General Hector Macdonald


	FROM CANADA'S SNOWS TO AFRICA'S BAKING SANDS The farewell parade of D Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, in Ottawa.

H. W. Wilson
With the Flag to Pretoria: A History of the Boer War, 1899-1900
Harmsworth Brothers, London, 1901.

CHAPTER XI.
The Nation Under Defeat.
PART FOUR.

General Hector Macdonald.
Other changes and new appointments in the higher ranks of the Army were made about this same time. From India, General Hector Macdonald was summoned to lead the Highland Brigade. He was an officer of extreme popularity and with a remarkable history, which proves that in the British Army, as in the hosts of Napoleon, " a career is open to talent." Beginning life as a draper's assistant, he enlisted in the ranks. Under Lord Roberts in Afghanistan he rose like a rocket, winning by superb bravery step after step-- corporal, sergeant, colour-sergeant, and lieutenant in quick succession. He fought at Majuba, where his splendid courage led the Boers to spare his life. With the Gordons he held the kopje on the western face of the mountain to the very last, and all but two of his men were killed or wounded. He was one of the distinguished group of officers who, as time went on, found employment in the Egyptian Army, where his great military aptitudes were given full scope. He shared in all the Sirdar's victories, and at Omdurman, in command of the First Egyptian Brigade, showed admirable generalship, contributing in no small degree to that great success.

Offers of the Colonies.
The news of the British reverses was expected by all the enemies of England--enemies within and without--to prove the final blow to the British Empire. "The British Colonies," said one of the more moderate French journals, " will certainly secede when disaster weakens the Mother country's grasp upon them." Mr. John Morley in his famous article, " On the Expansion of England," had argued before the war, in much the same style, that at the first sign of peril the Australians and Canadians would "cut t he painter." " Is it possible to suppose," he had asked, "that Canadian lumbermen or Australian sheep farmers would contribute anything towards keeping Basutos and Zulus quiet ? " The question was answered, and answered speedily and dramatically, when upon the top of the sad messages announcing from South Africa defeat upon defeat, came telegram after telegram from the great self-governing Colonies, offering far more than money, their own flesh and blood. Then it was seen and realised at last that the Empire was one and indivisible- -that it was something which, like the Church, neither distance nor climate could disunite. Never before in history had the Colonies of a great state spontaneously offered for distant service thousands of men. And thus were triumphantly justified the foresight which had led England to concede to her settlers the largest measure of self-government and the new spirit of pride in the Empire which had first found definite expression in the celebrations of 1897. Then Colonial troops had marched in all the pomp of peace through the streets of the capital; now they were to march of their own free will to the bloody work of a desperate war.

GENERAL HECTOR MACDONALD & HIS FORMER SUPERIOR.
On his way to the Modder River, General Hector Macdonald encountered Col, Macbean of the 1st Gordon Highlanders,
under whom he had served as Colour-Sergeant of the 92nd, when Macbean was Captain of the same Company.

Australian and Canadian contingents.
On December 14, before the news of Colenso was known, the Premier of New South Wales had telegraphed to Mr. Chamberlain asking him whether the Home Government would care for more men from New South Wales. A statement to that effect in the Sydney Parliament was greeted with the wildest enthusiasm, the members rising and singing " God save the Queen." Mr. Chamberlain lost no time in replying. His answer ran : " The Imperial Government is prepared to entertain the offer of further troops, mounted men preferred. It is indispensable that the men should be trained and good shots, supplying their own horses." Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, West Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania, all agreed to contribute men. The total strength of the new contingent was fixed at 1,000 mounted infantry, but this total was largely exceeded. A field battery and a field hospital were despatched in addition by the New South Wales Government, while New Zealand supplied four Hotchkiss guns. The patriotism of the Colonial Parliaments was equalled by the patriotism of the peoples who had to find the men and money. Great landowners came forward with offerings of horses ; citizens subscribed thousands of money for the perfect equipment of the force and the pensioning of dependents of the men who volunteered. Doctors in good practice volunteered to accompany the troops, and the difficulty was not to obtain men, but to settle who was to go and who to stay behind. Ten thousand men could with ease have been enlisted in a week. The Colonial Administrators were not content with sending help; they sent it quickly, and their forces were the first of the new levies to appear in the field. Moreover, they quietly assembled and drilled yet a third contingent, to be ready for the worst. The total strength of the second contingent was, as far as can be ascertained, as follows:-New South Wales 900 men, Victoria 300, New Zealand 234, Queensland 150, South Australia 100, West Australia 90, and Tasmania 45.

