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FROM: MAJOR GENERAL HUTTON ( Late Commanding Canadian Militia)
TO: HIS EXCELLENCY THE EARL OF MINTO

WRITTEN DURING - THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR

Letter No. / Place / Date
1. Kimberly, 24-03-00
Subject:
Command of a Brigade of Militia at Kimberly.
Remarks upon the condition of affairs upon his
(Maj. Gen. Hutton's) arrival in South Africa

Letter No. / Place / Date
2. Bloemfontein, 03-04-00
Subject
Command of Colonial Brigade of Mounted Troops at Bloemfontein account of situation generally

Letter No. / Place / Date
3. Bloemfontein, 14-04-00
Subject
Command of a Division of M.I. its composition and condition. Remarks upon the effects in the Colonies and upon the Empire generally of the part to be played by Colonial Troops in the Campaign.
Remarks
A very interesting and Valuable account of the situation in South Africa.

Letter No. / Place / Date
4. Bloemfontein, 23-04-00
Subject
Comments upon the situation South Africa – Lord Roberts and others. A few remarks upon events in Canada and the work of the Canadians in South Africa

Place / Date
5. Bloemfontein, 27-04-00
Subject
Enclosing copy of a letter addressed to Sir Wilfred Laurier after the latter's speech in the Canadian House of Commons upon the position of Canada in relation to the Empire

Letter No. / Place / Date
6. Kroonstadt, 14-05-00
Subject
Account of the advances Bloemfontein to Kroonstadt
Remarks
Historically Interesting

Letter No. / Place / Date
7. Berg Vlei River, 02-06-00
Subject
Account of the advance from Kroonstadt towards Johannesburg and the part taken in the
fighting by the Canadians.
Remarks
Very Interesting Historically

Letter No. / Place / Date
8. Pretoria, 20-06-00
Subject
Enclosing a semi-official account of the doings of the Canadian Mounted Rifles at that period

Letter No. / Place / Date
9. Reitfontein, 05-07-00
Subject
A few remarks upon Canadian affairs

Letter No. / Place / Date
10. Reit Vlei, 19-07-00
Subject
Account of the progress of events in South Africa
Remarks
Very Historically Interesting

Letter No. / Place / Date
11. Wonderfontein, 18-08-00
Subject
(a)The publication in Canada of the Militia Report of 1899 over his (Maj. Gen. Hutton's) signature, but which he describes as "a garbled form" of the report written by him before he left Canada.
(b) Remarks on the progress of the campaign.
Remarks
(a) This letter is Very Confidential on first three pages.
(b) Very Interesting Historically

Letter No. / Place / Date
12. Kaapsche Koep, 23-09-00
Subject
Account of the final operations in South Africa.

Letter No. / Place / Date
13. Pretoria, 05-10-00
Subject
Return from South Africa, Possibility of offer of Command of Federal Troops of Australia

Letter No. / Place / Date
14. At Sea, 20-10-00
Subject
Comments upon the existing state of affairs in Canada and the action of the Laurier
Government with regards to the work done in Canada by Major General Hutton
Remarks
A Confidential and interesting letter dealing with Canadian Affairs.

Letter No. / Place / Date
15. Off Maderia, 30-10-00
Subject:
Opinions upon various Canadian Officers and, Enclosing confidential list of Officers, N.C.O.'s and Men of the Canadian Troops brought to the special notice of the Commander in Chief.

PART ONE - LETTERS ONE TO FOUR

LETTER ONE

My Dear Lord Minto

It will, I know, interest you very much to hear from me here, where I arrived late last night to find Paul Methuen, Lawrence Drummond, and several others ready to welcome me. It seems almost like a dream and I can hardly realize that I left Ottawa on Thurs. Feb. 15th, and have taken over my new Command here on the 23rd Mar. Friday.

I reached Cape Town on the 20th and found that I was offered the command of a Brigade of Militia and regulars at Kimberley which will form the Second Brigade to Paul Methuen's Division.

I should have preferred a Command of Mounted Troops, but I never refuse any offer of this kind on principal, and so accepted, and left the following evening to join Paul Methuen at Kimberley.

