The Fett River formed a natural border between East Africa and the Orange Free State. Aside from Winburg, an important transportation hub, there were quite a few military outposts along the river, and Fort Tenison was one of them.
Fort Tenison stood on the north bank of the Fett River. It had originally been a Transvaal farm named Tenison. After the East African National Defense Army built defensive works there, it was renamed Fort Tenison. It was only seventy-nine kilometers from Bloemfontein, giving it a highly prominent strategic position.
East Africa was so close to the capital of the Orange Free State, which was one of the major reasons the Orange people had initially remained wary of East Africa. However, the Orange Free State was not particularly large, and Bloemfontein lay roughly at the center of the country, so there was no need to move the capital.
After all, none of the four directions—east, south, west, or north—offered anywhere good to go. To the west lay Kimberley, which held an important place in the Orange Free State's economy. Diamond revenues alone were exceedingly lucrative.
Yet control of this vital source of wealth rested in British hands. Each year, the British gave the Orange government only a token rent.
Furthermore, west of Kimberley was the Vaal River, and it was close to East Africa's New Baden Province, British Bechuanaland. Thus, moving west meant facing a double threat from Britain and East Africa.
To the east lay the former territory of Lesotho, now an important part of East Africa's Southern Frontier Province and likewise an area heavily garrisoned by East Africa. The South African Plateau was flat, while mountainous terrain like Lesotho's would be militarily vital in many places.
To the south was the Cape Colony. The Orange people had already thrown