The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-01
Returned United States Army Of
ficcr Discusses Beers and
Their Patriotism.
BURGHERS ARE DETERMINED.
Captain Reichmann Says the Pres
ont Guerrilla Warfare May BE
Continued Indefinitely
=. He Took No Part.

Washington. Nov. 31.-C3ptain Carl
Reichmann Of the Seventeenth Infantry.
who was detailed by the War Department
to report on the operations Of the Boer
forces in the South African War. has re-
turned to Washington to prepare his report
and collate the Information gathered.
Captain Reichmann's experience was va
ried and interesting. During the month Of
March he was with General De Vets army.
For several succeeding months, he him
self expressed it. he shifted for himself
until after the fall of Pretoria then Joined
the forces of General Louis Botha. the
Commander-ir-Chisf in the Transvaal Re
public. With him much Of the time were
the attaches from the Russian. French
Norwegian ard Dutch nations.
''It is difficult Captain Reichmann said
tonight. in interview with an Asso-
ciated Press reporter. "to foretell what the
Beers are going to do. Whether they will
continue their desultory fighting or not Is
a question that is yet difficult to answer.
DE Vets Patriotic Motto.
General DE Vets motto is to fight until
our children grow up for Independence. and
1t begins to look as II the Beers might be
working that way now. They are per
sisten,. obstinate people. crude and simple
hunters from Kentucky and Tennessee, and
willing to undergo hardship.
''They are different from the ordinary or
Eanized soldiers, and the severe repressiVe
measures adopted by the British in their
effort to stamp out the Beers and their
homes evidently had TO serious effect on
their. They started in the war without
military training. except limited number.
500 from the Transvaal and about SO or 100
from the Orange Free State. They have
stood the rigors of the campaign we'll
81 have the figures showing the casualties
of the Boer forces. but they are not aValla-
BILE Just now. Fffty-twO thousand men. in
all, were furnished by the Boer Republics 70
carry on the war, but not more than 3oWp
of this number were in the field at any one
time OF these probably lo.0oo are still IN
the field. keep,ng up the warfare against
the British. When fights occurred between
the contending forces 1t was usually IN the
ratio of at least five British to one Boer
The latter were good shots. and the Brit
ish usually attacked in the open. which
probably accounts for the relatively smaller
number of men the Beers lost.
Long, Thin BOcr Line.
For a distance of forty miles a small
force of about 5000 would be stretched out
In line.
"The contest now being carried on is
guerrilla warfare. Until the Beers lost the
on regular warfare. moving their base
along the railroad. In many respects the
Beers have advantages. as they can live on
the country, which the British cannot do.
You must remember. In speaking Of south
Africa, that il Is very sparsely settled
country. with farms many miles apart. For
this reason the people are widely sspa-
rated, and IL the British Government In
tends to put into effect any. reconcentrado
policy as has been suggested. very large
force Of men will be necessary to occupy
the country
Captain Reichmann entered vigorous
denial of the charge that at the fighting
at Sennes Post he had led the Beers In
the contest with the British. He declared
that any intimation OF this kind was with
out foundation IN fact, and said the cir
culation OF the report has been 4 source
of great concern to him. During the fight
ing of three hours he was in the company
of the Dutch and French attaches.