‘A lamentable tale of things done long ago—and ill done.’

In October 1899, seventeen-year-old Deneys Reitz rode to war with a Mauser placed in his hands by President Paul Kruger. For three years he fought across the whole sweep of the South African War—through the guns of Spion Kop and the Tugela, across the burning plains of the Free State, and at last south with General Smuts on the desperate commando raid deep into the Cape Colony. He fought to the bitter end, and when it was over he chose exile rather than surrender.

Commando is the book he made of that experience: the finest first-hand account of the war ever written, and one of the great war memoirs in any language—by turns thrilling, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.

This restored Kaapsehoop Heritage Edition presents Reitz’s original text and General Smuts’s preface, with an original historical introduction, a glossary of historical terms, and an index of people and places.