Illustration of de Wet crossing the drift at Kareeport. Christiaan de Wet (1854 - 1922) recruited two thousand Boers in the Orange Free State, attempted to invade Cape Colony, and carried out a guerilla warfare against Kitchener's troops. In this he was aided by Botha and Smuts. Not until March 1902, when he had lost the last of his guns, did he give up the war as hopeless and accept the peace at Vereeniging. 1902