| Show I THE BOER GENERALS CRITICISED Notes of a French Officer in the Transvaal If the English Generals at time beginning of the south African campaign UKton Ishcd I the world with their Incompetence and were beaten In nearly every encounter encoun-ter by a numerically Inferior enemy Limp Boer chiefs who were opposed to them havo shown that they were perhaps ivorso fltlll and they are In a large measure mea-sure responsible for time revenues vhlch have delivered their country to tho Invader In-vader Of course Ihey have the excuse of not being professional military men many of them never saw war They were called suddenly from their farms Co direct I the march of several thousand undisciplined undisci-plined men totally devoid of military instruction In-struction Elected by the burghers from the corporal to the Commandant General these Boer olllcors havo no other Authority I Author-ity than that which their men chose to give Ijiem It was my good fortune to bo present at ono of these elections in the corps of volunteer scouls to which I belonged I Tho Commimrant the chief of the corps was haunted somewhat by European Ideas and ho wanted to havo a Captain nnd two Lieutenants appointed in addition addi-tion to tho three corporals already elected I lie notified hlH men and it tho appointed hour a blast of a whistle caused all to assemble around their chief Thcro Is nothing solemn In such a meeting The electors gather In a circle somo TandlnK UD sonic Ivlnc down and others alltlns on their heelsT Kafilr fashion Then tho I I pipes arc lighted I In this case the Commandant from the cent > r of the circle after reminding his men briefly that they should always beth be-th first to attack and Ihc last to retreat explained tho object of time meeting Jm mediately a tall blond Boer who was well liked by his comrades for his numerous j I I exploits arose and In the name of all J the volunteers protested against the dee J lion of1 any Lieutenants the utility of i such officers not being apparent The Commandant accepted this decision without with-out discussion Ho then asked for an adjutant ad-jutant hat for asked the volunteers If tho corps should bo divided In tho course of a reconrolssanco i should need I a man to transmit my orders wan the answer This explanation seeming satisfactory an adjutant was chosen by tho Command aim ant t It then remained to choose a Captain Every man had the right to nominate a candidate Immediately every one shout cd out I nominate yo and so When tho confusion had subsided two names were picked out but ono of tho men I named declined at onco to accept a nomination nom-ination because ho had Just obtained a j I ten days leave of absence to visit his wife and children All hands were then I raised In i favor of the other man who was no other than tho tall blond fellow who I had Just rejected the proposals of his I chief Then the Commandant announced the close of the discussion which had degenerated de-generated Into shouts in English of I Three cheers for the Commandant Our unfortunate chief had to be content with being carried to his tent upon the shoulders I shoul-ders bf his men Another limo I was coming hack from a I I I reconnolssanco with ono of the cavalrymen cavalry-men of this samo corps and ho vas complaining com-plaining of being very tired not having gone to bed until 2 o clock in the morn f I Ing find beIng obliged to turn out at 3 I end gel Into the saddle As I expressed astonishment at lImo laloness of the hour he told me time election of ihe chief of I i the fraction of tho army lo which we belonged hud taken place tho day before I be-fore I orThoro was an equal number of voles for each of tho candidates ho continued contin-ued and we had somewhat of a discussion I discus-sion but this Limo enlightenment did not spring from discussion for our chief was an old mine director a naturalized Kn I Rllshman who was certainly more at homo In his ofllco than In the saddle as he seemed to bo as much afraid oC his hOMO as of the enemy Unfortunately events have proven that In lie selection of men for the hiphcr grade offices and especially for the office of General errors have been commuted similar to the one made In tIme case dc scribed by my companion Even In times I of peace there Is nothing that can guide tho burghers In their voting They generally gen-erally choso rich and educated farmers I or else some of tho men that distinguished Ihemselves during the war of indpcndcncu of twenty years ago Theso old Beers of 1SS1 mako war as much with the Bible as with arms Every order Is accompanied with u verso from Scripture mid In the Twentyseventh Psalm If I am not mistaken mis-taken there Is I a passage that has done moro for tho English than all that has been accomplished by lyddlto and Gen lCCCnJIJlISh passage Is to time effect thai you shall not kill an enemy who If I nol attacking you Ibo English army has been saved several times by these few words of tho Old Testament Recently tho Dally Mall Itself published the account of the retreat of the ° Ix bat tallois of Col Thorn > rcroft after tate battle at Spion Kop they could not repast re-past time Tugcla river without pet tine In range of four Boer cannon which Gen Joubort refused to have fired Three months before that the Commandant Gonoral had showed a goodness of heart which had Important results of a very different kind At the battle of Nichol sons Nek GCn White was utterly defeated de-feated and half of his left wing being surrounded by the commancios of dc Vrede and of Harrlsmllh surrendered the other half tied Thereupon the rest of the army retired In the greatest disorder Thy Long Toms of tho Boers an eyewitness eyewit-ness tolls me wero ploughing furrows through the English columns and tho commnnlos of Lucas Meyer and of rjotha wero coming douu from Lombards Kop lu cut off tho retreat of