The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-04
COMMANDANT BOTEA.


young man yet, pelnS ABOUT seven AM
thirty years of age. He is a fine fig
ure of man." standing in the neigh
borhood of six feet in his boots His
face Is handsome, intellectual and de-
termined his expression kindly and
compassionate The razor never touch
es his face, but his brown beard is al
ways neatly trimmed, for the young
commandments is particular in
regard to his personal appearance i'm a
manly way, though in no respect fop-
pish. He is now, and always has been
an excellent athlete, a good rifle shot
and a ffrst-class horseman, not given at
any time to indoor pastimes overmuch,
though fond of a quiet game of whist.
He was born in Natal, of Dutch pa
rents, and married Miss Emmett, rela-
tive of Robert Emmett, the Irish reVolu-
Zionist. Young Botha was educated al
Greytown, and though a good sound
commercial scholar, he gave no evil
dence in his schoolboy days of what
was in him. No one who knew him
then would have dreamed that before
he was forty years of age he would be
the foremost soldier of his country.
His folks We're moderately well off, but
the adventurous spirit of the future
general 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 making war on a powerful negro
tribe in the neighborhood of Vryheid.
During the fighting young Botha was
his generals right hand man, display
ing even at that early age cool, level
head and stout heart. When the
Beers were firmly settled upon the land
Vryheid was declared a republic, and
Lucas Meyer was elected first presi
dent. But the new republic lasted only
about three years, and was then, by
mutual consent, merged into Transvaal
territory, and both Lucas Meyer and
Louis Botha We're 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 pos
sessed the coolest and most level head
in the Volksraad. He opposed the war,
and with prophetic eye foresaw the
awful devastation of his country which
would follow in the footsteps Of the
British army But when the sime
came, and his country was irretrieva-
bly, pledged to war, he was not the man
to hang back. He was one of those
who had much to lose and little indeed
n;,, l bob
for by honest industry he had become
Wealthyfarmer 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
Vryheid as commandant under General
Lucas Meyer 1t Is said that at the
battle 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
Louis Botha fiercely combated 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 Ithe Tu-
gea before the first big battle took
place General Meyer was taken i'll and
had to retire to Pretoria, and Louis Bo-
tina was then elected assistant general,
and the planning of the battle was left
entirely to him.
1t was a terribly responsible position
to place so young man in, for he was
face to face with the then commander
in-chief of the British army, Sir Red
vers Butler, a general of dauntless de-
termination and undoubted ability. Ex-
perience, men, guns and all the NUM-
tons of war were in favor of the Brit |
ish general, but the awful nature of the |
country was upon the side of the new
ly 1edged Boer leader, and he made |
terrible use of it. The day Of Colenso, !
when Sir Redvers Butler received his
first decisive shock, win not soon be
forgotten n the annals of our army. A
man of weaker fibre than the British |
leader would have been daunted by the
disasters of that day, for there he lost |
Ten guns and a large number 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 been over
that battle ground, and have looked at
the positions taken by Louis Botha.
They were chosen with cunsummate
skill, born OF a thorough knowledge of
the nature of the country and inherent
/ have looked at the country Sir Red
yers Butler had to pass through to get
1t his wise and skilful adversary. The
nan who dared make the attempt that
3uller made must have had nerves of
steel and soul that would not blench
f ordered to storm the very gates of
1ades. The worst fighting ground
hat | saw in all the Free State was
nut mockcry of war compared to the
;round around Colenso, and I have seen
ome terrible places in the Free State.
BUT a man has to see the ground Butler
ought in to realize the magnitude of
he task he set himself at the beginning
f the war.
That battle of Colenso made young
.ouis Botha famous, and from that
our the eyes of the burghers were
urned toward him as the one man fit
o lead them. At Spion Kop, when the i,
.oer leader, Schalk Burger, vacated the
plendid position he had been ordered
o take up, Louis Botha's genius
rasped the mighty import of the stu