The Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer WarsHenty, G. A. (George Alfred)
History
The Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer Wars
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Transvaal (South Africa) -- History -- War of 1880-1881 -- Juvenile fiction; Zulu War, 1879 -- Juvenile fiction
On the 12th of February an ineffective attempt was made to take the Red
Horse Kraal, seven miles from Pretoria, on the road towards Rustenberg.
The force consisted of twenty-two officers and 533 men. The carabineers
under Captain Sanctuary advanced and attacked a large stone building,
1000 yards from the kraal. They were received by a very heavy fire from
the Boers, who advanced in such strength that Colonel Gildea thought it
prudent to fall back. This movement, covered by the horse, was
effected, the infantry taking no part in the fight. Captain Sanctuary
and eight men were killed; Colonel Gildea and eight others severely
wounded. No further sortie was made during the continuance of the war,
but the Boers did not venture to attack the British position.
The town of Potchefstroom stood in the district most thickly inhabited
by the Boers. On the 14th of December, when it was reported that a
large number of Boers were approaching, Colonel Winsloe, who commanded,
sent Captain Falls with twenty men of the 21st Fusiliers, twenty-six men
of a corps commanded by Commandant Raaff, and sixteen civilian
volunteers to hold the court-house. The jail was garrisoned by twenty
fusiliers, and the fort and earthwork, of some thirty yards square,
situated about 1000 yards from the court-house, was held by 140 men of
the fusiliers and a detachment of artillerymen, with two 9-pounders,
under Major Thornhill. The three posts were provisioned as well as
circumstances permitted.
On the 15th 500 mounted Boers entered the town. On the 16th fighting
began in earnest, and the firing was hot on both sides. A very heavy
fire was kept up on the prison and court-house. Half an hour after it
commenced Captain Falls was killed. For the next sixty hours the firing
continued, night and day, and one of the little garrison was killed and
nine wounded. During the night the Boers broke into a stable close to
the court-house, and from a distance of eight yards a heavy fire was
kept up. During this time Colonel Winsloe in the fort had given what
aid he could to the garrison of the courthouse by shelling the building
from which the Dutch were firing upon it. On the evening of the 17th he
signalled to the garrison to retire on the fort; but, being completely
surrounded, they were unable to do this. On the morning of the 18th the
Boers attempted to set fire to the thatch roof of the court-house; and
as nothing in that case could have saved the garrison, Major Clarke and
Commandant Raaff agreed to surrender on the terms that the lives of all
those in the court-house should be spared. This was agreed to; but two
loyal Boers, who had been captured at an outpost, were tried, condemned
to death, and shot. On the 21st of December the garrison of the prison,
falling short of provisions, evacuated it, and succeeded in gaining the
fort without loss. The Boers occupied the post, but were driven out by
the shell-fire from the fort. Mr Nelson, the magistrate, was taken
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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