At Sannas Pos, on 31 March 1900, Boers led by General Christiaan de Wet defeated British soldiers under Brigadier General Broadwood. It was a significant skirmish for two reasons: the Post controlled the water supply to Bloemfontein via the Modder River, andIt was the first large-scale use of guerrilla tactics by de Wet – a completely different approach to the British army. In the fight 155 British soldiers were killed, and 3 boers; hundreds were injured in what must have been burning heat, and hundreds more died subsequently in Bloemfontein from dysentery and enteric fever as a result of polluted water – the water supply having been cut off. It was one of many such wasteful fights in what in my view was a senseless and cruel war. Curiously, five Victoria Crosses were awarded on this occasion.
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