[Illustration: J.Y.F. BLAKE Colonel Boer-Irish Brigade at time of general surrender in June, 1902.] A WEST POINTER WITH THE BOERS Personal Narrative of COLONEL J.Y.F. BLAKE, _Commander_ of the IRISH BRIGADE 1903 Angel Guardian Press, Boston Copyright, 1903 Colonel J.Y.F. Blake Dedicated TO THE MEMORY OF THE TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND BOER WOMEN AND CHILDREN MURDERED IN THE ENGLISH PRISON CAMPS OF SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE ANGLO-BOER WAR. 1899-1902 Introduction. Friends have advised me to say a little something about myself, by way of a beginning, and to please them, I will commence with the statement that I was born in the State of Missouri, in 1856, and waked up on a horse and cattle ranch on the plains of Denton County, Texas. At least, here it was that I first saw light, as far as I can remember. As I grew up I learned to ride the Texas pony, and became fairly well acquainted with the character and habits of horses and cattle, by having, year after year, to look after them, and see that none strayed away. Happy were those days of loneliness and ignorance spent on those far-stretching plains, where roamed hundreds of thousands of horses, cattle and buffalo! In 1871, my father started me to school at the Arkansas State University, at Fayetteville. In 1876, while still at the University, I received the cadet appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, through the kindness of Hon. Thomas M. Gunter, M.C., an old friend of my father. I entered the Academy in September, of the same year, and graduated in June, 1880. I was assigned as 2nd Lieutenant of the 6th U.S. Cavalry stationed in Arizona. I passed through the Apache wars, serving first under General Wilcox, then under General Crook, and lastly under Gen. Nelson A. Miles. General Crook put me in command of the Apache Indian scouts, and with them I roamed about the mountains till 1885, when my troop was ordered to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. I passed through the Infantry and Cavalry school, and, on being promoted to the rank of 1st. Lieutenant in 1887, was ordered to Fort Wingate, New Mexico. Now General Miles put me in command of the Navajo Indian scouts. The Indians remained quiet and peaceful on their reservations. Post life became monotonous, and I resigned in 1889. I went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to try my hand in business, but soon found that the "tricks of the trade" were too deep for me, so I made up my mind to go to South Africa, where the gold mining prospects were attracting adventurous men from every part of the world. Preface. I wish the following pages to be considered as a simple narrative of some of the important events of the Anglo-Boer War and a very terse and unpolished narrative at that. I have endeavored to tell the truth in as brief a way as possible and, to speak the truth again, I believe I have been too brief in many instances.