CHAPTER II
GENERAL BULLER'S OPERATIONS--ROUTING THE BOERS FROM LAING'S NEK[5]
The Natal Field Force, after the departure of Sir Charles Warren, was composed as follows:--
SECOND DIVISION (Lieutenant-General Sir C. F. Clery).--2nd Brigade (Major-General Hamilton)--2nd East Surrey; 2nd West Yorks; 2nd Devons; 2nd West Surrey. 4th Brigade (Colonel C. D. Cooper)--1st Rifle Brigade; 1st Durham Light Infantry; 3rd King's Royal Rifles; 2nd Scottish Rifles (Cameronians), 7th, 14th, and 66th Field Batteries.
FOURTH DIVISION (Lieutenant-General Lyttelton).--7th Brigade (Brigadier-General F. W. Kitchener)--1st Devon; 1st Gloucester; 1st Manchester; 2nd Gordon Highlanders. 8th Brigade (Major-General F. Howard)--1st Royal Irish Fusiliers; 1st Leicester; 1st King's Royal Rifles; 2nd King's Royal Rifles. Two Brigade Divisions Royal Artillery--13th, 67th, 69th Field Batteries; 21st, 42nd, 53rd Field Batteries.
FIFTH DIVISION (Lieutenant-General H. J. T. Hildyard).--10th Brigade (Major-General J. T. Coke)--2nd Dorset; 2nd Middlesex; 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. 11th Brigade (Major-General A. S. Wynne)--2nd Royal Lancaster; 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers; 1st South Lancashire; 1st York and Lancaster; 19th, 28th, and 78th Field Batteries. Corps Troops--1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers; 2nd Rifle Brigade; 1st King's Liverpool; Imperial Light Infantry; 61st Field Battery (Howitzers); Two Nordenfeldts (taken from the Boers); Natal Battery 9-pounders; Fourteen naval 12-pounder quick-firers; 4th Mountain Battery; 10th Mountain Battery, two guns; Four 4.7 naval guns; Naval 6-in. gun; Part of Siege Train.
CAVALRY DIVISION.--1st Brigade (Major-General J. J. F. Burn Murdoch). 2nd Brigade (Major-General J. F. Brocklehurst). 3rd Brigade (Major-General the Earl of Dundonald)--5th Dragoon Guards; 1st Royal Dragoons; 5th Lancers; 13th Hussars; 18th Hussars; 19th Hussars; A Battery Royal Horse Artillery; South African Light Horse; Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry; Bethune's Mounted Infantry; Natal Carabineers; Natal Mounted Rifles; Border Mounted Rifles; Umvoti Mounted Rifles; Natal Police; Colt Battery.
At the request of Sir Redvers Buller, on the 2nd of June, Christian Botha, brother of Commandant Louis Botha, accompanied by Fourie and Pretorius, met him near Majuba for the purpose of holding a conference regarding terms of surrender of Laing's Nek. A proposition was made, of course involving unconditional surrender, and hostilities were suspended for three days in order that it might be digested by the Dutchmen. It was found unpalatable and rejected. Whereupon the belligerents resumed their warlike attitude. The interval had been utilised by the Boers, who had entrenched themselves for about ten miles from Pogwani east of the Buffalo, to the fringes of Majuba, and further westward still. The natural barriers of Natal--the historic barriers that had made the "grave of reputations"--were now terraced with trenches, and nodulous with gun-pits. Another Gibraltar, frowning with menace, was prepared to accommodate 5000 desperate Boers. But they had not calculated that a way round might be found, and that they in their fastnesses might be "turned" before they could utilise that cleverly arranged system of self-defence. Yet the unforeseen occurred, and we shall see.
