August 1900 · Orange Free State Theater
August 1900
With the capitals occupied and conventional resistance broken, Christiaan de Wet organized the Boer forces in the Orange Free State into a mobile guerrilla force that would humiliate British attempts at pursuit for two years. De Wet commanded approximately 6,000 men organized in commandos — small, self-sufficient mounted units that knew every farm, kopje, and drift in the country. He struck at British supply lines, captured convoys, and evaded six major British 'drives' designed to surround and eliminate him. The First De Wet Hunt in August 1900 involved 50,000 British troops attempting to corner approximately 2,500 Boers — and failing completely. De Wet's ability to escape through narrow gaps in British cordons became legendary.
Commanders