CHAPTER III

NATAL

In consequence of the incursion of about 3000 refugees--some of them

most undesirable in character--it was deemed expedient to issue a

proclamation of martial law in Natal. This was followed by the seizure

of the Transvaal National Bank at Durban, a most exciting episode, which

caused quite a ferment in the town. All around the offices a curious and

somewhat rowdy rabble congregated, and it was found necessary to guard

the premises with Bluejackets and marines. However, after the place had

been searched, the men, looking strangely transmogrified in their

kharki, returned to Her Majesty's ship _Tartar_, and affairs went on as

usual. At the Cape, owing to widespread rumours of disloyalty, Sir

Alfred Milner issued the following proclamation, dated October 28:--

"Whereas it has been reported to me that a proclamation has

been made by or on behalf of the Government of the South

African Republic purporting to declare as part of the territory

of the Republic certain portions of that part of this Colony

situated north of the Orange River, and which have been invaded

by the forces of the said Government; and whereas it is

necessary to warn all Her Majesty's subjects, especially those

resident in the aforesaid portions of this Colony, of the

invalidity of such proclamation:

"Now therefore, in virtue of the authority committed to me as

Governor of this Colony, I do hereby proclaim and make known

that any such proclamation, if made, is null and void and of no

effect, and I do hereby further warn and admonish all Her

Majesty's subjects, especially those resident in the aforesaid

portions of this Colony, that they do, in accordance with their

duty and allegiance, disregard such proclamation, as being of

no force and effect whatsoever, and observe their obligations

to her Majesty, her Crown and Government, and in no way

voluntarily accept or recognise the Government of the South

African Republic in any part of this Colony which may have been

proclaimed territory of that Republic.

"And I do further warn that any one failing, in contravention

of the law, to obey the terms of this proclamation, will render

himself liable to be prosecuted for the crime of high treason."

To Mr. Chamberlain he wrote on the subject on the same date:--

"It is impossible accurately to find out what has happened as

regards the alleged annexation by the Government of the South

African Republic or Orange Free State of portions of the Cape

Colony.

"No copies of any proclamation by either Government to that

effect have reached me here, but news coming from various

parts of districts west and north of Kimberley clearly show

that the people there credit the annexation theory.

"It seems, however, more probable on the whole that it is the

Government of the South African Republic which has annexed the

district north of the Vaal River.

"With the consent of Ministers, I issued yesterday the

proclamation contained in my previous message, in order to

check the mischief which this widespread report is causing."

Apropos of Sir Alfred Milner's letter, it must be mentioned that several

of the Bechuanaland Dutch had openly joined the Boers; and on the

occasion of the hoisting of the Transvaal flag in Vryburg, Commandant

Delarey took occasion to deliver himself of an effective speech, in

which he said that the flag of the country was now floating over the

whole Orange River, and that the flag of Britain would never again do so

unless it were hoisted over the dead bodies of the Burghers. At Klipdam

also the Boers put in an appearance, and celebrated their incursion by

holding "at homes" in the Magistrates' Court; but hearing of the British

successes at Kimberley, and judging discretion to be the better part of

valour, they decamped northwards, leaving food and stores behind.

The disaffection of the Dutch was as yet almost confined to the western

border. On the eastern side the inhabitants for the most part were

staunch. Indeed, in the history of the war the splendid loyalty of Natal

as a whole will ever be remembered. Her trials were many and her faith

almost sublime. Weekly the _Times of Natal_ had poured forth its plaint

on the dilatoriness or insouciance of the Imperial Government, yet

nothing was done till those who put their trust in the good faith of the

mother country were deprived of home and fortune, and in their

bitterness were tempted to declare that British protection was as

Dead-Sea fruit--a profitless show, that was apt to turn to ashes in the

mouth. The following letters serve to show the attitude of a staunch

loyalist under the severe strain put upon him, and they are quoted

because they are descriptive, not of individual anxiety and distress,

but of the general feeling of the Colony in those months of supreme

trial.

One letter, dated October 27, began:--

"Those brave fellows up at Ladysmith have been fighting all

day. We heard their cannon even after dusk. What is the result,

I wonder? I fear we shall not hear till to-morrow. That

essential but most aggravating censor causes such delays, and

dishes up such garbled accounts of the actual facts, as to

astound those who know the truth.... There is little chance of

our being able to attempt even to defend this place. It simply

means evacuation or surrender, and stand by and see the

Transvaal flag go up! O England! England! As ever, unprepared."

The next letter, dated October 31, said:--

"Here we are in peace and quiet, such as it is possible to

enjoy with the roar of artillery booming over the few miles of

echoing hills which divide us from the scene of battle and

bloodshed, torn limbs and ceaseless pain. I am weary of the

contemplation of all this frightful suffering and brutality....

I do not know what opportunities you have of obtaining correct

information, for the trash the papers publish after the real

facts have been distorted by the censor is as good as useless.

I hardly like to say too much, as one never knows into whose

hands one's letters may fall, and our own noble defenders are

as severe in suppressing the knowledge of the true facts of the

battles and movements of the forces as any enemy could possibly

be. However, the game is with the English still.... If only

Ladysmith is held, the Colony is safe. This shocking flight of

women and children from town after town is too awful to

witness. Shame on the British Government to make our Colony the

scene of this bloody struggle, and leave the handful of

soldiers sent out all unsupported, unprepared--unprepared as

usual--all smug and self-confident in the little overcrowded,

over-comfortable island, and forgetful of the horrors to which

unfortunate colonists are exposed across the sea."

The Governor of the British prison at Misina, Pomeroy, Natal, wrote in a

similar heart-breaking strain:--

"I have only time for a few lines. I am tired out, having been

turned out of house and home by the cursed Boers. I have ridden

the ninety-one miles to Pietermaritzburg. I and four other

Government officials had to remain at our posts till the last.

We had to ride for our lives. I never shall forget these times.

We waited almost too long--long enough for the five of us to

have a shot at the advanced guard, of whom we captured two, and

rode with them to the Volunteer camp, eighteen miles from

Pomeroy, at Tugela. I never felt like shooting any one before a

commando of about 400 came down for myself and the magistrate."

In regard to the readiness of Natal to support British supremacy, a

visitor who participated in the raising of the volunteer regiments there

stated that there were 4500 volunteers in the field, three-fourths of

whom were drilled men. They were enrolled at the rate of 200 a day.

Durban a month later raised a splendid corps of colonial scouts for the

purpose of checking Boer raiding. It was composed of some sixty or

seventy men of the best families in the place.

The conduct of the Natal women was especially noteworthy. Their

patience, their fortitude, their eager desire to be of service, their

readiness to face sacrifice, won general esteem. One eye-witness stated

that while shells were hurtling through the air and bursting on the

ground, they--the women-folk of the place--calmly traversed the streets

in ordinary costume and with ordinary demeanour, as though no hostile

Boer or bellowing gun was within a hundred miles of them. Not a trace of

fear or panic was manifest. It was not surprising to learn that a

community boasting such noble specimens of womanhood decided to remain

where they were rather than accept the dubious shelter offered them by

the Boer general.

Mr. Winston Spencer Churchill, writing of the Natalians in the _Morning

Post_, feelingly said: "There are several points to be remembered in

this connection. Firstly, the colonists have had many dealings with the

Boers. They knew their strength; they feared their animosity. But they

have never for one moment lost sight of their obligations as a British

colony. Their loyalty has been splendid. From the very first they warned

the Imperial Government that their territories would be invaded.

Throughout the course of the long negotiations they knew that if war

should come, on them would fall the first fury of the storm.

Nevertheless, they courageously supported and acclaimed the action of

the Ministry. Now at last there is war--bitter war. It means a good deal

to all of us, but more than to any it comes home to the Natalian. He is

invaded; his cattle have been seized by the Boer; his towns are shelled

or captured; the most powerful force on which he relies for protection

is isolated in Ladysmith; his capital is being loopholed and intrenched;

Newcastle has been abandoned, Colenso has fallen, Estcourt is

threatened; the possibility that the whole province will be overrun

stares him in the face. From the beginning he asked for protection. From

the beginning he was promised complete protection; but scarcely a word

of complaint is heard. The townsfolk are calm and orderly, the Press

dignified and sober. The men capable of bearing arms have responded

nobly. Boys of sixteen march with men of fifty to war--to no light, easy

war. The Imperial Light Infantry is eagerly filled. The Imperial Light

Horse can find no more vacancies, not even for those who will serve

without pay. The Volunteers and Town-Guards bear their parts like men."

Of the excellence of the service of the Natalians a great deal remains

to be said. At present the story must proceed.

The arrival of Sir Redvers Buller at Cape Town on the 31st of October

was a signal for general rejoicing. The streets were filled to

overflowing, and cheer after cheer rung from thousands of throats. As

the General drove to Government House, he was greeted by cries of

"Avenge Majuba!" and "Bravo, General!" and by the amount of emotion

expended and the universal expression of relief evidenced, it was plain

that the Cape colonists, like the cockney Londoner, were prepared "to

bet their bottom dollar" on the combination of Sir Redvers Buller and

Mr. Thomas Atkins!

On the 2nd November the Boers proclaimed the Upper Tugela division of

Natal to be Free State Territory, and they seized Colesberg Bridge, some

eighteen miles north of the town of Colesberg, where the road between

that place and Philippolis crosses the Orange River. However, as Orange

River, De Aar, Colesberg, and Stromberg were still held by our forces,

the inhabitants remained confident. Yet reports of the Boer advance on

Colesberg were scarcely reassuring, and rumours of increased

disaffection among the Dutch farmers in this region were rife.

It was a curious fact that some of the Boers started from Johannesburg

for the frontier wearing in their hats the national colours, red, white,

and blue--and green, with above them a yellow band, thus completing the

insignia of the United South Africa for which they were to fight. It

would be interesting to know how the red, white, and blue became

associated with the green, and whether Aylward, the agitator, and his

Fenian friends introduced it for the purpose of giving prominence to the

sympathy of the Anti-English brotherhood in the Emerald Isle. The

disloyal Natal Dutch, such of them as there then were, were

distinguished by a red rose badge. These signs were of no consequence in

themselves, but they served to demonstrate the preconcerted nature of

Boer actions, which were supposed by certain persons to have been a

sudden and spontaneous outcome of British oppression.

Racial feeling grew stronger and fiercer day by day, and Mr. Kruger's

threat to "stagger humanity" was by some declared to be within an ace of

being fulfilled. The Boer is inherently as tough as the Briton, and as

obstinate: he was now well equipped for warfare, well led, and the

chances of a terrific and bloody struggle seemed hourly to become more

and more certain. Fortunately, each day brought our troops nearer to the

Cape, and after the 9th of November they began to disembark--a total, so

far, of 11,000 in all. At first sight this military multitude seemed an

imposing addition to our force, but, in view of the losses we had

sustained and the general complications of the position, some 100,000

was nearer the figure required. However, the Home authorities chose to

send out their help in driblets, and the same Home authorities were

supposed to know how the driblets might be adequately disposed. It was

only to the ignorant "man in the street" that the problem of how to meet

the massed armies of the Boers with diffused handfuls of troops became

incomprehensible.

Among the misfortunes with which the British had to contend was the

unfit state of the horses after prolonged travel. Horses are intensely

liable to sea-sickness; they also suffer much from being cribbed,

cabined, and confined for any length of time; and the difference between

the state of the Australian and the British animals on landing was very

marked. The former were in good working fettle, while the latter had

swollen and stiff joints, and were generally below par. The New Zealand

chargers were all that could be desired, and they made an excellent show

when compared with those of some of the other mounted regiments.

