Daniel Jacobus Geldenhuys

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The next day two of the younger burghers had to stand guard near the front slope of the

same kopjie from where we were bombarded so heavily the day before. It was about a

mile from our camp. At about nine o’clock an English patrol from Ladysmith approached

them, whereupon the two young burghers promptly hoisted a white flag. So the two

parties were approaching each other, the English now also hoisting a white flag attached 

to a rifle.

One of the burghers, Fourie could speak English fluently. He said “we won’t shoot and you

Mustn’t shoot either: we just want to chat a little. This they did: but not without being

noticed by some of the burghers on the slopes of the kopjie. The Field Cornet was

immediately informed. The two burghers had to appear before a Council of War and the

next day where they were sentenced to death. However the Field Comet explained to the

court that they were young and had no war experience and that they were not familiar

with the military law. They had therefore acted out of ignorance. The sentence was

withdrawn but the two young men would never forget the lesson they had learnt that day.

As a result of that. the military law had to be read to all the burghers.

When Field Comet Pieter Koense wanted some men to accompany General Piet Joubert.

I was the first of a large group to volunteer. We reached Colenso where we were to meet

the Joubert Commando at about noon. From there the sound of roaring cannons reached

our ears; the English had left Ladysmith and they were bombarding the Beer camp that

we had just left behind. There one burgher was killed, a certain de Jager from the

Urede district.

Together with the Transvaalers under General Joubert we left Colenso the next day. We

numbered five thousand. Our group from the Free State also had with us a few wagons,

among others a tent wagon loaded with ammunition.

So we were trekking without even knowing where we were going. Some of us thought

we were on our way to Durban because we kept alongside the Durban line. On the

morning of about the fourth day an armoured train came steaming towards us.

What happened was as follows. A group of burghers had gone ahead of us the night

before. They took a cannon with them and hid themselves near the railway line expecting

the train. So when the train came they let it pass. They knew that once the enemy had

noticed the burghers ahead they would turn back. They quickly lifted the railway line by

inserting rocks underneath and set the cannon up facing the way the train just went.

So in due course the train came speeding  back towards them, having spotted us. When

it reached the spot where the lines were lifted it was met by cannon fire. While we were

charging on them from behind, some of the trucks in the middle came loose. A brief

skirmish took place. The locomotive and a few carriages had just passed the lifted section

of the railway lines. Another carriage was quickly jacked up on the lines and they were

steaming away.

We captured 6O men. Also a cannon that was on the rear carriage. Upon closer inspection

we counted eleven dead soldiers. Although the train was hit numerous times the bullets did not penetrate the steel at all.

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The cannon we took was a fine little “mountain cannon as it was called. Although it fired

large bombs, in itself it was quite small. We looked at it and I remarked to my brother

that it would be the ideal thing to keep the vultures away from the sheep on the farm.

(little did I realise that little would be left of the sheep after the enemy had done with us).

I saw General Piet Joubert several times riding his white horse.

We received orders from the General to lie low during the day time and to move at night.

So at sunset we saddled our horses and rode all night, resting again only at the break

of day.

The Transvaaler’s had mule wagons as well as cannon artillery which led the procession.

It was a impressive sight.

Ii was there that I saw Springboks and rabbits being caught by hand. They were so

frightened by the horse-boys that they ran right into the commando where they were

grabbed by hand, bewildered and stunned. Thus we had enough meat but no other food.  

So after it had rained heavily one night I decided to fetch some rations from the

Transvaaler’s. They were camping on the opposite side of a spruit. Armed with a few tins

and bags, I crossed the spruit and arrived there just as they were being issued with food.

I enquired from one Transvaaler who the rations-corporal was and he pointed to red

bearded man. I walked up to him and casually said, “More Kaporaal (‘Good morning

Corporal”). He was about to walk away having done his duty. I repeated: “My food please

Corporal.”   He looked at me askance and grumbled: “late again, as usual. Where have

you been all the time?” I said that my horses had got away and had to be found. He then

removed the canvas covering from the wagon and asked: “How many?” “Eight men

Corporal” I said. I received coffee, rusks, sugar and flour, things we have not seen for a long

time.