On the 6th of June Sir Redvers Buller began his new move. General Talbot Coke and the 10th Brigade and South African Light Horse, after some brisk skirmishing with the enemy, seized Van Wyk's Hill, whereupon, during that day, and the following day, the 7th, two 4.7-in. guns and two 12-pounder naval guns were mounted on the eminence, while two 5-in. guns were perched on the south-western spur of Inkwelo. General Hildyard, who during the armistice had moved across from Utrecht to Ingogo, concentrated his Division for advance over Botha's Pass, while General Clery kept an eye on Laing's Nek, and beyond him General Lyttelton, co-operating, brushed the enemy away from the right flank, and kept clear the country between Utrecht and Wakkerstroom. Thus was prepared the way for General Hildyard's brilliantly planned and admirably executed assault of the spur of the Berg between Botha's Pass and Inkwelo, which took place on the 8th, with the result that the enemy, some 2000 strong, were outflanked and routed from their mountain strongholds, and the pass was captured without serious loss.
The 9th was spent in a general halt on the summit of the pass, getting the transport through the Drakensberg, hauling baggage up the steeps, and skirmishing with Boers who hovered on the outskirts of the hills. The labour entailed was prodigious, as the roads to the pass were intensely precipitous, the hill being over a mile long, and many of the transport waggons had to be double-spanned before they could make appreciable advance. The troops, too, were sorely tried, for at night they shivered in the crisp, frosty atmosphere, which appeared additionally numbing after the warm sunlight of midday. Still, with unquenchable zeal, they pursued their labours, climbing and clambering over boulder and slab, and looking down on the chasms below with genuine satisfaction at the thought of obstacles surmounted and decisive work to be accomplished. They had now secured a commanding position, which in a very short space of time they hoped to make unchallengeable.
On the 10th General Buller's force, marching over the wide veldt, reached the junction of Gans Vlei, some ten miles north, while General Hildyard's crossed the pass and concentrated on Klip River, situated some fifteen miles due west of Laing's Nek, and in face of some rugged country on the way to Volksrust. The Dutchmen were there congregating, and preparing in the Almond's Nek region to intercept the passage. The South African Light Horse, before the arrival of the main column, had captured a useful kopje, and they, and some squadrons of the Irregulars, made a dashing attack on the mass of Dutchmen who were barring the main road. A most animated engagement was fought, which cost the South African Light Horse six killed and eight wounded. The enemy after the encounter slowly retired, harassed by the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. The main column, frost-bitten and weary, bivouacked in the shadow of the captured kopje, the 11th Brigade immediately below, and further down, the 10th Brigade, while still lower down came the 2nd Brigade, commanded now by General Hamilton in place of General Hildyard, who, as we know, was raised to divisional rank.
On the 11th the advance was continued in the direction of Volksrust, and General Hildyard (Fifth Division) made a brilliant frontal attack against the Boers, who were now holding a formidable position with several guns at the east of Almond's Nek, which place stands about seven miles north of Gans Vlei. After the artillery had been pounding a dangerous hoop of ridges for a considerable time, filling the whole atmosphere with reverberating roars, the 10th Brigade, the Dorsets in the firing line, the Middlesex in support, advanced on the right of the ridge beyond which were the Mounted Infantry, while the 2nd Brigade, the East Surreys and Queen's leading, treading the open, made a bold dash for the foe. These, concealed among the steep boulders, proceeded to pour a thunderous and fiery welcome on all who approached. The stertorous rampage continued for hours. But, fortunately, in their fastnesses our big guns--two 4.7-in. monsters and six little "handy" 12-pounders--eventually searched them out, and subsequently a gallant charge--one of the most brilliant in the campaign--the charge of the Dorsets who, in a blizzard of lead, swarmed upon the position with fixed bayonets, decided the fortunes of the day. The superb manner in which those seasoned warriors launched themselves at miles and miles of entrenched positions--a veritable phalanx of church steeples--was beyond praise. Their great assault cost the valiant regiment ten killed and forty wounded. Some Boer prisoners were taken, and five or six Dutchmen bit the dust. But most of them had bolted before the gleam of the bayonets, and in their flight had set fire to the grass so as to render pursuit impossible. Simultaneously with the charge of the Dorsets, the 2nd Brigade was doing identical work, and doing it splendidly. They succeeded in capturing the whole of the position, in clearing the enemy entirely off the scene, and in rendering the formidable galleries of doom, the rows of trenches on Laing's Nek, "full of emptiness." The Irregulars under Colonel Gough, brave as ever and cool as cucumbers, had been also vigorously engaged on the right, so vigorously, so dauntlessly that two officers, Captain Mann (Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry), and Captain O'Brien (Composite Regiment) were mortally wounded. But, losses apart, the day's work was in every way effective, as the Boers by evacuating Laing's Nek left open the Volksrust Road, and virtually ceased from defacing British soil.