the enemY when tho GoneralinChlef had tho artillery tire stopped iMid also thy 1 offensive movement of his left wing To tho pleading of LIme other Generals ho answered Lat do kerls loopen let those fellows run If Botha had been In command then the English army would have been destroyrcd tho siege of Ladysmlth would never have taken place and maybe thc Boers would havo reached Durban before Gen Bullers army of relief On tIme side of the Orange Free State Gon Plot Cronju commuted errors similar simi-lar to those made by Joubert in Natal The stubbornness of this old Boer was equaled only by his fatuity When the European ofilcors advised him to attack Klmborlcy which was defended only by a thousand volunteers ho answered shrugging his shoulders I was a General Gen-eral when you were babes In your mothers moth-ers arms Besides whats the use of risking the lives of my burghers Tie Lord will surely cause ho fall of a town that holds within Us walls the worst oran or-an monsters JIo referred to Cecil Rhodes After having repulsed Lord Methuen at Magersfomoln ho would not follow up his victory nor would he attack the English camp which was filled with discouraged I soldiers who were almost In mullny and who would not salute their General And when two months later Gen Frenchs I cavalry passed at a few miles distance from his left whit lo make a dush byway by-way of Koffyfontein to deliver Kimberly although he had notice of this movement of the enemy Cronjo refused lo budwo eouskleriMT It Impossible that an English multi a should iaas where he Crouje did nut want him to pass 1lniilly when af tor ho was surrounded at Paardoberg two veldt kernels succeeded in cutting a pus sago for him they urged him to take advantage ad-vantage of II but the only answer he had for them was Look out for yourselves your-selves and Ill look out for m elfIn elf-In tho end however ho earned Coglve ncsa for all his faults by tho heroism of Ills desperate defense Unfortunately as much cannot be said for another General whoso incompetence did frightful damage to tho army of Natal Na-tal Gen Lucas Meyer is tho only vecht Genoraal except Col VIllebolsMareull who received his command from the Government Gov-ernment without having been elected by tho burghers Physically ho Is ono of time handsomest men In South Africa lie la sIx feet tall and formed in proportion and his long gray beard makes him look llko a patriarch of sacred history llo IKivl I ii Innr I linn In lie nolirhlirtrlmnd I ff I Vrlhcld i on tho 7ulu and Swazl l1t rand r-and ho has the reputation of bciig of all time white men the ono that best speaks tio different native tongues So ho became be-came counsellor oC several unlive ICings and conlrlbuled to a great degree to time annexation to the Transvaal of tho New 1 Republic In 18SO and of Swaziland in 10 I cent years It was these successes so lilllo military In their character which caused him to bo appointed General and In time dls chnrgo of his new duties ho ohowcd himself him-self I to be equally unskillful and uncour I UKooua It was his fault that tho XXX Lngllsh from Dundoo succeeded in rcach lag Liulyumltli by an almost Impassable rod otx which 100 men would have been I able to stop th6m I Later It was upon lila advlco that despite thcrnleadlng of Botha iho Tight bank of thuS Tugula was aban doned and that tho superb positions at Colenso which time English hod boon al i tucking unsuccessfully for three months foil Into the hands of the latter without a struggle Lastly ho allowed himself I tobo turned by Sir Redvers Bullet at Jldlpmnkaar IlkpCronjc at Koffeyioutcln The day beforo this happened ho watchwl t tho English army marching on time plain I of Pomcroy and ho would not stir to aid the 200 men who wero barring the I enemy way 01 TVhcii these 00 woro < I i r4 obliged In the presence of overwhelming force to abandon Uelpmakuar tho army retired In 1 limo t best of order without los even a wagon1 rime or ing a cannon r General alono lost his bend and lied In hasto toward tho north Then only tnw I burghers refused to servo under his orders or-ders ind cauuyd tho Govcrnmgnl to dc prlvo him of his command I Tho sickness and death of Joubert and I the surrender of Cronje happening at al I i head I most tho Home time brought to tnt of time army younger chiefs who were men of other worth ff with the handful of men left to them they havo not been able to triumph over the English Invaders I < I I at least they will have the consolation of soiling thIr lives and their Independence Independ-ence dearly and of doing for their country I I coun-try all that courageouS men can do Tho ormy of the South African republic of Eu In no way resembles the armies rope Military service doe nol exist In the country ind Il was I only after Dr I Jamesons raid four years ago lhat It permanent artillery corps consisting of 100 men was created When war is I declared every clllzcn between be-tween 10 and 00 years of age lake his Mauler title his cartridge belt and a httlo dried meat mounts his horse and KOCH to iho capital of his canton or wijclc Thcro all hand Lysemblo under tho orders of the vckUkornets the number num-ber of which Is I regulated according to the size of Limo wljck rime veldtkoniet la a permanent functionary elected by thu burghers and In time of peace he assesses I the taxes and commands time farmers In time of war All Iho detachments of the I vcldlkornets of one district form a coatI coat-I mando under tho orders of the commandant command-ant Tile number oC men In 1 commando varies greatly For example lhat of Pretoria Pre-toria Is 2X0 while that of Swazleland Is only 110 Several commandos are grouped together Into a little army under the dl rcctlon of a vcchtgoneraal rIme Com nnintrrtirTril IK l the chief of time army TuG positions are all elective no mailer what time grade When tim burghers