AngloBoerWar.com CHAPTER XIII. THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY [continued). THE PURSUIT OF DE WET AND OLIVIER.*

Transcription

1 325 CHAPTER XIII. OPERATIONS IN THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY [continued). THE PURSUIT OF DE WET AND OLIVIER.* Brilliant as had been the results of Sir A. Hunter's operations in the Brandwater basin, they were yet shorn of completeness by the escape of C. De Wet and Olivier. The chase of De Wet had already been begun. As for Olivier, the circumstances of his evasion in the face of the general capitulation appeared so questionable that it was thought for a moment that he might yet consent to be bound by his superior's formal act of surrender. This, however, was not the case. Olivier, like De Wet, struck for the open veld, and for the next few weeks the chief interest in the Orange River Colony centred on the pursuit of the two leaders. It has been seen how Paget and Broadwood, when on the march from Senekal on July i6th, had been the first to discover and to interfere with the flight of De Wet, an occurrence which much disconcerted the fugitive, who had hoped to put many miles between himself and the fatal basin before his absence should be detected. Paget, who had other and more important duties, then left De Wet to Broadwood, who hurried Broadwood after him with 700 sabres, 250 M.I. (Dawson) and Q. battery wet, July R.H.A. of his own brigade, with 700 M.I. under Ridley, and 200 mounted men with P. battery R.H.A. lent by Paget himself. On the i8th Broadwood was further strengthened by the ist Derbyshire regiment and two guns R.F.A., the escort of a convoy which he met on the road. Two days earlier the 3rd ^7th, * See maps Nos. 38, 53 and 54.

2 326 THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA. cavalry brigade (Little),* when on the march from Heilbron to Kroonstad, had been ordered to co-operate at once with Broadwood, and this corps came in touch with De Wet (but not with Broadwood) some ten miles north-west of Lindley on the 19th, fighting an action which cost the brigade under a score of casualties but De Wet considerably more, and much damaged his organisation. On the same day Broadwood also struck at the Boer rearguard, coming up with it at Palmietfontein, and losing twenty-one officers and men in a sharp and effective engagement. Thus made fully aware of the hue-and-cry, the Boer General determined to break across the railway at all costs, a task of no small difficulty, hampered as he was by the Government officials a timorous band by herds of cattle, and a train of 450 wagons, which no threats or exhortations could induce his burghers to reduce. Covered by the rearguard which Broadwood and Little had already encountered, on the night of July July 2ist, 2ist he approached the line near Honing Spruit, where he not ^^^ Succeeded in crossing, but actually captured a train guarded DeWet crosses the railway, by 100 men and full of ammunition which steamed across his path at that moment. He then made for Vredefort. On that night Broadwood, who had lost touch somewhat as he hastened along the north bank of the Rhenoster, was at Vaalkrans, and next day at Roodewal, where he filled up with supplies, and got news of De Wet's movement on Vredefort. Thither he followed on the 23rd, getting so close to De Wet's rear on the next day that five of the Boer wagons fell into his hands. But pressing and stands at on through the town, Broadwood's leading troops ran against Vredefort. ^ Strong position five miles beyond it, and had to fall back before a counter-attack which inflicted thirty-nine casualties.! In the afternoon Little with the 3rd cavalry brigade, who had marched by Roodewal Spruit, arrived and came under the orders of Broadwood, who even with this reinforcement saw that mounted Colonel M. O. Little had succeeded Brig. -General Gordon in command of the brigade consisting of 9th, i6th and 17th Lancers (738 men), and R. liattery R.H.A. t For gallantry in carrying a wounded man into shelter during this engagement, Captain N. R. Howse, New South Wales Medical Staff Corps, was awarded the Victoria Cross.

