The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-01

Capt. Carl Reichmann. Seventeenth In
fantry. formerly military attache of the
United States Wszh the BoeF Army il
South Africa. has returned to the United
States. and is preparing an elaborate re-
port of his observations during the war
between Great Britain ana the Trans
vaal Republic. Captain ReichmanR left
ed New York Wednesday He came to
Washington Thursday and reported at the
War Department yesterday He has had
an interesting experience since he left
Manila early in January under orders for
South Africa. He reached Pretoria Feb
ruary 81 and in two days started for the
front Together with a number of Euro
pean attaches he was attached to the
foyces under General De Wet and saw
! considerable active service with that off,
Ger.
Captain Reichmann is very indignant at
the report that he led part of the Boer
forces at the battle of Sannasport last
March Speaking Of this, ne said last
night to a Times reporter: 7 believed
4 the American people had too much faith
/ in the honor of the officers OF the AmeTi-
{ can Army to believe any such ridiculous
/ story. At SannaspOrt 1 was with one OF
! the Dutch attaches and the French at
/ tache. Anyone who knows De Wet knows
I that he would let no man command his
/ troops. He is a remarkable little fighter
I a butcher by trade. / believe; but he
! knows how to keep the British worried y
/ Speaking Of General De Vets recent
! capture OF 400 British al Dewetsaorp Cap
/ tain Reiehmann SAID 1t Was only four or
/ FIVE days after ii e fight at SannasPort
/ that he took geo .8-itish at the same
I place"
Captain Reichmann speaks in the high
4 est terms of the Beers as fighters. Their
methods are different from those of9tbe
| soldiers of other nations. he said. They
are the best marksmen in the world, and
while they have no military organization
which can be called such from high mil
Z itary point OF view their morale IS excel
/ lent and their courage uaexcelled. No
matter how many defeats they may have
| suffered their spirit cannot be broken
| Counting the entire number OF Boer
troops in the Transyaal and the Orange
Free State there we're not over $1,000,
| and no more than g, 9ea were ever II the
field at one time the only standing mill
! tary organization in the 1ransyaal when
| the war broke out was the State Artil-
| Iery. numbering 500 men. yet the Beers
| had no trouble IN soon getting together
a force OF 81 600 men Every man in the
Transvaa1 had a guz and there were
! plenty of horses. They had no infantry,
because all their troops were mounted
and they we're able TO cover large terri
tory At one time a Boer line of only
| 3. coo men stretched fer about forty miles
The British seldom ever attacked except
! when they could do 50 in the ratio OF nTe
! British TO one Boer and it was well that
/ thew did so. The Beers know the country
{ ~ II that AMI
a great deal The British were compelled
10 maintain q supply train system. but
the Beers we're much less hampered N
this respect"
Asked why the cuttiag OF OF the Boer
supplies BY the British had no effect,
CAPTAIN Reichmann replied that the
Beers could live of the country. which
the British could not do Referring
{ again to the morale of the Beers. he
| explained that they stool the British ar
| tillery il excellent shape, notwithstend-
ing their proportion OF artillery TO the
British was about one gun to each British
battery. The Iyddite shells used by the
british were expected to demoralize the
Beers, but according TO Captain Reich
mann it had no such effect. On one oc-
casicn the British shelled Boer position
/ with Lyddite shells until the whole hill
was plowed up and when the British ad-
yanced the Beers we're ready TO meet
them with gaining anu aNEUIdlE IRE
The vaDor from the exploded shells was
very distressing however. as it affected
the throat and lungs of those who breath
ed it. causing in one case man TO loss
: his -oics almost entirely
Captain Raichmann believes that thi
: British have a difficult task before then
IN South Africa. He said: The question
[ of preionging the fighting in South Africs
ems 10 depend upon the Beers The!
5 are a hard people TO understand. The!
? might surrender within a few days. ye
] il would not be surprising if they con
! tinued the fighting until, as General D
}, Wet once expressed il, our children ar
! grown up They have a large country
and their generals know every inch Of j
without a map Botha had the who'll
| country in his head, and never had ;
map.
e t was suggested to Captain Reiehmanl
1 that the British had begun reconcentra
do policy He answered: That is all yer.
god if they can catch the Beers. Sever
measures have no effect upon them. how
ever, and they can keep ta:t of the wa.
| for a long time, If they want to- Whe1
l left there they had 1e,e3e men in tn
field, and from the report OF De Neti
capture it looks as if this force has no
diminished
Captain Reichmann spoke of Presidep
| Kruger in high terms, saying that he va
a vegy smart and energetic old man. VII
had the confidence of almost the entir,
| Roer peopIe