The Wild Flight from Poplar Grove The surrender of General Cronje only made me all the more determined to continue the struggle, notwithstanding the fact that many of the burghers appeared to have quite lost heart.

I had just been appointed Commander-in-Chief, and at once set my hand to the work before me.
Let me explain how this came about.
As I have already said, General C.J.Wessels had been appointed Commander-in-Chief at Kimberley.

In the month of January he was succeeded by Mr.J.S.Ferreira, who at once proceeded to make Kimberley his headquarters.

On the relief of that town, one part of the besieging force went to Viertienstroomen, another in the direction of Boshof, while a small party, in which was the Commander-in-Chief himself, set out towards Koedoesrand, above Paardeberg.
It was while I was engaged in my efforts to relieve Cronje, that a gun accident occurred in which General Ferreira was fatally wounded.

Not only his own family, but the whole nation, lost in him a man whom they can never forget.