3 OPERATIONS IN THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY. 327 troops alone could make little impression on an enemy standing at bay with determination and in such numbers. The opportunity of running down a quarry so swift and cool as De Wet had in reality passed ; and Lord Roberts now prepared more elaborate measures. On July 27th the 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers were sent by Kelly-Kenny from Bloemfontein to join Broadwood. On the 30th Major-General A. Hart detrained at Kopjes station with the 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers, half the 2nd Somerset Light Infantry, the 71st company Imperial Yeomanry, 200 Marshall's Horse, the 28th battery R.F.A., and G. section Vickers-Maxims, all from Heidelberg. Hart, who became the senior officer present, marched at once to Kopje Alleen, twenty-five miles north of Kroonstad. His orders were to take command of the columns under Broadwood, Ridley and Little, in addition to his own ; to endeavour to drive De Wet northwards, to prevent his moving eastwards, and to attack him if he took up a position. The Colonial division from Rundle's force was also ordered (July 27th) to Kroonstad to co-operate with a column under C. E. Knox, composed of the ist Oxfordshire Light Infantry, 3rd Royal Scots, a battery R.F.A., two Vickers- Maxims, and 250 mounted men. Reaching Kroonstad by forced marches on August 3rd, the Colonial division was in position on the 6th. Broadwood himself was further reinforced by the Royal Canadian regiment from Springs, and thus, in addition to his mounted men, had now three battalions of infantry under his command. With this force he watched a line from Wilgebosch Drift, through Wonderheuvel and Leeuw Spruit to Vredefort. Hart was at Kopje Alleen ; and C. E. Knox, on August ist, marched north from Kroonstad towards him, driving off on the way a band whom De Wet had sent on to Rhenoster Kop, a strong height covered with bush, which, held with determination, would have proved an expensive capture. Knox was up in line with Hart on August 3rd. The night before he arrived, his recent opponents avenged their discomfiture at Rhenoster Kop by capturing a mail train near Holfontein, but were afterwards again put to flight by troops and an armoured train from Ventersburg Road.

4 Aug. 5th, Lord Kitchener assumes command of the pursuit. Aug. 1st, MacDonald follows Olivier. Distribution of the forces in the Orange River Colony. 328 THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA. On August 4th, Lord Kitchener left Pretoria to command the combined operations against De Wet. Reaching Wonderheuvel next day, he first despatched the Colonial division to watch Winkel's Drift and the other passages of the Rhenoster river. De Wet now seemed cut off from the Orange River Colony ; his only way of escape was by crossing the Vaal into the Transvaal, an event only less desired by the British Commander-in-Chief than it was dreaded by himself, for his men had no mind to leave their country, and even his iron rule would have failed to prevent wholesale desertion. Lord Roberts, however, hoped to close even this loophole, and on August 5th ordered Lord Methuen to Scandinavia Drift, and Smith-Dorrien, in support, to Frederikstad, the former with the 5th and loth battalions Imperial Yeomanry, 2nd Northampton regiment, a wing of the ist Northumberland Fusiliers, four guns 4th battery R.F.A. and two Howitzers the latter with his brigade, a battery and 250 mounted infantry. The narrative of subsequent events, involving a separate and elaborate scheme of operations, will be related in its proper place.* It is necessary now to return to Sir A. Hunter and his dealings with the other fugitive from the Brandwater basin, the Free State General Ohvier. On August ist Sir A. Hunter sent MacDonald after Olivier towards Harrismith. Taking with him 700 mounted men, two 5-in. guns, sixteen guns R.F.A. and four battalions of infantry, MacDonald moved on Harrismith, which he occupied on the 4th without opposition, the enemy having gone to the north. Next day, Colonel H. J. Blagrove, with a strong patrol of the 13th Hussars, rode into Harrismith from Besters in Natal, returning to Albertina when he found the town in British possession. When MacDonald commenced his march. Sir A. Hunter's force was disposed as follows : At Slaap Kranz : Divisional Headquarters ; nine companies Imperial Yeomanry, escorting prisoners-of-war to Fouriesburg ; Driscoll's Scouts ; i6th infantry brigade (Campbell), consisting of the 2nd Grenadier Guards, 2nd Scots Guards, ist Leinster * See Chapter XIV.

