The history of Graaff Reinet provides the earliest examples of civil defence in South Africa, for it was here that the early settlers established the commando system in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Frontier Wars [1779-81, 1793 and 1799-1803]. Subsequently in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Frontier Wars, the pattern of civil defence changed considerably when the burghers joined with Imperial forces. Significantly too, but it was a Graaff Reinetter who led the Voortrekkers to victory in 1838 at the Battle of Blood River. However, after 1850 the spirit of militarism was dying a natural death.