Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-12-12
C0MMAHDAHT BoTHA.
Pen Picture Of the Brave Young Leader Of the

Louis Botha, who has cut so deep a
mark in the pages of history, is only a
young man yet, being about seven and
thirty years of age. He Is fine figure
of a man." standing in the neighbor-
hood of six feet in his boots. His face
is handsome, intellectual and deter
mined, his expression kindly and COM
passionate. The razor never touches
his face, but his brown beard is always
neatly trimmed, for the young COM
mandant-general is particular in re-
gard to his personal appearance in a
manly way, though in measure fool
ish. He is now, and always has been,
an excellent athlete, good rifie-shot
and a first-class horseman, not given
at anytime to indoor pastime over
much, though fond Of a quiet game Of
whist. He was born In Natal, of Dutch
parents, and married Miss Emmet,
relative Of Robert Emmet, the Irish
revolutionist. Young Botha was edu-
Gated at Greytown, and though good
sound commercial scholar, he gave no
evidence in his schoolboy days of what
was IN him. No one who knew him
then would have dreamed before he
was 40 years of age he would be the
foremost soldier Of his country. His
folks were moderately we'll off, but the
adventurous spirit Of the future gene
raj sent him inland from Natal when
a large number of Natal and Free State
Beers enlisted under the flag Of General
Lucas Meyer, who was bent upon war,
on powerful Negro tribe in the neigh
borhood Of Vryheld. During the fight
ing young Botha was his generals right
hand man, displaying even at that ear
ly age a cool, level head and a stout
heart. When the Beers were firmly
settled upon the land, Vryheld was re-
clared a republic, and Lucas Meyer
was elected first president. But the
new republic lasted only about three
years, and was then, by mutual con-
sent, merged into Transvaal territory,
and both Lucas Meyer and Louis
isotha were elected members Of the
Volksraad. Louis Botha retained his
seat right up to the time hostilities
broke out between Great Britain and
the republics under Mr.. Kruger and
Mr.. Steyn.
During the many stormy scenes
which preceded the actual declaration
of war, Louis Botha proved that he
possessed the most level head in the
Volksraad. He opposed the war. and
with prophetic eye foresaw the awful
devastation which would follow II
the footsteps Of the British army.
But when the time came and his
country was irretrievably pledged to
war, he was not the man to hang
back. He was one of those who had
much to lose, and little indeed to
gain by taking up arms against us,
for by honest industry he had become
a wealthy farmer and stock breeder.
At the first call to arms he threw aside
his senatorial duties and took up his
rifle, rejoining his old commando at
Vryheld as commander under General
Lucas Meyer. 1t is said that at the bat
tie of Dundee, General Meyer, feeling
convinced that the god Of battles had
decided against him and his forces, de-
cided to surrender to the British; but
Lucas Botha flercely combatted his gen.
erals decision and point blank refused
to throw down his arms or counsel his
men to do so. What followed all the
world knows, and Botha went up very
high in the estimation Of the better
class of fighting burghers. At the
Tugela, before the first big battle took
place, General Meyer was taken Ill, ana
had to retire to Pretoria, and Louis
Botha was then elected assistant gen
eral, and the planning of the battle was
left entirely to him.
It was a terribly responsible position
to place so young man In, FOR ne was
face to face with the commander-ln-
chief of the British army, Sir RedVers
Butler. a general of dauntless deter
mination and undoubted ability. Ex-
perience, men, guns and all the NUM-
tions Of war were in favor or the
British general; but the awful nature
of the country was upon the side OF the
newly fiedged Boer leader, and ne mace
terrible use Of it. The day of Colenso,
when Sir Redvers Butler received his
first decisive shock, will not soon pe
forgotten in the annals Of our army.
A man of weaker fibre than the BRUSH
leader would have been daunted py the
disaster of that day, for there ne lost
ten guns and a large unmber OF men,
But Butler carried in his blood all the
old grit of our race, and the heavier
the check the more his soul was set
upon ultimate victory. / have peen
over that battle ground, and nave
looked at the positions taken by Louis
Botha. They were chosen with con-
summate skill, born of a thorough
knowledge of the nature OF the coun-
try and inherent generalship.
I have looked at the country Sir Red-
yers Butler had to pass through to get
at his wise and skillful adversary. The
man who dared make the attempt that
Butler made must have nerves of steel
and a soul that would not blanch II
ordered to storm the very gates or
Hades. The worst fighting ground that
I saw in all the Free State was but
mockery of war compared to the
ground around Colenso. and l have
seen some terrible places in the Free
State. But man has to see the ground
Butler fought on to realize the magn1-
tude of the task he set himself at the
beginning of the war.
The battle Of Colenso made young
Louis Botha famous, and from that
hour the eyes of the burghers were
turned toward him as the man mt
to lead them. AS Spion Kop, when the
Boer leader, Schalk Berger, vacated the
splendid position he had been ordered
to keep up, Louis Botha's genius
grasped the mighty import of the insti-
tuition, and he at once realized that
Schalk Burger had blundered terribly,
and 1t was he who retook those posi-