on 5 april methuen ordered brigadier-general lord chesham, with the kimberley mounted corps and 4th battery rfa. from an informer they found intelligence on a boer commando unit led by a french volunteer, the comte de villebois-mareuil. methuen was given information that the boer unit intended to attack the british at boshof near tweefontein. the newly formed imperial yeomanry 3rd and 10th battalions, was given the task to surround the boers. de villebois-mareuil, was in charge of the french legion volunteers which had 75 foreign volunteers most of whom were of the french but included a number of german, dutch, americans and one russian prince.