existing in the theater of war. Besides, Boer and Briton spoke the same language. During the first few days of the campaign, surrenders of detachments of considerable strength took place. These were not punished with sufficient severity. One almost gains the impression that the men considered the surrenders justifiable in order to escape from a difficult situation.
On the South African battlefields, devoid of cover and swept for great distances by the hostile fire, it was indeed very difficult to penetrate the hostile position, and retrogade movements were undoubtedly attended with heavy losses. To this may be added the fact that it was easy for the Boers, who were mounted, to bar the way to isolated British forces. It must be remembered, moreover, that the operations took place during the hottest season and in a country where water is scarce; and that the men felt they had arrived at the limit of their powers of physical endurance at an earlier moment than would have been the case under different conditions. Thus, the surrender at Stromberg of troops exhausted from a night march, is perhaps excusable; not so, however, the surrender of Colonel Carleton's detachment, which laid down its arms at Nicholson's Neck after offering a feeble resistance. In the last-mentioned case, it is true, several Englishmen, who had already laid down their arms, stood among the Boers so that the commander of the British force did not really know just what action to take in this situation. His hesitation decided his fate. The demand must unquestionably be made in future also,[1] that troops surrounded in the field make a serious attempt to cut their way out before permitting thoughts of surrender to enter their minds.
It is impossible to determine theoretically what losses troops are able to endure. After the Franco-German War it
- ↑ In contrast to this view the British court of inquiry found all but three of the 226 surrenders, which occurred up to June 1st, 1900, justified. In the three cases in which the verdict was adverse only a few men had surrendered. Within a period of eight months the British lost a total of 1680 officers and 2124 men killed and wounded, while their loss in prisoners amounted to 182 officers and 4984 men.
