| Hendrik Potgieter |
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Information AboutHendrik Potgieter |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ANDRIES HENDRIK POTGIETER | |
| 1792 births | |
| 1852 deaths | |
| south african politicians | |
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Potgieter was born in the Graaff-Reinet district of the Cape Colony , the second child of Petronella Margaretha and Hermanus Potgieter. He grew up to be a wealthy sheep farmer and fought in the Fourth and Fifth Frontier Wars. However, like many other farmers of Dutch , French , and German descent known as Boers living in the Cape Colony, he decided to leave the colony in 1834. Delayed by the Sixth Frontier War , Potgieter and a group of Voortrekkers under his leadership left in 1835. Other treks under Louis Trichardt and Johannes Hendrik Janse Van Rensburg had preceded him. The Voortrekkers' spiritual leader. Sarel Arnoldus Cilliers , later joined Potgieter's trek. Potgieter first moved inland to what was later to become the northern Orange Free State , settling in an area between the Vet and Vaal Rivers. When a party of Voortrekkers were attacked at the Vaal River by Matabele s, Potgieter went to their aid and on 2 December 1836 he was elected as the Chief Commandant of the Voortrekkers. In 1838, after Piet Retief and his party was killed by Dingane and Voortrekker parties were attacked at the Bloukrans- and Bushmen's Rivers, Potgieter and another leader, Pieter Lafras Uys , went to assist them. The force under Potgieter's command at the Battle Of Italeni made a very poor showing (being labelled as ''Die Vlugkommando'' (The Flight Commando)) and he was heavily criticized. In disgust, Potgieter and his followers left Natal for the Orange Free State. He subsequently went on to found Potchefstroom (named after him) and served as its first head of state between 1840 and 1845. Potgieter later also went on to found Ohrigstad (originally named Andries-Ohrigstad after Potgieter himself and George Ohrig ) in 1845 . Due to Malaria the town had to be abandoned and the inhabitants, including Potgieter, moved to the Soutpansberg area, where he died at Schoemansdal on 16 December 1852. |
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