I found Sir Fred Walker at Cape Town – much as usual but disconsolate at being left to do all the drudgery of the Base. I saw Herbert, is also here, having quarreled with the Military Attache's --- There are a variety of friends of ours who have failed to satisfy exacting conditions, and are at Stellenbosch near Cape Town in one capacity of another. It is now said if a man fails that “he is sent to Stellenbosch” --- Among them are George Gough – Babington – Goldsmith + several others!

I miss Milner & Hanbury Williams who had just started on a four day tour North among the disaffected districts which have been occupied by our troops. There is still much active disaffection in our own Territory, even so near Cape Town as Swellendam and Worcester – this necessitates continual patrols, several columns, and detachments of Troops as Garrisons. It is very premature to say that the war is practically at an end. It is certainly not believed to be so here, and elsewhere in touch with the rural Boers.

I was concerned to find that Paul Methuen felt his Division having been broken up so much! He looks wearied and fagged, as indeed he may well be. The task set him was beyond the power of the number of Troops at his disposal, and saving the reverse to the Highland Brigade, which I am firmly convinced, no fault whatever of his, he could not well have better managed his campaign. The real fault was with absence of an adequate number of mounted men. Benson led the Brigade – D.A.A.G. On the H.Q. Staff of the Div. - with a luminous compass, & struck the exact spot intended – the key of the position – Effective brigade arrangements for deploying do not seem to have been made, & there is no doubt that the brigade was very badly handles. The advance was over flat veldt and on the whole good marching. The night was as dark as pitch & heavy rain.

When you come to think that Paul Methuen had at most 12000 men & 18 guns & that his opponents had quite 9000 men and 18 guns also! - it was little wonder that both at Modder and at Magersfontein he found the difficulties of a naturally strong position too much for his comparatively inadequate force.

It is absurd to accuse him of making frontal attacks & so sacrificing life unnecessarily. Without mounted men it is impossible to do anything with an enemy like the Boers except to make a frontal attack. The Boers being mounted, & possessing therefore far greater mobility than Paul Methuen with his unwieldy columns of infantry could by acting upon inside lines change their front with great rapidity, and so meet a flank attack with a frontal defence – Paul Methuen only had one weak Cavalry Regiment, two weak Companies of Mounted Infantry & Rimington's Scouts – say 600 all ranks.

In this way he was handicapped in all his engagements.

You well, of course, be most distressed to hear that poor Lawrence Drummond is suffering from the return of an old rupture & will have to give in sooner or later. He will be a sad loss to the Division and especially to Paul Methuen. He bears his disappointment most bravely like a hero as he is! - He has been invaluable to his Chief.

We have hands full here in quieting this big District, & we expect a good share of fighting when we begin to advance upon Warrenton & Vryburgh – Paul Methuen has left today with a column to disperse / the scattered bodies of Boers reported on the right bank of the Vaal & I go on the 26th to Boohof, where there is a half Battn., from my Brigade, very much enl'air as I think.

There will be no advance for about a fortnight as Lord Roberts has to get up his stores for a further advance - and we have to get up more Troops.

I am continually meeting our Canadian Officers & Australians. Every one speaks well of both, but our Canadians have made their mark in this Campaign without doubt.

Paul Methuen desires to be remembered & kindest remembrances to Lady Minto & yourself.

Believe me.

Yours very sincerely

Edw. T. H. Hutton

P.S.
I have just heard that poor Bell is very ill with Enteric Fever at Bloemfontein, and cannot therefore join me as A.D.C.
E.T.H.H.


LETTER TWO

My Dear Minto,

The Press telegrams will most probably have told you much of that which I shall tell you. If so you must forgive me for repeating myself.

I was appointed to command a Brigade at Kimberley in Paul Methuen's Division, which is now being formed preparatory to a general advance. I was just getting my brigade together & inspecting some of the Battn.'s, and detachments who were at and about Kimberley or the lines of communication when I received a sudden telegram to go to Bloemfontein and that a successor would be appointed to my brigade - ( Arthur Paget, Scots Gds.) - This will bring Lawrence Drummond in as 2nd in Command – He is not fit for a Mounted Corps just now, as an old weakness has broken out and he dare not ride much, which I hope that he will be fit enough to manage his Battn.