Horse-sickness had also to be contended with, and it was with great

difficulty averted. Some of the officers, however, discovered that by

keeping the horses protected by their nosebags during the dewy hours

of early morning the liability to the complaint was lessened. The

question of horses was a serious one, almost as important as the

question of guns. The exceeding mobility of the Boer army for long had

been a matter of surprise, if not to the initiated, at least to the

general public, and, as it later appeared, to the Government itself.

They had sent out important generals and learned tacticians, and a

fairly large and unwieldy mass of men, who were bound by their healthy

appetites to stick to their base and hug the railway lines, while the

enemy shifted about with the most annoying and confounding velocity,

delighting to deceive as to their position, and in their deception being

for the most part eminently successful. There is a passage in the

Scriptures that mentions that "the king of Israel is come out to seek a

flea as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountain," and this

quotation on the approach of our weighty military machine, the Boers,

ever Biblical, must have been inclined to remember and to appreciate.

[Illustration: Rt. Hon. SIR REDVERS HENRY BULLER, K.C.B., V.C.

Photo by Knight, Aldershot.]

The opinion seemed prevalent, particularly in Colonial circles, that

English generals, in consequence of their European or Indian

experiences, were unequal to a struggle with the "slim" and shifty

Boers. Laing's Nek, Ingogo, and Majuba had all proved that some

extraordinary weakness, either tactically or mentally, seemed to possess

the bravest warriors in the face of this incomprehensible foe. Since the

date of Majuba the ways of the Boers had become still more of a

conundrum. They had kept up their habit of sharpshooting, and had

acquired an insight into German tactics. For all that, on occasion

certain of their old commanders resorted to the primitive tricks of the

Zulus, and advanced in horn fashion, keeping one horn in ambush as long

as possible, so as to create a surprise for an unprepared enemy. Even to

eminent tacticians like General Clery and others, the blend of modern

German and antique Zulu in the ordering of war must have been

confounding, and it is scarcely surprising that they took some little

time to master the subject.

The landing, on the 8th November, of the Naval Brigade with twenty guns

for the defence of Durban was a move in the right direction, and the

arrival and marching in of the brigade was an inspiriting sight. The

streets swarmed with an enthusiastic multitude that welcomed the jolly

Jack Tar with delight, and cheered itself hoarse, almost drowning the

vigorous strains of the band of the _Terrible_, which played outside the

Town-Hall. Captain Percy Scott of the _Terrible_, inventor of the now

celebrated gun-carriages, replaced Major Bethune as commandant of the

forces defending the port, while the latter officer returned to the

active command of the Uitlander corps.

The tide of reinforcement now began to flow evenly into Cape Colony and

Natal, and there was great excitement owing to the arrival of the

_Moor_, which left Southampton on October the 21st. Among those on board

were Lieutenant-General Lord Methuen, commanding the First Division of

the Field Force; Major-General Sir C. F. Clery, commanding the Second

Division; and Major-General Sir W. F. Gatacre, commanding the Third

Division; and a large number of officers for service on the Staff.

THE INVASION OF CAPE COLONY

The position of affairs in the direction of the Orange River was at

first somewhat stationary. The British were awaiting the arrival of

troops and keeping on the alert; the Boers were making proclamations and

annexing adjacent villages.

A column from Cape Colony had started, and more troops were pushing up

as fast as train could carry them in the direction of De Aar. A letter

from a British officer from that place describes the state of affairs on

the 20th of October. He said:--

"This place is to be a big base when the British troops arrive; 10,000

are to come here, but are not expected for at least a month. At present

we are the only regiment here, and have to keep the line open and guard

all the stores coming up for the 10,000 troops. We have not got half

enough men, as the front of our position is nearly five miles, and we

cannot watch it properly. Our position is strong as long as we can hold

the hills; but if the Boers can get artillery near us, they will wipe us

out in a few hours without getting within rifle range at all, as we have

no guns ourselves. We keep on telegraphing for them, but the officials

at home and at Cape Town do not seem to understand the position. The

worst of this place is that there is not a loyal native within twenty

miles of us, and they are only waiting for a good opportunity to rise.

We can only be ready for them--that is, we cannot attack them, as they

have not yet declared openly for the Transvaal, though they are all

spies, and give the Boers information on all our dispositions."

In this short letter we find the keynote of all our subsequent troubles.

The complete and almost absurd confidence of the British, supported as

it was by valour without wisdom or activity, was a "voice" and nothing

more. Deeply have we suffered since those words were written, for an

arrogant under-estimation of the enemy, a reprehensible delay in

preparing for him, and a parsimonious system of carrying out those

preparations when attempted. However, it is useless to cry over spilt

milk.

To thoroughly appreciate the situation at this period it is necessary to

understand the direction in which our troops were moving. Modder River,

Hope Town, and Orange River are situated on the railway between

Kimberley and the junction of the lines which run south to Cape Town and

Port Elizabeth respectively. De Aar, of which we began to hear so much,

is an important station at the apex of the triangle, just over 500 miles

from Cape Town, and here towards the end of the month of October many

troops were congregating. Here, though no hostilities were actually

taking place, there was a good deal of simmering activity; for it must

be remembered that De Aar Junction was our advanced supply base in the

Colony, and owed its strategical importance at this critical period to

the fact that it was the junction of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth

railways. It is situated about sixty miles from the Orange River and

Free State border.

The contrast at this time between camps British and camps Dutch in the

neighbourhood of the border was curious. The Boers were prepared, taking

their ease. The British were in suspense. Disaffection was visible on

all sides, and yet inaction, irritating inaction, was obligatory.

Morning, noon, and night a perennial sand-storm blew; overhead, the sun

grilled and scorched. Meals, edibles, and liquids were diluted with 10

per cent. of grit, and when perchance Tommy strove to strain his

hardly-earned beer--to make a filter of a butter-cloth--phut! would come

a gust of wind and bring the experiment to a melancholy conclusion. Poor

Thomas's temper was much tried! He was, of necessity, an exceedingly

temperate fellow in those days, but when he got a pot of beer he

preferred it to be beer, and not porridge. He did not relish in his

mouth the same thing that the wind was distributing impartially into

ears and eyes. He said he could take in--at the pores--enough of that to

suit his liking. But he was no grumbler, as a rule. He worked hard and

incessantly, Colonel Barter determining to keep his men of the Yorkshire

Light Infantry quite up to the mark. It was necessary to take every

precaution against surprise, and for commanding officers to remain

eternally on the _qui vive_. It needed considerable tact to order

sufficient work, and only sufficient. It was dangerous to over-fatigue

troops who might be required to leap to arms at any moment; it was also

risky to allow active men in a hot sun to give way to inertia. There was

the never-ceasing routine of guards and picquets, the practice of route

marching and field manoeuvres, and the daily round of minor camp

duties to keep the warriors hale and hearty, and prepare their thews for

a tough tussle. A regular system of scouting was matutinally carried on,

and it was thought that the enemy would not be able to encroach beyond

his border without enjoying a startling reception. At this time he was

not visible, and all that scouts could detect, beside some innocent

hares and springbok among the hills, was now and then a flying horseman

who disappeared on their approach.

But the Boers were not far off. They were encamped close to the border.

One adventurous individual, for his personal satisfaction, performed the

feat of travelling north and swimming across the Orange River to

reconnoitre. In the darkness of the night he stole out, plunged

cautiously into the river, clothes and all, and swam safely to the other

side. Then striking out in a north-easterly direction, he made for a

small kopje overlooking the Boer camp. Meanwhile the moon had sailed

out, and began to throw a sheet of silver over the panorama. Below, the

three lines of tents were outlined, and these were flanked and

interspersed with multitudinous waggons, which formed a chain almost

along the entire length of the valley. In the early dawn more objects

became discernible, the flickering red tongues of the camp-fires, the

winking eye of a lantern that hung from a pole. By this illumination it

was possible to note the general scene of disorder. Scattered garments

and goods in promiscuous array--ammunition and provisions, harness,

saddles, biltong, and gin-bottles--a multifarious, slovenly litter, shed

here, there, and everywhere. Only two sentries were visible, and these

our friend stealthily evaded. One Cerberus sat on the ground with his

back planted against a waggon wheel yawning dolefully, and farther on

slouched another, hands in pockets, head on chest, walking back and

forwards with the air of an automaton. The individual creeping past

them, close under their noses, smiled softly to himself. How simple to

sweep off a dozen or two of the inmates of the camp before these

so-called sentries recovered from their dozing. Fifty men and fifty

bayonets could have got in without difficulty, and the rout of the

rebels would have been an affair of moments. Now, perhaps before

nightfall the whole commando would have melted away!

Presently at the bottom of the kopje came horsemen--some five of

them--galloping along, and the adventurous one made haste to hide. The

Boer patrol passed within some two hundred yards of him, and he was

safe. It was now time to hurry off. The day was breaking. Again a plunge

into the icy river, again a fight with the racing current, again a safe

landing, this time on the British bank. So the escapade ended, but it

enabled those interested to form a fair idea of the lack of organisation

among the Dutch, and to argue that if once they should leave their

naturally strong fortifications and intrenchments, the first united and

sustained attack on the part of the British would mean their certain

discomfiture.

At the end of October the Border Regiment arrived upon the scene. The

Yorks almost immediately struck camp and prepared to entrain for Orange

River; but presently a counter-order arrived, and, much to their regret,

the regiment again resumed its former routine.

The place at this time was under military law, and precautions were

rigorously taken against spies. The railway stations were cautiously

guarded night and day, and none was allowed to approach without proper

authority. Troops soon began to pour through on the way to Orange River,

whence the advance was shortly to take place. Tremendous labour came on

the hands of Lieut.-General Sir F. Forestier Walker, who took trips

along the lines of communication to ascertain that all arrangements were

satisfactory.

[Illustration: TYPES OF ARMS--THE MAXIM GUN. PHOTO BY GREGORY, LONDON]

In readiness for the influx of troops new sidings were constructed to

north and south of the railway station, and the little karoo junction

began to assume an air of wonderful importance. Among the innovations

was a branch of the Standard Bank adjoining Friedlater's Store, showing

that, though not a Klondyke, this place, which has been described as

"the windiest, dustiest, most unfinished, most inhospitable corner of

the South African wilderness, the veritable jumping-off place of the

globe," was fast becoming the base of gigantic military operations. The

outlying farms were still in occupation, though inhabitants were few.

These apparently were indifferent to the progress of coming events, but

possibly at that time they were engaged in careful investigation as to

the side of the bread which held the most butter before committing

themselves to an attitude. Their sole obvious desire was that patrols

should not omit to close the gates after them whenever they chanced to

pass through their domains. The Border Regiment soon after its arrival

moved to Naauwpoort, and a battery and a half of artillery swelled the

little garrison. The development of the place now went on more rapidly.

Mr. E. F. Knight, the brilliant correspondent of the _Morning Post_,

wrote an interesting description of this now important locality only a

few days before he had the misfortune to lose his arm through the

treachery of the Boers. He said:--

"The township, which surrounds the railway station, is merely a

congregation of a few houses belonging to people connected with

the railway. It stands in the midst of a desert--a dusty,

treeless plain covered with sparse low sage brush and enclosed

by rocky ridges. The camp is ever increasing in size, but, as I

write, it consists of two encampments, one to the north and one

to the south of the township, all the troops being under

canvas. In the North Camp are the 2nd Battalion of the King's

Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, eight hundred strong, and a

field-battery and a half-battery (15-pounders), and in the

South Camp, in which I have pitched my tent, is the remount

camp, with a company of the Army Service Corps, a supply

detachment of the same corps, with a field-bakery, two

half-sections of the Royal Engineers, a company of the Army

Ordnance Corps, and a detachment of the Volunteer Medical Staff

Corps. A wing of the Berkshire Regiment has also just come in

from Naauwpoort, which we have abandoned as being untenable by

the small force which could at present be spared to defend it.