reach the capital of limo district they receive new supplies 1C ncccfasary and wagons drawn by oxen or mules and bade with tents preserved food cartridges and tools are furnished to time commandos A largo number of Kafilr servants follow their master on reserve horses or In the wagons which they drive with marvelous siclll From the district capllal the commandos start for time remitter which Is soon reached lAt l-At the last railroad station they are joined by he artillery und the ambulances that have come from Pretoria Thus the moblllzalldn Is completed rIme Boer army marches wllhoul Iho slightest order but with extraordinary rapidity Time chief of each fraction knows only the destination oC the marching march-ing army and he goes Lucre as quickly as possible without paying any attention to the other commandos Vhcn he llnds location mill near a stream a favorable unoccupied he takes up lila position there and the wagons arc arranged hi Ihelr places off the route of march tIme animals ani-mals are sent out to graze under time surveillance of the Kaffir and the Sires aro lighted Coffee comes next and after swallowing it the Boers retire to await time rise of the sun or of the moon lo resume tho march TIme different divisions of tIme column puss ono another constantly con-stantly and marching through camps Iji bivouac is of continual occurrence The miscellaneous teams time horsemen grouped with no regard to order tho shouts of the Kaffirs Jit the mules tho whistling of time long whips with bamboo handles all give to thy commando time aspect of a gypsy band rather ihan of an army on the march Except In the artillery there Is no unl fprm lathe Boer army The Boer goes lo war In his everyday clothes lie wears a jacket of a dark color over which his earlouchieres arc thrown In thin form of a St Andrews cross Any old thing goes for his trousers but his boots are strong und solid ono only being furnished with The entire a spur usually turned out ouUtl Is surmounted by a long beard and a felt hat with a narrow brim that Is soon knocked out of shape and color bv 1119 sun and tho rain In this costumo time Boer goes lo war Ho has three enemies tIme tiles the sun and the English Against the first his only weapon Is patience Against time second ho uses his umbrella which In Hue weather Is attached to the saddle and for the last ho has his Man ser which ho carries across his hack or In Iho noisier expressly made for It which hangs behind his right leg When the commandos are In retreat entire en-tire families leave their farms and join the column They carry all their goods In a huge wagon In the back of which there is a compartment for the women and childUMi The men travel on norse biick helping the Kaffirs to drive the ox teams On tho front of the vagon provisions pro-visions are piled and also the humblo fur nlturo of1 Iho abandoned farm The cal tie sheep and goats travel by the bide oC the moving habltitlon Jn Natal I aw an old man with a switch driving beforo him a doen guinea hens The fowls certainly cer-tainly wore nol of much value but he did not want to kt anything fall Into time hands of time haled khakis When the army units for a certain time the comnisiiidon establish their laagers The tents ers near Sonic railway station are thrown up rapidly The trains bring along cattle nnd provisions of all sorts A bakery Is esiubllahed Sometimes entire en-tire wagon loads of straw und cornstalks t a I hrtriq sd u e rime aspect of Limo camp Is us confused iud picturesque as the line ot march of LImo commamios Touts and wagons are scattered about in nil directions The lent of I lie GenerallnChlcC Is distinguished from the others simply by the llltlo tricolor tri-color Hag thai surmounts It All Ihrough time day the burghers on heir I horses gallop gal-lop back and forward In fatigue uniform thai Is to sav without their Mauser and cartridge belts to and from the railroad rail-road station to gel letters from their wives and Journals from Johannesburg which time railroad employees deliver gratis The station is the regular place of icudezvous Sonic go to the bar to get pipes and tobacco Others wait for the trains that bring back to the front tIme burghers Aho return after leaveot absence ab-sence or who come back from the hospitals hos-pitals convalescent and confident and many moro crowd In front oC the official bulletins giving brief accounts oC the military mil-itary operations In time camp when the Boers havo nothing else to do they pasa their tlmo In sleep at prayer and nf target tar-get practice Tho slow and monotonous psalms are Interrupted constantly bv the rattle of the rifles and time bullets llv in all directions making the approaches to time laager often moro dangerous than a hue of battle During the two months that the army of Natal remained near Glencoo half a dozen burghers were killed by accident nndorly two were killed Inaction In-action The quIet life of limo camp Is often In lerrupled by the attacks ot the English While the burghera are fighting the Kaf firs unfurl the tents and load tho wajjous This Is douo In an Incrcdlly short time At the close of the light the march la ro au Tied forward backward according to tho result of the day and on Limo order oC time General a new laager Is established Such has been tho lllo of Limo Boor coni iniurlos during the past year As the war a Is prolonged and the towns full into the hands of time enemy existence bucomca harder and more painful But U requires so little to sustain time Transvaal farmer that ho will bo able without too many privations lo fight till his last cartridge is gone That lo time reason why the Eti gush are bound still to meet with many deceptions and surprises before they will bo able to pacify their annexed territories territo-ries and finally conquer their alert and active enemies J Carno In Paris Figaro |
