If the Commandant-General had pursued the British forces after all their defeats and had drawn the burghers out of their laagers by the force of his own example, the major part of the history of the Natal campaign would have been made near the Indian Ocean instead of on the banks of the Tugela.

The majority of the Boers in Natal needed a commander-in-chief who would say to them "Come," but Joubert only said "Go." The death of General Joubert in Pretoria, on March 26th, was sincerely regretted by all South Africans, for he undoubtedly was one of the most distinguished men in the country.

During his long public career he made many friends who held him in high honour for his sterling qualities, his integrity, and his devotion to his country's cause.

He made mistakes--and there are few men who are invulnerable to them--but he died while striving to do that which he regarded the best for his country and its cause.

If dying for one's country is patriotism, then Joubert's death was sweet.
When war-clouds were gathering and the storm was about to burst over the Transvaal Piet Cronje sat on the stoep of his farmhouse in Potchefstroom, evolving in his mind a system of tactics which he would follow when the conflict began.