SOUTH-AFRICA-L Archives

Archiver > SOUTH-AFRICA > 2000-05 > 0958228191


From: "Dariel G Seamons" <>
Subject: Cape Mounted Rifles
Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 08:29:51 -0600


I have been reading the recent mail about the Cape Mounted Rifles. One lister said there was a discussion some time back. My archives go back only as far as 1997.

As I mentioned before, I have Henry James Talbot's memoirs where he talks of fighting on horseback. I checked the dates and it is somwhere between 1850-60 that his service took place. He mentions that each year they had to muster out with horse, saddle and good gun. Perhaps this was a precursor to the Cape Mounted Rifles. He mentioned also about the "soldiers" as opposed the "colonists" and that the enemy had more fear of the "colonists".

In the USA in all colonizing efforts there was a local militia. Do you suppose that the group referred to above of mounted and armed persons was similar to the USA situation? They were there for immediate defense of communities. We are finding a few of these records in the USA available on the local level or in other words in town records.

I'd be interested in some comments of you from RSA about this possibiity and records that may have been kept.

luann (Luann B Seamons, Preston, Idaho, USA)

This thread: