Killed:—1st Royal Irish Regiment—Captain W. Gloster. Wounded:—Royal Field Artillery—Captain H. E. T. Kelly. 2nd Wiltshire Regiment—Captain E. Evans. 6th Company Imperial Yeomanry—Lieutenant G. A. Clay. 1st Royal Irish Regiment—Captain E. F. Milner.
Those at Retief’s Nek were:—
Wounded:—Royal Sussex—Captain E. L. M’Kenzie, Second Lieutenant J. C. W. Anderson, Second Lieutenant H. G. Montgomerie, Second Lieutenant G. E. Leachman. 2nd Royal Highlanders—Major E. M. Wiltshire (since dead), Lieutenant H. K. Smith. Captain Sir W. G. Barttelot, 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, was killed.
The 25th found Generals Hunter, Clements, and Paget in possession of Brandwater Basin, while Generals MacDonald and Bruce Hamilton were blocking Inguwooni and Golden Gate. Fouriesburg was occupied by the Eighth Division, and there they found a number of British prisoners and Mrs. Steyn, who was left in charge of the chief of the Commissariat Department. Generals Hunter and Rundle paid the lady a complimentary visit. On the following day General MacDonald, who had kept an eye on Naauwpoort’s Nek and Golden Gate, had a hard day’s fighting outside Naauwpoort in the Bethlehem Hills, but the effect of this doughty rearguard action was the blocking of Naauwpoort’s Nek for the Boer waggon traffic, and without their precious carts the Boers were “winged.”
Among the wounded were Lieutenant A. M. Brodie, Lovat’s Scouts, and Lieutenant W. E. Campion, Mounted Infantry Company, East Yorkshire Regiment.
On the 28th, Hunter, with Clements’s and Paget’s Brigades, attacked the Boers, who were posted on two neks. The first nek, after a vigorous fight, was secured by the Royal Irish, Wiltshire, and Leicester Regiments; the final position, Slaapkrantz, later on and under cover of the dusk, by the brilliant dash of the Scots Guards. During the operations Lieutenant Hon. R. B. F. Robertson, 1st Battalion Imperial Yeomanry (Machine Gun Section), and Second Lieutenant F. G. Alston, 2nd Scots Guards, were wounded.
THE SURRENDER OF PRINSLOO’S FORCE AT THE CALEDON RIVER
Drawing by Ernest Prater, from a Sketch by Major Romilly, D.S.O., Commanding 2nd Scots Guards
The net result of all the combined blockage of the passes was a demand on Sunday morning, 29th, from Prinsloo, under a flag of truce, for a four days’ armistice in order to enter into peace negotiations. As this demand was tantamount to saying, “Hold on while I get wind for another bout,” General Hunter sent a message refusing to enter into any negotiations, and saying that the only terms he could accept was unconditional surrender. Until these were complied with, hostilities could not cease. This settled the matter. Prinsloo, knowing it was impossible to get his guns and waggons over the mountains, forthwith handed himself over—arms, ammunition, and the rest of his warlike impedimenta—to the conqueror. With him were Villiers and Crowther and about 1000 men, but other Boer leaders, Olivier among them, who had succeeded in slipping to the farther side of the hills, refused to abide their chief’s ruling, and declined to submit. Hostilities in respect to these malcontents had consequently to be resumed, but the surrender of Prinsloo, and with him the Ficksburg commando of some 550 men and the Ladybrand commando, about 450 strong, together with 1500 horses, three guns, two of which were our own, lost at Koorn Spruit, 50 waggons and 50 carts, may be considered as the closing scene of the Free Stater’s resistance.
The finale at Fouriesburg was an impressive affair. The Generals, their staffs, Sir Godfrey and Lady Lagden from Basutoland, grouped on horseback, were surrounded by the troops drawn up in two lines on the hills overlooking the valley. Between the lines thus made rode Prinsloo, tall, fair—even prepossessing. He handed up his rifle to the General, setting the example to his followers, an agriculturalist rabble, motley of mien as of habit, who, on their small, nimble ponies, galloped up, throwing down rifle and bandolier with a certain effort at swagger, though seemingly nothing loth to finish their fighting career. In cart and waggon they came, too, with all their curious nomadic luggage and blankets, cook-pots and the like, some laughing, and some chaffing as they gave up arms and ammunition, and then moved on to the camp of Brabant’s Colonials, with whom they soon got on the best of terms. The formalities occupied three days, the haul of cattle that were hidden in the neighbouring gorges being enormous. The condition of the captured Boer horses contrasted strangely with that of the dilapidated hacks which now remained to the British force, and, as may be imagined, remounts were more than acceptable.