My brothers and comrades expressed their amazement upon my return. My only reply was

that I was also a soldier for the South African Republics.

We moved on and came to a steep hill near Estcourt. As a result of the mule wagons and

cannons continually getting stuck the orders from ahead of us were alternatively “halt”

and “forward” all through the night. I caught up on lost sleep by lying forward on my

horse while we were slowly moving along.

By daybreak we had reached the summit of the koppie. It seemed to me that the sun

was rising from the West but I did not say anything about it. But just then another burger

exclaimed “How is it that the sun is rising from the west this morning? I was not the only

one who thought we were lost.

We trekked on and were on the other side of Estcourt when we were ordered to form a

laager. We did this the old Voortrekker way in a circle with each wagon overlapping over

the shaft of the next wagon. In the centre was the ammunition wagon.

Some of the burghers moved on towards Estcourt. I was among those who stayed behind

To protect the laager and ammunition. Those who left were positioning themselves east

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There I experienced the most terrible thunder and lightning. Some looted cattle were

being herded into the kraal. The sound of motherless calves and cows that had lost their

young was awful. The sky was overdrawn and lightning tore through the night. Those

burgers on the koppie were mostly from Johannesburg. They waited up there in the rain

while the English were advancing towards them from below. They were still filling their

water bottles with rainwater caught in their coats when the enemy was upon them, 

shouting “Hands up”. They took flight downhill, but some were captured.

A few of our burgers were killed by lightening. One burger from Vrede was wounded. An

English officer was also killed by lightning as well as a few horses.

The next day we were ordered back to Ladysmith. This time we moved around Estcourt

the other way, through a wide, swampy valley. The wagons and cannons had to be pushed

out of the mud. While we were struggling thus, riders on horseback were spotted coming

from the east.  It was said to be General Buller. Before we knew where we were the firing

started. There we were stuck in the mud with the enemy upon us. General Joubert had a

cannon ready though and we managed to send them into retreat. We left the marshes behind

and moved on towards Weenen.

To this very day I cannot understand why we had to go in that direction-it was quite

contrary to the orders to return to Ladysmith.  We passed Weenen and my brothers and I

rode along a spruit” (stream) to look for the place where the Voortrekker had their laager.

It was in a beautiful place with thorn trees and plenty of water. On our way back we came

to Tugela near Ladysmith between Colenso and Spioenkop. In the vicinity was a ferry, where

we stationed ourselves. The wagon laager remained behind on a hill.

The next day each burgher was given some extra bullets as well as bags lot of empty bags to fill with sand, They were to be used in making trenches.

It was in the middle of November, although everything went peaceful and quiet for us our

leaders were obviously preparing for a major attack.

We were “throwing gun”  to while away the time. The burgers flattened the Martini Henrv

bullets and used them for games. We also played ‘juiskei’ and one burgher, Piet Dumini

started to tan hides, as he could not bear to see them go to waste.

A few of the burghers pitched round tents and also had a light trolley wagon with them.

Each evening they tied the oxen to the yokes, just to the rear of our trenches.

With everything so peaceful it did not seem like war to us at all. We were ordered to sleep under the shelters at night.

Meanwhile General Buller was also preparing himself for in attack on the Boers.

One day we were summoned to a certain tent where we each received a little card with

our names and addresses on it. We had to carry these on our persons. In the event of a

person being killed in action, these cards would then be posted by the enemy.

Across the Tugela to the south, there was a long mountain range which we called ‘Bosrand’.

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The Transvaaler’s were down towards Colenso, while we from the Flee State were situated

more towards Spioenkop. There were a few Free State cannons near us. Behind our

trenches were piles of stones – the remains of an old kaffir kraal, presumably still dating

from the time of Dingaan. At this kraal there stood a solitary thorn tree. It was about

fifteen yards away from us. That tree provided shade to many a burgher in the hot Natal

sun.

We were awakened one morning by the thunderous roaring of cannons. Our tents were

shot to pieces and some of the oxen were by the evening still standing fastened to their

yokes. Some got loose by themselves, but we had no time in between the firing to unyoke

the remaining ones. The enemy was creating a hell for us using cannons and “hidayt”

bombs. Even at night they kept up firing at us using a searchlight to locate us. We were

still standing guard too waiting to be relieved at two o’clock.

