The Opelousas courier., 1900-02-24
THE BOER ARMY SYSTEM.
UNIQUE MILITARY ORGANIZATION OF
THE TRANSVAA.

THO Ohiy 4ninS Ahey FSy A'tenCiO" ~
The army and military system OF
the Beers is without parallel in civil
lied countries. They nay be com
pared with the American army and
system of warfare of the early part Of
the Revolution. The burghers have
no military school, no standing army.
They indulge in no expensive expert
ments to keep pace with the up-to-
date ideas in armament; in fact, they
have nothing, apparently, to warrant
the conclusion that they know aught
of the science of wal or are capable of
present. ng q national system of de-
fence or offence. Yet in a remarkably
short time they have shown the world
that they have both knowledge of,
and capacity for, military service, and
their effectiveness has been demon
strated most forcibly.
Practically every man in the Boer
army was following some peaceful
pursuit six months ago. Yet he was
just as capable a soldier then and as
much q part of the national defence
as he is now. The Beers do not be-
lieve in supporting an army in time
of peace. Nature has provided the
country with natural defences that
could not be duplicated by man.
1t was the savage, primarily, who
made the Boer q natural soldier, and
the wild beasts with which his coun-
try abounded enabled him to maintain
his skill with firearms. His free,
open-air life has preserved his
physique and inherent prudence and
discretion have led him to perfect q
military system suitable to the natur-
al conditions under which he exists.
From the time when he is able to
handle a gun until old age impairs
his faculties, the Boer is in constant
practice with the rife. His weapon
changes as distinct steps are taken in
the evolution Of guns. His ancestors
took the matchbox and hintlock to
Africa from Europe, and it has been
replaced as occasion required, or as
advantage was apparent, until today
his rife is of the best. Simultane-
ously with learning to shoot, the Boer
youth takes his place with men of all
ages at the practice meetings, which
are held at stated intervals and which
correspond to the 'training days" Of
American colonial times.
The Transvaa1 republic is divided
into military districts. The command.
ing officer of each is called a weld cor
net field c~ornet), whose troops may
vary in number from less than O COM
pany to a battalion, or even a regi-
ment, of American formation. Usually,
however, the commando. as the bodies
are called, number about 1875 men.
When the cornst decides on q date for
q drill notice is sent to the burghers,
who assemble with their families at
the appointed place and the affair is
made the occasion for q holiday.
Every man in the district capable of
bearing arms is included in the COM
mando. An old Boer with eight or
ten sons, and perhaps several grand
sons, is not an uncommon representa-
ton from one family. Each one has
his own gun and equipments, and all
have horses. Like the minute men
of 1776, they pay no attention to uni
forms, but a certain similarity of
dress gives them q uniform appear
ance. The men are drilled in o simple
fashion, the evolutions being crude,
but applicable to the defence of the
boundaries. Competitive rife prac-
tice is, of course, the most important
part of the drill, and the skill exhib-
tied challenges the admiration of
marksmen. N~inety-fve per cent. of
the Beers capable Of bearing arms
could pass the sharpshooter's test at
Creedmoor with ease.
It has been said that the BoeT does
not shoot as we'll today as he did at
Majuba Hill, but those who know him
best assert that his skill has not
| diminished. The losses of British
officers at Glencoe and Ladysmith
seem to bear out the latter statement.
An officer is a shining mark to the
Boer, for one of his military theories
is that the loss of officers demoralizes
the privates.
Among the Beers themselves officers
are remarkably few IS compared with
the modern army standard. The cor
net, who leads a company, or perhaps,
q regiment, is the first approach to an
American or British commissioned
officer But the cornet is dressed and
equipped like the remainder of the
burghers and uses his rife with as
much effect Heads of families direct
or advise the younger men, but there
is not the elaborate system of officers
that exists in the army Of other civil
lized nations.
AS the system for action is based on
defense rather than aggression, only
general orders are given. Each man
isssupposed to look out for himself
ans his horse, and to fire at will after
the eprd has been given. He can be
relied d to fire rapidly and ac-
curately. HIS rget is the waistband
of the man among the enemy whose
body offers the best shot; officers, of
course, are always preferred. He
knows how to follow up his advantage
if the enemy wavers or retreats and
how to beat 0 stubborn retreat him
sell, if necessary.
While the Boer is extremely coura-
geous and will stand O hot fire with
any soldier, he has two vitality weak
points which will count heavily
against him when the British troops
are ready for decisive engagements.
He has never been trained to with
stand a bayonet charge and has no
system of d~iacinlina. which is an ah-