A West Pointer with the Boers /

by John Y. Fillmore Blake

COMMANDANT PIET MOLL (Second from the right)
His trek wagon and staff.

To read a British commander's glowing report, describing how thoroughly he has swept the Boers from a certain district, one is not apt to be much amused, but following on his heels is another British commander, and to read his report, relating how thoroughly he has been wiped up by an overwhelming force of Boers, one feels very much inclined to laugh. Not a week passes but that some of the English commanders are guilty of just such amusing contradictions. The English officers, with very few exceptions, excuse all these blunders and acts of stupidity by that one phrase, "Attacked by an overwhelming force of Boers," notwithstanding the fact that the officer who has just preceded him reported the same ground as swept clean of the Boers. Lord Kitchener cables these contradictory reports regularly to London, and the people, with their eyes bulging out of their heads, read every word of them, but not one ever sees the joke.

During the month of March, there were plenty of small fights on the high veldt in the Free State and in Cape Colony, but none of them were of much importance. In the Colony, General Smuts captured a few towns, some prisoners and drove some of the English commands to the sea, but no heavy fighting took place. In the Western Transvaal was fought the most brilliant battle of the war, at Klipdrift (Tweebosch) on the seventh day of March. For more than two years, Lord Methuen with an army ten times as strong in numbers as that which General de la Rey had, struggled in vain to capture or destroy this Boer leader and his little army of patriots. They had fought over thirty battles, yet Lord Methuen could not lay claim to one real victory over General de la Rey. On this seventh of March, 1902, Lord Methuen with four cannon, 1,600 men and 134 wagons, arrived at Klipdrift, a beautiful place for a fight or a good horse race. General de la Rey, with 740 men, made up his mind to take in Methuen and show his burghers a real earthly Lord. He could see that Lord Methuen was well prepared to fight, and that if he were to win he must win quickly. He went to each of his 740 men, and told them that at the command, "Charge," all must use their spurs and lose no time in taking in the cavalry rear guard.

All being in readiness, the old war-horse gave his signal, and his 740 patriots responded. Away they went, with the old war horse in the lead. It was a charge, a real cavalry charge, and with such force did those 740 patriots go over that broad beautiful plain, that the 500 English cavalry rear guard fled at the very sight of them. A few followed the fleeing cavalry, and the main body went for the infantry. So frightened were they that most of the infantry threw their rifles down and their hands up, while the rest took quarter in a kraal with Lord Methuen. The cavalry was still running and the burghers still pursuing, but the latter's horses were not fast enough, and they finally had to abandon the chase. Lord Methuen made a short stand in the kraal and then hoisted his white flag.

All was over. Lord Methuen and 900 of his men were prisoners, nearly 200 of his men were killed, and 163 wounded. In addition to Lord Methuen and his men, General de la Rey also captured four cannon, 134 loaded wagons, 500 horses, and nearly 1,000 mules. At best, little de la Rey, the farmer, the Boer general, had taken in Lord Methuen, the second in command in South Africa, a trained soldier with a trained force more than double that of the untrained farmer. Lord Methuen was shot in the thigh, and the bone was broken, therefore he was severely wounded and must receive every care and attention.

Some five months before this fight, Lord Methuen was fortunate enough to capture Mrs. de la Rey and her children, during the general's absence. Her wagons, her food, clothing and every bit of bedding were set aflame, and burnt up, and she and her children were left on the bare veldt to starve or die, because General de la Rey had so often defeated Lord Methuen in honorable battle. Mrs. de la Rey took refuge in an old hut, after walking several miles in search of some Boers who might be near by. She had to suffer the pangs of hunger, expose herself to beating rains, and with sore feet cross the barren veldt in search of some of her people. When almost exhausted from hunger, fatigue and pain, she and her little ones were found by the Boers and immediately cared for.

Now I return to Tweebosch, where Lord Methuen lies prostrate and suffering great pain. It was Mrs. de la Rey that came to help comfort him, to prepare his food, and pray for his recovery. I have often wondered if Lord Methuen, as he lay on his sick bed, ever recalled the good time he had, when with fire and dynamite he destroyed General de la Rey's beautiful home and all his property. I think not. General de la Rey showed his savage instinct by sending Lord Methuen and all his wounded men and prisoners back to their own people, where they could receive more comfort and better surgical treatment.

Some time after Lord Methuen's return, General de la Rey was summoned to the Peace Conference, and as his path led him near by, he stopped to see how Lord Methuen was progressing. After a short conversation, so it is related, Lord Methuen said: "You know, general, that that was not my own column you captured." "Yes, that is true," replied the general, "I remember that I took in your own column some months ago."

Before the month closed, General de la Rey found an opportunity to test the Kitchener blood, and took advantage of it. It was on March 31st that General de la Rey attacked General Walter Kitchener and his convoy. Although he failed to capture the convoy, which only narrowly escaped, so disastrous was this fight in the loss of men killed and wounded, that it was generally believed that General Kitchener would be sent home in disgrace. But being a brother of Lord Kitchener, he was probably decorated with the V.C. for his rapid flight and escape from General de la Rey. When the English run up against three such old farmers as Oom Koos de la Rey, Chris de Wet and Louis Botha, many are liable to find a grave, while he who reaps honors must have shown his running ability to be most excellent. With their numerous maxims and guns and their great preponderance in men, all thoroughly trained, the English should have easily won all the important fights of the war, but, thanks to British stupidity and incompetency, the Boers were almost invariably the victors.