5 OPERATIONS IN THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY. 329 regiment. The 2nd Royal West Kent regiment, and Royal West Kent M.I. were employed in guarding the camp of the prisoners of war. At Fouriesburg (Boyes) : One section R.F.A. ; ist South Staffordshire regiment ; 2nd Manchester regiment. Also at Fouriesburg (Paget) : ist Royal Munster Fusiliers, 2nd King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 4th Scottish Rifles, 4th South Staffordshire regiment ; one section C.I.V. battery ; detachments of Imperial Yeomanry and Colonial mounted troops. (Queenstown Volunteers joined August ist.) At Klerksvlei Farm (Bruce Hamilton) : ist Royal Sussex ; 1st Cameron Highlanders ; the 5th M.I. ; the Derbyshire M.L and the C.I.V. M.L ; four guns 76th battery R.F.A. ; one section No. 9 company R.E. (Half 2nd Bedfordshire regiment joined August 5th.) At Slabbert's Nek (Clements) : ist Royal Irish, 2nd Worcestershire and 2nd Wiltshire regiments ; 8ist battery R.F.A. ; No. 5 company Eastern division R.G.A. (One squadron 2nd Brabant's Horse joined August 4th.) At Commando Nek : Half company Gloucestershire Imperial Yeomanry ; one gun 2nd battery R.F.A. ; one company 2nd East Yorkshire regiment. At Ficksburg : Half company Gloucestershire Imperial Yeomanry ; one gun 2nd battery R.F.A. ; three companies ist Worcestershire regiment. At Hammonia : Half company Wiltshire Imperial Yeomanry ; one gun 77th battery R.F.A. ; two companies 2nd East Yorkshire regiment. At Senekal : Half company Wiltshire Imperial Yeomanry, one gun 2nd battery R.F.A. ; four companies 2nd East Yorkshire regiment. At Ladybrand : Half company Wiltshire Imperial Yeomanry (furnishing a post at Leeuw River Mills) ; two companies ist Worcestershire regiment. At Thabanchu : Half company Wiltshire Imperial Yeomanry ; two companies ist Worcestershire regiment. At Israel's Poort : One company ist Worcestershire regiment.

6 Aug. loth, 19CX). Sir A. Hunter joins in the pursuit. Aug. 13th, Engagement with Olivier at Spitzkop. 330 THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA. On August 3rd, Sir A. Hunter's original force was broken up and reorganised. Bruce Hamilton and Paget marched at once with the Boer prisoners of war to Winburg ; Clements proceeded to Kroonstad and the Transvaal ; and Sir L. Rundle received orders from the Commander-in-Chief to resume independent control of the VIHth division, and to follow Olivier, who was now reported to have moved northwards through Vrede. Accordingly, Sir L. Rundle, leaving Colonel E. A. W. S. Grove in command of a column* with orders to follow the main body at the distance of a day's march, moved to Harrismith, where he established himself on August 6th. MacDonald's column was directed to rejoin Sir A. Hunter at Bethlehem, preparatory to moving on Kroonstad, via Lindley. On the loth Sir A. Hunter left Bethlehem with a column consisting of the Highland brigade (MacDonald), half 2nd Bedfordshire regiment, Lovat's Scouts, 6th and 15th battalions Imperial Yeomanry, a detachment of mounted infantry, 5th, 8th and 82nd batteries R.F.A., and one 5-in. gun. On the 12th he arrived near Paardeplaats, about six miles from Lindley on the Kroonstad road, when instructions were received from the Commander-in-Chief to move either on Heilbron or on Reitz, in order to head OHvier, who was said to be moving through Frankfort on his way to join De Wet, who was then at Reitzburg. Sir A. Hunter decided that the best means of effecting this was to march on Heilbron. On the 13th he reached the Rhenoster river, and next day encountered a Boer force under Froneman. The enemy, about 1,800 men with six Field and two machine guns, was found to be holding a position on the right of, and parallel to, the Lindley Heilbron road, covering some five miles of front. His right rested on Spitzkop, a hill overlooking Reitfontein, his left near Witpoort (about twelve miles south of Heilbron). With Froneman was Olivier himself, besides Haasbroek, Visser, and Fourie, and all were bent on a desperate effort to join De Wet. * One squadron Imperial Yeomanry, one company mounted infantry, two guns 79th battery Royal Field artillery, one section Royal Engineers, 2nd Royal West Kent regiment, two companies ist South Staffordshire regiment, two companies 2nd Manchester regiment.

