On May 3rd, the day of the advance from our most northern post, Karee, the disposition of Lord Roberts’s army was briefly as follows.  On his left was Hutton, with his mixed force of mounted infantry drawn from every quarter of the empire.  This formidable and mobile body, with some batteries of horse artillery and of pom-poms, kept a line a few miles to the west of the railroad, moving northwards parallel with it.  Roberts’s main column kept on the railroad, which was mended with extraordinary speed by the Railway Pioneer regiment and the Engineers, under Girouard and the ill-fated Seymour.  It was amazing to note the shattered culverts as one passed, and yet to be overtaken by trains within a day.  This main column consisted of Pole-Carew’s 11th Division, which contained the Guards, and Stephenson’s Brigade (Warwicks, Essex, Welsh, and Yorkshires).  With them were the 83rd, 84th, and 85th R.F.A., with the heavy guns, and a small force of mounted infantry.  Passing along the widespread British line one would then, after an interval of seven or eight miles, come upon Tucker’s Division (the 7th), which consisted of Maxwell’s Brigade (formerly Chermside’s—­the Norfolks, Lincolns, Hampshires, and Scottish Borderers) and Wavell’s Brigade (North Staffords, Cheshires, East Lancashires, South Wales Borderers).  To the right of these was Ridley’s mounted infantry.  Beyond them, extending over very many miles of country and with considerable spaces between, there came Broadwood’s cavalry, Bruce Hamilton’s Brigade (Derbyshires, Sussex, Camerons, and C.I.V.), and finally on the extreme right of all Ian Hamilton’s force of Highlanders, Canadians, Shropshires, and Cornwalls, with cavalry and mounted infantry, starting forty miles from Lord Roberts, but edging westwards all the way, to merge with the troops next to it, and to occupy Winburg in the way already described.  This was the army, between forty and fifty thousand strong, with which Lord Roberts advanced upon the Transvaal.

In the meantime he had anticipated that his mobile and enterprising opponents would work round and strike at our rear.  Ample means had been provided for dealing with any attempt of the kind.  Rundle with the 8th Division and Brabant’s Colonial Division remained in rear of the right flank to confront any force which might turn it.  At Bloemfontein were Kelly-Kenny’s Division (the 6th) and Chermside’s (the 3rd), with a force of cavalry and guns.  Methuen, working from Kimberley towards Boshof, formed the extreme left wing of the main advance, though distant a hundred miles from it.  With excellent judgment Lord Roberts saw that it was on our right flank that danger was to be feared, and here it was that every precaution had been taken to meet it.