Christiaan Hendrik Muller (Chris, "Ou Raaltjie", January 4, 1865 – January 14, 1945) was a Boer

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). He succeeded General

Ben Viljoen Benjamin Johannes "Ben" Viljoen (7 September 1869 – 14 January 1917) was an Afrikaner-American Consul, soldier, farmer, Maderista, and Boer general. Viljoen was born in a cave in the Wodehouse district of the Cape Colony to Susanna Magdalen ...

as the sole leader of the Boer forces in the Eastern Transvaal after Viljoen was captured by British troops on 25 January 1902 and sent to

St. Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

as a prisoner of war.

Biography

Muller was born in the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

, South Africa, but grew up in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

and later in Transvaal of the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...

where he fought in military campaigns against natives. In the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) he initially was a corporal in the Boksburg command, but later on he was promoted to general in virtue of his excellent weapon skills. With General Ben Viljoen Muller led the Boers in the Battle of Helvetia on

29 December Events Pre-1600 *1170 – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of Henry II of England, King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Communion and the ...

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

, 10 km north of

Machadodorp Machadodorp, also known by its official name eNtokozweni, is a small town situated on the N4 road, near the edge of the escarpment in the Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The Elands River runs through the town. There is a natural radioactive sp ...

. They won a surprise victory over the British forces of Major Stapleton Lynch Cotton (1860-1928), attacking them at night from east and west. The Boers numbered about 580 men, while the British forces were only about 350 men strong, however boasting a 120mm (4.7 inch) naval cannon. Taking 235 prisoners of war, Muller later became particularly famous for the capture of this cannon, jokingly called the 'Lady Roberts'. On 12 June 1901 Muller and his troops overpowered about 350 men of the Australian 5th

Victorian Mounted Rifles The Victorian Mounted Rifles (VMR) was a regiment composed of Australian forces that served in the Second Boer War. It was first raised by Colonel Tom Price in the mid-1880s, composed of voluntary forces. It was composed of several contingents, th ...

at Wilmansrust, Transvaal seizing ammunition,

pom-pom A pom-pom – also spelled pom-pon, pompom or pompon – is a decorative ball or tuft of fibrous material. The term may refer to large tufts used by Cheerleading, cheerleaders, or a small, tighter ball attached to the top of a hat, al ...

guns, clothing and food, much needed by the Boers at that point. He joined in the peace negotiations leading to the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902 concluding the Anglo-Boer War. After the war, Muller was the director of the South African Landbank founded in 1912. In 1914 he was involved in the Maritz Rebellion but also was a member of the

Parliament of South Africa The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature; under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameral Parliament comprises a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces. The current twenty-seve ...

for a number of years. Muller died in 1945 in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

Bibliography

* Grobler, J. E. H. ''The War Reporter: the Anglo-Boer war through the eyes of the burghers'', Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2004. ISBN 978-1-86842-186-2. Pages 99, 102, 114, 118, 120–121, 131, 134, 137, 145, 147, and 149. * Page 551 (assistant field cornet). * Muller, Christiaan H.: ''Oorlogsherinneringe van generaal Chris. H. Muller'', Nasionale Pers, Kaapstad 1936. In Afrikaans. * Rosenthal, Eric (Ed.): ''Ensiklopedie van Suidelike Afrika'', Frederick Warne, London, 1967. In Afrikaans.

External links

* . In March 1902 General Muller encouraged the mining of

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

gold by the Boer Johannesburg Commando to mint gold coins, called ''veldpond'', field pound.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Chris Boer generals People of the Second Boer War 1865 births 1945 deaths Cape Colony people