7 , OPERATIONS IN THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY. 331 At a.m. the Boers opened lire with their guns on the head of the column as it approached Witpoort. Sir A. Hunter at once attacked, having to execute an awkward change of his entire front to the right to do so. Holding the enemy in front with the 5-in. gun, the 5th battery R.F.A. and four companies Black Watch (subsequently reinforced by the Seaforth Highlanders), he despatched Lovat's Scouts, the 82nd battery R.F.A. and the Highland Light Infantry to turn the left. At 1.30 p.m. the Highland Light Infantry and Lovat's Scouts drove the Boer flank from its first position back to a second. Here the commandos stood more firmly, and Sir A. Hunter, planting his reserve (three companies Bedfordshire regiment) on the ground already won, sent the Highland Light Infantry along the ridges from right to left, towards Spitzkop, the key of the position. A heavy fire followed the battalion across the crests, but by 4.30 p.m. it was so near Spitzkop that the General ordered the Black Watch and Seaforth Highlanders, covered by the 5th battery R.F.A., to co-operate with a frontal attack. At dusk the enemy Olivier ^^^PP^^"^^ment three men were killed, two officers and forty-three men wounded, mostly in the Highland Light Infantry, which bore the brunt of the fighting. Next day, August 15th, the force occupied Heilbron. Turning now to the Vlllth division. Sir L. Rundle had at this time garrisons at Bethlehem (2nd East Yorkshire), Senekal, Hammonia, Ficksburg, Ladybrand and Thabanchu (ist Worcestershire, with Headquarters at Senekal) ; at Harrismith were posted the Headquarters and the bulk of the command, viz. : nine and a half companies Imperial Yeomanry, Driscoll's Scouts, fell back, retiring in a south-easterly direction. In the engage- one section 2nd battery R.F.A., 77th and 79th batteries R.F.A., 2nd Grenadier Guards, 2nd Scots Guards, ist Leinster, 2nd Royal West Kent, 2nd Manchester, and ist South Stafford. On August 9th, railway communication between Harrismith and Ladysmith was re-estabhshed after being severed for ten months, and henceforward troops at Harrismith were based for supplies on Natal. On the same day Major-General Boyes marched north, other columns along the Harrismith Vrede road, with two companies Imperial P"''^"eOiivier.

