Ben Viljoen
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Johannes Viljoen (7 September 1869 - 14 January 1917) was a general in the Boer
army. He was born in a cave in the Wodehouse district of the Cape Colony
. This was the temporary residence of the Viljoen family while their farm house was being constructed. He spent his early years on the Varkiesdraai farm near Umtata. He attained the position of Assistant Commandant-General of the Transvaal
Burgher Forces and was member for Krugersdorp in the Transvaal Volksraad
.
and in 1896 he founded the Krugersdorpse Vrywilligerskorps experiencing combat with the Jameson Raiders
. On the Uitlander
issue, Viljoen was an ally of Paul Kruger
. He is famously attributed to saying in the Volksraad that it was time to put trust in "God and the Mauser
".
. He led the Johannesburg Commando, the great nemesis of the Uitlanders and he fought at the Battle of Elandslaagte
on 21 October 1899. When the front disintegrated, he joined up with other Boers to stop the British march on Pretoria
.
When British General Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton
crossed the Vaal River
on 26 May 1900, Viljoen and his Johannesburg Commando confronted him with De la Rey and the Lichtenburg Commando.
consisting of men from Johannesburg, Krugersdorp, Boksburg and the North and East Transvaal. His success resulted in him attaining the high rank of Assistant Commandant-General (November 1900). Viljoen's exploits included surprising a garrison at Helvetia in the Eastern Transvaal on 29 December 1900 and temporarily capturing 235 men and a 4.7-inch gun.
on 25 January 1902 and remained prisoner-of-war until May, 1902 at the Broadbottom Camp, on St. Helena. It was there that he wrote his autobiography, "My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War". The book is a realistic description of the war from a Boer perspective. Unlike other Boer generals he was not a property owner and thus hesitated to return to South Africa
. He returned to South Africa as a pauper but refused to take British citizenship, thus greatly reducing his chances of resuming a public career. He was also disillusioned by rumours claiming that he had collaborated with the British, and he felt that his contribution to the struggle was not recognised.
. Help with selecting and negotiating for the property were provided by two men hired by Roosevelt family friend Marshall Latham Bond
and the husband of a Roosevelt relative Edward Reeve Merritt. It was located at Hacienda Humboldt
in the municipality of Julimes
, Chihuahua.
in 1904 along with General Piet Cronjé
(of Battle of Paardeberg
fame) to take part in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
(St. Louis, Missouri) and the so-called "Boer War Circus" — portrayals of scenes from the Boer War. After leaving the fair, he settled down in the US. He separated from his wife, Lenie (née Els), who did not really want to leave South Africa and married an American woman, Myrtle Dickerson. Attempts to establish a Boer settlement in the north of Mexico ended in failure.
. He became involved in civic affairs throughout the Mesilla Valley
, and in 1909 he was granted American citizenship. Viljoen became familiar with both President Theodore Roosevelt
and New Mexico Governor George Curry
. Viljoen was commissioned as a Major in the territorial National Guard’s First Regiment of Infantry. In 1911, he travelled to Washington, D.C.
, with Curry and Albert Bacon Fall as part of a delegation promoting statehood for New Mexico
. In April and May 1911, he fought with the Mexican revolutionary
Francisco Madero at the Battle of Ciudad Juarez
. It is said he helped with the capture of Geronimo
.
Viljoen was also influential in agriculture. He introduced new crops and farming practices to the Mesilla Valley. Viljoen was interested in the creation of the Elephant Butte Dam
and developed irrigation systems for the valley.
For a short while, he was U.S. Consul in Germany, and also acted as military advisor to Francisco Madero until Madero's assassination in 1913. He died in 1917, at his farm in La Mesa and is buried at the Masonic Cemetery in La Mesa, New Mexico.
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
army. He was born in a cave in the Wodehouse district of the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
. This was the temporary residence of the Viljoen family while their farm house was being constructed. He spent his early years on the Varkiesdraai farm near Umtata. He attained the position of Assistant Commandant-General of the Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
Burgher Forces and was member for Krugersdorp in the Transvaal Volksraad
Volksraad
The Volksraad was the parliament of the former South African Republic , which existed from 1857 to 1902 in part of what is now the South Africa. The body ceased to exist after the British victory in the Second Anglo-Boer War. The Volksraad sat in session in Ou Raadsaal in Church Square, Pretoria...
.
Krugersdorpse Vrywilligerskorps and the Volksraad
In 1890 he moved to JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
and in 1896 he founded the Krugersdorpse Vrywilligerskorps experiencing combat with the Jameson Raiders
Jameson Raid
The Jameson Raid was a botched raid on Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic carried out by a British colonial statesman Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland policemen over the New Year weekend of 1895–96...
. On the Uitlander
Uitlander
Uitlander, Afrikaans for "foreigner" , was the name given to expatriate migrant workers during the initial exploitation of the Witwatersrand gold fields in the Transvaal...
issue, Viljoen was an ally of Paul Kruger
Paul Kruger
Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger , better known as Paul Kruger and affectionately known as Uncle Paul was State President of the South African Republic...
. He is famously attributed to saying in the Volksraad that it was time to put trust in "God and the Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
".
Outbreak of War
With the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War he first did service in the Colony of NatalColony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
. He led the Johannesburg Commando, the great nemesis of the Uitlanders and he fought at the Battle of Elandslaagte
Battle of Elandslaagte
The Battle of Elandslaagte was a battle of the Second Boer War, and one of the few clear-cut tactical victories won by the British during that conflict...
on 21 October 1899. When the front disintegrated, he joined up with other Boers to stop the British march on Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
.
