The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-08

tackled him on September s, defeated him,
and the Boer army was scattered and
completely demoralized- President KTu-
ger fed 70 Lourenzo MARQUEE, the port
OF Portuguese and east Africa, and later
proceeded to Europe on q Dutch warship.
Botha and most Of his men escaped
capture, but Pienaar. with 1900 Beers,
surrendered to Pole-Carew and Ian Ham
iIton, with arms, ammunition and horses.
In the meantime Lord Roberts had is
sued his PROCLAMATION formally annexing
the Transvaal TO the British crown.
Again the British public believed the war
was practically ended. Botha. De Wet.
Steyn. Olivier and Delarey were in hid
ing and Kruger had fed 10 Europe. Lord
Roberts, late in the year, returned to
England TO receive his reward in the
shape of an earldom and the appointment
of commander-in-chief Of the British ar
my. A provisional government was form
ed for the annexed republics, with Lord
Miner as governor. Lord Kitchener was
made commander-in-chief of all British
forces in south Africa. That was in the
closing weeks of the year 1900.
But Great Britain was to face still an
other year Of war with the Beers. The
| military campaign OF the year 1901 was
unlike anything the British army had
contended with in its history. Lord
Kitchener had a force of 100000 men at
his disposal. The Beers were credited
with having a fighting force of not TO ex-
coed 1900. and many estimates placed the
| number even lower than that With 2O0,
600 men Lord Kitchener was baked for a
year by a force of 1900 or less. True. he
faced difficulties perhaps not fully appre-
ciated by the outside world, or even the
people of England.
The war in 1901 had degenerated into a
! guerrilla struggle in which the Beers, al
though fighting heroically against enor-
nous Fodds. were losing steadily. There
was no regular military campaign. The
story can only be told in paragraphs of
detached pieces of information of Brit
| ish losses or successful Boer raids. The
events of the year may be sketched brief
~ as follows:
On January 6 forty British officers and
men were killed or wounded in an engage
ment at Lindley. Orange River Colony.
The month Of February was full of ac-
ton. On the 5rd the Beers captured the
British post at Modderfontein in the
Transvaal. General Louis Botha with
1900 men attacked a British force under
General Smith-Dorien at Orange camp
and was repulsed after hard fighting in
which both sides lost heavily. On the
same day another column of Beers cut
the Delagoa Bay railroad. On the 18th De
Wet crossed the railway and attacked the
British at Bartman's Siding, but was re-
pulsed by the arrival of Colonel Crabbe
and an armored train. On February 10
the Beers blew UP a supply train at Kip
river On February % a battle was
fought at Pet Retief, in which the Beers,
5000 strong, under Botha, were defeated
by General French. In the closing days
Of the month the Beers suffered some
what severely, De Wet force being scat
tered, another party of 300 Beers being
captured by General French at Middle
burg.
on March 1 De Wet was driven north OF
the Orange river after losing $50 men. On
March Lord Kitchener granted General
Botha an armstice of seven days in
which to confer with the Boer leaders in
the field as to the advisability of opening
negotiations for peace Nothing came of
the conference, however, and on March
p the Beers emphasized the renewal of
hostilties by capturing a British supply
train near Vlaklaagte. There were sew
eral minor engagements. and the month
closed with the surrender of Command
ants Prinsloo and Engelbrecht 10 the
British
April was only made notable by the
unsuccessful peace negotiations between
Lord Kitchener and General Botha. May
witnessed but little fighting. On June 3,
Commandant Scheepers came into prom
inence by his raid on Cape Colony. He
had 700 men and for several weeks had
been terrorizing the north part of Cape
Colony. On June Is. however. he was re-
pulsed after a nine hours enga cement at
WilIomore Scheepers and De Wet, how
ever managed to eiude capture until
finally their bands scattered and crossed |
the Orange river. Scheepers continued |
his raiding campaign until he was cap
tured on October p He was accused OF /
numbering seven Kaffirs. and after trial /
was executed early in the present year.
The last serious engagement of the /
year 1901 was between Bothas force and /
Colonel Bensons column on October 81 I
and November !, near Brakenslaagte, in /
the eastern part Of the TransvaaI colony. |
Botha, with a strong force. had started
toward Natal with the intention Of cross /
ing the mountains and again carrying the /
war into the British colony that had seen /
no part OF the struggle since the failure /
of the siege OF Ladysmith He was inter /
cepted. however. by Colonel Benson. I
Botha attacked Benson in binding rain I
storm and made repeated efforts to over /
whelm the British force, charging the {
British lines again and again each time +
being driven back. on the morning Of /
november Colonel Barter. with strong
reenforcements, arrived after an all night (
march The Beers retired. taking with
them two guns captured from the Brit
ish. Colonel Benson had been mortally
wounded during the fight The British
loss was 81 killed and rs wounded. while
the Beers lost - killed aud 1oo wounded.
besides a few prisoners. including Com
mandant Opperman.
At the beginning Of December the ef-
fects Of Lord Kitchener's blockhouse sys-
TEN were becoming evident. The Boer
bands were no longer able 10 roam over
vast areas at will. The great number II
their small commands. however. made
pursuit and capture difficult
There were seventy or these hanas IN
different parts Of the country during the
last months Of the war-twcnty- six in the
Transvaal. thfrty-one in The Orange
River colony. and thirteen in Cape Col
ony. Under Delarey eight hands were
scattered through the western Transvaal-
Ben vn5oen. with 20 men. was north Of
the Pretoria and Delagoa Bay railroad.
South q that railroad in the Transvaai
Botha had eleven bands. near lake
Chrissle. De Wet, with a large number