8 332 THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA. Yeomanry, four guns R.F.A., ist South Staffordshire and 2nd Manchester regiments, a column organised for the pursuit of Olivier. On the nth, information having been received that Olivier was to the north-east of Reitz, a second column (Colonel E. A. W. S. Grove, with two squadrons Imperial Yeomanry, one company M.I., four guns R.F.A., and 2nd Royal West Kent regiment) was ordered to move on Boyes' left the latter changing his direction and marching upon Reitz. On the 13th Grove's order was cancelled. Detaching a part of his column to move to Bethlehem, he, with one squadron I.Y., one company M.I., two guns R.F.A. and his infantry battalion, left Harrismith to join Boyes. Next day Boyes, and two days later Grove, reached Reitz. But Olivier's force had already got away, and as described above, was on this very day fighting with Sir A. Hunter outside Heilbron. As soon as Lord Roberts knew of these events, he ordered Boyes to proceed to Vrede, and to gain touch with Standerton as quickly as possible, and Sir L. Rundle to organise mobile columns, with a view to clearing the district of supplies, horses, stock and forage, and, above all, of rebels and oath-breakers. Two mobile columns were formed : the northern (Boyes, 17th brigade), based on Vrede, was to work towards Reitz, Frankfort, Standerton, and the Natal railway ; the southern column (Campbell, i6th brigade), based on Harrismith, to operate to Fouriesburg, Bethlehem, Reitz, and eastward through Newmarket. These districts were carefully patrolled throughout the month of August, quantities of arms and ammunition being found and destroyed, and very little resistance met with. Many thousands of oxen, sheep and horses were captured, and about 1,000 Boers surrendered to Sir L. Rundle. By the end of August, that portion of the Orange River Colony lying eastward of the road Frankfort Reitz Bethlehem Fouriesburg was clear of any organised fighting body of the enemy. Nor was any hostile force known to be south of the road from Bethlehem to Winburg. Olivier's party, however, having moved rapidly south-west from Heilbron on August 14th, was below Kroonstad, its presence

9 OPERATIONS IN THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY. 333 being accidentally discovered on the 19th in the following Aug. 19th. manner. For some weeks it had been known that a small in- posjiton^ dependent party of Boers had established themselves sixteen discovered by miles to the north-east of Ventersburg, into which they rode two or three times a week, to the great annoyance of the inhabitants. In order to rid the neighbourhood of these raiders, Lieut. -Colonel W. H. Sitwell, on August i8th, was sent out with a mounted infantry company (five officers and sixty-five men), and Captain J. E. Pine-Coffin was ordered to Ventersburg with thirty-five Malta M.L On the following day, Sitwell engaged the enemy some ten miles to the west of the town, but soon discovered that he had more to deal with than he could manage. His flanks were almost immediately turned, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he was able to extricate himself. Pursued for some miles by 400 Boers on fresh horses, the small British force was only saved by the self-sacrifice of a handful, who stubbornly held a cattle kraal on the line of retreat, and occupied the attention of the enemy whilst the rest made off. The defenders (five officers and nineteen men) held out for an hour and a half, when the kraal was rushed by overwhelming numbers, the British losing two men killed, two officers and four men wounded, and thirteen horses killed, the Boers, three men killed and fourteen wounded. Two days later two of the captured officers were released, and reported that at the Boer laager, about seven miles from the scene of action, there were 1,500 to 2,000 men, seven guns, and two machine guns, besides 200 wagons, and that Olivier, Fourie and Froneman were present. This information reached Kroonstad on the 21st, and Bruce Hamilton's column, which had arrived from Winburg the previous day, was despatched at once to Ventersburg Road. On August 24th reports were received that Olivier, with 1,000 men and two guns, had suddenly appeared north of Winburg, and had surrounded a British force about nine miles from that town. This party, which consisted of 190 mounted men and thirty infantry, was under the command of Lieut.-Col. H. M. Ridley (i6th battahon LY.), who had been sent out by Major- General R. E. Allen on reconnaissance towards Ventersburg.

10 334 THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA. Bruce Hamilton was immediately ordered to proceed to his aid with the ist Cameron Highlanders, half the ist Royal Sussex, 5th M.I., Brabant's Horse, and eight guns R.F.A., and succeeded in extricating him at 9 a.m. on the 26th. The relief came only just in time. For two days and three nights Ridley's men had withstood, almost without cover, shrapnel and conunon shell from three guns and the unceasing fire of a thousand rifles. Twice they had been summoned to surrender ; but surrounded though they were by vastly superior numbers they held out with determination, losing thirty-two officers and men before they were rescued and withdrawn to Winburg by Bruce Hamilton. Next day Olivier attacked the town from the north, north-east and north-west, but was repulsed on every side, losing twenty-five Aug. 27th, of his men by capture. Finally he himself with his three sons Q^ure of rode into a trap set by the Queenstown Volunteers, from which Olivier. he emerged a prisoner of war.