A facsimile reproduction of the book originally published in London by Methuen & Co, 1900. Scripta Africana Series Limited Edition Number 572 of 1000. Signed by the Publisher.
Red leatherette boards with raised bands on spine, gilt lettering on front and spine, page edges gilt, 318 pages, black and white photo of Commandant-General Louis Botha as frontis. A Fine copy in a the slip case as issued.
A limited edition of 1000 copies in this format. Name of a previous owner in front.
The author states in the Preface that he has written truthfully and without bias ; but it would seem that he must have been seriously misinformed as to the strength of the Republics, which he puts down at from 25,000 to 30,000 men, a number at variance, apparently, with established facts, seeing that, reckoning prisoners of war, surrendered Boers in refugee camps, surrenders after the declaration of peace, and a moderate estimate of deaths during hostilities, there could not have been far short of between three or four times that number in the field.
Many examples are given of occasions when the Krijgsraad overruled the advice of the Generals, whilst at other times the commandants refused to obey the instructions of the Krijgsraad, often to the great detriment of military operations. Reference is made to the systematic manner in which the Republicans were prepared for the struggle, and it is said that they possessed plans on which "was a representation of every foot of ground in the Transvaal, Free State, Natal, and Cape Colony," but the author asserts that although Steyn, Reitz, and the Dutch of the Cape Colony may have had visions of Dutch supremacy in South Africa, Kruger did not make war to gain it. (Mendelssohn (Sidney) South African Bibliography volume 1 page 713)
- Binding Condition: Fine
- Overall Condition: Fine
- Size: 22.5 x 28.5 cm
