Du Toit failed to prevent the British from crossing the Vaal River and entering the South African Republic from the southwest.

[9][10] Veertien Strome was - with Mafeking, Colesberg, Stormberg, and the Natal front - one of the positions where Boer forces were held in check at their Republics' borders by the British during the Battle of Paardeberg (18–27 February 1900).

[13] After the Battle of Paardeberg, supreme general Christiaan de Wet and Philip Botha had the impression that lord Roberts would retreat from the Orange Free State and instead of occupying Bloemfontein would attack Veertien Strome and enter Transvaal to reach Johannesburg and Pretoria nearly unopposed.

[15] Kruger was anxious that the British would break through, not in Natal, where Buller's troops posed a relatively lesser risk, but in the southwest at Norvalspont, Modderrivier, and Veertien Strome.

[18] However, kommandant (commander) F.J. Potgieter, who temporarily replaced Du Toit on his sick leave, drove the British back to Doringfontein, south of Warrenton, on 29 March 1900, out of reach of the Boer canon.

[20] However, on May 4, 1900, British troops crossed the Vaal River near Windsorton to the southwest of Veertien Strome and picked a fight with the 200 Griqualand West Rebels protecting the ford, but at first their commander Visser reported that the attack had been repulsed, causing Du Toit to underestimate the situation.

After general Archibald Hunter had crossed the Vaal and dislodged the western flank of the Boer position at Veertien Strome, Du Toit had to withdraw.

De overmacht was voor onze burgers te sterk en daar de vijand aan deze zijde der rivier opkwam en wij van Warrenton hevig gebombardeerd werden, waren onze burgers verplicht hun posities hier op te geven.

De verschillende commando's zijn nu zeer uit elkander zoodat ik deze eerst moet reorganiseren.