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The Van Rensburg's of Rensburg Siding, Colesberg, Cape part 1
The Anglo-Boer War Introduction part 2
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding: Boer Leaders part 3
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding Nov 1899 part 4
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding Dec 1899 part 5
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding Jan 1900 part 6
The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding Feb 1900 part 7
The Anglo-Boer War in retrospect part 8
Australian units, persons and casualties part 9
MAIN MAP source http://www.mjvn.co.za/anglo-boer/mainmap1.jpg

The Anglo-Boer War: Australians capture De Wet's artillery gun at Rensburgdrift part 10

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The Anglo-Boer War around Rensburg Siding
November - 1899
CONTINUED

The Boers invade the Cape
On Wednesday November 1st 1899, General Esias Reinier Grobler, Head Commandant of the Southern Division of the Burgher Forces of the Orange Free State, seized Norvalspont. General HJ Schoeman and General Grobler on the evenings of 1st and 2nd November attacked the bridges at Norvalspont, Bethulie and took control of them. R. Buller then retreated from Naauwpoort and Stormberg. General HJ Schoeman was an over cautious man and waited two weeks before he made any further advances.

Norvalspont Bridge with Boer guards

The Boers under the leadership of General Schoeman and Grobler took control of Colesberg unopposed on 14 November 1899. Colesberg was proclaimed to be part of the Republic of Orange Free State. A committee of six members got elected to assist the Boers: J van der Walt (member of Cape parliament) his brother H van der Walt, Gideon Jooste, NAJ van Rensburg and Rudolph Badenhorst. About 130 Boers joined the burghers. Schoeman's cautious approach came to the front again, as he did not want to attack the strategic important town of Naauwpoort, nor De Aar. This was a strategic blunder sine the railway line remained open for the British to bring supplies and reinforcements.

In the meantime General JDP French with a lot of reinforced troops made their way to Naauwpoort. On Monday 20th November 1899 Lieutenant-General JDP French Commanding Cavalry, also arrived at Naauwpoort.

General French's Operation at Naauwpoort

Photo of Naauwpoort from the other side

The Australians http://members.ozemail.com.au/~bobcat2/history3.html
Disembarkation of the 72 New South Wales Lancers took place on 2 November 1899 at Cape Town. The NSW Lancers were to be attached to General French's 1st Cavalry Brigade until October 25 1900. On 19th November the squadron, less the "Twenty-nine", arrived at Naauwpoort. The next day General French arrived from Cape Town and Natal. The garrison here numbered only 945 men with two 9-pounder guns, muzzle-loading. It consisted of: half battalion of the Berkshires; half battalion of the Black Watch; 25 Cape Police, and NSW Lancers divided into two troops of about 20 each. One troop patrolled 12 miles north under Captain Cox, the other entrained at 5.45 a.m. and reconnoitred as far as Rensburg Siding.

Early in December Major GL Lee, with Lieutenant GH Allan, 2nd Lieutenants CWFP Roberts and RM Heron, Veterinary-Lieutenant FW Melhuish and Warrant Officer CE Fisher, 31 other ranks and 131 horses, largely from the NSW Police, landed at Cape Town. They all joined the squadron at Naauwpoort on 6 December 1899. During this period the squadron of men were occupied on their daily patrols and visits to farms. On one occasion a patrol was heavily fired on while drawing fire from Taaiboschlaagte, the Boer main position, and several horses were shot and died in action. Trooper Harrison (Parramatta) being left behind, were saved by Trooper Morris (Singleton) who went back under close and heavy fire, got him up behind his own horse and galloped out.

It was during this period that the Lancers were frequently fired at by their old friends, the Carabiniers, who, although they were familiar with the Australian hats at Aldershot, could not tell the troopers beneath the hill from the Boers. The Lancers retorted that Australian "walers" could not be mistaken for veldt ponies. Nevertheless, khaki helmets that had arrived at the end of November and had been scornfully rejected by the men, were again issued - this time to be worn!

Australian camp at Middelburg 1901 with Australian coat of arms
and the words "Advance Australia" laid out in white painted stones

Part of the German commando under the command of Fritz Brall was sent to guard the bridge near Colesberg.