There are at De Aar now about two thousand men all told,

including Major Rimington's two hundred scouts. More artillery

is expected from Cape Town, and by the time this letter reaches

England we shall probably be largely reinforced. Several

redoubts, lines of intrenchments, and sangars on the heights

protect the camps, and a few small guns have been posted on the

neighbouring kopjes. The surrounding country is being well

patrolled, and we cannot well be taken by surprise.... In

short, one sees here all that skilled, laborious, indispensable

preparation for the campaign of which the British public knows

so little, and which never receives its due credit at home.

"It is wonderful, indeed, that the Boers did not attempt to

seize this valuable prize a week or so ago, when the camp was

practically undefended, and when our officers, momentarily

expecting attack, were sleeping in their boots. Our position is

far from secure even now; our force here is insignificant, and

it seems that the Boers are getting nearer. They have crossed

the river at various points.

"Our scouts have been in touch with their commandoes. We have

had some false alarms since I have been here; it is rumoured

to-day that they are close to, and that the attack on De Aar is

but a question of hours. But still the heavily-laden trains

come in with their valuable freight and the military stores

accumulate. It is to be hoped that we shall have the men, too,

without delay."

[Illustration: SERGEANT OF THE KING'S ROYAL RIFLES.

Photo by Gregory & Co., London.]

In the above words we have, repeated, the story of suspense and anxiety

that was told by one and all who had the misfortune to spend October and

November on the Transvaal border, a story of brave Britons, practically

unarmed--heroically valorous but impotent--standing almost in the

teeth of the enemy and sickening with hope deferred.

The Dutchmen came to work much fresher. The warrior-farmer was

untrammelled by red tape--unwearied by routine. He was not hampered by

minute regulations, though he was bound to look after himself and rely

on his own resources. He provided his own provisions, his own waggon and

horses, but the Government in the event of his requiring it supplied him

with the necessaries of the campaign. He could have luxuries _ad

libitum_ sent from home, and while battle was not absolutely going on he

had little to do but to eat, drink, and sleep. Drills and field

exercises were unknown, though, of course, each had to take his turn at

guard duty. In action the operations of the Boer commandoes were

presided over by field-cornets, and in camp the work was carried out by

corporals, who superintended the supply department--the munitions of

"war" and "mouth," as we call them, on which the fighting line depended

for ammunition and food.

General Wood arrived at De Aar on the 4th of November and took over the

command of the troops. His first action was to employ the Engineers and

some Cape boys to throw up defensive works and erect sangars on a

ridge--some 2000 yards from the camp--which by a sheer accident had not

been seized by the Boers. From this point of vantage it was possible for

the British guns to command the plain for many miles round. He then put

the place under martial law, as Dutchmen and spies were slinking about

in the neighbourhood of the railway and the camps. The General's

regulations ran thus:--

"No person is allowed to remain in or to quit De Aar without a

permit signed by the Magistrate, and countersigned by the Camp

Commandant. The permits for railway officials will be signed

and issued by the heads of the traffic, locomotive, and

engineering departments, those for postal officials by the

heads of that department. Any person found selling intoxicating

liquors to a soldier or to a native or coloured person will be

immediately apprehended and the whole of his goods will be

seized. The sale of intoxicating liquors to others can only

take place between the hours of 11 A.M. and 6 P.M. This

includes sale of liquors to persons staying in any hotel or

boarding-house in De Aar. Every person keeping an hotel or

boarding-house, or any one receiving persons into his private

house to stay for one night or more, is required to obtain

permission of the Camp Commandant before doing so. No persons

other than railway and postal officials, who will be provided

with a special pass, will be allowed to be out of their houses

after 9.30 P.M. Any person infringing these regulations will be

dealt with by martial law."

We must now move in the direction of the Orange River, where more

activities were taking place. Information having been received that the

Boers in great numbers were gathered at Kaffir's Kop, a hill some 500

feet high east of Belmont, a reconnaissance was made in that direction

on the 10th of November. The reconnoitring force was composed of a

couple of squadrons of the 9th Lancers and detachments of the Munster

Fusiliers, the Northumberland Fusiliers, and the Loyal North

Lancashires. With these were a handy lot of mounted infantry and a half

battery of field-artillery. They bivouacked two nights before on the

north side of the bridge, in order to be ready to move on at daybreak.

Early on Thursday morning they marched out, the cavalry forming a wide

screen, behind which were the mounted infantry and guns. Belmont, which

was some twenty-eight miles off, was reached at 2.30, but not a sign of

the Dutchmen was to be seen. The troops consequently returned to

Fincham's Farm, some ten miles back, where they spent the night. In the

morning they went east, where the enemy was reported to have retired.

The object of the reconnaissance was to ascertain the strength of the

enemy, and this was soon achieved, for he was found to be in immense

force in a position of natural strength flanked by huge hills. Some

smart skirmishing ensued. Colonel Gough with a battery of field

artillery engaged the Boers and sent one and a half companies of mounted

infantry to turn the enemy's left flank and discover his laager.

Fighting continued for more than three hours, during which Colonel

Keith-Falconer,[5] Northumberland Fusiliers, was killed. Lieutenant

Wood, North Lancashire Regiment, was shot through the head, and

Lieutenants Bevan and Hall of the Northumberland Fusiliers were also

wounded. An armoured train came to the rescue and attracted the Boer

fire, pouring from two Maxims a withering storm of bullets on the enemy

and inflicting heavy loss. The Dutchmen were discovered to be in great

force all around, and as they blocked the road to Kimberley, the promise

of more spirited engagements was in the air. Already it was ascertained

that a number of culverts on the railway line had been destroyed by the

hostile troops, and rumours of Boer invasion were continually being

brought in.

The next day, amid universal regret, the two gallant officers who had

lost their lives in leading their men against the powerful enemy, were

buried.

Lieutenant Brook (9th Lancers) on the day of the reconnaissance

had a narrow escape, and experiences more exciting than pleasurable.

Early in the morning he had gone on ahead of the column for the purpose

of making a route sketch. This done, he sent it back by his orderly, and

while continuing his investigations found himself confronted with the

enemy. A shower of bullets greeted him. His horse was shot and he was

brought to the ground. It was neck or nothing now, and he ran for dear

life pursued by a horde of mounted Boers. Fortunately he came to a wire

fence, vaulted it, and was for a moment safe. The enemy's ponies could

not follow. But the Boers sent shots after his retreating form, shots

which luckily missed him, and he was enabled to reach two troops of the

9th Lancers which galloped up to the rescue.

On the 12th Lord Methuen arrived, and there was general satisfaction

among the troops. They were now in fine fighting condition, and, having

had one taste of battle, were longing to advance and get in touch with

the enemy.

But the advance of Lord Methuen's column was no simple affair. It must

be remembered that from Cape Town to the base, De Aar, is 500 miles, to

Belmont 591, to Kimberley 647, and to Mafeking 870 miles, and the

railway from place to place needed continual guarding, and especially

the bridges in localities where the disaffected portion of the Dutch

community resided. Lord Methuen's route, too, lay across a species of

dusty Sahara, over boulder-strewn plains with scarcely a tree to offer

shade, though dotted about now and then with some ancient kopjes to vary

the monotony of the South African scene. On these kopjes it was as

likely as not that Boer sharpshooters might already be hidden, for the

affluent Dutchmen forced their poorer countrymen to maintain eyrie-like

positions--padded with blankets and hedged in with boulders--in

readiness for the approach of an army, while they themselves arrived

fresh, spick and span, only on the rumour of battle.

With all its alarms, however, life in camp was not without its

joviality. The Naval Brigade prepared for action laughing and singing,

and Jack Tar indulged in promiscuous hornpipes between the conversations

of his big guns. A correspondent of the Central News Agency gave an

entertaining account of his sojourn among the military. He said:--

"There are, of course, pleasantries and pleasantries. The other night a

correspondent was returning to camp when he was met with the usual

challenge. 'Who goes there?' shrieked the sentry. 'A friend,' replied

the correspondent. 'Stand, friend, and give the countersign,' promptly

demanded the watchful guardian of the camp. The correspondent had

forgotten the countersign. He knew it related to Yarmouth. As a matter

of fact, it was Yarmouth. So he made a desperate bid for bed, and

replied 'Bloaters.' The sentry replied, 'Advance, friend,' and the

scene closed. You doubt this as _ben trovato_. Well, do not doubt any

longer when I plead conviction in personal guilt. I was 'Bloaters.'

Nevertheless, to an active sentrydom, as well as to vigilant curfew, we

were becoming cheerfully accustomed. It is martial law, and the camp is

the centre of Boerdom. Anything, indeed, is welcome, even martial law,

if it relieves boredom at the same time."

On the 14th of November General Wauchope, commanding the Highland

Brigade, arrived on the Orange River, followed a day or two later by

Major-General Sir H. Colvile, who assumed command of the Guards Brigade

and camp north of the river. The First Division was composed of two

brigades. The Ninth was an Infantry Brigade, consisting of portions of

the Northumberland Fusiliers, a wing of the North Lancashires, portions

of the Manchesters, the Yorkshires, and the Northamptonshire Regiment.

The Guards Brigade was composed of the Scots Guards, two battalions of

the Coldstreams, and one of the Grenadiers. To this brigade was attached

the Naval Brigade (Captain Prothero, H.M.S. _Doris_). There were also

two squadrons of the 9th Lancers, "bits" of the Engineers, of the A.S.C.

and the Army Medical Corps--the whole force numbering some 9000 men. The

transport arrangements having been completed, the advance was to be made

in the course of the week. Officers and men were to wear uniform as

similar as possible, in order not to give the sharpshooters a chance of

distinguishing them. The men covered their buttons with mud and sand in

order to make them more of a piece with their kharki, and their

haversacks in the same way were darkened to match.

At this time Naauwpoort and Stormberg were evacuated by order of Sir

Redvers Buller, on the ground that our frontier line was weak and too

much extended. The troops from the former place reinforced De Aar, those

from the latter strengthened Queenstown. The enemy, though he left De

Aar in peace, was active elsewhere. A Boer commando of 1300 to 2000

strong entered Colesberg on the 15th November before dawn, and planted

itself on the kopjes surrounding the town, much to the surprise of the

inhabitants. The invaders possessed themselves of the keys of the town,

and endeavoured with great parade to hoist the Free State flag. The

ceremony was a fiasco, however, as before the flag reached the top of

the staff, the halyard, which had been secretly cut partly through by

some loyalists, broke, so that the flag, flying a little above

half-mast, could neither be hoisted properly nor hauled down again.

Ultimately the Boers tied another flag on to the end of a long bamboo,

and sent that up instead. The Mayor endeavoured, in impassioned periods,

to address the loyal inhabitants, but his eloquence was useless. He

could not make himself heard, and had at last to desist.

The Mounted Police, who were forced to retreat from Colesberg, joined

the New South Wales Lancers at Naauwpoort, and from thence went on to De

Aar. Aliwal North was occupied by a Free State commando, and the

inhabitants of Lady Grey were ordered to vacate the place. They were

allowed until the 25th November to obey orders. The public offices there

were closed, and preparations were made to occupy the town.

Here must be noted the story of a woman in a thousand--the post-mistress

of Ladygrey. When the Boers came to seize the post-office, she "stuck to

her post" with a vengeance. She refused to budge or to give it up, and

when the Free State flag was hoisted, she promptly hauled it down and

substituted the Union Jack. Not content with this, she tore down the

proclamation of the Boers annexing the district, and put in its place

the Governor's proclamation against treason. Pluck carried the day; the

Boers were worsted, and the post-mistress remained mistress of the

situation. What became of this heroine of the war is not yet known.