Thus in two marches Sir Redvers Buller had succeeded in effectively sweeping Northern Natal, a feat of which his army was very justly proud. There was no doubt that the Chief had now made himself master both of the tactics of the enemy and the peculiarities of the country over which he had to travel. He had bought his experience in a hard school, but in this march he applied it brilliantly, and exacted from all the applause that was his due. Through broken country and steep he had made a flank march of fifty miles with an immense force and tremendous transport, clearing the way before him with the loss of about 30 killed and 150 wounded. His strategy had been ingenious as masterly, for while he made a demonstration on their left and kept the Boers in expectation of attack in that quarter, he had wheeled his force to their right, and surprised them before they had time to gather themselves together sufficiently to frustrate the tactics of the advancing force.
The triumphant issue of the movement was a source of intense satisfaction to all concerned in it. The Natal Field Force had hitherto scarcely been fortunate, and there were many among its members who were inclined to envy those who, to use a popular word, had "processed" up the Free State figuratively to the tune of "See the Conquering Hero comes." The Natal Force had had a prodigious number of kicks, and knew what hard fighting meant, and had felt sore to find themselves, so to speak, "on the unfashionable side." It became a question with these much battered warriors whether the kicks would be productive of halfpence, and whether, when honours were ladled out, those who so richly deserved it would come in for a bare spoonful. The splendid "little battle that did a big thing"--that, on the 11th of June, left Almond's Nek purged of Boers and enabled General Clery and his Division to occupy Laing's Nek--settled all misgivings. Sir Redvers Buller's flanking movement was full not only of political but sentimental importance, for the reconquest of Majuba and Laing's Nek meant the sponging out of humiliating memories which had grown more painful with the passage of years.
In these operations the total casualties amounted to 153.
On the 7th Second Lieutenant Andrews, 6th Company Western Division Royal Garrison Artillery, was severely injured on the head, and on the following day Second Lieutenant E. F. Grant-Dalton, 2nd West Yorkshire Regiment, was wounded.
On the 11th, the casualties among officers were: Lieutenant Stafford, East Surrey Regiment, severely wounded; Captain Mansel, Second Lieutenant Herbert, 2nd Dorsets, slightly wounded; Lieut.-Colonel Mills, Lieutenant Seppings, 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers, slightly wounded; Lieutenant Johnstone, 11th Hussars, killed; Captain Northey, 2nd Cameronians, slightly wounded; Captain O'Brien mortally wounded (since dead).
GENERAL BULLER'S ADVANCE FROM LAING'S NEK TO STANDERTON
The next stage in the proceedings was begun on the 20th, when Sir Redvers Buller moved to Paarde Kop, and from thence proceeded to Standerton, when he opened up communications with Lord Roberts. On the 15th of the month Lord Roberts, telegraphing to the War Office, said, "Buller, I hope, is at Standerton." But this was not the case, the Natal Force being delayed at Laing's Nek for various reasons connected with transport and the rearrangement and recuperation of the troops and the repair of the Laing's Nek tunnel. Doubtless the inability of the General to proceed, had considerable effect upon the main war programme, and many imagine that if the force had been able to occupy Standerton, which lies directly between Machadodorp, where President Kruger had fled, and Reitz, where President Steyn had located himself, concerted action between the two Presidents might have been nipped in the bud. As it was, the Dutchmen continued to use the telegraph till the 22nd of June, when Sir Redvers Buller's troops threw a formidable barrier between them, and spoilt the hatching of further elaborate plots for the continuance of organised warfare. Meanwhile, General Hildyard occupied Wakkerstroom, but marched thence to join General Buller on the 19th.