When British General Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton
Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton
General Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton GCB GCMG DSO TD was a general in the British Army and is most notably for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli....
crossed the Vaal River
Vaal River
The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source in the Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg and about 30 km north of Ermelo and only about 240 km from the Indian Ocean. It then flows westwards to its conjunction...
on 26 May 1900, Viljoen and his Johannesburg Commando confronted him with De la Rey and the Lichtenburg Commando.
Guerrilla war
With the end of the conventional phase of the war, he formed a powerful guerrilla commandoCommando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
consisting of men from Johannesburg, Krugersdorp, Boksburg and the North and East Transvaal. His success resulted in him attaining the high rank of Assistant Commandant-General (November 1900). Viljoen's exploits included surprising a garrison at Helvetia in the Eastern Transvaal on 29 December 1900 and temporarily capturing 235 men and a 4.7-inch gun.
Capture, imprisonment and war memoirs
He was eventually captured at LydenburgLydenburg
Lydenburg is a town in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The town is slated to be renamed Mashishing, according to an announcement made on June 30, 2006 by the South African Minister of Arts and Culture, Pallo Jordan. Lydenburg is situated on the Sterkspruit/Dorps River tributary of the Olifants River at...
on 25 January 1902 and remained prisoner-of-war until May, 1902 at the Broadbottom Camp, on St. Helena. It was there that he wrote his autobiography, "My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War". The book is a realistic description of the war from a Boer perspective. Unlike other Boer generals he was not a property owner and thus hesitated to return to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He returned to South Africa as a pauper but refused to take British citizenship, thus greatly reducing his chances of resuming a public career. He was also disillusioned by rumours claiming that he had collaborated with the British, and he felt that his contribution to the struggle was not recognised.
Boer Colony in Mexico
Ben Viljoen was one of the South African refugee officers who formed a farm colony in Mexico with the assistance of Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. Help with selecting and negotiating for the property were provided by two men hired by Roosevelt family friend Marshall Latham Bond
Marshall Latham Bond
Marshall Latham Bond was one of two brothers who were Jack London's landlords and among his employers during the autumn of 1897 and the spring of 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. They were the owners of the dog that Jack London fictionalized as Buck....
and the husband of a Roosevelt relative Edward Reeve Merritt. It was located at Hacienda Humboldt
Hacienda Humboldt
Hacienda Humboldt is an ejido in the municipality of Julimes , Chihuahua which was once a private cattle ranch. It belonged for a period of time to Luis Terrazas and was sold by him for the formation of a colony of South African refugees from the Anglo Boer War. The refugees were assisted in their...
in the municipality of Julimes
Julimes (municipality)
Julimes is one of the 67 municipalities of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Julimes. The municipality covers an area of 2,767.3 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 4,507.-Towns and villages:...
, Chihuahua.
United States and the Boer War Circus
He left for the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1904 along with General Piet Cronjé
Piet Cronje
Pieter Arnoldus Cronjé, commonly known as Piet Cronjé was a general of the South African Republic's military forces during the Anglo-Boer wars of 1880-1881 and 1899-1902....
(of Battle of Paardeberg
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
fame) to take part in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
(St. Louis, Missouri) and the so-called "Boer War Circus" — portrayals of scenes from the Boer War. After leaving the fair, he settled down in the US. He separated from his wife, Lenie (née Els), who did not really want to leave South Africa and married an American woman, Myrtle Dickerson. Attempts to establish a Boer settlement in the north of Mexico ended in failure.
Civic life in New Mexico
He returned from Mexico to the U.S. and was instrumental in organising Boer colonies in Doña Ana County at Berino, Chamberino and La Mesa in New Mexico TerritoryNew Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
. He became involved in civic affairs throughout the Mesilla Valley
Mesilla Valley
The Mesilla Valley is a geographic feature of Southern New Mexico and far West Texas. It was formed by repeated heavy spring floods of the Rio Grande.The fertile Mesilla Valley extends from about Hatch, New Mexico to the west side of El Paso, Texas...
, and in 1909 he was granted American citizenship. Viljoen became familiar with both President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and New Mexico Governor George Curry
George Curry
George Curry may refer to:*George Curry , Governor of New Mexico Territory and U.S. Representative*George Law Curry , U.S. politician*George Curry *S. George Curry , Canadian architect-See also:...
. Viljoen was commissioned as a Major in the territorial National Guard’s First Regiment of Infantry. In 1911, he travelled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, with Curry and Albert Bacon Fall as part of a delegation promoting statehood for New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. In April and May 1911, he fought with the Mexican revolutionary
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
Francisco Madero at the Battle of Ciudad Juarez
Battle of Ciudad Juárez
The First Battle of Ciudad Juárez took place in April and May 1911 between federal forces loyal to Porfirio Díaz and rebel forces of Francisco Madero, during the Mexican Revolution. Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa commanded Madero's army which besieged Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. After two days of...
. It is said he helped with the capture of Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
.
Viljoen was also influential in agriculture. He introduced new crops and farming practices to the Mesilla Valley. Viljoen was interested in the creation of the Elephant Butte Dam
Elephant Butte Dam
Elephant Butte Dam or Elephant Butte Dike is a concrete gravity dam on the Rio Grande near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The river was dammed here, impounding the Elephant Butte Reservoir for recreation and agriculture, lessening the downstream flow from a Rio Bravo to a stream a foot deep.The...
and developed irrigation systems for the valley.
For a short while, he was U.S. Consul in Germany, and also acted as military advisor to Francisco Madero until Madero's assassination in 1913. He died in 1917, at his farm in La Mesa and is buried at the Masonic Cemetery in La Mesa, New Mexico.