It was while we were on guard one night that they started firing at us. The light they

used was so bright that I could read the time on my watch by it.

It seemed to us that General Buller wanted to kill of most of us by bombing before the

real attack!

A ‘hydayt’ bomb fell near the thorn tree by the old kraal wall, stripping the tree right down

to the trunk. As the branches came flying down close to us I thought “Ja, now Jona’s

miracle tree has been eaten by a worm and is dead!”

So December 1899 came, the English having bombarded us for twenty days without end.

Again an order came; no burgher ii to leave his position. Everyone is to prepare for

assisting at Colenso should the need arise.

General Botha had in the mean time taken over from General Joubert who had been taken

ill after we had returned from Estcourt. He had then gone back to Volksrust.

On the 15th of December the enemy attacked at Colenso. General Botha ordered his men

to hold fire until the enemy was quite close. General Buller’s orders were (as we heard later)

for his soldiers to continue to Ladysmith where they might perhaps find a few Boers. Of

course they thought those Boers who had survived the cannon fire had taken flight!

Little did they know that they were in the hills, quietly lying in wait. So when the

unsuspecting enemy came near enough they were suddenly attacked from all sides. Two

thousand of their men were killed, wounded and captured. Thirteen cannons were taken.

For a few days a kind of cease-fire was kept, but they soon started bombing us once again.

That was when Piet Dumini, one of our burghers was hit by bullet in the shoulder.

The enemy crossed the Tugela at the ferry drift. They attacked the Johannesburger’s

below us, whereupon we fired on them from our position. They turned a whole battery of

cannons on the koppie and fired so fiercely that the burghers there were forced to flee.

Pane 8

Help came from General Botha at sunset. Also a ‘bom miksem’. With the help of that and

rifle fire, the English was driven down the koppie and back through the Tugela.

The following day we returned to the battlefield – but the enemy’s dead and wounded had

already been moved. All that remained was the bloodstains that marked the place where

they lay.

For a few days quietness reigned which could only mean one thing: they were preparing

for the battle of Spioenkop which was soon to take place.

The Boers took possession of the koppie one night. After orders to send two burghers

from every corporal’s division to Spioenkop, we dispatched H.O.Eksteen and Louis Smit.

The next day the battle started at Spioenkop, about eight miles to the west of our camp.

The enemy had every cannon firing at Spioenkop, thus we were left in peace. That was

on the 24th of January 1900. I once strolled over to the group of cannons at our artillery

and surveyed the battle through the large visor of the cannon. I could see numerous

bombs exploding an Spioenkop. Suddenly I noticed a few bombs exploding among the

enemy troops half way up the koppie. Amazed, I asked an artillery soldier about it. “Oh,”

he explained. “the enemy troops are refusing to go up any further because they are being

mown down by the Boer mausers as soon as they reach the summit. The bombs are to drive

them on whether they want to or not”.

The English then asked for a cease-fire in order to bury their dead. After that they returned

to the forest’s edge from where they were bombarding the koppie and the firing started

all over again. Around all this the field was beginning to resemble a ploughed land.

One of our burghers, L Smit, was amongst those who fought at the koppie. He was busy

putting away his personal things, also his loaded rifle. It slipped from his hands and as it 

fell it went off, the bullet complete with gunpowder shooting right through his hand. I

rode to the laager to fetch the ambulance, the bombs dropping all around me on my way.

The man was immediately taken to the doctor to have his wound bandaged.

That very evening my brother-in-law, Nicolaas de Wet from the Standerton burghers,

reached our camp with the news that they had brought old Long Tom from Ladysmith

to use against the enemy as they were returning from the forest outskirts.

He told us they could only move the cannon by yoking 36 oxen in front of it. (This

Brother-in-law of mine had, as a young burgher, also fought in the Battle of

Schuinshuoogte in 1881.)

The next morning old Long Tom’s voice was heard. A huge enemy cannon, right in line

with us which had been firing at us for days now, was shattered  by Long Tom’s second shot.