I brought my A.D.C. Young Rosmead, with me & arrived on Sunday morning the 1st. The Mounted Troops other than the Cavalry are to be organized into a Division – of which I have the “Colonial Mounted Brigade” numbering between 6 & 7000 men. The Division will be over 11,000 men under Ian Hamilton, I enclose you the composition which will interest you very much – The organization was not my doing except as regards the allotment of the Canadian & Australian troops. The officers command the separate corps in my brigade are all men who have served under me in the Mtd. Infantry & who have already distinguished them selves in this Campaign. Each Corps has a Battn. of M.I. organized from Regular Infantry Battn.'s – who have all been engaged in many fights already in this Campaign & will therefore form a very important backbone of seasoned troops in each corps.

I have not yet been out to see French who is 10 miles from here, but I hear that the Cavalry Division is practically horseless & until they are provided with fresh horses we have no cavalry.

The brunt of the Mounted work falls therefore on the Mounted Infantry & local Mounted Corps. There is no doubt that when the advance of the Army takes place much must depend upon the work which the Mtd. Inf. Division are able to accomplish.

My Brigade is to be formed at once the gradually, but I fear it is too much to hope that they will be left concentrated the quiet for a week or two, so as to enable me to get them into some sort of shape before the Campaign is renewed. With the very large number of untried men and inexperienced officers I have a difficult task, the a very grave responsibility. So much that is political and imperial will depend upon the success which the Colonial Brigade achieves.

The Army here requires much re-equipment before it can march upon the Vaal & Pretoria. The Divisions of infantry and Cavalry are still deficient of everything but what they carried across from the Orange River – Kimberley line by the forced march and are still bivouacking. The men, poor devils, have only one shirt and are suffering the consequences – I found a detachment of the Royal Canadian Regt. of 200 men left behind here either sick or bootless and unable to march with the 9th Division.

The disaster at Broadwood on the 31st is most serious in that it will unduly encourage the Boers and cause the unfortunate people who had accepted our terms to change their minds or be shot by their fellow Burgers. If it had not been for Alderson's Bde. Of Mtd. Infantry the disaster would have been still more serious. The Mtd. Inf. Under Amphlett & under Pilcher behaved with the greatest gallantry and lost very heavily. The Cavalry retreated after the first surprise, and took nofurther part in the action.

This place is charmingly situated and very pretty. No Troops are allowed in town except on pass.

Both Lord Roberts and Kitchener are naturally much annoyed at Broadwood's misfortune, especially as I fear that the Boers are showing signs of activity, just at a time when the Army wants a bit of time to refit. The Guards Bde., are almost in rags, but their boots are holding out.

The railway is now open right through from Cape Town & the deviation bridge at Norval's Pont is completed so that we shall soon have stores and Camp Equipment here for everyone.

I do not see how this Campaign is going to be brought to an early conclusion now. The Boers have destroyed the railway in a very thorough manner N. of The Glen & having 200 miles further to cover between this & Pretoria with an Army of 40,000 men to feed our rate of Progression can only be that of the means of transporting our supplies.

Everyone speaks well of the Canadians, Dr. Ryerson is also doing good work.

Please remember most kindly to Lady Minto & all the Govt. House party.
Believe me.

Yours very sincerely

Edw. T. H. Hutton

P.S.

Bell is now on the mend, but I hope the Doctors will send him to England as he is much run down.
E.T.H.H.