From first to last Australia placed over 8,000 men in the field, or nearly a complete division. As an example of the general enthusiasm may be mentioned the fact that an insurance company offered a pension of a pound a week for life to the first Australian who won the Victoria Cross, an honour which fell to Trooper Morris, of the New South Wales Lancers.

STALWART CANADIANS.
This group consists of volunteers, all over six feet in height. Three of them are bankers; several are members of the North-West Mounted Police.

Canada had offered a second contingent as far back as November 7, so that her Government may claim the credit of first realising the danger. The offer was not accepted till the December defeats had taught the British Ministry the perils of the situation. On December 18, Sir Wilfrid Laurier held a Cabinet Council and instructed the Militia Department to prepare the new contingent with the utmost expedition. Its strength was fixed at three squadrons of mounted rifles and three batteries of artillery, mustering a total Of 1,044 men. The Premier of the North West Territories announced, even before the appeal was made, that he would undertake to raise 1,000 expert horsemen and good marksmen at twenty-four hours' notice in his territories alone. When the call for volunteers came, here, as in Australia, many times as many men offered themselves as could be accepted. Finally, the strength of the second Canadian contingent was raised to 1,300 men with six 12-pounder guns, but even so, it was far below the wishes of the people. The men who were picked were active and intelligent, accustomed to an outdoor life, sitting their horses like centaurs. They speedily showed in war that they were a full match for the Boers, man for man, in marksmanship, the art of taking cover, and stubborn courage, while they had that high spirit which preaches attack rather than defence, and which the Boers, among their many fine qualities, altogether lacked.

Among Canada's most splendid contributions was Lord Strathcona's Corps. At his own expense, over and above the contingent 1,300 strong, he raised in the North West 400 "rough riders," armed them, and equipped them for service. They were all unmarried men of fine physique and, all the Canadians sent to the front, good horsemen and excellent shots. Nor was the Canadian Agent-General content with this magnificent gift. He conveyed the corps at his own cost to Capetown, so that the 400 men were landed in South Africa without the expenditure of a penny by the British Government.

Mr. Seddon's loyal speech.
A speech of Mr. Seddon's, the Premier of New Zealand, made at this time, perhaps best explains the enthusiasm of the colonies and proves the fervour of their devotion, though he was himself speaking only for New Zealand. " At the present time," he said, " fighting men, not faultfinders, are required in the interests of the Empire. The war is only nominally with the Boers; actually it is with all those who are jealous of the growing power of the British Empire, and who, rejoicing at our reverses, are aiding and abetting the Boers. The reverses suffered are only temporary : they will be followed by the invariable, inevitable success of British arms. The people of New Zealand are determined that the prestige of the British Empire, to which they belong, shall be maintained at all hazards. Though New Zealand is Radical and Democratic, even termed by some Socialistic, there is, in the present emergency, an amount of imperial patriotism in the country not to be surpassed elsewhere in Her Majesty's dominions."

Volunteers from Asiatic dependencies.
The feeling of Australasia and Canada, was echoed wherever the British flag flew. In India a, native princes offered their purses, their armies, and their sword s. Native regiments voluntarily subscribed a day's pay to the War Fund. In India, in Ceylon, and in the Straits Settlements, small corps of mounted volunteers were raised and despatched to the front. There would have been no difficulty in providing hundreds of men in India alone, and that without drawing upon the garrisons, but the Europeans could not well be spared from their posts. In South Africa itself volunteering proceeded with the greatest alacrity, and some thousands of men were raised in Cape Colony among the British and the loyal
Dutch. At home the call for volunteers met with an eager response. On Monday, December 18, the 3rd Durham Light Infantry (Militia) volunteered to a man for foreign service. The 3rd York and Lancaster Regiment on parade on the same day was addressed by the colonel, and those who would volunteer ordered to slope arms, whereupon every man responded. The Cornwall, East Surrey, West Surrey, Gordon Highlanders, Royal Warwickshire, and Yorkshire Artillery Militia all followed suit. In no case did any militia battalion when invited to give its services show the smallest reluctance. The volunteers were equally eager and enthusiastic. Thus the colonel of the 3rd Middlesex Volunteer Artillery, when asked how many men would give their services, answered, " The whole regiment will do so if required." It may be questioned if sufficient use was made of this eagerness, and bitter complaints were heard from the volunteers as to the unreasonable severity of the medical examination of those finally selected.

