Chapter 19

PAARDEBERG

Lord Roberts's operations, prepared with admirable secrecy and carried
out with extreme energy, aimed at two different results, each of which
he was fortunate enough to aftain. The first was that an overpowering
force of cavalry should ride round the Boer position and raise the
siege of Kimberley: the fate of this expedition has already been
described. The second was that the infantry, following hard on the
heels of the cavalry, and holding all that they had gained, should
establish itself upon Cronje's left flank and cut his connection with
Bloemfontein. It is this portion of the operations which has now to be
described.

The infantry force which General Roberts had assembled was a very
formidable one. The Guards he had left under Methuen in front of the
lines of Magersfontein to contain the Boer force. With them he had
also left those regiments which had fought in the 9th Brigade in all
Methuen's actions. These, as will be remembered, were the 1st
Northumberland Fusiliers, the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, the 2nd
Northamptons, and one wing of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
These stayed to hold Cronje in his position.

There remained tbree divisions of infantry, one of which, the ninth,
was made up on the spot. These were constituted in this way:

Sixth Division (Kelly-Kenny)
12th Brigade (Knox)
Oxford Light Infantry
Gloucesters (2nd)
West Riding
Buffs
18th Brigade (Stephenson)
Essex
Welsh
Warwicks
Yorks
Seventh Division (Tucker)
14th Brigade (Chermside)
Scots Borderers
Lincolns
Hampshires
Norfolks
15th Brigade (Wavell)
North Staffords
Cheshires
S. Wales Borderers
East Lancashires
Ninth Division (Colvile)
Highland Brigade (Macdonald)
Black Watch
Argyll and Sutherlands
Seaforths
Highland Light Infantry
19th Brigade (Smith-Dorrien)
Gordons
Canadians
Shropshire Light Infantry
Cornwall Light Infantry

With these were two brigade divisions of artillery under General
Marshall, the first containing the 18th, 62nd, and 75th batteries
(Colonel Hall), the other the 76th, 81st, and 82nd (Colonel
McDonnell). Besides these there were a howitzer battery, a naval
contingent of four 4.7 guns and four 12-pounders under Captain
Bearcroft of the ' Philomel.' The force was soon increased by the
transfer of the Guards and the arrival of more artillery; but the
numbers which started on Monday, February 12th, amounted roughly to
twenty-five thousand foot and eight thousand horse with 98 guns-a
considerable army to handle in a foodless and almost waterless
country. Seven hundred wagons drawn by eleven thousand mules and
oxen, all collected by the