MOUNTED INFANTRY DIVISION

1st Brigade.........................................Asst. Staff Officers
Comd M. Gen. Hutton........................Major Bayley, N.S.W.
Bd. Major – Lt. Col. Martyn...............Major Cartwright, Canada .
A.D.C. - Major Lord Rosmead
Extra – Lt. Elmsley, Rl. Can. Dragoons

1st Mtd. Inf. Corps...............2nd Mtd. Inf. Corps...............3rd Mtd. Inf. Corps
Lt. Col. Alderson...................Lt. Col. de Lisle.....................Lt. Col. Pilcher
1st Batt. Mtd. Inf....................6th Batt. Mtd. Inf...................3rd Batt. Mtd. Inf.
1st Can. Mtd. Rifles...............N.S.W. Mtd. Inf.....................Queensland Mtd Inf
2nd Can. Mtd. Rifles..............W. Australian Mtd. Inf............N. Zealand Mtd. Inf.
Strathconas Horse

Total All Ranks
..........1700..........................................1400......................................1400

4th Mtd. Inf. Corps
Lt. Col. Henny
4th Batt. Mtd. Inf.
Victorian Mtd. Rifles
S. Australian
Tasmanian
Total 1200

Grand Total Including 6000 {Bearer Co. / Fd. Hospital} N.S.W. Med Staff Corps

2nd Brigade

Colonel Ridley – Late Manchester Regiment
Will be composed of all the South Africa Corps & will number about 4000.

LETTER THREE

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My Dear Minto,

How you would delight in being here. The old congenial work of getting a magnificent force of Mtd. Troops together.

Such Men !!-!!

Her Excellency AND you will I know follow our doings with the deepest interest.

I have no more time to add more for the mail is leaving.

Yours very sincerely

Edw. T. H. Hutton

LETTER FOUR

My Dear Lord Minton,

I enclose Your Excellency a printed form showing the Composition of the Brigade which Lord Roberts has done me the honor to place under my command.

(Note: Mounted Infantry Division, 1st Mtd. Infy. Brigade, Bloemfontein April 1900, Not Copied to File)

The Mtd. Inf. Division consists of Two Brigades of the 1st under myself consists as you will see all of the Canadian & Australian Mtd. Rifles & Mtd. Infantry etc. - the 2nd Bde., under a Colonel Ridley (Manchester Regiment) will consist of all of the Africander Corps – Ceylon M.I. & Burmah M.I. Each Bde. Consists of four (4) Corps & each corps includes to it a Battn., of seasoned & experienced Mtd. Infantry organized from the Regular Infantry.

As far as my Brigade is concerned this arrangement is a very happy one. As I have taken every means to explain to the men and the Bde. Is thus distinctly Imperial and not merely Colonial in Character. Again the addition of the M. I. Battalions, who have already done such splendid service & lost so heavily, will prove of infinite advantage to the Colonial Troops.

The Canadians are especially fortunate in being placed under Colonel Alderson, whom you know, & appreciate as highly as I do There is in the whole Army in my judgment no better officer to lead Mounted Troops his experience & his coolness in action are not surpassed by anyone out here! In the action& disastrous affair of the 31st at Sanna's Post it was Alderson's Mounted Infantry Bde., & his own cool head, which saved the situation from being a veritable de`route. His command lost 27p.c. of their effectives.

You will readily appreciate the importance to the Canadians, who are comparatively new (raw crossed out) & untried troops, of having such a man as their leader. This war, both strategically and tactically, is quite unique, and the next phase of it is likely to cause much discussion, and if God wills it our force of 11,000 Mtd. Infantry should be able to make such an impression upon the Campaign as to establish the value of Mounted Troops. Armed & equipped (handled crossed out) as are ours above all cavil & argument.

I shall hope that our Canadians being armed with a revolver as well as a rifle, may be able to follow up & disperse the Boers if we can only get at their rear & strike them on the move. Our real difficulty will be good & experienced officers, & it is in this regard that both Strathcona's Horse & the 2nd Bttn. Can. Mtd Rifles will be a somewhat doubtful factor at first, as they have several totally inexperienced officers.

The Army here is gradually being re-equipped with clothing & boots. The Cavalry Div.'s & to a lesser degree the Mtd. Infantry were sacrificed to the strategical march which brought about Cronje's surrender. The Cavalry a fortnight ago as a consequence did not exist as such & were only now beginning to recover with rest, proper allowance of food & with fresh horses. During the march from Paardeburg these big English horses were getting 3 lbs of corn a day & our M.I. horses were in one instance with out food of any kind for 36 hours. As for the men they had very little to eat, & their clothing was in rags! I have a company of Gordon Highlrs. Who have been in eight engagements who never had anything to ride in but Kharki trousers without drawers, & who are now absolutely in shreds of the same with broken or sole-less boots.