On the 20th General Buller's headquarters arrived at Sandspruit Station beyond Volksrust, and pitched camp two miles further on, to west of the rail. Many surrenders took place, and some blowing up of culverts by those who were retreating in disgust at the defeat at Almond's Nek, a defeat which they considered the worst disaster to their arms that had yet occurred. The Natal Volunteers were now about to be disbanded, and left for Dundee. They were highly praised by all, and the Chief issued an order expressing his keen appreciation of the services rendered by Brigadier-General Dartnell and his stalwart followers in the arduous task which has resulted in the expulsion of the enemy from Natal territory. General Lyttelton now moved from Coetzes Drift to Laing's Nek to protect the line from Newcastle to Volksrust, while General Coke's Brigade mounted guard over the latter place.
The next day, the 21st, the advance column reached Paardekop, situated some thirty miles from their destination. Standerton was neared by Lord Dundonald's mounted force on the 22nd, while the infantry followed some eight miles behind, the 10th Brigade only being left at Paardekop. As Major Gough and a squadron of the Composite Regiment entered Standerton a party of Boers made off, leaving the place to be occupied without resistance. The railway bridge was found to be injured, as also were some engine trucks and engines. The Hollander railway officials, for whose idle hands the devil had invented this mischief, were imprisoned.
While these activities were taking place, and General Buller was slowly making his way into the Transvaal from the east (guarding every inch of the rail in his rear, so that when he should reach Heidelberg the Natal Field Force would be extended all along the line), General Ian Hamilton, in order to join hands with him, was moving with a mobile force _viâ_ Springs to Heidelberg, which was occupied on the 23rd. Both armies thus approaching were now capable of frustrating concerted and combined action between the hostile bands of the Transvaal and those still lingering in Orange River Colony. Lord Dundonald's Brigade, meanwhile, had been joined by Strathcona's Horse, a picked body of sporting men who were tingling for fight.[6] This experience they soon enjoyed, as in the course of the march towards Heidelberg they came on a gang of Boers and had an animated encounter which cost them a man killed and two missing, including the officer who was in command of the party. Four Boer victims were left on the scene of the fray.
The Boers, though many were surrendering, were sustained in their dogged determination to fight by the exquisite inventiveness of Mr. Kruger, who, undoubtedly, is a Defoe or a De Rougemont lost to the world. He caused a proclamation to be issued, stating that the Russians had declared war on Japan, and that Great Britain was bound by treaty to support the Japanese, and must therefore withdraw her troops from South Africa. The proclamation also stated that Lord Roberts had no supplies, and implored the burghers to keep up their courage. About a thousand burghers accordingly collected in the neighbourhood of Sandspruit with the wily ambition of severing the lines of communication. The Komati Poort Bridge had been threatened, and the cauldron of Boer machination was simmering portentously in the neighbourhood of Machadodorp.
With Buller's force on the east, Rundle's on the south, Hunter's to the west, it was hoped that the animated De Wet might be trapped as Cronje had been trapped. Still the wily one--slim by instinct, slimmer now by experience--contrived to become slippery as an eel whenever the fingers of the enveloping British hand began to curve in his direction. There was no doubt about it that this sometime butcher of Barberton, this late speculator in potatoes, who, it is stated, "went bankrupt in an unsuccessful attempt to establish a potato corner on the Johannesburg market," was a born genius in the art of war. He was aware of his own potentialities, and is reported to have said that he gave Lord Kitchener--if he put his mind to it--ten days to catch him in, while to Lord Roberts he allowed three weeks, and to Lord Methuen the rest of a lifetime! And the statement was not all Boer bounce, as time proved.
