“The officer commanding the Mounted Infantry Corps ordered the 7th Battalion Mounted Infantry (which was leading the advance on the right) to race with the enemy for the occupation of the big hill, about 3000 feet high, overlooking Winburg, which lies between the approaches to the town from the south and from the east, both of which it entirely commands. The Boers were approaching this hill from the north and the east, and had they succeeded in occupying it, we should have had great difficulty in driving them off it and capturing Winburg. But the Mounted Infantry got there before them. As soon as they received the order to try and occupy it, the 7th Battalion Mounted Infantry (having extricated themselves from the deep ravines near the river) raced for the hill, the Hampshire squadron making for the point overlooking Winburg, the Borderers and Lincolns supporting them on the right. When half-way up the hill they jumped off their horses and scrambled to the top, and, meeting with no opposition, made their way across the open summit to the rocky edge overlooking Winburg. There a wonderful sight met their view. The whole Boer force, about 5000 or 6000 strong, and several miles in length, was seen trekking slowly past Winburg in a northerly direction. The road they were moving by passed within about 2000 yards of this point of the hill, so the Hampshires (who were at first only twelve strong, the remainder having been delayed crossing the ravines) opened fire for all they were worth to make the enemy think that the hill was strongly occupied. This considerably hastened the enemy’s movements, and the rear-guard commandos which had yet to pass near the hill thought better of it, and went round another way behind some high hills out of shot.”
At noon a staff officer under a flag of truce summoned the Mayor of the town to surrender, promising to protect private property and pay for such foodstuffs as might be required. Thereupon was enacted a curious drama. While the magnates were putting their heads together and discussing the position, Botha and some five hundred of his mercenaries came on the scene. The commandant bounced that he would not surrender without fighting, and accused Captain Balfour (who had offered to let such Free Staters as should surrender their arms return to their farms) of attempting to suborn his burghers. Botha frantically insisted on the arrest of the staff officer, the staff officer as furiously flourished his flag of truce. The Boers pointed their rifles, the women screamed, the townsfolk gabbled, and general turmoil prevailed. In the end the citizens whose property, so to speak, lay in the palm of the British hand, preferred the Mayor’s discretion to Botha’s valour, and that warrior, swelling with indignation, and followed by his equally bombastic “braves,” shook the dust of the town off their shoes and galloped to the north.
At night General Hamilton reached the town, where he was joined by General Colville’s Division, which was marching from Waterval towards Heilbron, and was thereupon directed to follow the leading column at a distance of ten miles.
THE GREAT ADVANCE: LORD ROBERTS’S COLUMN CROSSING THE SAND RIVER DRIFT
Facsimile of a Sketch by Melton Prior, War Artist
The advance of the army is arranged, as some one described, not as a continuous movement but as a caterpillar-like form of progress, the first part of the move being a species of advance, the second a drawing up of the tail end of the creature. Thus the vast machine is carried from point to point, the halting-places being usually at positions of strategic consequence. The Boers had run away from their first positions at Brandfort and on the Vet; the second ones on the Zand, the Valsch, and the Rhenoster were now to be purged of the Republicans. It was necessary before going forward to make a three days’ halt, during which the tail end of the monster—the railway—was put in working order, and supplies collected and brought up. The enemy’s position on the Zand was reconnoitred, and on the 9th the advance was resumed, General Ian Hamilton hurrying to assist in the operations at the Zand River, the Highland Brigade being left in possession of Winburg.
TOWARDS THE ZAND RIVER TO KROONSTADT
By the 9th of May, as we know, General Pole-Carew’s and General Tucker’s Divisions and General Ian Hamilton’s Column (moving from Winburg), with Naval and Royal Garrison Artillery guns, and four brigades of cavalry, had concentrated at Welgelegen. The enemy, pushed back on all sides, now held the opposite bank of the Zand River in force; but nevertheless it was decided that the army would cross, and cross it did. The crossing was accomplished on the 10th, the enemy being routed from all his strong positions. According to the correspondent of the Times, the scheme for the general advance had been planned as follows: “A concentration of the line of advance was to take place at Kroonstadt. General Ian Hamilton, after leaving a brigade at Winburg, was to advance on the right flank with his Mounted Infantry, Broadwood’s Cavalry Brigade, and the 19th Brigade, via Ventersburg. The main advance with Lord Roberts was to be made by the Eleventh Division, supported by Gordon’s Cavalry Brigade, the connection between the railway and right flank being kept by General Tucker’s Division. The left was entrusted to General French with the 1st and 4th Cavalry Brigades and General Hutton’s Brigade of Mounted Infantry. As the left in all probability would find it necessary to act independently, the Mounted Infantry belonging to General Tucker became attached to the main column for screening purposes.”
The enemy, some 6000 strong with 15 guns, was found to be posted on a series of hills running diagonally against the east side of the Zand, but after some vigorous shelling by General Tucker they evacuated their main position by the river, blew up various culverts that lay in front of the British force, and prepared to make a vigorous stand against the Mounted Infantry advancing in the centre. These, having debouched on the plain on the north of the river were promptly assailed by guns from the hills to the right, but they still pushed on towards the west of the railway, while a battery of Horse Artillery tackled the region whence came the hostile shells. The scene of the fight was dotted with farmhouses and native kraals, and here numerous parties of skirmishers were knowingly concealed. The 8th Mounted Infantry Corps, dismounting, advanced in extended order across the nullah-riven plain under a heavy shell fire, while the British guns barked merrily and wrought devastation among the Boer guns, which were hastily scurried away, pursued now by the 4th Mounted Infantry, who, full of excitement, galloped off to capture the retiring treasures, and in so doing ran almost into the arms of some 500 Boers. These, rushing from ambush, forced them back on their supports. But the fire from a well-directed Maxim, and from Lumsden’s Horse, who had captured a hill and stuck to it amid a hurricane of Boer missiles, served to rout the Dutchmen and send them after their guns and convoy, which unfortunately, by this time, had been got safely away.