This homage from the Russian and Dutch attachés to the memory of our
great compatriot touched us deeply.
On the 10th one of Ganetzki’s men was killed in a reconnaissance. Comte
Ganetzki had his day of Parisian celebrity in connection with La belle
O----.
On the 11th I had a telegram from Wrangel:
’I reached here (Hoopstad) at 5.30 this evening, with five men. The
English are at Knappiesfontein, an hour and a half’s march from Boshof.
There are no Burghers at Hoopstad. I shall start for Boshof to-morrow,
and send you a report later on. I await your orders.’
I at once communicate this news to General P. Botha. He believes that
the environs of Hoopstad are occupied by the Burghers, and that the
English will march upon Smaldeel to cut off communication (April 12).
Events proved him to have been entirely mistaken; but I might have
talked to him for hours without altering his convictions an iota.
Cannon had been thundering all the evening in the distance, but we had
not been able to determine in what direction they were. On April 13,
Commandant Delarey, brother of the General, was appointed honorary
commander of the European Legion--’honorary’ because he could not act
save in concert with the heads of the different corps--Rittmeister
Illich for the Austro-Hungarians, Captain Lorentz for the Germans,
myself for the French.
An official telegram announces that General de Villebois was buried at
Boshof with military honours. Lord Methuen was present, and the
prisoners of the Legion were represented. There was even a funeral
oration, to which Breda replied.
In the engagement of April 5 there had been 11 killed, the General being
one, and 51 wounded, out of 68. The rest had been made prisoners.
_Easter Day_, 1900.--A second telegram from Wrangel, dated from
Hoopstad, reports as follows:
’1. Braschel (a former officer of the German artillery) informs us that
10,000 men and 700 cavalry are marching from Boshof on Bultfontein. He
counted thirty-six gun-carriages, cannon, and waggons.
’2. There are about 700 Burghers at Landslaagte.’
On the 16th, we take horse at noon with every man available to join
Kolby. This excellent General, one of the best men that ever lived, is
not remarkable for the originality of his combinations. He witnessed
our arrival with delight, smiling--he is always smiling--received us
very cordially, and asked us what we had come for! He had had no
instructions about us; however, it was all the same to him whether we
slept there or elsewhere, so we remained. We came in for a perfect
deluge of rain all night, and at four the next morning we started to
take up a position with Delarey’s, Botha’s, and Kolby’s commandos.
We number from 1,000 to 1,200 Burghers, with two Creusot guns, a Krupp
and a Nordenfeldt.
At 4.30 in the evening, orders are given to retire to the different
camps. We arrive at 10 o’clock.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account