General French established his headquarters at Arundel on December 17. The cavalry was then divided into:
lst Cavalry Brigade, Colonel Porter: 6th D.G.; NSWL; N.2,.M.R.; M.I.

2nd Cavalry Brigade, Colonel Fisher: 6th (Inn) D.; 10th Hussars: M.I.

The 1st Brigade took the east of the railway line; the 2nd the west.

English Cossack post during war around Colesberg

Two days before Christmas 32 other ranks of the 1st Australian Horse under Lieutenants Dowling and Osborne arrived (wearing helmets), and were mixed into the 1st Cavalry Brigade. On Christmas Day a tacit truce was observed, and in spite of the heat races for men, mules, ponies and horses were held, only to be followed by the usual 4 p.m. dust storm and summer rain.

English officers horse racing during the Ango-Boer War.
Photo supplied by Alwyn P Smit

General French's Task
The task allotted to him by General Buller was:

1. To protect the railway line
2. Remove the Boers from the Colesberg district
3. Prevent further Boer advance into the Cape Colony.

General John DP French
Born 28 September 1852 - Died 1925

By 20th November there were 3,000 troops deployed and ready for action. French with General CF Clery and General Gatacre (he operated in the Stormberg area and was defeated 10 December 1899) had to repel any Boer invasion from Orange Free State into the Cape. The Boers blew up the railway line north of Tweedale on 21st November. The Berkshire regiment had to repair it. Lieutenant WV Dowling with 34 officers and men were sent up via Naauwpoort to Arundel, and operated under General French's command during the whole of the running fights in the vicinity of Colesberg. They were also attached to the New South Wales Lancers. In the meantime the NSW Lancers under the command of West spied out the country as far north as Arundel. When they found no Boers, they went and arrested NAJ van Rensburg on his farm Rietfontein.

On the 22nd November 1899 the Australian Captain Charles Cox of the NSW Lancers and a small group of soldiers went to arrest some local youth at a farm, because they wanted to join the Boers. The English also wanted to commandeer the Boers horses. The African servant Jan Dolley refused to look for the bridle which the English needed. Cox told one of the men "If he won't give you the bridle, give him a hole". Soon a gun shot was heard. Louisa the wife of Dolley heard the shot, she was inside the house. The farmers little girl came running in screaming that her husband was shot. Louisa ran outside, finding her husband had been shot through the head. This brutal murder by the English caused a lot of ill feelings amongst the local community. Instead of facing trial at Colesberg, Alfred Milner arranged that Cox should be tried in Cape Town. The court case of Cox proceeded in Cape Town in October 1900. Even though Cox admitted giving the order, and the soldier acknowledge shooting Dolley, they walked away without any sentence. JM Robertson, Wrecking the Empire, p. 42, 43 states that the farms was Jackalsfontein and the owner was Van der Walt a paralytic and bedridden man. Cox imprisoned his sons, after the confrontation with the blacks, Cox ordered Colonial trooper Smit or Smith to "drill a hole through him".

From: H. W. Wilson, With the Flag to Pretoria, 1902

On 23rd November 1899 French went from Naauwpoort towards Arundel, the next hamlet along the line, taking with him a company of the Black Watch, forty mounted infantry, and a troop of the New South Wales Lancers.

Naauwpoort English Camp

French decided to make his HQ at Arundel. On 23rd November they clashed with a number of Boers. In this battle 3 English were wounded and they had to retreat. On 23rd November an Englishman were shot dead at Arundel, being the first casualty in this district. At the time the Boers were just north of Arundel, based at Rensburg Siding on the farm Taaiboschlaagte of Cornelis (John) Johannes van Rensburg. Here a number of times the Boers attempted to cut off the imperial forces at Arundel. At the end of November extra English troops arrived: First Suffolk regiment, New Zealand Mounted Rifles, Royal Engineers and some other regiments, also the Carabineers under Colonel TC Porter. The English forces moved to Arundel, where two camps were established: one behind the station near "the kopje", known as Camp Hill. The main camp was about 500 meters west of the station. At the time the west wing of the Boer's were at Vaalkop, on the farm of Andries van Rensburg.

andre@Rensburg.com