Lord Roberts himself was at Jacobsdal, whence his telegrams were dated on the 16th and 17th.

Kitchener remained at Klip Drift.
Cronje, who had not believed that the British could make so rapid a march, or take so large a force far from the railroad, saw that not only had he been outwitted and his position become untenable, but that there was no time to lose if he hoped to escape at all.

As French slipped by him into Kimberley, he sent word to the camp to get the trains at once in movement, and to start east towards Bloemfontein.
This direction of retreat has been criticised,[36] and it {p.276} has been argued that he should have tried to retire to the northward, away from the British divisions already east of him.

In this direction a certain proportion of his army did break out.

It is to be remembered, however, that not only was Bloemfontein the capital of the Free State, and, therefore, not lightly to be sacrificed, but that his movement was concentric, having regard to Joubert and the bulk of the Boer forces elsewhere.