▁conf eder ation ▁between ▁the ▁two ▁Bo er ▁states . ▁Peace ful ▁over t ures ▁from ▁P ret or ius ▁were ▁decl ined , ▁and ▁some ▁of ▁his ▁part is ans ▁in ▁the ▁Free ▁State ▁were ▁accused ▁of ▁tre ason ▁in ▁February ▁ 1 8 5 7 . ▁There up on ▁P ret or ius , ▁a ided ▁by ▁Paul ▁Kru ger , ▁conducted ▁a ▁ra id ▁into ▁the ▁Free ▁State ▁territory . ▁On ▁learning ▁of ▁the ▁invasion ▁President ▁Jacob us ▁Nicola as ▁Bos hoff ▁proc laimed ▁mart ial ▁law ▁throughout ▁the ▁country . ▁The ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁burg h ers ▁r al lied ▁to ▁his ▁support , ▁and ▁on ▁ 2 5 ▁May ▁the ▁two ▁oppos ing ▁forces ▁faced ▁one ▁another ▁on ▁the ▁banks ▁of ▁the ▁R hen oster . ▁President ▁Bos hoff ▁not ▁only ▁got ▁together ▁some ▁ 8 0 0 ▁men ▁within ▁the ▁Free ▁State , ▁but ▁he ▁received ▁offers ▁of ▁support ▁from ▁Command ant ▁Ste phan us ▁Sch o eman , ▁the ▁Trans va al ▁leader ▁in ▁the ▁Z out p ans berg ▁district ▁and ▁from ▁Command ant ▁J ou bert ▁of ▁Ly den burg . ▁P ret or ius ▁and ▁Kru ger , ▁real ising ▁that ▁they ▁would ▁have ▁to ▁sust ain ▁attack ▁from ▁both ▁north ▁and ▁south , ▁abandoned ▁their ▁enter prise . ▁Their ▁force , ▁too , ▁only ▁amount ed ▁to ▁some ▁three ▁hundred . ▁Kru ger ▁came ▁to ▁Bos hoff ' s ▁camp ▁with ▁a ▁flag ▁of ▁tr uce , ▁the ▁" ar my "