South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 5 (of 8) From the Disaster at Koorn Spruit to Lord Roberts's Entry into Pretoria

CHAPTER IX

Chapter 6813 wordsPublic domain

THE INTERREGNUM AT PRETORIA 179

FROM JOHANNESBURG TO PRETORIA 184

APPENDIX

REARRANGEMENT OF STAFF 193

DEATHS IN ACTION AND FROM DISEASE 195

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS--VOL. V.

MAP SHOWING THE LINES OF ADVANCE FROM BLOEMFONTEIN TO PRETORIA _At Front_

1. _COLOURED PLATES_

PAGE

GENERAL AND STAFF _Frontispiece_

SERGEANT--18TH HUSSARS 48

MOUNTED INFANTRY 56

SCOUT--6TH DRAGOON GUARDS 68

THE ROYAL MARINES 76

NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS AND DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY 80

WEST SURREY AND EAST SURREY 96

OFFICERS OF THE SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS 160

2. _FULL-PAGE PLATES_

THE DISASTER AT KOORNSPRUIT 8

THE REDDERSBURG MISHAP 16

BRITISH PRISONERS ON THEIR WAY TO PRETORIA 24

LORD ROBERTS'S COLUMN CROSSING THE SAND RIVER DRIFT 100

THE SURRENDER OF KROONSTADT 104

MAFEKING: "THE WOLF THAT NEVER SLEEPS" 108

THE LAST ATTACK ON MAFEKING 136

LORD ROBERTS AND HIS ARMY CROSSING THE VAAL RIVER 140

ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY CROSSING THE VAAL 144

GENERAL IAN HAMILTON THANKING THE GORDONS FOR THEIR ATTACK AT THE BATTLE OF DOORNKOP 148

THE CITY OF LONDON IMPERIAL VOLUNTEERS SUPPORTING GENERAL HAMILTON'S LEFT FLANK IN THE ACTION AT DOORNKOP 152

HAULING DOWN THE TRANSVAAL FLAG AT JOHANNESBURG 156

THE GRENADIER GUARDS AT THE BATTLE OF BIDDULPH'S BERG 168

PURSUING THE BOERS AFTER THE FIGHT ON HELPMAKAAR HEIGHTS 176

SCENE IN PRETORIA SQUARE, JUNE 5 184

THE ENTRY OF LORD ROBERTS AND STAFF INTO PRETORIA 192

3. _FULL-PAGE PORTRAITS_

LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR ARCHIBALD HUNTER, K.C.B. 32

COLONEL LORD CHESHAM 40

LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR H. M. LESLIE-RUNDLE, K.C.B. 64

MAJOR-GENERAL POLE-CAREW 72

MAJOR-GENERAL IAN HAMILTON 88

LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR FREDERICK CARRINGTON, K.C.M.G. 112

LIEUT.-COLONEL BRYAN T. MAHON, D.S.O. 120

LIEUT.-COLONEL PLUMER 128

4. _MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS IN THE TEXT_

PLAN--KOORN SPRUIT DISASTER 5

MAP--DISTRICT S. AND E. OF BLOEMFONTEIN 15

THE MODEL SCHOOL, PRETORIA 22

NEW CAMP FOR BRITISH PRISONERS AT PRETORIA 29

FIELD GUN--ELSWICK BATTERY 39

THE NATIVE VILLAGE OF MAFEKING 47

MAFEKING POSTAGE STAMPS 52

THE DEFENCE OF WEPENER 58

WEPENER 66

OPERATIONS AT DEWETSDORP 76

MAP OF MOVEMENTS S. AND E. OF BLOEMFONTEIN 82

KENT COTTAGE, ST. HELENA 86

LORD ROBERTS AND STAFF WATCHING THE BOERS' RETREAT FROM ZAND RIVER 103

KROONSTADT 107

GENERAL BADEN-POWELL AND OFFICERS AT MAFEKING 114

MAP AND ITINERARY, COLONEL MAHON'S MARCH 118

MAP OF ROUTE FROM N. FOR RELIEF OF MAFEKING 127

MAFEKING RAILWAY STATION 139

DEVIATION BRIDGE AT VEREENIGING 153

HIGHLANDERS AT THE END OF A FORCED MARCH 160

MAP OF PORTION OF NATAL 175

MAP--JOHANNESBURG TO PRETORIA, &C. 186

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE--Vol. V.

MARCH 1900.

=31.=--Loss of British convoy and seven guns at Koorn Spruit.

APRIL 1900.

=4.=--Capture of British troops by the Boers near Reddersburg.

=5.=--General Villebois killed near Boshop, and party of Boer mercenaries captured by Lord Methuen.

General Clements received the submission of 4000 rebels.

British occupation of Reddersburg.

=7.=--Skirmish near Warrenton.

=9.=--Colonial Division attacked at Wepener.

=11.=--General Chermside promoted to command Third Division, vice General Gatacre, ordered home.

=20.=--Boer positions attacked at Dewetsdorp.

=23.=--General Carrington arrived at Beira.

=25.=--Wepener siege raised.

General Chermside occupied Dewetsdorp.

Bloemfontein Waterworks recaptured.

=26.=--Sir C. Warren appointed Governor of Griqualand West.

=27.=--Thabanchu occupied.

=28.=--Fighting near Thabanchu Mountain.

MAY 1900.

=1.=--General Hamilton captured Houtnek.

=5.=--British occupation of Brandfort.

Lord Roberts's further advance to the Vet River.

=6.=--The Vet River passed and Smaldeel occupied.

=7.=--General Hunter occupied Fourteen Streams.

=8.=--Ladybrand deserted by the Boers.

=9.=--Capture of Welgelegen.

Mafeking Relief Force reached Vryburg.

=10.=--Battle of Zand River.

Occupation of Ventersburg.

=12.=--Lord Roberts occupied Kroonstad without resistance.

Commandant Eloff attacked Mafeking, and was captured by Col. Baden-Powell.

=13.=--General Buller advanced towards the Biggarsberg.

=14.=--Occupation of Dundee.

=15.=--Occupation of Glencoe.

Mafeking Relief Force defeated the Boers at Kraaipan.

=16.=--Christiana occupied.

=17.=--General Ian Hamilton occupied Lindley.

Colonel Mahon, at the head of the relief force, entered Mafeking.

Lord Methuen entered Hoopstad.

=18.=--Occupation of Newcastle.

=20.=--Colonel Bethune's Mounted Infantry ambushed near Vryheid.

=22.=--General Ian Hamilton occupied Heilbron after a series of engagements. The main army, under Lord Roberts, pitched its tents at Honing Spruit, and General French crossed the Rhenoster to the north-west of the latter place.

=23.=--Rhenoster position turned.

=24.=--British Army entered the Transvaal, crossing the Vaal near Parys, unopposed.

=27.=--The passage of the Vaal was completed by the British Army.

=28.=--Orange Free State formally annexed under the title of Orange River Colony.

The Battle of Biddulph's Berg.

=29.=--Battle of Doornkop: Boers defeated.

Lord Roberts arrived at Germiston.

Kruger fled his capital at midnight amid the lamentations of the populace.

=30.=--Occupation of Utrecht by General Hildyard.

Sir Charles Warren defeated the enemy near Douglas.

=31.=--Battalion of Irish Yeomanry captured at Lindley.

The British flag hoisted at Johannesburg.

JUNE 1900.

=5.=--The British flag hoisted in Pretoria.

EDINBURGH AND LONDON: T. C. AND E. C. JACK.

SOUTH AFRICA AND THE TRANSVAAL WAR