The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-04-20

lSWNHN M -" IN ain army In
4 NTyflSs8N check at Bloem-
WN/O ~. Ifontein and Bull
FVI/I/ Ter at astandstill
IN = before the ORA
kenberg passes north Of Ladys1nith the
Beers could well insist that, from
purely military point of view, the war
had just begun. AS the main Boer
forces concentrated upon the proper
lines of defense of the Transyaal after
abandoning the sieges of Ladysmith
and Kimberley the natural strength of
their positions entered into the problem
of how long they could hold off the
British and what fighting Lord Roberts
must face before adding another ami
versary to the glories of England.
According to dispatches, the Beers
seem to be in force at Bloemhof, on the
Vaal river. due west from kroonstad
100 miles. They are also on the Big
garsburg mountains in northern Natal,
covering Glencoe and the road to
Laingsnek and Majuba Hill. the main
pass in that region to the Transvaal.
Winston Churchill has stated that the
Beers have massed 10000 soldiers on
that mountain and that they are well
supplied with heavy guns. The Big
garsburg, then, may be considered the
Boer left and Bloemhof. on the Vaal,
the Boer right.
From the Biggarsburg the high
mountains extend in northwesterly
direction along the Transvaal border
to the point where the railway from
Bloemfontein to Pretoria passes
through-that is. north of Kroonstad
From the Biggarsburg again the Ora
kenberg range of mountains extends
in a southwesterly direction along the
border of the Orange Free State be
yond Bloemfontein. The few passes
through this range in the hands of the
Beers form outposts to the main Boer
line of defense. which, Strategeticaily,
is in the mountains forming the south
ern border of the Transvaal. The right
of the Boer line, facing east on the
Drakenberg range, is about Ficks-
burg, a point IS miles east by north of
Bloemfontein and 100 miles due south
of Kroonstad. Ficksburg lies in mar
row pass between the Drakenberg
and succession of mountains extend
ing all the way to Kroonstad and pro-
viding barrier after barrier to the
march of the British nolthward. An
unbrollen chain reaches from Ficks-
burg northwest to the Vet river, which
carries the line of-defense on to the
Boer right at Bloemhof. Geographical
ly. then, kroonstad is just in advance
of the center of the main Boer line of
defense running between Bloemhof
and Majuba Hill along the Transvaal
border. and Ficksburg is geographical
ly the center of the outer line, resting
it's tanks on the same points, but de-
scribing sharp angle with it's apex
at Ficksburg.
With control of the pass at Ficks-
burg Lord Roberts might send a strong
force through and get in rear of the
passes of the Drakenberg range, COM
polling the Beers there to retire and
thus open the way for junction be-
tween his force and that under Butler
north of Ladysmith. After taking
Bloemfontein Roberts sent out strong
detachments to threaten the pass at
Ficksburg The little affairs at Brand
fort and on the retreat of the British
from Thaba Nchu at the close of March
and beginning of April were the results
of movements to observe the Beers
covering Ficksburg. Brandfort, on the
railroad north of Bloemfontein, and
Ladybrand, 80 miles east Of Bloemfon-
tein and at the foot of the Dralen-
berg range, were the left and right of
the British outpost facing Ficksburg.
Ladybrand was evacuated at the APP
proach of Beers moving north from
Cape Colony toward the rear of this
outer line.
Along little valley winding among
the mountains southeast of Kroonstad
there is railway extending to Van
Reenen's pass in the Biggarsburg
range, and if Roberts could seize it,
which would be feasible after forcing
the pass at Ficksburg, he would have
railway communications with Durham
through Ladysmith, line of commune
cation 400 miles shorter than that from
Cape Town and $50 shorter than the
one from Port Elizabeth via Bloem-
fontein. 1t is plain then that the Beers
by holding on to the passes of the
Drakenberg and the stretch Of noun
tains in the angle of the Orange Free
State south of Kroonstad prevent a
junction of forces between Roberts at
Bloemfontein and Butler at Ladysmith.
Moreover, they are covering the richest
agricultural region in all the Orange
Free State-that is, the well watered
wales between the mountains.