Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1900 — BRANDFORT IS TAKEN [ARTICLE]

BRANDFORT IS TAKEN

Its Occupation by the British a Most Important Move. News of the occupation of Brandfort was issued by the British war office Friday morning. It is generally considered the most important communication received from the front since the capture of Gen. Cron-je and the relief of Ladysmith. The fact that the position gives the key to one of the main roads to the Drakensberg passes, which possibly may be the means of co-operation with Gen. Buller later on, provides an advance base of supplies, etc., and at the same time menaces the Boers now southeast oi Bloemfontein, is obviously the reason foi the importance attached by all hands tc the intelligence. The Boer army, which was at Brandfort. commanded by Gen. Delarey, is presumably retiring on YVinburg, which will possibly l>e the next immediate objective of the British. Brandfort, thirtylive miles nearer the Transvaal capital, is now Lord Roberts' headquarters. What particularly gratifies the British public is the evidence that the army of Ix>rd Roberts in the Orange Free State has recovered its mobility and is again capable of undertaking the general advance so long retarded. It is hardly expected the Boers will make much of a stand south of Krooustad, and possibly not there, if Lord Roberts succeeds in capturing Winburg, thus interposing between the main federal army and the Boer forces in the neighborhood of Thaba Nchu and Houtnek. In that case the later p'ould be forced to move far to the eastward, in which direction their mobility would probably enable them to reach the Bethlehem and Harrismith line of safety. The only opposition which the British encountered at Brandfort seems to have come from the IrishAmerican command.