CRONJE – PIETER ARNOLDUS (PIET)
| Born: 1836/10/04 Rank: GENERAL. Regiment: ZAR – WESTERN FORCES GPS: S26°32.987 E026°38.0161 |
Reason for death: DIED Place of death: VENTERSDORP – FARM PALMIETFONTEIN Date of death: 1911/02/04 Memorial: JAN BOOMPLAAS HISTORICAL CEMETERY ON THE R30 BETWEEN KLERKSDORP AND VENTERSDORP – NORTH WEST PROVINCE. |
Note:
AFTER THE FINAL ENGAGEMENTS AT MAGERSFONTEINON 12TH DECEMBER 1899, WITH THE BRITISH WITHDRAWING BACK TO MODDER RIVER, GENERALS DE LA REY AND CRONJE PARTED COMPANY WITH DE LA REY MOVING TOWARDS COLESBERG. CRONJE STRENGTHENED HIS POSITION AT MAGERSFONTEIN IN PREPARATION FOR A FURTHER ATTACK. LORD ROBERTS’ ARRIVAL SAW THE HIGHLAND BRIGADE FEINT TO THE WEST, WHICH ENDED IN THE BATTLE OF KOODOOSBER DRIFT ON THE 4TH TO 8TH FEBRUARY 1900. LORD ROBERTS’ OTHER FORCES BYPASSED MAGERSFONTEIN, SWEEPING AROUND JACOBSDAL, WITH THE BRITISH FORCES RELIEVING KIMBERLEY ON THE 15TH FEBRUARY 1900. CRONJE WITHDREW HIS FORCES AND STARTED MAKING HIS WAY TO BLOEMFONTEIN, BUT WAS SURROUNDED BY BRITISH FORCES AT PAARDEBERG. CRONJE HAD WITH HIM SOME 5000 MEN, TOGETHER WITH HIS LAAGER CONTAINING WOMEN AND CHILDREN. CRONJE’S FORCES WERE WELL DUG IN TO THE BANKS OF THE MODDER RIVER AND ELSWHERE. THE LAAGER WAS SUBJECTED TO A SEVERE BOMBARDMENT FOR TEN DAYS FROM 18TH FEBRUARY UNTIL THE MORNING OF THE TENTH DAY, BEING 27TH FEBRUARY 1900, WHEN THE BOERS BEGAN RAISING WHITE FLAGS ABOVE THEIR TRENCHES. CRONJE FORMALLY SURRENDERED TO LORD ROBERTS WITH APPROXIMATELY 4000 MEN. CRONJE AND HIS WIFE WERE SENT INTO EXILE ON ST. HELENA ISLAND WITH MANY OF HIS SURRENDERED BURGHERS.
IN HIS BOOK “IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH” GENERAL P.H.KRITZINGER DESCRIBES THE SURRENDER AS FOLLOWS:-
“THE MORNING OF THE 27TH FEBRUARY SAW THE FIRST WHITE FLAG HOISTED BY A BOER GENERAL. IT WAS A WOEFUL SIGHT WHEN 3600 BOERS, UNDISCIPLINED PEASANTS, RELUCTANTLY THREW DOWN THEIR RIFLES AMONG THE WRECK OF THE SHELLS AND AMBLED PAST THE BRITISH LINES. THEY HAD WITHSTOOD THE ONSLAUGHT OF 80,000 BRITISH TROOPS WITH MODERN DEATH DEALING IMPLEMENTS OF WAR, AND TOWARDS THE END OF THE SIEGE, ABOUT 1000 GUNS WERE BROUGHT TO BEAR UPON THEM”.
THERE IS AN ISSUE REGARDING THE INITIALS OF THE WIFE OF PIET CRONJE. HIS GRAVE MARKER RECORDS THE INITIALS OF HIS WIFE AS H.A. INDICATIONS ARE THAT HER INITIALS WERE ACTUALY H.S. PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE REFLECTS THIS.
