Piet de Wet


Pieter Daniël de Wet was a Boer general in the Anglo-Boer War and a younger brother of Boer general and politician Christiaan de Wet. Piet de Wet participated in the Battle of Poplar Grove, the Battle of Sanna's Post for the waterworks there, and defeated the 13th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry at Lindley. In July 1900, he surrendered to the British at Kroonstad, Orange Free State. He became a prominent member of the National Scouts helping the British in the last years of the Boer War.

Early career

De Wet was born at the farm Nuwejaarsfontein in Dewetsdorp as one of the fourteen children of Jacobus Ignatius de Wet and Aletta Susanna Margaretha Strydom. With his older brother Christiaan he left the Orange Free State in 1879 for the Heidelberg district in the South African Republic. Both brothers fought in the First Boer War at the Battle of Majuba Hill and Piet de Wet participated in the expedition to capture Mampuru II.
In 1883, he returned to the Orange Free State, settled at the farm Vinkfontein near Lindley and married Susanna Margaretha de Wet. They had five sons and six daughters. De Wet represented Midden-Liebensbergvlei-wyk in the Volksraad from 1895 to 1897, moved to Pretoria, but came back and became military commander for Lindley.

Anglo-Boer War 1899–1902

Success

Piet de Wet led his 200 men of the Bethlehem Commando near Nicholson's Nek outside Ladysmith on 5 October 1899 and during the siege of Ladysmith. Then he was tasked to march west and attack Vaalkop near Arundel on 16 December 1899. He impressed president Steyn of the Free State who gave him the command of all troops south of the Orange River with headquarter at Colesberg. British troops continued their advance and occupied Bloemfontein, the capital of Orange Free State, on 13 March 1900. On 28 May Orange Free State was annexed by Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts|Lord Roberts] as the Orange River Colony. But in the mean time the brothers Christiaan and Piet de Wet won skirmishes with the British at Abrahamkraal, Sanna's Post and Dewetsdorp. On 31 May 1900 Piet de Wet with General Marthinus Prinsloo captured 13th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry near Lindley. Piet de Wet bagged in total 530 men, including Spragge, Lord Longford, Lords Ennismore, Leitrim and Donoughmore who were marched off to the eastern Transvaal northwards. However, after the occupation by Roberts of Kroonstad on 12 May 1900, Free State soldiers were disheartenend and Piet de Wet had started to doubt the use of fighting on. Roberts occupied and Pretoria on 5 June 1900.

Surrender

On 18 May 1900, British brigade general Robert Broadwood received a message that Piet de Wet was willing to surrender on the condition that he and his men could return to their farms. However, Commander-in-chief Roberts demanded an unconditional surrender so that the fighting continued. But in July 1900, Piet de Wet and several of his staff surrendered to the British at Kroonstad, becoming "joiners", "hensoppers", and "wapenneerlêers". His unavailing letter of 11 January 1901 to his brother Christiaan de Wet to stop his guerrilla war, was published in the Bloemfontein Post and separately as a pamphlet "Broeder tot broeder". In March 1902 Piet de Wet established the Orange River Colony Volunteers on the British side. and had joined the National Scouts headed by Andries Cronjé, who served the British troops as Boer auxiliaries. However, on 9 April 1902, peace negotiations started at Vereeniging leading to the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902 ending the war.

Publications

Broeder tot broeder : een prijzenswaardige brief ; een smeekstem tot De Wet De Wet's verantwoordelijkheid, 1901.
  • with Kroonstad Vredes Comité, Open brief aan de inwoners der Kaap Kolonie, Die Comité, Kroonstad, 1901.The Marits conspiracy : negotiations with German South West during 1913, Wallachs, Pretoria, 1915.