Books

By F T Stevens
W Nicholson & Sons, London, no date

Contents

I. How the War came about - an Historical Review
II. The Right and Wrong of it
III. Its Outcome and Characteristics
IV. The Stampeding Prelude
V. Military Preparations
VI. The Gathering and Progress of the Storm - A Summary to Cronje's Surrender
VII. In Battle Array
VIII. The Battle of Talana
IX. The Reconnaissance at Elandslaagte
X. The Siege of Ladysmith - A Series of Conflicts in Natal
XI. General Hildyard at Estcourt
XII. Relief of Ladysmith
XIII. The Advance through Cape Colony
XIV. Methuen at Magersfontein
XV. The Siege of Kimberley
XVI. Relief of Kimberley
XVII. In the Orange Free State after Cronje
XVIII. Triumphant Entry into Bloemfontein
XIX. Incidents in and around Bloemfontein
XX. The Siege of Wepener and a General Advance
XXI. On the Way to Kroonstad
XXII. At Kroonstad Waiting for Supporting Columns
XXIII. The Siege of Mafeking
XXIV. The Relief of Mafeking
XXV. From Kroonstad to the City of Gold
XXVI. The Capture of Pretoria
XXVII. The Fighting in the Rear
XXVIII. Subjugating Harassing Commandoes
XXIX. One Day's Experience
XXX. The War Chronicles of the Boers
XXXI. As to the Future
XXXII. The Freaks of Desperadoes
XXXIII. Our Treatment of the Enemy - Our Generalship
XXXIV. Cooping up De Wet
XXXV. War Hospital Accommodation - A Scandal and Sensation
XXXVI. War Hospital Accommodation - Continued
XXXVII. "Some Fine Sport"
XXXVIII. The Boer design to besiege Pretoria
XXXIX. Kruger's "Last Resort"
XL. The Boer Terrorism
Anecdotes of the war
Appendix - De Wet's attempt on Cape Colony, the 'clean up' and peace

Preface

In order to publish a work of this kind immediately on the termination of hostilities, it becomes inevitable that the course of events should be recorded chronologically rather than that any department of the campaign should be dealt with consecutively and finally by itself.

This imperative method has the advantage of showing the daily development of events over the whole area of the war, while it has what may be considered the drawback of discursiveness from the introduction of innumerable facts and features of the struggle without any immediate connection with each other.

When the effort is to present a history of facts as complete as possible for research, rather than a picturesque story of leading battles, this compilation of heterogeneous matter is unavoidable, even if classified under many headings.

There is one set off to discursiveness. An exhaustive, sustained, and graphic description of a number of battles, one after the other, is a strain upon the feelings that is neither pleasant nor wholesome. In order to wade through and grasp the whole of the details with intelligence and composure, there must be the mental relief afforded by the admixture of diversified particulars.

Many events have been stated in briefest form. To paint everything in strong colours and in minutice would give scope for fine writing and piquant reading, but the chronicle could not also be compressed into a cheap, single, popular volume for the million.