De Wet, Christiaan Rudolf (1854-1922), was a famous guerrilla leader and politician in South Africa. He was born on Oct. 7, 1854, in Leeuwkop, near Smithfield, in the Orange Free State (now Free State, South Africa). De Wet joined his first commando (armed raiding) unit at the age of 11 during wars against the Sotho king Moshoeshoe. During the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, he led the Heilbron Boer commando with distinction, harassing British lines of communication and supply with sudden raids. There were many “de Wet hunts” as the British tried in vain to capture him. After the fighting, he wrote about his experiences in Three Years’ War (1902).
During World War I (1914-1918), de Wet joined a rebellion against the government of Louis Botha. He was captured and convicted of high treason. He was briefly imprisoned but was released in 1915. He retained his ideal of Afrikaner freedom until his death on Feb. 3, 1922.
