Johannes Lötter
Boer commander / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johannes Cornelius Jacobus "Hans" Lötter (January 15, 1875 – October 12, 1901) was a Boer commander who fought, and was executed as a war criminal by the British during the Second Boer War. Along with Gideon Scheepers, Lötter was one of the most brutal guerrilla commandos in the Cape Colony.[1]
Johannes Cornelius Jacobus Lötter | |
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Nickname(s) | Hans |
Born | (1875-01-15)January 15, 1875 Pearston, Cape Colony |
Died | October 12, 1901(1901-10-12) (aged 26) Middelburg, Cape Colony |
Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
Allegiance | Boer Republics |
Years of service | 1899 – 1901 |
Rank | Commandant |
Unit | Lötter Rebels |
Commands held | Lötter Rebels |
Battles/wars | Battle of Groenkloof |
Relations | Michiel Petrus Lötter (father), Maria Catharina Buys (mother) Christoffel Lötter (2nd Great-Grandfather) |
Lötter entered the Cape Colony during the war along with Pieter Hendrik Kritzinger.[2] Lötter's Boer Commando earned a reputation for being brutal and undisciplined.[3] Like many Boer commandants, Lötter promulgated public decrees to the residents of the Cape Colony, warning of harsh retribution if they did not support the forces of the Boer Republics.[1] A column led by Henry Jenner Scobell was tasked with tracking down Lötter's commando. They tracked the commando to Groenkloof, west of Cradock, and surprised them with a dawn attack. Sixty of Lötter's men became casualties and sixty, including Lötter, were captured.[4]
He was taken to Graaff-Reinet for his trial, and charged with treason, murdering unarmed British scouts, flogging two Afrikaners who had brought him terms of surrender, destroying railway lines, and marauding.[3] The trial was straightforward, because Lötter was a citizen of the British-controlled Cape Colony, and therefore a rebel.[3] He was executed along with seven of his men.[4]