INSPECTION OF LUMSDEN'S HORSE BY THE VICEROY OF INDIA, AT CALCUTTA.
In the photograph the Viceroy, Lord Curzon,* in light coat and hat, is seen amidst the group on the left, on his way to the dais after the inspection.

London's contribution.
The City Council, at a meeting held on December 20, decided to select detachments of twenty picked marksmen from volunteer regiments and to form them into its battalion of City Imperial Volunteers, 1,000 strong. The sum Of C25,000 was contributed to the equipment of this force by the City Funds, and the freedom of the City was promised to every volunteer in the Organisation. Of this and other patriotic movements in the Empire's capital we shall have more to say shortly. Private individuals came forward with the most splendid generosity to contribute to the fund raised to defray the cost of the force. Messrs. Wilson, of Hull, the great ship owners, offered free of charge the use of a fitted transport for three months--an offer which was, it was calculated, equivalent to the gift of ci5,ooo. Besides the infantry battalion, the City provided a battery of four guns and a detachment of mounted infantry. All ranks and all conditions showed equal alacrity in helping the cause. Those who were of fighting age and physique were ready to give their lives; the rest contributed money to the best of their ability. Working men subscribed their pence and shillings to keep in comfort the wives and children of their comrades who had gone to the front. And unquestionably the manner in which the nation had done its duty by raising hundreds of thousands for the wives, widows, and children of the soldiers, and for the comfort of the wounded contributed in no small degree to the alacrity with which the call to arms was met. The soldier was everywhere what lie should always have been-a privileged and honoured man,

Imperial Yeomanry.
For the raising and equipment of the Imperial Yeomanry, 8,000 strong, private effort and subscription were entirely responsible. The work of organisation was undertaken by Lord Chesham, and in every county committees were formed to further the recruiting of the corps. The idea was to enroll young men who were good riders and good shots, and it was carried out with very fair success. There was no want of men; the only difficulty was to find suitable men. The great nobles and wealthy families of the country were forward in volunteering. The Duke of -Marlborough., Earl Dudley, Lord Alwyne Compton, the Marquis of Hertford, the Hon. T. A. Brassey-a well-known writer up on naval matters-and the Hon. Schomberg K. M'Donnell, private secretary to Lord Salisbury, were a few typical names from the long list of those who sacrificed comfort and ease for a life of pain and hardship in South Africa. Among the various corps raised were companies of rough riders, composed of "bachelor gentlemen" who provided their own arms, and several companies the ranks of which were entirely filled by gentlemen. In all, nineteen battalions were enlisted, in each case four companies strong, the companies numbered consecutively from 1 to 76. More might have been raised, but in March, 1900, enlistment was stopped by the Government.

Gloomy outlook.
This national uprising passed the last days of December and the first weeks of January. it was a sad Christmas and a sad New Year, and there was ample cause for gloom in the country. Yet the eagerness with which England and the Colonies had replied to the call to arms was a source of encouragement and hope, though the question might still be asked, with some uneasiness, whether even now a sufficient force was being prepared for the difficult work of a prolonged war of conquest. Still, 50,000 men of the regular army or the volunteers, 15,000 of the militia, and some 10,000 colonists were now preparing to take the field in South Africa. The new generals who were to organise victory by throwing this great force into the balance were already upon their way to the scene of action. But weeks, if not months, must pass before the new divisions and battalions could enter into line, and in that time much might happen. Could Ladysmith, could Kimberley, could Mafeking, protract their resistance through this period of delay? That was the question which rendered this period one of such harassing anxiety, for the fall of these places would unquestionably be followed by the great insurrection of the Cape Dutch, which was the last and crowning calamity to be feared. It is very clear that the Boers had all along counted on this movement on the part of their blood relations in British territory; and it is equally certain that they would not have counted in vain had they themselves shown a more daring and enterprising spirit. In every direction disloyal Afrikanders were doing their utmost to assist the Boers and to hinder the British; their sons were they " knew not where; " they had left their homes on mysterious, or not mysterious, hunting expeditions, rifles in hand and good horses beneath them. More rifles were only awaiting a safe opportunity for producing them. The guarding of lines of communications had to be as strenuous as if the Cape Colony had been an enemy's country. Much more, therefore, than the fate of the garrisons themselves depended on the power of the beleaguered towns to hold out until the British forces could assume the offensive.

		H. W. Wilson, With the Flag to Pretoria: A History of the Boer War, 1899-1900, London, 1901. Chapter XI. The Nation Under Defeat. Part Five. In Preparation
		Perspectives on the South African War. A collection of links to primary and contemporary resources on the war in South Africa.

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