General Hamilton from the west approached Heidelberg on the 22nd, and exchanged shots with the Boer patrols; but during the night the enemy disappeared and the troops occupied the town. The force consisted of General Gordon's and General Broadwood's Cavalry Brigades (the 9th, 16th, 17th Lancers, and Household Cavalry, 10th Hussars, and 12th Lancers respectively), two batteries Royal Horse Artillery, two batteries Field Artillery, two 5-inch guns, a brigade of Mounted Infantry under General Ridley, and the 21st Brigade (City Imperial Volunteers, Camerons, Sussex, and Derbys) under General Bruce Hamilton. It was found that the Boers had retreated to a crescent of hills turning south-east of the town, and from here they fired on patrols of the New South Wales Contingent. General Hamilton advanced on the Dutchman's haunts, while General Broadwood, with a pom-pom and Field Battery, Roberts's Horse, the Ceylon Mounted Infantry, and Marshall's Horse, made a vigorous flank attack which sent the enemy scudding into space. The casualties were few. Among the wounded were Captain F. Whittaker, Roberts's Horse, since dead; Captain H. Carrington Smith, Royal Dublin Fusiliers; Captain M. Browne, Roberts's Horse; Lieutenant C. Livingstone Learmonth, Roberts's Horse; Lieutenant E. Rex King, Roberts's Horse. General Ian Hamilton unluckily fell from his horse and sustained a fracture of the collar-bone.
Generals Hunter and Hart, therefore, hurriedly joined General Ian Hamilton on the 25th at Heidelberg, the former replacing the latter in command there, as General Hamilton's injury temporarily incapacitated him from resuming his duties. How General Hunter managed so opportunely to arrive on the scene must be described.
General Hunter, after taking Christiana, moved _viâ_ Vryburg, Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom, and Krugersdorp to Johannesburg. With Colonel Mahon--who had joined him and was in command of the Cavalry Brigade--he had been engaged in the task of pacifying the Wolmaranstad and Potchefstroom districts. Klerksdorp surrendered on the 9th of June (uselessly, as it afterwards appeared). A few days later Colonel Mahon's Cavalry Brigade entered Potchefstroom after a bitterly cold night march. On the 15th General Hunter moved _viâ_ Krugersdorp (which surrendered on the 18th), towards Johannesburg (Colonel Mahon preceding him and moving to Pretoria) and went to Springs in support of General Hamilton's advance to Heidelberg.
General Hunter's reduced force now consisted of the Dublin Fusiliers, part of the Somersetshire Light Infantry, and a small number of the Yeomanry. By the 25th he had taken over the command of General Hamilton's column and at once proceeded to engage himself with the work that that officer was intending to accomplish. General Hart before this time had been at Frederickstad, some fifteen miles north of Potchefstroom on the rail and best road to Johannesburg, but speedily moved on to assist. The plan was to arrange for the permanent garrisoning of Frankfort in the Orange River Colony, Heilbron, Lindley, and Senekal, the taking of Bethlehem, and, if possible, the cornering of De Wet.
General Hunter marched from Heidelberg towards Frankfort with a view to finding out the haunts of the malcontents, but encountered no opposition, and reached his destination on the 1st of July. Two days later he was joined by the troops from Heilbron under General Macdonald. General Hart, with a battalion and a half of infantry, remained in Heidelberg and engaged in the repair of the railway bridge, which had been wrecked by the Boers.
Here for the nonce we must leave them while the operations in other parts of the disturbed Colonies are investigated. General Buller had accomplished his work of clearing Natal, and had joined hands with Lord Roberts's force, and thus interposed a strong British barrier between Botha at Middelburg and De Wet in Orange River Colony. These two adventurous spirits had now to be tackled separately, and the cornering of De Wet came first in Lord Roberts's programme. The commando of the astute Free Stater was to be pushed eastward towards Bethlehem and surrounded, and for this purpose General Hunter was to co-operate with Generals Rundle, Clements, and Paget, while Lord Methuen in the neighbourhood of Paardekraal (ten miles south-west of Heilbron on the Kroonstad Road), was to mount guard over the rail between Kroonstad and the Vaal River and prevent De Wet from breaking out westward.
FOOTNOTES:
[5] See Map at front.
[6] See vol. iii. p. 146.