Washington sentinel., 1900-12-15
Louis BothA.

: alton OF war LOUIS Botha proved
that he possessed the coolest snc
. most level head in the Volksraad
He opposed the war, and witt
. prophetic eye foresaw the awtu
devastation oil his country which
would follow in the footsteps oI
the British army. But when the
time came, and his country was
irretrieVablY pledged to war, he
was not the man 20 hang back,
He was one oil those who had
much to lose and little indeed to
gain by taking up arms, 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 Vryheid as COM
mandant under General Lucas
Never. 1t is said that at the battle
Of Dundee General Meyer, feeling
con yinced that the god oi battles
had decided against him and his
forces, decided to surrender TO the
British, but Louis Botha 6ercelY
combated his generals decision
and point blank refused to throw
down his arms or to counsel his
men to do so. What followed all
the world knows, and Botha vent
up very high in the estimation Of
the better class of fighting buTgh-
ers. AT the Tugela before the first
battle took place General Meyer
was taken i'll and had to retire to
Pretoria, and Louis Botha 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 a man
IN, for he was face to face with the
then Commander in Chief OF the
British army, Sir RedVers Butler,
general Of dauntless determina-
ton and undoubted ability. Ex-
perience, men, guns and all the
munitions Of war were in favor OF
the British general, but the awful
nature OF the country was upon the
side Of the newlY fledged Bosr
leader, and he made terrible use
OF it. The day oil Colenso, when
Sir Redvers Butler received his
first decisive ho:k, will not soon
be forgotten in the annals OF the
British army. p. 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 large number
oil men. But Butler carried in his |
blood all the old grit Of the British |
race, and the heavier the check
the more his soul was set on ulti
mate victory. / have been over
that battle ground, says A. G. |
Hales, in London NezVS, and have
looked at the positions taken BY |
Louis Botha. They were chosen
with consummate skill, born OF a J
thorough knowledge OF the nature
ot the country and inherent gen.
eralship.
The worst fighting ground in all |
the Free State was but a mock |
cry Of war compared to Colenso,
But a man has to see the ground |
Butler fought in to realize the
magnitude OF the task he set him
self at the beginning OF the war.
That battle OF Colenso made
young Louis Botha famous, and |
from that hour the eyes Of the
BuTghers were turned toward him
as the one man fit to lead them.
AT Spion Kop, when the Boer
leader, Schalk Burger, vacated the
splendid position he had been or
dered to take up, Louis Botha's
genius grasped the mighty import
OF the situation, and he at once
realized that Schalk Burger hal
blundered terribly, and il was he
who retook those positions with
such disastrous nIequences to
the British forces. His fame spread |
far and near, and his name became
a thing to conjure with. When
the Commandant General of the
Boer army, General Joubert, Law
dying, he was asked who was the
best man to fill his place. And he,
the gray veteran, did not hesitate
for a second, but with his dying
breath gasped out the name OF
Louis Botha. The Boer Govern
ment promptly appointed him to
the position, and from that day to |
this he has been the paramount |
military power in the Boer lines.
He Is not the only one Of his line |
fighting under the Transvaal flag. |
There have been four other
brothers in the field. AS a soldier |
Louis Botha has proved himself |