GENERAL LOUIS BOTHA ON THE WAR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4137, 27 August 1900, Page 7

GENERAL LOUIS BOTHA ON THE WAR.

In the, “Frecmiiu’s Journal” of July 9 Mr Michael Davitt gives a long account of various interview's which he had with General Louis Botha during his visit to the Transvaal. According to Mr Davitt, (General Botha strongly condemned the tactics which : were adopted by the Boers in the investment of Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking. Fully 10,000 men were thus employed during four precious months. This meant one-third of the whole fighting force of the Pederals. “The soldiers thus hemmed in" ho continued, “by a third of pur burghers were scairody! missed out 0f... the British (armies., They represented but a. very small proportion of tlio enormous levies which were made in England for the campaign- against ns. .But,; by the mistaken' tactics which, prevailed, in our councils; one-third of-our whole fighting strength and the service l of one-half of our artillery were dissipated in these profitless bombardments. What I. favoured from the-beginning was. the leaving of a very,., widfi- .gate open to .General White at Ladysmith, and to fall upon his force whenever he attempted to join -‘.Butler. I am, confident that we could have smashed White and his - men in this way in December, and driven Buffer back upon Maritzburg, if not upon Durban. If a bolder plan than tins fruitless investment of Ladysmith had boon pursued, we should have struck with all our strength at the enemy-before- the arrival of overwhelming numbers, ‘ but instead of that tactics ‘were adopted both in Natal and on the Orange river which helped the Efaglish later on to retrieve the consequences -of their astonishing blunders. " I had once got within ten hours of"Maritzburg with a splendid fighting force of 3000 men, when I was recalled- in order to take part in the siego .of Ladysmith. Had I been allowed to go forward I would have had 5000 recruits from the Africanders living in the country through which wo would have swept. Of the battles of Spiou Kop General Botha is reported to have said “The fighting around Spiou Kop tor n week. X had no more ■■ than 3000 men with whom to man ; my positions and take precautions against being ouvHanked. I have seen a copy of General Buffer’s despatches,- in. which, he deals with the operations which terminated in our triumph at- Spion Kop. I. had a good laugh on reading whore the Genera! says ho had tried to get be-hind-my positions -by way •of -Aetrni Homes, but : thkt- 1 Lord Dundomild always found ns sri < numerically strong t hat be i bad to, give imp Hie.. : attemptf or;.words -to: tlmt effect. The fact, is-i my only force in the operations-against being outflanked by Dunclonald consisted of 800 men. T, however, shifted my position so often, especially during the riighGtimc, that the English General believed us to- be Tour times as strong as we really Were.”