Ignatius Stephanus Ferreira

Family General Ignatius Stephanus Ferreira was accidentally shot in the stomach at Paardeberg, 1900. Boer general Koos de la Rey (left) with his secretary Ignatius "Natie" Stephanus Ferreira (1875 – 1947), a son of Naas Ferreira, around 1901. Naas Ferreia was the eldest child among three sons and four daughters of Petrus Marthinus Ferreira (Uitenhage, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 6 September 1818Winburg, Lejweleputswa, Orange Free State, August 23, 1898) and Christina Elizabeth Ferreira (Uniondale, Western Cape, 10 November 1824Senekal, Orange Free State, 11 March 1904). and fathered three sons and two daughters.

Military career Orange Free State Commander in Chief In the Second Boer War (1899 – 1902) Ferreira was the leader of the Ladybrand Commando and the Commander-in-Chief (Afrikaans: Hoofd Kommandant) of the Orange Free State. He took part in many early battles won by the Boers, such as the Battle of Modder River (, 28 November 1899), and the Battle of Magersfontein (11 December 1899). There he distributed the Boer troops more evenly over their hidden trenches for a maximum lethal result when the British under Lieutenant General Lord Methuen fatally attacked in a close formation.

On January 8, 1900, Ferreira was elected to take over the command of the Siege of Kimberley from Boer general Cornelis (Kerneels) Janse Wessels (11 January 1842 - 10 October 1914). However, when the British relief expedition of Lieutenant-General John French arrived, Ferreira was left with only 200 men and had to retreat, so that Kimberley was liberated on February 15, 1900.

Killed at Paardeberg At Paardeberg, Ferreira commanded the Boer burghers from Hoopstad and Ladybrand to help Piet Cronjé's 4000-odd troops escape from their embattled position in the north bank of the Modder River. However, when Ferreira was waking up a dozing guard in his camp in the early morning with the rifle butt, he was fatally shot in the stomach by accident when the startled guard instinctively groped the rifle. Ferreira was succeeded as commander-in-chief of the Orange Free State troops by Christiaan de Wet on February 19, 1900. Ferreira's son and namesake "Natie" continued to serve as a secretary to Boer general Koos de la Rey.