Proclamations emanating from Bloemfontein, and signed by Mr. Wessels,

President of the Volkraad, were also issued, declaring the whole of

Griqualand West, except Kimberley and Mafeking and the districts four

miles around each of these places, to be Free State territory. In the

face of these energetic movements action on the part of the British was

necessary to restore the confidence of the wavering people, and

consequently the following telegram was despatched by the General

Commanding in Chief to the officer commanding at Queenstown:--

"_November 15._--General Gatacre, with the 1st Battalion of the

Seventh Brigade, left yesterday for East London. More troops

will follow as they arrive.

"Owing to the distance from England, it has not been possible

to give the frontier districts, at first, the protection they

merit, and the enemy's troops have in places entered our

territory.

"Make known as widely as possible that her Majesty's Government

will exact compensation for any actual injury done to the

property of individuals who remain loyal, and take every means

in your power to obtain and record the names of any who may act

disloyally, with a view to the consideration of their cases

afterwards. Circulate this as widely as you can in English and

Dutch."

On the other side the enemy exerted himself freely. A curious appeal was

made to the farmers about Colesberg by the Boer commander. He addressed

the crowd with great fervour, and called on all to join the Republican

cause and to throw off the yoke of England, whose tyranny could no

longer be endured. War, he declared, had been forced upon them. They

were now fighting for liberty, and it was the will of God. He said it

depended on the Afrikanders themselves whether they would for ever

continue to be ruled from Downing Street or become an independent

nation. So far, he added, their arms had been victorious, and God had

been with them.

* * * * *

Meanwhile Lord Methuen and his troops were preparing to march to the

relief of Kimberley _via_ Witteputs, and in expectation of his arrival

(of which they were duly informed by their many spies and the disloyal

Dutch in the neighbourhood), the Boers, reinforced, posted a cannon at

Belmont Station, and again took up a powerful position on the Kaffir's

Kop range of hills.

[Illustration: LIEUT.-GENERAL LORD METHUEN, C.B.

Photo by Elliott & Fry, London.]

THE BATTLE OF BELMONT

On the morning of Tuesday, the 21st of November, at three o'clock, Lord

Methuen's march to the relief of Kimberley definitely began. The force

consisted of the Naval Brigade, the 9th Brigade under Colonel

Featherstonhaugh, the Guards Brigade under General Sir H. Colvile, two

batteries of Field Artillery, Rimington's Guides, and the 9th Lancers.

The first halt was made at Fincham's Farm, some twelve miles off, where

the troops breakfasted, and whence the 9th Lancers and Rimington's

Guides started on a reconnoitring expedition, which was not without its

excitement. The Boers were reported to be somewhere in the vicinity, and

soon they were espied, some three hundred of them, climbing a kopje with

the evident intention of firing down on the party. This they did, and

with such rapidity that only by sheer luck the men escaped. They went on

to the farm of one Thomas, a supposed loyalist, for the purpose of

watering their horses. This person had declared that there were no Boers

in the neighbourhood; but no sooner had the tired beasts begun to dip

their dusty noses in the cool and longed-for draught than a brisk fire

was opened on them from all sides, and the troops had hurriedly to

return to the main body at Fincham's. But they lost three horses.

On the following day the division moved on to the said Thomas's Farm.

The advance party again came under fire--"Just by way of salute," as

Tommy said--but the enemy was promptly silenced. Here the troops

bivouacked.

On the night of the 22nd coffee was served out about twelve o'clock, and

after this the whole force prepared to move.

The general orders were as follows: "At three A.M. Guards Brigade to

advance from small white house near railway on Gun Kopje, supported by

battery on right plus Naval Brigade; 9th Brigade on west side of Table

Mountain; at same hour, bearing already taken, supported by battery on

left, 9th Lancers, two squadrons, one company Mounted Infantry,

marching north of Belmont Station, keeping one to two miles on left

flank and advanced; Rimington's Guides, one squadron Lancers, one

company Mounted Infantry from Witte Putt to east of Sugar Loaf; one

company Mounted Infantry on right of Naval Brigade, protecting right;

the force having got over open ground should arrive at daybreak on

enemy; 9th Brigade having secured Table Mountain to swing round left and

keep on high ground, and then advance east to west on A (on plan; not

printed); Guards Brigade conform, being pivot; then Guards advance on

east edge of Mount Blanc, guns clearing entire advance with shrapnel;

cavalry to get round rear of enemy, securing horses and laager."

[Illustration: LORD METHUEN'S LINE OF ADVANCE]

This carefully-arranged programme, however, was not followed in its

entirety. In the grim blackness of the small hours the Grenadiers lost

direction, and Lord Methuen was committed to a frontal attack. But still

the attack was a brilliant success. The Boers were caught napping, for

they were in the happy belief that the troops were still at Witte Putt

at the very hour when they were marching steadily upon them.

The infantry tramped four miles in pitch darkness and took up their

position on a long low hill facing the enemy. The Boers occupied a

magnificent horseshoe-shaped position on a series of kopjes and ridges

eastward of Belmont railway station. As usual, they had utilised the

boulders as screens, behind which they could safely blaze away at the

advancing ranks. Near daybreak--the hot summer morning dawned about four

o'clock--firing began. The Guards had opened out for the attack, and the

Boers, suddenly espying them from the heights, thereupon commenced to

pelt and batter them. The Scots and Grenadiers nevertheless proceeded.

Their position was far from comfortable, as it was necessary to cross

some hundred yards of arid open veldt with no cover at all, while the

enemy, ensconced behind tremendous rocks some 500 feet above their

level, had nothing to do but to point their rifles and send their

bullets whizzing at the advancing mass. But the Guards stoutly held

their own, lying down and returning volley after volley for a full

half-hour. Meanwhile the 9th Brigade advanced across the plain in

extended order, and at half-past four two batteries posted near the

railway commenced shelling the enemy's position.

Now the Guards began to proceed. Steadily forward they went--the thin,

extended line moved as on parade, no supports being behind them.

Scarcely had they reached the base of the hill than a fierce storm of

lead poured like a cascade from guns and rifles. It was useless now to

attempt to return the fire--the Boers were invisible. There was no help

for it; the men had only to move on and trust to their best "cold

Sheffield" and their warm, gallant hearts. They fixed bayonets. Major

Kinloch gave the word to his men to advance. "Now, boys, as hard as you

can go!" he sang out. The other officers shouted their orders; all were

dashing along like lions loosened from a cage. Cheers rent the air,

bullets buzzed, cannons roared, blood streamed and spouted, plucky men

and brave boys dropped dead on every side. Yet on went the infantry

brigades! The first kopje was stormed! The Boers had vanished!

It was a sight to thrill the blood, to make the heart leap to the

throat--so grand, so awful, so reminiscent of all the great traditions

of British history. The enemy went helter-skelter to their second kopje

on the right, where another force was strongly intrenched. Here they

were sheltered by a number of "schantz," or trenches built of boulders

and arranged in gallery form, and here our men mounted after

them--Coldstreams, Grenadiers, Scots Guards, Northumberlands,

Northamptons, and 2nd King's Own Yorkshires, now steadily advancing

without excitement and with stern determination, and through a horrible

cross-fire from the death-dealing rifles of the enemy.

Their advance was grand--a feat of heroism--with the Boer missiles

flying about their heads and the track of blood seeming to tinge the

very atmosphere with red. On and on they pushed, cheering loudly up the

steep incline and over the boulders, nimble as goats, determined as

giants, on and on, and, with a mighty roar, took the position. Dead men

lay at their feet, but honour, with its laurel crown, wreathed their

heads!

Again the Boers made a hasty, a desperate retreat; again they sought a

strongly-fortified position; again, our cavalry being too far off to

reach them, the infantry combat was renewed.

A hurricane of bullets poured down. Death for the third time stared and

gibbered; for the third time our gallant fellows, all in mass, again

advanced to the attack. The Naval Brigade brought up four guns, and

Captain Prothero got his cannon in position of 1800 yards and blazed out

a chorus of distraction.

The enemy fled. The rout was now complete. Away went the 9th Lancers,

away went the Mounted Infantry, both pursuing the fugitives for a good

five miles. Thus the battle of Belmont was won. The whole of the camp

waggons, filled with boxes of clothing, hundreds of horses and bullocks,

were captured, and tons of ammunition were destroyed.

But this fight, that has taken so short a time to describe, and which

was over in less than four hours, was hardly won. Forms all bloodily

dashed lay here and there and everywhere, and the Scots Guards, who had

stormed the kopje to inspiriting strains of drums and pipes, were doomed

later on to hear the wail of the pibroch for many comrades mourned and

buried. In all, our losses--about 200--were comparatively small

considering that the engagement was a series of three battles, during

which the Boers were constantly carrying off dead and wounded. Very many

of our officers were wounded and three were killed. One--Lieutenant

Fryer of the Grenadier Guards--was slain while gallantly leading his men

and creeping along the bed of a stream in the enemy's rear. After the

battle Lord Methuen made the following address to the troops: "Comrades,

I congratulate you on the complete success achieved by you this morning.

The ground over which we had to fight presented exceptional

difficulties, and we had as an enemy a past-master in the tactics of

mounted infantry. With troops such as you are, a commander can have no

fear of the result. There is a sad side, and you and I are thinking as

much of those who have died for the honour of their country and of those

who are suffering as we are thinking of our victory."

Three instances were reported of the despicable treachery of the Boers.

Lieutenant Willoughby was shot at from an ambush under cover of the white

flag; a Boer holding a white flag in his left hand murdered Lieutenant

Brine with his right, and Lieutenant Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell (3rd

Batt. Grenadier Guards) was shot in the merciful act of tending a wounded

Boer. Lord Methuen after the fight sent a remonstrance to the Boer

commander, saying, "Acting quite fairly with you, I decline to take

Kimberley men who know the country, because their parole cannot be

accepted. I must ask you to warn your wounded not to shoot our officers. I

must warn you not to use Dum-Dum bullets, or use the flag of truce

treacherously. Such action is cowardly in the extreme, and I cannot

countenance it."

[Illustration: PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF BELMONT.]

The Boer losses were reported as very small, but no credence can be

placed on their statements, for the very good reason that it has been

President Kruger's policy to conceal from outsiders, and even from his

own country, the extent of his losses. Whenever the Boer dies in battle,

his body is weighted and cast into a river, or into a trench as quickly

as possible. His family are left in ignorance as to his fate, and their

only conclusion is to assume that he is dead. But Mr. Kruger's methods

and his ruthless military oligarchy were disapproved even by his own

countrymen, and more especially by his own countrywomen, who now began

to mistrust the continual story of Boer victory, and asked pitifully for

permission themselves to seek for fathers, sons, and brothers from whom

they never heard. In some cases many of these were lying not an inch

below their feet, for a British search party came upon a portion of the

veldt that was literally mosaicked with dead Dutchmen whose bodies were

scarcely more than peppered with earth!

Mr. Knight, the correspondent of the _Morning Post_, who was a general

favourite, was wounded in a singularly treacherous manner. He was in the

firing line of the Northamptons, who were then attacking the Boers. Some

of the enemy suddenly emerged from behind rocks and displayed a

handkerchief attached to a rifle. On this sign Mr. Knight with two

others rose, and all three were instantly shot with Dum-Dum bullets. Mr.

Knight's sufferings were great, and the arm was amputated. The use of

Dum-Dum bullets had been proscribed, as, after hitting the mark, they

expand and cause wounds as large as a five-shilling piece. The Boers,

besides using them on occasion, so manoeuvred the Mauser bullets that

they could act in identical fashion. Another treacherous Boer device was

the wearing of the red cross upon their sleeves--an action on a par with

the display of the white flag--for convenience' sake. However, it must

always be remembered that the Boer armies were commandeered and

cosmopolitan armies, and not disciplined troops.

