For This Far-Distant War, A War Of The Unseen Foe And Of The
Murderous Ambuscade, There Were So Many Volunteers That The
Authorities Were Embarrassed By Their Numbers And Their
Pertinacity.
It was a stimulating sight to see those long queues of
top-hatted, frock-coated young men who waited their turn for the
orderly room with as much desperate anxiety as if hard fare, a veld
bed, and Boer bullets were all that life had that was worth the
holding.
Especially the Imperial Yeomanry, a corps of riders and
shots, appealed to the sporting instincts of our race. Many could
ride and not shoot, many could shoot and not ride, more candidates
were rejected than were accepted, and yet in a very short time
eight thousand men from every class were wearing the grey coats and
bandoliers. This singular and formidable force was drawn from every
part of England and Scotland, with a contingent of hard-riding
Irish fox-hunters. Noblemen and grooms rode knee to knee in the
ranks, and the officers included many well-known country gentlemen
and masters of hounds. Well horsed and well armed, a better force
for the work in hand could not be imagined. So high did the
patriotism run that corps were formed in which the men not only
found their own equipment but contributed their pay to the war
fund. Many young men about town justified their existence for the
first time. In a single club, which is peculiarly consecrated to
the jeunesse doree, three hundred members rode to the wars.
Without waiting for these distant but necessary reinforcements, the
Generals in Africa had two divisions to look to, one of which was
actually arriving while the other was on the sea. These formed the
5th Division under Sir Charles Warren, and the 6th Division under
General Kelly-Kenny. Until these forces should arrive it was
obviously best that the three armies should wait, for, unless there
should be pressing need of help on the part of the besieged
garrisons or imminent prospects of European complications, every
week which passed was in our favour. There was therefore a long
lull in the war, during which Methuen strengthened his position at
Modder River, Gatacre held his own at Sterkstroom, and Buller built
up his strength for another attempt at the relief of Ladysmith. The
only connected series of operations during that time were those of
General French in the neighbourhood of Colesberg, an account of
which will be found in their entirety elsewhere. A short narrative
may be given here of the doings of each of these forces until the
period of inaction came to an end.
Methuen after the repulse at Magersfontein had fallen back upon the
lines of Modder River, and had fortified them in such a way that he
felt himself secure against assault. Cronje, on the other hand, had
extended his position both to the right and to the left, and had
strengthened the works which we had already found so formidable. In
this way a condition of inaction was established which was really
very much to our advantage, since Methuen retained his
communications by rail, while all supplies to Cronje had to come a
hundred miles by road. The British troops, and especially the
Highland Brigade, were badly in need of a rest after the very
severe ordeal which they had undergone. General Hector Macdonald,
whose military record had earned the soldierly name of 'Fighting
Mac,' was sent for from India to take the place of the ill-fated
Wauchope. Pending his arrival and that of reinforcements, Methuen
remained quiet, and the Boers fortunately followed his example.
From over the northern horizon those silver flashes of light told
that Kimberley was dauntless in the present and hopeful of the
future. On January 1st the British post of Kuruman fell, by which
twelve officers and 120 police were captured. The town was
isolated, and its capture could have no effect upon the general
operations, but it is remarkable as the only capture of a fortified
post up to this point made by the Boers.
The monotony of the long wait was broken by one dashing raid
carried out by a detachment from Methuen's line of communications.
This force consisted of 200 Queenslanders, 100 Canadians (Toronto
Company), 40 mounted Munster Fusiliers, a New South Wales
Ambulance, and 200 of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry with
one horse battery. This singular force, so small in numbers and yet
raked from the ends of the earth, was under the command of Colonel
Pilcher. Moving out suddenly and rapidly from Belmont, it struck at
the extreme right of the Boer line, which consisted of a laager
occupied by the colonial rebels of that part of the country.
Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm of the colonists at the
prospect of action. 'At last!' was the cry which went up from the
Canadians when they were ordered to advance. The result was an
absolute success. The rebels broke and fled, their camp was taken,
and forty of them fell into our hands. Our own loss was slight,
three killed and a few wounded. The flying column occupied the town
of Douglas and hoisted the British flag there; but it was decided
that the time had not yet come when it could be held, and the force
fell back upon Belmont. The rebel prisoners were sent down to Cape
Town for trial. The movement was covered by the advance of a force
under Babington from Methuen's force. This detachment, consisting
of the 9th and 12th Lancers, with some mounted infantry and G troop
of Horse Artillery, prevented any interference with Pilcher's force
from the north. It is worthy of record that though the two bodies
of troops were operating at a distance of thirty miles, they
succeeded in preserving a telephonic connection, seventeen minutes
being the average time taken over question and reply.
Encouraged by this small success, Methuen's cavalry on January 9th
made another raid over the Free State border, which is remarkable
for the fact that, save in the case of Colonel Plumer's Rhodesian
Force, it was the first time that the enemy's frontier had been
violated.
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