A West Pointer with the Boers

In Short

This memoir records the experiences of John Y. Fillmore Blake, a West Point graduate and former U.S. Cavalry officer who commanded the First Irish Brigade for the Boer Republics during the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). Blake outlines the conflict's origins, detailing imperial greed and corporate intrigue before providing a firsthand account of major engagements, guerrilla maneuvers, and the harsh realities of camp life. Driven by anti-imperialist conviction, Blake writes with fiery bluntness, condemning British military strategy, concentration camps, and treacherous allies while praising Boer resilience. The book survives as an unusual, intensely partisan account of foreign combatants in South Africa.

The Story

Blake opens his narrative with a personal sketch, recalling his early life on a Texas ranch, his education at West Point, and his subsequent service commanding Apache and Navajo scouts in the American West. Finding peacetime garrison duty monotonous, he resigns his commission, tries his hand at business in Michigan, and eventually travels to South Africa to explore gold mining prospects. He quickly comes to view the conflict through the lens of economic exploitation, alleging that Cecil Rhodes and British authorities engineered the Jameson Raid and provoked the war to seize the rich gold fields of the Rand to bail out speculative ventures.

When war breaks out in 1899, Blake casts his lot with the Boer Republics and takes command of the Irish Brigade. He narrates early major engagements, beginning with the Battle of Modderspruit, where his men hold Pepworth Hill under heavy British artillery fire. He describes the Boer victory at the Tugela River, the retreat to the Biggarsberg Mountains, and the operational flaws of Boer commanders who favor passive sieges at Ladysmith, Mafeking, and Kimberley over aggressive movement into Natal and Cape Colony.

As the British army under Roberts and Kitchener advances, capturing towns and deploying superior numbers, the war shifts from pitched battles to guerrilla warfare. Blake recounts his unit's constant movement across the high veldt, destroying supply lines, burning depots, and dodging pursuit alongside Boer leaders like Louis Botha, Ben Viljoen, and Christiaan De Wet. He details the tactics of hit-and-run warfare, praising De Wet's ability to shatter encircling British columns and slip across the Orange River.

The narrative darkens as Blake details the devastating impact of British counter-insurgency tactics, specifically farm burning and the internment of Boer women and children in prison camps. He fiercely attacks British commanders for relying on scorched-earth policies, while fiercely criticizing Boer "hands-uppers" who surrender early or assist the enemy. Following the Vereeniging peace treaty in 1902, Blake concludes his account with a bitter indictment of the war's human cost, dedicating his work to those who died in the camps and predicting that future generations of Afrikaners will retain their independence.

How It Unfolds

From the American West to South Africa After graduating from West Point and leading Apache and Navajo scouts in Arizona and New Mexico, Blake resigns his commission due to monotonous post life. Following a failed business venture in Michigan, he travels to South Africa to explore gold mining opportunities.

Exposing imperial ambition Blake outlines the financial motives behind the war, arguing that Cecil Rhodes orchestrated the Jameson Raid to cover corporate losses in Rhodesia. He claims British authorities fabricated reports of Boer atrocities against English settlers to justify military intervention and seize the Rand gold fields.

Under fire at Pepworth Hill Taking command of the Irish Brigade, Blake positions his men alongside Boer artillery during the Battle of Modderspruit. Under heavy British shellfire, the unit holds its ground on Pepworth Hill to protect the guns.

Frustrations of the siege policy Blake criticizes the Boer leadership's decision to lay siege to Ladysmith, Mafeking, and Kimberley rather than advancing into Natal. He contends that timid command allowed British forces to reinforce their positions and regain the initiative.

Raiding lines of communication As British armies advance into the Boer republics, Blake and his brigade strike at supply depots and railway lines. In Kroonstad and along the Rhenoster River, his unit burns depots and coordinates movement with Boer generals to disrupt enemy operations.