[Illustration: THE BATTLE OF BELMONT, 23rd November 1899--BAYONET ATTACK

BY THE SCOTS AND GRENADIER GUARDS.

Drawing by Frank Dodd, R.I.]

During the heat of the fray Colonel Crabbe, commanding the Grenadier

Guards, became detached from his regiment. He was instantly surrounded

by Boers, and being wounded, might probably have been killed had not a

private suddenly rushed to the rescue. The plucky fellow shot two of the

enemy, silenced a third with his bayonet, and finally, amid a shower of

bullets, carried off the Colonel to the shelter of an ambulance waggon.

Colonel Crabbe sustained injuries to wrist and thigh, but was not

dangerously wounded.

A curious experience befell the Hon. George Peel, who was trying to

reach Kimberley, where his sister, the Hon. Mrs. Rochfort Maguire, was

imprisoned. Roaming about after the battle of Belmont, he came by

accident on a Boer camp. A Dutchman promptly emerged, and when he was

preparing to meet a grim fate, deciding that all hope was lost, he found

himself accosted and handed a Bible. He was in the very act of

congratulating himself on his lucky escape when on the scene came two

grenadiers, who seeing his battered condition and his Bible, mistook him

for a Boer spy and carried him off as a prize. Fortunately he was

recognised by a member of Lord Methuen's camp and liberated.

Very interesting are the following official particulars given by the

General Officer Commanding the 9th Brigade to the Chief Staff Officer of

the 1st Division:--

"BELMONT, _Nov. 23, 1899_.

"SIR,--I have the honour to submit the following report of the

part taken by the brigade under my command in the action which

took place to-day. The rendezvous was left at 3.7 A.M. in the

following formation: Northumberland Fusiliers, in column of

companies, on the left, directing, and fifty paces from them

moved the Northamptonshire Regiment in similar formation, and

parallel to them. In rear of both these battalions was the 2nd

Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and two companies

Munster Fusiliers." (Having described the operations which

ended in the occupation of a ridge south of Table Mountain,

Major-General Featherstonhaugh continues:) "This party of the

enemy was finally dislodged at the point of the bayonet, and

'independent fire' poured into them at a distance of fifty

yards, when a white flag was hoisted by the party. On our men

ceasing fire, the white flag still being displayed, a shot was

fired by this party at our men; but the actual bearer of the

flag of truce, followed by some eleven or twelve unarmed Boers,

surrendered themselves to Colonel Money and were made

prisoners.--Signed for Major-General Featherstonhaugh,

EDWARD S. BULFIN,

_Captain, Brigade Major, 9th Brigade_."

The following is the list of officers killed and wounded at the battle

of Belmont:--

3rd Grenadier Guards.--Lieutenant Fryer, killed; Lieutenant

Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell, dangerously wounded; Second

Lieutenants Leslie and Vaughan, wounded; Lieutenants Gurdon

Rebow and Russell, slightly wounded; and in addition the

following officers reported as wounded: Lieutenants Lygon and

Cameron, and Lieutenant-Colonel Crabbe. 1st Battalion

Coldstream Guards.--Lieutenant Grant, wounded. 2nd Battalion

Coldstream Guards.--Lieutenant the Hon. Claude Willoughby,

slightly wounded; Second Lieutenant Burton, severely wounded.

1st Battalion Scots Guards.--Major the Hon. North Dalrymple

Hamilton, severely wounded; Second Lieutenants Bulkley and

Alexander, wounded. 1st Battalion Northumberland

Fusiliers.--Captain Eagar and Lieutenant Brine, killed; Major

Dashwood and Lieutenant Festing, dangerously wounded; Captain

Sapte and Lieutenant Fishbourne, Brigadier-General

Featherstonhaugh, Captain Freeland, 2nd Northampton, Lieutenant

Barton, 2nd Northampton, severely wounded.

THE BATTLE OF GRASPAN

The commandos defeated at Belmont fell back upon Graspan, the next

station northwards on the way to Kimberley. There Lord Methuen decided

they should not long remain. He thought, to use his own words, "that it

would be best to march the division at once to Swinks Pan, which would

place me on the left front of the enemy's position, and that if I worked

one battery round each flank, sent my cavalry and mounted infantry well

forward, the greater part of the cavalry being on the eastern side, I

ought to capture the eastern force. The Naval Brigade and 9th Brigade I

left for protecting the guns or assaulting a position if necessary. The

Guards Brigade I left with the baggage to march to Enslin, where I had

my next camp. The brigade could always give a hand if wanted. I had

left 1st Battalion Scots Guards at Belmont Station, also two companies

Munster Fusiliers, because there were 500 Boers and a gun, so it was

said, threatening Belmont. I made this my divisional battle, marching

straight from Belmont to Enslin. The armoured train with infantry was to

give me a help from the line." Thus the General briefly described his

programme.

On the day following the battle of Belmont, a hot, blistering day, with

the sun glaring pitilessly till the heavens looked like a sheet of

burnished brass, the Division, with the Yorkshire Light Infantry as

advance guard, moved on towards Graspan. This place is probably called

Graspan because it is the centre of a circular phalanx of huge kopjes,

which, rising out of the smooth white sand, have an air of quaint

picturesqueness resembling that of some ancient ruined arena. There the

troops encamped. Here, in the light of the stars and rolled in their

blankets, they laid them down to their hard-earned rest.

Before cock-crow, however, the men were up and doing, and as the

lavender hues of dawn began to lighten the horizon, the gallant warriors

were on the move. It was known that the enemy was near at hand, sneaking

on the surrounding heights, therefore the last two miles were covered in

fighting formation, the Naval detachment and the 5th Fusiliers being

supported by the Yorkshire Light Infantry and the Northampton Regiment.

The enemy, not 400 strong as was supposed, but 2500, with six guns, one

Hotchkiss, and one Maxim, was posted on a series of five kopjes over 200

feet in height, joined by neks, all of which save one were strongly

occupied. In a laager in the remote distance 500 more Boers were

reported to be hidden in reserve. The ground on all sides had been

previously measured to find the ranges, the Boers having evidently been

quite well informed regarding the British plan of action.

In advance of the troops came the armoured train, a pachydermatous

monster which moved cumbrously in front of the column, and was saluted

by the smoking wrath of big guns as soon as it appeared. It retired

cautiously, and disgorged its gallant crew of marines to help in

handling the naval guns. Lord Methuen deployed the cavalry on the

flanks, while the artillery took up positions in front of the Boer

trenches. Meanwhile the 9th Brigade went forward in skirmishing order.

This consisted of the Northumberland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion

Northamptons, half-Battalion Loyal North Lancashires, 2nd Battalion

King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. With the 9th was the Naval Brigade,

commanded by Captain Prothero. At six o'clock an active artillery duel

began, the guns of the foe being splendidly posted, and their range, as

before-said, carefully calculated. Their shells burst with appalling

fracas over our batteries, but the brave British gunners never swerved.

They gave the Boers some smart and telling replies, and presently, on

withdrawing their guns to a new position, quite defeated the

calculations of the enemy, whose shells now began to fall wide of the

mark. The rifle-fire of the Dutchmen was not so accurate as usual, and

was evidently under no control, though there were sharpshooters who

crept under cover for the purpose of sniping at any prominent person who

might be taken for an officer. As has been stated, there was now no

outward or visible sign of rank, so for the time being the enemy's

efforts were unsuccessful. They were more deadly--grievously

deadly--however, when the gallant Naval Brigade, the officers of which

were distinguishable by their swords, came to the foot of the hill. The

fire from the kopjes was terrific, and every moment men threw up their

arms and fell. They had advanced in extended order, but in converging

upon the position to be taken, found themselves closed in, and in that

formation attempted the ascent.

Meanwhile the rest of the infantry was moving forward in preparation for

attack. The Northamptons worked from the left round to the right, where

they were joined by the Yorkshires and Northumberlands. All this time a

scene of terrific slaughter was taking place, a tremendous and unceasing

fire being poured from the Boer positions upon our steadily advancing

men. But these were undefeatable, the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, the

Marines, and the 1st North Lancashire acquitting themselves nobly in a

most perilous situation. One after another of their numbers dropped.

Stones and sand were heaped with the mutilated and fainting, and dyed

with the life-blood of trusty comrades that a moment ago had been hearty

and hale; but on they went, these gallant lads, while a storm of

shrapnel bellowed overhead, and bullets whistled past their ears, and

dust and dirt blinded their eyes. With a ringing cheer the Yorkshire men

directed a fusilade towards the crest of the enemy's sangar, and then

the whole mass crawled up with splendid effort, neared the summit, and

prepared to charge. The Boers, however, began discreetly to remove

themselves to a second position still better intrenched, from whence

they could fire on the British as they gained the top. At this time the

British guns were forced to be almost inactive, as the storming line was

now so near the crest that the shrapnel could only be directed on the

enemy by enfilading the position from the ridge of the kopje on the

left, and it was during the lull that Lieutenant Taylor, Yorkshire Light

Infantry, and Lieutenant Jones, of the Marines, scaled the sangar.

The next instant there was a roar and a rush, and all were leaping

forward to clear the second position. This was only accomplished after

some desperately hard work and a quarter of an hour's hand-to-hand

fighting--an eternity it seemed to those engaged--for the kopje was

stubbornly held. But even Boer pluck, of which in this case there was no

lack, could not resist the impetuous advance of the British infantry,

and at last, when the hill-top was one crimson crown of blood and half

the gallant number were struck down, the Boers bolted one after another

down the back of the hill, pursued by our artillery fire, and made for

their horses. Finally, as they were retreating in hot haste across the

plain, the 9th Lancers charged them, and succeeded in catching up their

rear close to a kopje where they were sheltering. But here the place

literally swarmed with Dutchmen, and the Lancers, whose numbers were

small, and whose horses were exhausted, were forced to retire.

Still the object of the fight was magnificently accomplished. The rout

of the enemy was complete. The gallant Naval Brigade, Yorkshire Light

Infantry, and Loyal North Lancashires remained masters of the situation.

A party of Boers who had rushed from their sheltering kopje were

intercepted by the detachment of the New South Wales Lancers, who,

charging, forced them back to their hiding-place.

The amazing gallantry of the Marines, who bore the brunt of the

desperate fight, was the subject of general eulogy. Many of these

splendid fellows had three wounds, while some had four. Sixty per cent.

of the officers and sergeants were hit. Nothing could have been more

heroic than the conduct of poor Huddart, who so gloriously fell in doing

his duty.

Captain Le Marchant, Royal Marine Light Infantry, who was left in

command of the Naval Brigade with Lord Methuen's force after the action

at Graspan, reported as follows: "It is with deep regret that I have to

report the death of Midshipman Huddart, who behaved magnificently, and

still advanced after he had been twice wounded, until he was finally

struck down mortally wounded." A brother naval officer also wrote: "At

the bottom of the hill Huddart was hit in the arm, and half-way up he

was shot in the leg, but still he pressed on. On reaching the top of the

kopje he was shot through the stomach and fell." Captain Le Marchant,

when his senior officers were killed or wounded, led the remnant of the

Naval Brigade up the kopje with splendid pluck and ability.

But magnificent deeds were numerous. Lieutenant W. J. C. Jones, Royal

Marine Light Infantry, though he had a bullet in his thigh, led his men

up the kopje, and only after the day was won consented to have his wound

dressed. Colour-Sergeant Waterhouse was also mentioned by Lord Methuen,

who said in his despatch, "I beg to bring to your notice No. 1843,

Colour-Sergeant Waterhouse, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, who at

a critical moment acted with great coolness in shooting down an enemy

who had been doing great execution on our men at 1150 yards."

