General Christiaan de Wet attacks Rooiwal railway station during the South African War

Date: 7 Jun 1900
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

General Christiaan de Wet attacks Rooiwal railway station during the South African War

During the South African War 1899-1902, General Christiaan de Wet attacked Rooiwal railway station at Koppies, Northern Free State. At this point he was the commando-in-chief of the greater part of the Free State commandos. A day before the assault De Wet, his men and burghers, set off from Smitsdrif. Following a few gun shots, General De Wet sent a burgher with a flag of truce to the British commander. His message read that the station was surrounded by 1 000 men with four guns and he called upon the post to surrender within ten minutes. The British commander Captain A. G. W. Grant sent back the burgher with the message saying that he would certainly not surrender. De Wet then ordered his commandos to fire at the British and they in turn returned fire.

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How we know this

01BarnardC.J.‘Studies in the Generalship of the Boer Commanders’,in the Military History Journal Vol 2 No 5 - June 1973
02African Explore, ‘Koppies: Including Kwakwatsi’, [online], available at www.africanexplore.com(Accessed: 04 May 2012)

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, May 31). General Christiaan de Wet attacks Rooiwal railway station during the South African War. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0084193

South African History Online (2012) 'General Christiaan de Wet attacks Rooiwal railway station during the South African War', South African History Online, 31 May. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0084193 (Accessed: 21 July 2026).

South African History Online, General Christiaan de Wet attacks Rooiwal railway station during the South African War [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0084193, (accessed 21 July 2026).

"General Christiaan de Wet attacks Rooiwal railway station during the South African War." South African History Online, 31 May 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0084193. Accessed 21 July 2026.

South African History Online. "General Christiaan de Wet attacks Rooiwal railway station during the South African War." South African History Online. May 31, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0084193.