Guerrilla warfare on the veldt The conflict transitions to mobile warfare across the high veldt as Boer commandos avoid pitched battles. Blake records clashes with British columns, describing small-unit actions against Australian and English forces.

Surrender at Vereeniging The book concludes with the text of the May 1902 peace agreement, where Boer delegates agree to lay down their arms. Blake fiercely condemns the terms, attributing the surrender to British prison camps and predicting lasting anti-imperial sentiment.

The People

• Colonel J.Y.F. Blake: The narrator and commander of the Irish Brigade. A Texas-raised West Point graduate, he seeks military action and anti-imperial purpose, using his cavalry background to direct volunteer fighters across the South African veldt.
• Cecil Rhodes: A British imperialist and mining magnate whom Blake characterizes as the chief architect of the war. Blake argues Rhodes engineered aggressive raids to hide corporate financial failures and claim the Rand gold fields.
• General Louis Botha: A prominent Boer commander admired by Blake for his battlefield skill at the Tugela River, though criticized for cautious operational choices and allowing burghers to surrender without pressing aggressive attacks.
• General Christiaan De Wet: A Boer commander whom Blake dubs the "Stonewall Jackson of South Africa." He is celebrated throughout the text for his brilliant guerrilla tactics, repeatedly outmaneuvering superior British columns.
• General Piet Joubert: The elderly Commandant-General of the Boer forces whose aversion to unnecessary bloodshed leads to defensive siege tactics that Blake believes cost the Republics early strategic advantages.
• Mike Hanafin: A brave, reckless Irish Brigade soldier who disarms an Australian bugler to force a cease-fire, but is later killed while storming a British blockhouse near a railway line.

In Its Own Voice

"As fast as they arrived they would call out, 'Where are the English?' After all had taken a good look at the cannon and cavalry in front of them, I simply told them to remember that they were Irishmen, and then put them in a position on the right of the guns."

Blake describes the arrival of his volunteer Irish unit on Pepworth Hill as British artillery opens fire during the Battle of Modderspruit.

"The several columns surrounded him, and despatch men were flying at full speed from column to column bearing instructions that would insure perfect unity of action. General De Wet, when he concluded that the several columns were in good readiness to bury him, saddled up, moved out and attacked the nearest column."

The author details the cunning guerrilla tactics used by Boer General Christiaan De Wet to break through surrounding British forces in the Orange Free State.

"Go to the lone tent standing by the charred walls of the destroyed home and with the children listen to what is taught them by the mother, and you will hear the answer."

In his closing chapter, Blake reflects on the lasting bitterness left in the wake of farm burnings and concentration camps across South Africa.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book is an uncompromising attack on British imperialism driven by an American soldier's conviction. Blake frames the Anglo-Boer War not as a civilizing mission, but as a predatory corporate land grab designed to enrich financiers at the expense of independent farmers. The text explores themes of irregular warfare, military incompetence, and national survival, contrasting professional army bureaucracy with the natural marksmanship and horsemanship of citizen burghers. Underlying the operational details is an intense argument regarding the ethics of warfare, where Blake contrasts traditional battlefield honor with scorched-earth strategies, total war, and the systematic suffering of non-combatants in internment camps.

Why Read It Today

A West Pointer with the Boers offers a rare, highly subjective perspective from a foreign officer serving directly within the Boer commandos. Readers interested in military history will appreciate its unfiltered look at late nineteenth-century cavalry operations, artillery duels, and early guerrilla tactics on the South African veldt. Blake’s writing style is direct and unpolished, reflecting the plainspoken cadence of a 19th-century frontier officer rather than a refined historian.

The book does present distinct challenges for modern readers. Blake’s narrative is uncompromisingly partisan, fueled by intense anti-British hostility and period-typical racial attitudes. His observations regarding indigenous African populations reflect the stark prejudices of the era, and his military judgments are often unyielding. Yet, it remains a valuable historical artifact—a vivid narrative of war written by an American soldier who chose to throw his lot in with a doomed defense of the Boer Republics.