The General deplored the lack of a cavalry brigade and horse artillery,

owing to which he was unable to reap the fruits of his hard-fought

action, and all must unite to condole with this much-tried commander on

the manner in which he had been handicapped from the first. Lord Methuen

in his despatch drew attention to the excellent work done by the Naval

Brigade near the line. He said:--

"Lieutenants Campbell and L. S. Armstrong displayed great

coolness in conducting the fire of their guns. Petty Officers

Ashley, _Doris_, and Fuller, _Monarch_, laid their guns with

great accuracy under fire.

"I again draw attention to the exceptional organising power of

Colonel Townsend. At Swinks Pan at 11.30 P.M. I was informed

that, owing to all the ambulances having been used for taking

the wounded to the train at Belmont, I had scarcely a

field-hospital mounted officer, only three ambulances and three

stretchers. I knew I had to fight next morning, so got together

fifty blankets in order to carry wounded with help of rifles. I

also sent to Colonel Townsend to make arrangements for wounded

by 3 A.M., a messenger having to ride seven miles to him. He

met me on the field with full supply of ambulances, and I never

saw anything more of him or the wounded, because he had a train

ready for them between Graspan and Belmont. His only complaint

is that there is not much of his mules left, an observation

which applies equally to men and animals."

To show how completely all the British projects were known, a curious

incident of this battle may be quoted. Four men were captured by

Rimington's Guides, but three of them being unarmed were released. It

was subsequently discovered that these same persons had taken to the

Jacobsdal commando minute details regarding the British camp, with the

result that a Boer force was detached to attack the station. The total

British casualties were estimated at 197, including twenty killed and

seven missing. At the close of the action, Lord Methuen complimented the

members of the Naval Brigade on their splendid behaviour, and expressed

regret at the losses they had sustained.

The following is the list of officers killed, wounded, and missing at

the battle of Graspan or Enslin of 25th November:--

2nd Battalion Yorkshire Light Infantry.--Wounded: Captain C. A.

L. Yate, Lieutenant H. C. Fernyhough, Lieutenant C. H. Ackroyd.

Naval Brigade.--Killed: Commander Ethelston, _Powerful_;[6]

Major Plumbe, R.M.L.I., _Doris_; Captain Senior, R.M.A.,

_Monarch_; C. A. E. Huddart, Midshipman, _Doris_.

The following were severely wounded:--

Flag-Captain Prothero, _Doris_, and Lieutenant Jones, R.M.L.I.,

_Doris_.

[Illustration: PRIVATE AND CORPORAL OF THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS.

Photo by Gregory & Co., London.]

Lord Methuen addressed his division in stirring words, congratulating

his men on the work they had done and the hardships they had surmounted.

The work, he said, was the severest accomplished by the British army for

many a long day. Not a single point, he added, could they afford to give

to the enemy. The Boers' tactics had been proved excellent and their

courage admirable. The gallant General added that when called on to

fight for his country, he preferred to fight against a foe worthy of his

steel rather than against savages, whose sole recommendation was

bravery. He hoped that he and his men had gained each other's

confidence, and that they would all do their duty to their country as

Englishmen should. Lord Methuen described as dastardly the firing by the

enemy on ambulance waggons, the shooting of a British officer by a

wounded Boer, and the use of Dum-Dum bullets; but he refused to believe

that these acts were characteristic of the enemy; he would give them

credit until he was convinced to the contrary that they wished to fight

fair and square. Addressing the Scots Guards, the General said that they

had acted as he expected his old battalion would.

The troops rested well on the night of the 27th, and on the following

day proceeded towards Modder River, where the General was aware that the

passage of the river would involve a bloody fight. By this time General

Pole-Carew had taken command of the 9th Brigade, in place of General

Featherstonhaugh, who was wounded.

THE BATTLE OF MODDER RIVER

This battle, to use Lord Methuen's words, was one of the hardest and

most trying fights in the annals of the British army. He might also have

truly said that it was one of the most gloriously-fought engagements

that has been known in modern warfare. On reconnoitring the enemy's

position, the Boers were found to be strongly entrenched and concealed

behind a fringe of furze and foliage and in front of trees in the

neighbourhood of Modder River. From native sources it was learnt that

the river and the Riet River were fordable anywhere--a statement which

was afterwards found to be entirely false. The enemy was discovered on

the east of the village to be in strong force and aggressive. His

trenches commanded the plain for a distance of 1600 yards, and there was

no means of outflanking him, as the Modder River was in flood.

The word Modder means muddy, and this term was appreciated in its full

significance when our parched troops came to make acquaintance with it.

But there are times and seasons when even ochreous water becomes clear

as crystal to the fevered imagination, and before this day of days was

over--in the sweltering, merciless sun, with the thermometer at 110

degrees in the shade--men felt as though they would stake their whole

chance of existence for one half-bottle of the reviving fluid. But this

is a digression. The horror of that day's thirst had barely set in at

the time treated of--4 to 8 A.M. At that hour there was no suspicion

that the enemy, strong in numbers, would continue to fight, and be

strengthened by some 8000 more Dutchmen. He appeared to be retiring, and

there were no signs that the village would be held. But at 8.10 a fierce

roar of guns multifarious declared that the river was fringed by the

enemy, and that he was well and skilfully concealed.

Parallel to the river on the north side the Boers had constructed, with

their wonted cunning, long sandbag trenches and various complicated

breastworks, which afforded them splendid cover. The line extended over

some five miles, and they were discovered to be posted on both sides of

the water. Where the stream of the Riet joins the Modder there is a

small and picturesque island some two acres in extent. It has shelving

banks all fringed with willows, and thus forms an excellent natural

cover for troops. Till now this spot had been the resort of picnickers

and pleasure-seekers from the Diamond City. On the north bank were

farmhouses and hotels, which had been evacuated by their owners and had

been taken possession of by the Boers. Here they had posted guns of

every available kind, in every available spot. They had Hotchkiss guns

and Maxim guns, and the deadly, much-abhorred Vickers-Maxim quick-firer,

a machine which, by the way, was offered some time ago to the British

Government--and refused! This objectionable weapon was christened by

some "Putt-Putt," by others "Bong-Bong," and one officer styled it "the

Great Mogul," because its presence was invariably greeted with profound

salaams and Chinese prostrations. With these guns the enemy began to

show that he meant business, as will be seen.

The division, that had been strengthened by the Argyll and Sutherland

Highlanders, had moved out from Wittekopslaager about 5 A.M.,

breakfastless, because it was thought that on reaching the river, which

was but a short march of five miles off, there would be ample time for a

meal. But by seven o'clock the fighting had begun. The General had

arranged with the officer commanding the Royal Artillery to prepare the

infantry attack with both batteries from the right flank, and the

Infantry Division being still some miles distant, he gave them two

distinct points to march on, which allowed of the brigades keeping in

extended order and covering a very wide front.

The Guards Brigade had orders to develop their attack first, which they

did with the 1st Battalion Scots Guards on the right, with directions to

swing their right well round in order to take the enemy in flank, the

2nd Battalion Coldstreams and the 3rd Battalion Grenadiers making the

frontal attack, the former on the left to keep touch with the 9th

Brigade; the 1st Battalion Coldstreams in reserve in the right rear.

Well, before they could look about them and settle down into their

positions, the whole force found itself facing the Boer commando 8000

strong, two large guns, Krupp guns, &c. The Scots Guards on the extreme

right marched through the old reservoir, and directly they emerged from

cover a shower of bullets greeted them. Soon after their Maxim gun was

disabled by the Hotchkiss gun of the enemy, and presently their whole

detachment was completely wiped out. First the sergeant in charge was

killed, then an officer was wounded, then Colonel Stopford of the

Coldstream Guards was hit in the neck and killed, and the horse ridden

by Colonel Paget was shot in five places and dropped dead. Meanwhile the

75th Battery in return launched some magnificent shots in the direction

of the Dutchmen. The third of these struck a farmhouse in which the

Boers and a gun were posted, and set the whole place in a blaze. Not

till the roof was burnt about their ears, however, did the Boers budge.

They clung with ferocious tenacity to every position, and the fight at

all times of the day was one of great stubbornness. The 1st Battalion of

the Coldstream Guards had extended, and, swinging their right round, had

prolonged the line of the Scots Guards to the right. Farther advance was

checked by the Riet River. The troops then lay down, being fairly under

cover in that position. The heat was scorching, and in the plain

occupied by our troops Mauser bullets swept the field in thousands.

There was absolutely no cover save the shelving bank of the river, which

served no purpose directly they rose on elbow from the ground. For hours

our men lay on their faces unable to show a head without inviting a

shower of lead--lay on the blistering sand with the hot African sun

grilling them, some of the Highlanders having their legs veritably

toasted, their mouths parched and full of sand, while bullets were

fluting a death-song in the air, and the thunderous detonations of the

big guns seemed to be raking the very bowels of the earth. Still the

Boers stuck to their posts. For hours they plied their guns without sign

of exhaustion. A terrific fire was kept up on both sides for a long--a

seemingly interminable--time, but without any appreciable advance in the

state of affairs. It was felt that nothing could be done on the right

flank till the guns had cleared the position. The 18th Battery, however,

came vigorously into play, and so brilliantly acquitted itself that

finally the enemy was forced to evacuate their ferociously-contested

positions among the houses. But so ably had they constructed their

intrenchments that from these it was impossible to dislodge them.

Meanwhile the 9th Brigade had advanced the Northumberland Fusiliers

along the east side of the railway line, supported by half a battalion

of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The Yorkshire Light Infantry

moved along the west side of the railway, supported by the remaining

half battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The half

battalion Loyal North Lancashire prolonged the line to the left, and

endeavoured to cross the river and threaten the enemy's right flank. The

six companies of Northamptons acted as a baggage-guard.

Early in the day a plucky attempt was made on the extreme right of the

line to cross the Modder. Colonel Codrington and Captain Feilding of the

1st Coldstreams, with Captain Selheim of the Queensland Permanent Force

with some two dozen men, forded the river. The water was almost chin

deep, and while they crossed, the Hotchkiss gun directed an appalling

fire on them. Though laden with all their gear and 150 rounds of

ammunition, they yet succeeded in reaching the other side, where they

found themselves almost swamped in mud. As they were not supported they

had to retire. But this was easier said than done. On the return passage

two men were almost drowned, and had it not been for the ingenious

device of their comrades, who, by joining hands and slinging their

putties together, managed to drag them ashore, they would certainly have

perished.

Soon after this the General, who had been moving about surveying and

commanding, was shot through the thigh. Then followed some confusion, as

the two brigades, in the absence of orders, had to act independently of

each other, and there was some fear that the 9th Brigade would fire on

the 1st. Command of the field was now assumed by Major-General Sir H. E.

Colvile, whose headquarters were on the right close to the river. It had

been Lord Methuen's idea to take the position at nightfall at the point

of the bayonet, but owing to the tremendous day's work, the heat, the

absence of food, and the general fatigue that all had undergone, this

project was abandoned. There was another reason for the change of plan.

Just as it was beginning to grow late some of the most brilliant work of

the day commenced. As the trenches were found to be utterly impregnable

to rifle-fire, it was felt that only desperate measures would rout the

Dutchmen from their stronghold. Colonel Barter (King's Own Yorkshire

Light Infantry) and Lieutenant Thorpe, with some men of the Argyll and

Sutherland and North Lancashire Regiments, started off, and, much to the

surprise of the Boers, who had evidently not calculated upon such

dauntless agility, got safely across the river. The wonderful way in

which this feat was accomplished was described by an eye-witness, a

correspondent of the _Times_.

