Christoffel Cornelis Froneman, commonly known as Stoffel Froneman (Leliehoek, Winburg, 26 March 1846 – Cypress, District

Marquard Marquard is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa that serves Winburg in the northwest. The town was set up in 1905 by an influential Dutch Reform minister, JJ Marquard, with the help of Christoffel Cornelis Froneman ...

, 12 March 1913), was

veldkornet A field cornet (rank), cornet () is a term formerly used in South Africa for either a local government official or a military officer. The office had its origins in the position of ''veldwachtmeester'' in the Dutch Cape colony, and was regarded as ...

, general and Vice-Commander-in-Chief of the Orange Free State Boer forces during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902.

Family

He was the son of Christoffel Cornelius Froneman (Bruintjieshoogte, Somerset East,

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

, 26 June 1807 – Leliehoek, Winburg, Free State, 14 September 1899) and Maria Elizabeth Opperman (Somerset East, Eastern Cape, 12 December 1817 – Klipspruit, 6 November 1875), and the husband of Anna Catharina Pietersen (Ruigtefontein, Winburg, Free State, 23 May 1852 – Cypress,

, Free State, 9 August 1883) and Heila Magdalena Koekemoer (Rondehoek, Senekal, Free State, 20 August 1859 – Fronemansrust, Marquard, Free State, 2 November 1937). Froneman had one son and five daughters from his first marriage, and three sons and two daughters from his second.

Military career

He took part in the

Free State–Basotho Wars The Free State–Basotho Wars refers to a series of wars fought between King Moshoeshoe I, the ruler of the Basotho kingdom, and the white settlers, in what is now known as the Free State. These can be divided into the Senekal's War of 1858, th ...

(1858-1868) between the Orange Free State and the Sotho people under king Moshoeshoe I.

Anglo-Boer War

At the outbreak of the war in 1899 he was Commandant of the

Ladybrand Commando Ladybrand Commando was a light infantry regiment of the South African Army from Ladybrand, Orange Free State. It formed part of the South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve. History Origin Oper ...

. He distinguished himself to such an extent that his promotions followed each other in quick succession. In early February 1900, together with Generaal de Wet, he took part in the Battle of Koedoesberg (near Ritchie, South Africa), west of the Boer positions at

Magersfontein The MagersfonteinMisspelt "Maaghersfontein" in some British texts ( ) battlefield is a site of the Battle of Magersfontein (11 December 1899), part of the Second Boer War in South Africa. The battlefield is located at south of Kimberley, South Af ...

. When General Piet Cronjé surrendered at Paardeberg on 27 February 1900, Froneman, with the help of General De Wet, managed to escape and was promoted to General. Near Sannapos ( Afrikaans: Slag van Sannaspos, 31 March 1900) and in the Battle near Brandwaterkom (

Brandwater Basin The Brandwater Basin is the drainage basin of the Brandwater River (Afrikaans: Brandwaterrivier), a tributary of the Grootspruit River in the south-east of Orange Free State, South Africa, north of Lesotho. The basin is situated south of Bethleh ...

) he really excelled. Near Pompje he raided a train and all over the region he caused havoc for the British and inflicted great damage. On June 7, 1900 he attacked Roodewal railway station with De Wet and Lucas Steenkamp's troops, 50 kilometers north of Kroonstad, and captured large quantities of British munitions, provisions, blankets and clothing loaded onto a train for Pretoria.Bossenbroek 2018, p. 255. By 1901 he was the Vice-Commander-In-Chief for the entire Eastern Orange Free State. Froneman fought until the end of the Anglo-Boer War and took part in the Peace Treaty negotiations in Vereeniging, where he voted for peace. On June 11, 1902 General Froneman and about 800 Boer commandos surrendered near Winburg to General Elliott. Nearly every one handed in a rifle with bandoliers, but, like other commandos which had come in, they spent nearly all their ammunition in game-shooting since peace was declared. The Boer generals and the commandants and

Field Cornet A field cornet () is a term formerly used in South Africa for either a local government official or a military officer. The office had its origins in the position of ''veldwachtmeester'' in the Dutch Cape colony, and was regarded as being equiv ...

s were allowed to retain their private rifles.

Literature

* M. P. Bossenbroek, Yvette Rosenberg (Translator), ''The Boer War'',

Seven Stories Press Seven Stories Press is an independent American publishing company. Based in New York City, the company was founded by Dan Simon in 1995, after establishing Four Walls Eight Windows in 1984 as an imprint at Writers and Readers, and then incorpora ...

, New York, NY, 2018. , 1609807472. Pages 233, 255, 273, 316, and 321. * Many pages. * Many pages. * Pages 222, 224, 227, 229-230, 233-234, 238. * Thomas Pakenham, ''The Boer War'', George Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1979. Abacus, 1992. ISBN 0 349 10466 2. Pages 393, 435, 488 and 567.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Froneman, Christoffel Cornelis Boer military personnel of the Second Boer War 1913 deaths 1846 births