight, and laid down their arms on a preconcerted agreement. I do not know how much truth there is in this, but I do know that the Tommies were getting tired of being shot down. Many hundreds of prisoners taken on the high veldt would fairly beg not to be released, and said they would be glad to live on mush and meat. They were so utterly disgusted with the war that many, after being released, would follow up the Boer commandos, and then beg not to be sent away. Sometimes they had to be sent in with an escort. We could have put many in the bush veldt where there was food, but had any of them died of sickness, the English would have sent the news broadcast that they had been murdered. Evidently they preferred to be so murdered by the Boers rather than be actually murdered by their incompetent English officers.

With few exceptions, certain it is that the British soldier had but little respect for the British officer. Many times Lord Kitchener sent his cablegrams charging the Boers with maltreating or murdering some of the English prisoners, and after peace was made some British officers took pleasure in throwing this libellous charge into my face. In every instance I replied "Yes, you make this charge against the Boers; but call up some of the men who were taken prisoners at the same time, and let me hear what they have to say about it." Not one of them would think of doing this, because they said that an English officer's word was as good as his bond. No English officer would dare to submit the case to such a test, because he knows that the first man questioned would prove him a liar.

I came near getting into trouble with some of them on this subject, for at times my retorts were very warm and to the point, considering that I had just surrendered my rifle, and was being closely watched by a lot of hounds. The very fact that every one took particular pains to bring up this subject was proof in itself that they were lying, and trying to find some one who might say that possibly he had seen one man unfairly shot. I have seen and talked with hundreds of English prisoners, but never heard one make any such a charge. In fact, everyone will tell you that the Boers treated him as a soldier and a man, wounded or not wounded. In other parts of the land, there was no fighting of any consequence.

In December, although we had the usual daily attacks on the high veldt, there is but one that I will mention, because I read General Bruce Hamilton's report of it. At Wilkrans, a high ridge about nine miles from Ermelo, there were about 300 of us camped, with General Piet Viljoen in command. From this position, our scouts reported that there were twenty-eight English camps in striking distance and well around us. Our chances for escape were none too good. Yet General Piet Viljoen did not consider that we were in any danger.