"That it could even be attempted to cross the river sliding sideways

through the rush of water over the paddles along a rickety iron bar one

by one, clinging to the short supports in full view of the opposite

shore, was an act of reckless heroism against which even the wary Cronje

had not provided. This, however, is what was actually done, and it would

be difficult to find a parallel for the stubborn pluck of the men who

accompanied Colonel Barter across the 300 yards of dam and weir. One by

one some 400 of them crossed. Then a detachment of the Royal Engineers,

showing how well they could take their part in the forefront of the

fighting line, followed them, after that some more of the Yorkshire

Light Infantry. Little by little a force was collected which cleared

several of the nearest houses on the right and effected an occupation of

an irrigation patch from which they were never dislodged." It was quite

wonderful to note the effect of the gallant British cheer which rang out

from General Pole-Carew's men as they burst from the river, bayonet in

hand. The Boers were startled and fled, with our men closely in pursuit.

At the rousing, ringing, menacing sound, their hopes had failed--they

thought that the rumour of victory was already in the air. "The thunder

growl edged with melodious ire in alt," as Carlyle called it, never did

better work. It demoralised and brought about the end.

[Illustration: PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF MODDER RIVER]

Shortly after, a battery of Royal Artillery came upon the scene, but

before it had time to unlimber, more Boers took to their heels, falling

over each other in their haste to be off and catch their horses. The

sound of British lungs in their rear and the sight of the guns was too

much for them. Thus after twelve hours' fighting the day was practically

won, for, when morning came, it was found that the enemy had entirely

cleared out, and removed to fresh intrenchments half-way between the

river and Spyfontein.

It was a brilliant but a hardly-earned victory. It is stated that the

Naval guns fired over 500 rounds, and the 18th Battery more than 1100.

The 75th fired 900 rounds, the 62nd (who came to the rescue from the

Orange River late in the day), 500 rounds. The glorious gunners vied

with one another in the display of gallantry and proficiency.

A vivid story of the energetic march of the 62nd Battery was told by an

officer, who must have had an even more trying time than most.

"We had orders to reinforce the main body at once; marched twenty miles

the first day, had a few hours' rest, and started at the first streak of

dawn again. We did about twenty-five miles, and were just going to have

a well-earned rest when an orderly came galloping up with the order to

go at once (I am talking of the 62nd now), as the battle was going

against our troops. We started off again at a trot, and kept it up for

about five miles, when our horses were just done up. We had to take four

out of our gun-teams, as they dropped dead of exhaustion. The sergeants

hooked their own horses in, and off we went again. We lost more horses,

and had to walk after we had done about eight miles. We were only able

to just make the horses drag the guns into action. I shall never forget

it. I was feeling very queer. I don't think any of us were afraid, but

we were all of us expecting to be shot every minute, as the bullets came

in showers.... We were in action in this place about two hours. Our

troops were being shot down in heaps, and things were looking very

black, when Lord Methuen came up to our Colonel and asked him to send

his batteries up closer (we were then 1500 yards from the Boer trenches,

and you must understand that a rifle carries 2500 yards). Our Colonel

did. We then advanced up past our own infantry and came into action

about 900 yards closer than artillery had ever taken up position before.

After severe loss on our side we managed to silence the Boer guns. The

order was then given to retire. We got out of range, and were on the

point of congratulating ourselves on being so lucky, when up rode an

orderly giving us instructions to go and relieve the Guards. Our Major

advanced.... We took up our position 800 yards from the Boer trenches,

and, by Jove! the Boers let us have a fearful reception. Before I got my

horses out they shot one of my drivers and two horses ... and brought

down my own horse. We then got my gun round on the enemy, when one of my

gunners was shot through the brain and fell at my feet. Another of my

gunners was shot whilst bringing up shell, and I began to feel queer....

At last we had a look in; our shells began to tell. We were firing six

rounds a minute, and were at it until it was too dark to fire any more.

The Boer firing had ceased, and the Guards were able to get up and

retire. They blessed the artillery that day. We had to keep our position

all night, with not a soul near us and nothing to eat and drink. Our

orders were to open fire as soon as it was light enough, and the

infantry were to take the place at the point of the bayonet.... But in

the morning the Boers had fled. The field presented a terrible sight at

daybreak; there were dead and dying in every direction. I couldn't

describe it; it was awful. We lost heavily on our side, but the Boer

losses must have been heavier. The Boers bury their dead in the trenches

as soon as they drop, so that one cannot gauge their loss, but we

counted hundreds."

[Illustration: SERGEANT AND PRIVATE OF THE DUBLIN FUSILIERS.

Photo by Gregory & Co., London.]

It is pleasant to remember that this hurried march and its trials were

fully appreciated by Lord Methuen, who reported that the 62nd Battery

was of great service. It must be noted that it came into action between

three and four o'clock in the afternoon. The gunners had made a splendid

forced march from Orange River in some twenty-three hours, yet there and

then, with worn-out horses and jaded frames, joined in the fight.

Heroic actions were so abundant that they made quite a formidable list

in the General's despatch, but they afford such inspiriting reading to

all who honour Great Britain's heroes, that the list is reproduced in

its entirety.

"_From the Lieut.-General Commanding the First Division to the Chief

Staff Officer._

"MODDER RIVER, _Dec. 1, 1899_.

"I have much pleasure in bringing to your notice the names of

the following officers and rank and file who distinguished

themselves during the day:--

"Major Count Gleichen, C.M.G., for the coolness shown by him

throughout the engagement, especially in attending to the

wounded under a heavy fire.

"Sergeant Brown and Private Martin, 3rd Battalion Grenadier

Guards, who helped him, were both shot.

"Sergeant-Major Cooke, 3rd Battalion Grenadiers, displayed

remarkable coolness under fire.

"Lieutenant the Hon. A. Russell showed great coolness in

working the machine-gun, which he did with marked success.

"Major Granville Smith, Coldstream Guards, in volunteering to

find a ford, which he did in dangerous mud and a strong river.

"Captain and Adjutant Steele, Coldstream Guards, for excellent

service during the day.

"Sergeant-Major S. Wright, Coldstream Guards, showed great

coolness when a change of ammunition carts was being made, and

was of great value at a critical time.

"Native Driver Matthews for making the other natives stick to

their carts when they would otherwise have bolted.

"Drill and Colour-Sergeant Price, Coldstream Guards, at Belmont

and at Modder River rendered excellent service whilst

commanding half a company.

"Drill and Colour-Sergeant Plunkett, Coldstream Guards,

collected 150 men, and helped the 9th Brigade crossing the

river under Captain Lord Newtown Butler.

"No. 1825, Lance-Corporal Webb, Coldstream Guards, twice asked

leave to go into the open to bind up the wounds of a Grenadier;

under a heavy fire he succeeded in his object.

"Captain Hervey Bathurst, Grenadier Guards, was of great value

in rallying a number of Grenadiers and Coldstreams shaken by

the fire.

"I again call attention to Colonel Paget's cheerfulness and

intelligence under the most trying surroundings.

"He draws attention to Captain Moores, Royal Army Medical

Corps, who, although wounded in the hand, said nothing, but

continued his duties. Also he draws attention to the good

services of the Master of Ruthven, Scots Guards. The valuable

services of Captain Nugent, aide-de-camp, and Captain

Ruggles-Brise are again noted.

"The names of Lieut.-Colonel Barter, King's Own Yorkshire Light

Infantry, and Major the Hon. C. Lambton, Northumberland

Fusiliers, are mentioned for having rendered invaluable

assistance to their Brigadier. Captain Bulfin, Yorkshire

Regiment, did his duty admirably.

"Lieutenant Percival, Northumberland Fusiliers, managed with

great difficulty to establish himself with a small party on a

point near the railway, from which, by his judgment and

coolness, he was able to keep down the fire of the enemy, many

of his small party being killed.

"Nos. 3499, Lance-Corporal R. Delaney, 4160, Private J. East,

4563, Private Segar, 4497, Private Snowdon, Northumberland

Fusiliers, under a very heavy fire picked up and brought in a

wounded man of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders; No. 3955,

Private Smarley, Northumberland Fusiliers, No. 1 of a Maxim

detachment, who showed great coolness and judgment when

wounded.

"Major Lindsay, Royal Artillery, 75th Battery, ignored a

painful wound, and continued in command of his battery.

Lieutenant Begbie, Royal Artillery, suddenly placed in command

of his battery, led it and brought it into action with great

coolness.

"Captain Farrell, wounded a second time, continued to do his

duty, having first placed a wounded man on one of the

gun-carriages. Wounded gunners and drivers continued at their

duty.

"Lieutenant Rochford Boyd, Royal Artillery, on this, as on

former occasions, showed himself reliable and capable of acting

without orders.

"I personally bring to notice the value of Lieut.-Colonel

Rhodes's service and Major Streatfeild's service in sending

forward reinforcements to Major-General Pole-Carew, for on this

movement the result of the evening's success depended.

"I cannot too highly commend the conduct of the troops, ably

assisted by the Naval Brigade, for on them the whole credit of

our success rests."

There were some miraculous escapes, one sergeant in the Coldstream

Guards having had many nasty experiences. In an account of them he

said:--

"During the afternoon some one seemed to have spotted me from

the trenches. First a shot struck the side of my boot and

struck my rifle just in front of my face, filling my eyes with

dirt and splinters. I rose up a little, when another shot

struck the middle finger of my left hand. I had got on my

knees, when a bullet struck me fair in the chest on the buckle

of my haversack, breaking it through the centre and causing a

slight puncture of the skin and bruising my chest. Have been

congratulated as being the luckiest beggar in my battalion."

The terrible nature of the fighting was described by an officer in the

Guards, who must have had a charmed life. He wrote:--

"We had no cover except little scrub bushes about six inches

high, and the ground sloped gently down to the Boers from about

2000 yards. I don't suppose troops have ever been in a more

damnable position. I sat up occasionally to see how things were

going, but only for a moment, as it was always the signal for a

perfect storm of bullets. My ammunition-bearer had his head

blown to bits by a 1-lb. shell from a 37-millimetre Maxim, a

most damnable gun. I happened to be in the line of it just

before dark, and they pumped six rounds at me. The first four

pitched in a line about twenty, ten, fifteen, and the fourth

four yards in front of me, and threw dirt all over me, and the

next two just pitched behind me. I didn't like it a bit.... It

was the worst day I have ever spent in my life. Twelve hours

under a constant and heavy fire of Maxims, 12-pounders, and

other quick-firing guns and rifles, a hot sun, no cover, no

water, and no food is more than enough for yours truly.... The

guns yesterday fought magnificently, and I believe fired more

rounds per gun than have ever been fired in a battle before....

We had a lovely wash this morning. I washed shirt and drawers,

besides myself--I wanted it. My clothes have not been off since

we left the Orange River on November 21.... Cronje and Steyn

are said to have both been present at the battle."

In this battle the hardships of warfare were accumulated. Not only had

the troops to display active but passive heroism. Though the longing for

water exceeded the craving for food and repose, the unfortunate fellows

were very near the verge of famine. Their position at times must have

savoured of the tortures of Tantalus, for many of the men were groping

after the enemy in a doubled-up fashion and under a shower of lead,

along farms and gardens, while hens clacked, pigs grunted, goats offered

milk, and potatoes and other edibles smiled a mute invitation. When the

Boers were routed, however, these delicacies at last became the reward

of their labours, but of the niceties of the culinary operations it is

best not to speak. Our gallant Highlanders needed the services of no

Vatel--an old can and a wood fire right royally served their purpose.

