So far the General deserves censure and is accountable for the disaster
which had such a far-reaching and bad moral effect on the rest of the
burghers. The only sweet drop contained in the bitter cup extended to us
was the fact that Cronje and his burghers surrendered _as men_, and not
as _cowards_. Once surrounded and brought to bay they resisted every
attack with admirable fortitude and valour. Surrounded along the banks
of the Modder River, at a spot where they had no cover at all, exposed
to a terrific cannonade and charged by thousands of the enemy from time
to time, these farmers fearlessly repelled every onslaught. It was one
thing to surround them, another thing to capture them. They were not to
be taken with cold hands. The enemy, especially the Canadians, had to
pay a great price before the white flag announced Cronje's unconditional
surrender.

During the siege attempts were made by General De Wet to relieve
Cronje, but none succeeded. Several of the relieving forces, including
the pick of the Winburg Commando with Commandant Theunissen, were
themselves surrounded and captured in trying to break through the lines
of the besiegers.

To intensify the gloom, Ladysmith, which was daily expected to fall, was
relieved on the day of Cronje's surrender. For certain reasons the late
Commandant-General P. Joubert had evacuated the positions round
Ladysmith and retreated to the Biggar's Range. General Louis Botha, who
was engaging Buller's relieving forces at Colenso, was then also
compelled to retreat.

After Cronje's capture the way to Bloemfontein and Pretoria lay open.
The Boers made one more stand at Abraham's Kraal, where the enemy