The men are in splendid fettle & I never saw such a hard lot of officers & men as we have here. I inspected Henry's Corps yesterday who are getting gradually re-clothed and fitted out, although minus many horses. There were consequently only 700 horses on parade, but such men! They would as fighting stuff delight you. They have not had tents for many weeks, but we are now getting on our Camp Equipment stores & supplies are gradually being accumulated here, & in another fortnight we shall probably advance.

By that time the 2nd Bttn. Can. M.R. Will have reached me & Strathcona's Horse.

I have been fortunate in getting the composition of my Bgd., as being a complete unit with a distinctly Colonial Character. Although in name a Brigade it is really a amalgamation & each Corps is in reality a Bgd., & each worked it accordingly as far as staff is concerned. It is of course the greatest advantage to me that I know & am known by name at least to all the Australian as well as to all the Canadian Troops. I need hardly say how deeply I feel the responsibility of my command. Upon it's success which it achieves will to a very great extent depend the feeling of the Australian& Canadian Troops & through them the enormous work here they represent, towards the Military Co-Operative System of Defence for the Empire.

As you know the difficulty of commanding Colonial Troops is to avoid the frictions which exist between officers & men of different colonies & to minimize little personal jealousies & unpleasantness between Officers of the same Corps. The delicacy of handling & the tact required is infinite. Thank God there are no party politics here. That fatal upas tree upon which withers up all discipline, co-ordination and military efficiency is at any rate not indigenous to the military soil here, but it's dark shade is well known to exist in Ottawa & to a less degree in some of the Colonial Capitals.

The Royal Can. Regt. has undoubtedly done us splendid service, and Colonel Otter deserves the greatest possible credit for having so ably & successfully carried through a most difficult command. Col. Buchan has exceeded all that has been expected of him. To consider able natural abilities he adds a coolness in action & steady ***UTR*** which makes him always a steady leader. Col. Pelletier has don excellent service, as I knew he would!...

The real hero's of Cronje's Surrender are Captains MacDonald & Stairs – especially the former who with Serg. Chilcot & 38 N.C.O. & men rushed up to within 90 yards of the Boer Entrenchment & there with the heroic assistance of the VIIth Co. R.E. Under Rochfort-Boyd & Boileau succeeded in effecting the lodgement which undoubtedly contributed more than anything else to the Boers laying down their arms.

I have been immensely impressed with Sir Wilfred Lauriers eloquent speech in reply to Mr. Bourrassa's Motion. Sir Wilfred & his cabinet if he has rightly expressed their feelings, must be beginning to realize that his fostering of patriotic feeling in Canada – for an arousing of a Military enthusiasm & interest through out the Dominion which were the result of the …UTR... and of my command, are the the very …..UTR...... which service enables Sir Wilfred to establish his Government in a policy which seems to have met with universal approval.

It is quite a un-questioned that the time is arriving when the whole defence system of the Empire will require to be placed upon a basis of Co-operation or mutual aid, in other words that a Military System based on the Militia Act will be seriously considered & adopted.

Your Excellency knows how keenly I have this policy at heart, & if in the future I can assist Canada directly or indirectly to fulfill her role as the Mother Colony of the Empire I should be proud to do so. The plans have been drawn & the initial steps as Your Excellency is aware not only by my recommendations in my my Annual Report of 1898, but also in that of 1899 a proof copy of which I gave you.

I must conclude a long but I hope an interesting letter dealing with as much of what is going on here as I could condense into a letter.

Believe Me Sir

Yours Very Sincerely

Edw. T. H. Hutton

M.G.



To Be Continued...... Mike

Mike
These letters are quite interesting; especially when read alongside "Letters From the Veldt" (The imperial advance to Pretoria through the eyes of Edward Hutton and his brigade of Colonials) by Stockings.
Particularly interesting is the comment in letter 4 about the "dark shade" of Party politics amongst colonial officers and the "fatal upas tree upon which withers up all discipline, co ordination and military efficiency" . Best regards
IL.