The crossing of the river, which was so splendidly effected,

particularly by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, was fraught with

unlooked-for dangers, as the following quotation from a letter of a

private in the regiment will show. Talking of the enemy he said:--

"They held their position for five or six hours, and it was

with great difficulty that we managed to shift them. Our

regiment was the first to cross the river on the left flank,

and my company was the first to get over. We advanced along the

river and drove the Boers before us; but, unfortunately, our

big guns dropped two or three shells uncomfortably close to us,

entirely by mistake. When the first of these shells fell, I was

only about ten yards past the spot. About twenty of our men

were killed by the Boer bullets; and our regiment, I think,

sustained the heaviest loss of any that took part in the fight.

I felt a bit frightened when I first went into battle, but as

the day advanced I got myself again. My legs are badly burned

by the sun, and are very sore, but I am rapidly getting all

right again. We expect to have another fight this week, and it

will be even worse than the last, so one never knows the hour

when he may fall."

[Illustration: THE BATTLE OF MODDER RIVER, THE ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND

HIGHLANDERS CROSSING THE DRIFT.

Drawing by Allan Stewart.]

Indeed they did not, and it was a pathetically common experience to wish

a man good luck one morning and on the next to find that his helmet and

belongings were being gathered together--all that was left of him--to be

sent home to his friends. For instance, there was the case of poor

Colour-Sergeant Christian of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, a

hero who did magnificent work, but who never lived to receive the

decorations he deserved. An extract from one of his last letters is full

of pathetic interest:--

"We have been fairly roughing it since we came out here. I have

lost everything, and have nothing but what I stand up in. I

haven't had the kilt off since we landed from the boat three

weeks ago, and we consider it very lucky if we can manage to

get a wash once a week. Just now we are all right, as the river

is close at hand. You wouldn't know the regiment now if you saw

us; we are brown all over. They have taken our sporrans away

and covered our kilts with khaki cloth; in fact, I believe they

will be making us dye our whiskers khaki colour next. Not a man

has shaved since we left Dublin, so you can imagine what we are

like. I haven't said anything about the battle, as I am sure

you will know more about it at home than we do here. It may

seem strange, but it is true. The people at home know more

about what is going on than we do here. We have been receiving

congratulatory telegrams from every one connected with the

regiment, giving us great praise for our share in the battle,

and really I must say the regiment did very well, considering

we have so many youngsters in the ranks. The most trying part

was lying down so long under fire without seeing any one to

fire at. I was rather luckier, having to retire at first, and

then chase some Boers out of the house with the bayonet, and

then we had to ford the river and clear the north bank of the

river. We were clearing them beautifully with the bayonet when

a shell from our own guns burst among us. This seemed to

demoralise every one, and they all commenced to retire. But,

seeing this was my first fight, I couldn't see my way to retire

without seeing who I was retiring from, and besides there was a

lot of wounded lying about; so a major of the North Lancashire

Regiment and myself succeeded in rallying ten men of different

corps and held an enclosure. We were soon tackled by the Boers,

but after we killed half-a-dozen of them they appeared to get

tired of it and cleared off, and we managed to get all the

wounded in. I believe I have got recommended for the

Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Victoria Cross for my share

in this, but of course it is one thing being recommended and

quite another thing getting it."

Boer treachery, of which we had many examples, had hitherto been

practised with monotonous regularity. They had fired on the white flag

and disregarded the sacred sign of the red cross. They had shot the hand

that tended them, they had used Dum-Dum and explosive bullets, but on

this occasion the triumph of originality in treacherous trickery was

achieved. On the principle of "all is fair in love and war," the enemy

utilised their ambulance for the purpose of removing their Hotchkiss gun

from the field, and that too when the precious weapon was not even

invalided!

Tales of many plucky actions which were recorded would fill a volume in

itself. Private Anderson, Scots Guards, over and over again traversed

the fire zone and carried off the wounded to a place of safety.

Lieutenant Fox, Yorkshire Light Infantry, was seriously wounded whilst

valiantly leading an assault against the enemy's strong position. When

the horses approached to take the guns out of action, the Boers at once

commenced to aim at them, and for the moment it seemed as though the

work of removing the guns could not be persisted in. Twenty-five horses

were killed, but the chargers of several officers were next utilised,

and the officers themselves, some of them wounded, walked or crawled off

the field in order that the valuable weapons should be borne off in

safety. A driver was also heroically self-abnegating. Though shot

through the lungs, he refused to leave his post, and valiantly drove his

gun out of action.

The list of killed and wounded was a grievously long one:--

Killed: Staff--Lieutenant-Colonel H. P. Northcote.[7] 2nd

Coldstream Guards--Lieutenant-Colonel H. Stopford,[8] Captain

S. Earle. Wounded: Field Artillery--Major W. Lindsay, hand;

Captain Farrell, foot; Lieutenant Dunlop, shoulder; Lieutenant

Furse. 3rd Grenadier Guards--Major Count Gleichen, severely;

Lieutenant Hon. E. Lygon, slight. 2nd Coldstream

Guards--Lieutenant Viscount Acheson. Royal Army Medical

Corps--Captain Gurse Moore. Killed: 2nd Yorkshire Light

Infantry, Second Lieutenant L. W. Long. Wounded:

Staff--Lieutenant-General Lord Methuen, slightly; bullet flesh

wound in thigh. Royal Engineers--Captain N. G. Von Hugel,

slightly. 3rd Grenadier Guards--Second Lieutenant A. H.

Travers, slightly. 1st Scots Guards--Lieutenant H. C. Elwes,

seriously; Second Lieutenant W. J. M. Hill, 1st Loyal North

Lancashire--Lieutenant R. B. Flint, slightly. 2nd Yorkshire

Light Infantry--Major H. Earle, Major G. F. Ottley, Lieutenant

R. M. D. Fox. 1st Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders--Lieutenant

H. B. F. Baker-Carr, Second Lieutenant W. G. Neilson.

AFTER THE FIGHT

All night long energetic members of the Ambulance Corps picked their way

over the battlefield collecting the wounded and succouring them. Not

only had our unhappy sufferers to be attended to, but many of the enemy,

of whom there was an unusual number. So anxious had been the Dutchmen to

clear out before our troops could reach them in the morning, that,

contrary to custom, they had left wounded, doctors, and ambulance train

behind them.

After the uproar of the conflict and the night of merciful repose were

over, the troops were able to inspect their new quarters. The pretty

little village presented a strange sight--a study in contrasts for the

meditative mind. A pastoral calm reigned everywhere, though scarcely a

house, farm, or hotel but could bear witness to the terrible energy of

the British fire.

The scene was one of picturesque green fertility and black blistered

ruin. Peacefully flowed the cool rippling river--the river in which the

delighted Tommy rushed to bathe--while in its bosom lay the bodies of

the slain, Boer men and Boers' horses, which had hurriedly been cast

away and hidden, so that the full tale of loss might never be revealed.

Serenely waved the willows and acacias on the banks and neighbouring

islets, smiling with polished green leaves over the forms of the ragged,

grimy, unkempt slain--the riffraff of the Boer commandoes, who were left

lying as they fell. The dark trail of blood dyed the earth round mimosa

and cactus hedges, while a thousand perforations on the roofs of the

corrugated iron dwellings confessed to the all too fervent kisses of

British lead. Shell holes, shattered doors and broken windows, telegraph

poles lying about, with their hairy whiskers twisting raggedly over the

veldt, farmhouses burnt to cinders, hotels that had once been smart in

their way now weevilled by shrapnel--all these things surrounded the

encamped division which so brilliantly had crossed the river. And in the

hearts of the conquerors there was also (in some measure) a reflection

of these contrasts--there was rejoicing over animal comforts restored,

the freedom to quench thirst, to remove boots, to eat and to smoke after

an over-long spell of battle; yet at the same time, deep down, there

lurked a numb and dumb feeling of regret for the good fellows who were

going--were known to be sinking into eternity, and for those--so many

of them!--who had already gone.

Very simple but very sad and impressive was the funeral of Colonel

Stopford, who was shot early in the fight the day before. His grave was

made in a peaceful spot beside one of the gardens of the village, and

garlands gathered by his men of the 2nd Coldstream Guards were placed

all over it. Major the Marquis of Winchester--so soon to join his lost

comrade--acted as chief mourner. He took over the duties of Commandant

of the regiment, which duties he was doomed to perform for twelve days

only. But we are anticipating.

During the whole of the days following, a melancholy procession of

invalids passed to the railway, and on, home for good, or to hospital,

whence they hoped to return again to pay their debt to the enemy. On

some death had set his mark, with others he had but shaken hands and

passed on.

The river was soon found to be crowded with dead men and horses, which

had been hurriedly consigned to the mercy of the waters, and

arrangements had to be made for encampment farther up the stream.

Quantities of Boer spies still lingered about the camp, some of them

pretending to be ambulance drivers, in order to get nearer and closer

inspection of British movements. Fortunately these wily folk somewhat

overreached themselves, and their further activities were interrupted by

arrest.

Meanwhile the sappers wrought wonderful things. They had shown the stuff

they were made of by crossing over the river-dam in the teeth of the

enemy. They now demonstrated their ability in their own special line.

The Modder bridge was entirely wrecked, but very speedily a temporary

one was constructed, and the railway, which had also suffered at the

hands of the enemy, was repaired with great celerity, and brought into

working order. Lieutenant Crispin of the Northumberland Fusiliers was

wounded while out on patrol duty. Fortunately the injury sustained by

Lord Methuen was slight, and there was every hope that he would be equal

to active duty in the course of a very few days.

We must now leave this division in the enjoyment of its well-earned

repose and return to Ladysmith, which was fast becoming the cage of 9000

of our gallant troops.

FOOTNOTES:

[5] Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Edward Keith-Falconer, born in October

1860, was gazetted to the Northumberland Fusiliers in January 1883. He was

promoted Captain in 1892 and passed through the Staff College with

honours. He served with the 13th Soudanese Battalion in the Dongola

Expeditionary force under Lord Kitchener in 1896, and acted as

Brigade-Major to Colonel H. Macdonald at the engagements of Abu Hamed,

Berber, Atbara, and finally at the battle of Omdurman. In recognition of

these services he was three times mentioned in despatches, promoted as

Brevet-Major in March 1898, and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in November

1898, and received the Khedive's medal with four clasps. He acted as

A.D.C. to Lord Loch when Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Victoria from

1887 to 1889, and subsequently at the Cape of Good Hope from 1889 to 1890.

Colonel Keith-Falconer was the eldest son of the late Major the Hon.

Charles J. Keith-Falconer, son of the seventh Earl of Kintore.

[6] Commander Alfred Peel Ethelston, of the cruiser _Powerful_, who was

among the killed at the battle of Graspan, joined the navy in 1875, and

two years later became a midshipman. In 1882 he attained the rank of

sub-lieutenant, was promoted to a lieutenancy in 1885, and was made

commander at the beginning of 1897. As sub-lieutenant of the _Helicon_ he

took part in the naval and military operations in the Eastern Soudan at

Suakim in 1884-85, for which he received the Egyptian medal and the

Khedive's bronze star. Commander Ethelston was appointed to the _Powerful_

two years ago.

[7] Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel H. Ponting Northcote, who belonged to the

Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment, became a Lieutenant in 1877, Captain

in 1886, and Major in 1894. He served in the Sherbro' Expedition in 1883

with the 2nd West India Regiment, and was mentioned in despatches,

receiving a medal, and was afterwards created a C.B. In 1888 he served in

the operations in Zululand as Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General, while in

1895 he accompanied the expedition to Ashanti under Sir Francis Scott,

receiving the star.

[8] Lieutenant-Colonel Horace Robert Stopford, of the Coldstream Guards,

was appointed a Lieutenant in 1874, Captain in 1885, and Major in 1893. He

had not previously been on war service.