Description
By Christiaan De Wet
Written by one of the most famous Second Boer War guerrilla leaders, this dramatic work provides a first hand account of many of the great events of that conflict, written from the losing side’s perspective.
Appointed “fighting general” at the start of the war, De Wet reveals his plans and strategies used in man of the most famous battles of the war-including Nicholson’s Nek, Ladysmith, Paardeberg, Sanna’s Post, and many more.
After the British had occupied all the major Boer settlements, the war then switched to a hard-fought guerilla conflict-a tactic at which De Wet excelled. After harassing the British forces for over two years, De Wet shows how the Boer forces were finally forced to surrender-after the civilian population was interned in concentration camps.
This book also contains a full transcript of the last meetings of the Boer commanders just before the end of the war, in which it is revealed that there were only 15,000 men left in the field (fighting a Briths force of 250,000), and discussed the plight of the Boer women and children in the concentration camps. The conclusion they drew was to fight on and be utterly exterminated as a people, or surrender and be subjected to British rule.
This edition contains the complete original text. A newly-added biography of the author includes De Wet’s exploits after the war, including his participation in the unsuccessful armed Boer Rebellion of 1914.
About the author:
Christiaan Rudolph de Wet (1854-1922) first gained military prominence with his leadership at the famous 1881 Battle of Majuba. His natural military leadership genius soon saw him promoted to “fighting general,” a post he held to the end of the Second Boer War. After that conflict, he played a prominent role in Boer politics, which ended with his participation in the unsuccessful armed Boer Rebellion of 1914. He was buried at the foot of the Women’s Memorial in Bloemfontein.
Table of Contents
About the Author
Author’s Preface
Chapter 1: I Go on Commando as a Private Burgher
Chapter 2: Nicholson’s Nek
Chapter 3: Ladysmith Besieged
Chapter 4: I am Appointed Vechtgeneraal
Chapter 5: The Overwhelming Forces of Lord Roberts
Chapter 6: Paardeberg
Chapter 7: The Wild Flight from Poplar Grove
Chapter 8: The Burghers Receive Permission to Return to their Homes
Chapter 9: Sanna’s Post
Chapter 10: Four Hundred and Seventy English taken Prisoner at Reddersburg
Chapter 11: An Unsuccessful Siege
Chapter 12: The English Swarm over our Country
Chapter 13: Our Position at the End of May, 1900
Chapter 14: Roodewal
Chapter 15: I Make Lord Kitchener’s Acquaintance
Chapter 16: Bethlehem is Captured by the English
Chapter 17: The Surrender of Prinsloo
Chapter 18: I am Driven into the Transvaal
Chapter 19: I Return to the Free State
Chapter 20: The Oath of Neutrality
Chapter 21: Frederiksstad and Bothaville
Chapter 22: My March to the South
Chapter 23: I Fail to Enter Cape Colony
Chapter 24: Wherein Something is Found About War against Women
Chapter 25: I Again Attempt to Enter Cape Colony
Chapter 26: Darkness Proves my Salvation
Chapter 27: Was Ours a Guerrilla War?
Chapter 28: Negotiations with the Enemy
Chapter 29: President Steyn’s Narrow Escape
Chapter 30: The Last Proclamation
Chapter 31: Blockhouses and Night Attacks
Chapter 32: My Commando of Seven Hundred Men
Chapter 33: A Success at Tweefontein
Chapter 34: I Cut my Way Through Sixty Thousand Troops
Chapter 35: I go to the Transvaal with President Steyn
Chapter 36: Peace Negotiations
Chapter 37: The End of the War
Appendix A: Report of the Meeting of the General Representatives Held at Vereeniging, in the South African Republic, on the 15th of May, 1902, and the Following Days
Appendix B: The Conference at Pretoria Between The Commission of the National Representatives and Lords Kitchener and Milner (May 19-28, 1902)
Appendix C: Minutes of the Meeting of the Special National Representatives at Vereeniging, South African Republic, Thursday, the 29th of May, 1902, and the Following Days.
386 pages
ISBN Softcover
9781647644321
ISBN Hardcover
9781647644321
