Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1900-05-08
ONLY THIRTY,SlX.
commandant Botha, the New
BOer Leader.


Although he was the youngest Of
the noted Boer leaders, Louis 30.
tina the victor of Spion Kop and
Colenso, succeeded General Joubert
in command of the republican
armies. His stoical countrymen
are slow to set up heroes. but his
dramatic achievements commanded
universal admiration and made him
distinctively the popular leader of
the war. He was the popular as
well as the official choice for com
handing general upon the death of
Joubert, and was also mentioned as
a possible candidate for the presi-
dency of the Transvaal Republic.
Botha is only thirty-six, little more
than half the age of Joubert, and,
like most of the Boer leaders, is not
professional soldier, but a raiser
of sheep and cattle, or, as he says,
"a plain farmer" in the Vryheid
District of the Transvaal. He
says he is not a military strategist,
although he has shown that he is
tactician of the first class. He
comes of the best Boer stock, was
born in Greytown, Natal, as a
young man had share in the es-
tablishment Of the Transvaal Re
public, and fought under Lucas
Meyer in the Kafir camp aign with
a success which gave him high
standing as an officer and pointed
to an important command for him
in the present war. He has not re-
manned on his prosperous farms all
the time between his fighting ex-
petitions, but made a civic reputa-
ton as a prominent member of the
Volksroad at Pretoria. He is not
only a very able man, a statesman
as well as soldier, but he has
more cultivation than many of his
associates. His home is distin-
guished from the homes of most Of
the prominent Beers by his fine IL
brary and his wife's grand piano
AS is usual with the Beers of the
better class, he has delightful home
relations, and real helpmeet in
his wife, who is a superior woman.
Personally, he is, like Joubert, a
gentleman in every sense of the
word. One who has. seen him in
the present war describes him as a
man of attractive manners and as
very modest. "Like all Beers, he
is a democrat of democrats, says
another observer, who saw him at
the same time; "and when he told
the story of the battle he was
clothed in a suit of clothing that
might have been dear at ten dollars
when he bought it, He wore no
collar or scarf; an old, stained,
broad-brimmed hat surmounted his
head, and the elbows of his coat
were worn through. Apparently,
be left his flock of sheep, and with
out changing his clothing went to
the battlefield to assume command
of his burghers. He did not seem
to be proud of his victory, and
spoke only of the bravery of the
British soldiers and the injustice Of
the war which made such slaughter
necessary. From one of the men
who went up the hill at Spion Kop,
] learned that General Botha was
one of the first to reach the Summit,
and that be himself took two rifles
from the hands of British soldiers,
one OF whom he knocked to the
ground with the butt end OF his re-
volyer.' Although like all Boer
soldiers. General Botha cares moth
ing for uniform, he dresses very
well ordinarily when be is in Pre-
toria. But the climb up Spion Kor
and the fight on top had spoiled his
clothes. "The Military
Leaders of the Beers" in the
American Monthly Review of Re
views for May.