PRINSLOO – MARTHINUS

°°

Note:
PRINSLOO WAS HEAVILY CRITICISED FOR NOT HEEDING THE ADVICE, PARTICULARLY OF GEN DE WET, WHEN SURROUNDED WITHIN THE BRANDWATER BASIN, NEAR BETHLEHEM, BY BRITISH FORCES. HE REQUESTED A CEASE FIRE AND SURRENDERED WITH OFFICERS AND AT LEAST 4,000 MEN. AFTER THE WAR ENDED HE BECAME A PARIAH IN THE EYES HIS OWN PEOPLE.
IN HIS BOOK “IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH” GENERAL P.H. KRITZINGER DESCRIBES THE SURRENDER AS FOLLOWS:-
“AFTER CRONJE’S CAPTURE THE WAY TO BLOEMFONTEIN AND PRETORIA LAY OPEN . THE SECOND DISASTER WHICH BEFELL THE TWO REPUBLICS WAS THE IGNOMINIOUS AND COWARDLY SURRENDER OF PRINSLOO, WHICH TOOK PLACE ON THE 1ST OF AUGUST 1900. FOR VARIOUS REASONS THIS SURRENDER WAS MORE KEENLY FELT BY THE BOERS THAN THAT OF CRONJE. THE ONE, THOUGH HE MIGHT HAVE BLUNDERED, NEVERTHELESS ACTED THE PART OF A BRAVE, THOUGH OBSTINATE MAN; THE OTHER THAT OF A COWARD”.
THE SURRENDER TOOK PLACE ON A HILL THAT BECAME KNOWN AS SURRENDER HILL. A MEMORIAL HAS BEEN ERECTED AT THE SPOT, AND THE ENGLISH WORDING ON THE PLAQUE ATTACHED TO THE MEMORIAL READS AS FOLLOWS:- ‘IN JULY 1900 A LARGE PART OF THE FREE STATE ARMED FORCES WAS SURROUNDED BY BRITISH TROOPS, IN THE BRANDWATER BASIN. GEN C.R. DE WET AND ABOUT 2,000 MEN ESCAPED OVER SLABBERT’S NEK. IN THE BASIN CHIEF COMDT. MARTHINUS PRINSLOO ASSUMED COMMAND, AND ON 29 JULY AGREED TO SURRENDER. MORE THAN 4,300 BOERS LAID DOWN THEIR ARMS, MOST OF THEM AT SURRENDER HILL, WHERE THE BRITISH DESTROYED THE CAPTURED ARMS AND AMMUNITION. THE BARE PATCHES CAUSED BY THE FIRE SERVE AS A REMINDER OF ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS SETBACKS SUFFERED BY THE BOERS DURING THE ANGLO-BOER WAR (1899-1902).’
THE GPS CO-ORDINATES OF THE PLAQUE AT SURRENDER HILL ARE : S28°36.563 E28°23.146