force had been largely reinforced post. The principal attack was from the south, the assault being against the south, on Cæsar's made simultaneously from every Camp, where the ground is

men

fairly open, by three picked ing his with reckless commandos led by Commandant bravery. At half-past two in De Villiers, who was killed with the early morning the Boers three of his officers when lead- crept up Fouries Spruit, sur

was won.

prised our pickets, and rushed

The position on the the hill, which was only occu- east was held by the 1st Manpied then by a fatigue-party, chester, 2nd Gordon, and 2nd who had just placed a Hotch- Rifle Brigade regiments ; at kiss gun in position: they raced the centre by the Naval Brigade up the hill for the gun, which and Natal Volunteers; and on had only time to fire a few the west by the Imperial Light shots. About fifty men who Horse and King's Royal Rifles. happened to be scattered on Our losses prove the desperate Waggon Hill, on the west, ran character of the fighting-15 up just in time, the enemy officers killed and 26 wounded, having charged to within 25 and 379 rank and file killed and yards : rush after rush followed wounded. The Boers admitted through the darkness with the 54 killed and 96 wounded; Sir utmost bravery, to be met on G. White reports, however, that each occasion by the bayonet. their losses greatly exceeded our At daybreak they reached Wag- own. gon Hill, but were met by the On January 10th Lord Roberts 2nd Gordon Highlanders and and his staff landed at Cape Royal Rifles, who had come up, Town, and the nation rose up and kept them in check pending reassured that military considthe arrival of reinforcements, erations would take first place till at 5.30 the Boers began in a campaign where the one to waver, and retreated slowly bright spot was the cheerful down the hill : seeing this, our bravery of our soldiers. To men at the top pushed on to allow political reasons or direca line of koppjes in front, and tions, whether they come across so met them at short range,

6000 miles of sea or from the succeeding in keeping them at nearest post-town, is to court a distance : at 7.30 every Boer disaster. Newspapers at home had retired out of sight, but they and abroad had been filled with still kept up a heavy fire from criticisms from “all sorts and the neighbouring rocks. At 3.30 conditions of men”-attacks on P.M., just as a heavy thunder- the incapacity of our generals, storm burst, which flooded the the inferiority of our guns, the trenches and shrouded the hills mobility of the Boers, the unin cloud, the Boers made their suitability of the force that had most desperate dash on Cæsar's landed, on the War Office, the Camp. Our pickets were driven Horse Guards, the ignorance of in, and, in spite of the fire of Government about the our guns, they succeeded in Boers. To all this wrangle of gaining the crest, when, as angry voices our soldiers had they poured into the work, the been deaf-it was no affair of

2nd Gordon Highlanders and theirs : in front were the Boers, 1st Devonshire regiment made the clamour of people and polia gallant charge with the ticians behind; they knew that bayonet, which sent them back a soldier had come to lead them, down the hill in a struggling, and they were content to follow disorganised mass, and the day him.

our

As soon as Sir Redvers Buller cease in favour of those fundawas relieved from the strain of mental rules which the expericonducting two separate cam- ence of centuries and of many paigns, the base of each divided campaigns has taught soldiers by a thousand miles across the to follow all the world over South Atlantic, it became ap- if success is to result.

True, parent that matters in Natal he had the telegraph—modern were to move in a fresh groove: science gave him that; but the haphazard warfare which science do without the had hitherto prevailed was to human element, soldiers can

can

move

not. To see things with his on the wire at Simla he could own eyes for the coinmander, as he wished an army to feel his presence amongst that was across the Indus. them for his men,

are facts Since Lord Roberts landed which the wires do not con- absolute silence had been kept : vey. When Sir George Colley, no news came from Natal, where under Lord Lytton, was con- every one knew that decisive trolling the movements of our events were imminent, and it troops in the mountains of was not until the 10th January Afghanistan, he said it was a that the well-thought-outscheme wonderful instance of science for the relief of Ladysmith began over space that with his hand to unroll itself. So jealously had

a

it been concealed and distorted intrenchments across our line of in order to baffle the Boers, that advance. it was a week later before we in On the afternoon of the 16th England knew that a wide General Lyttelton's brigade turning movement to the west marched down to the drift, was in progress by General some men of the South African Warren's division, while General Light Horse swam across under Buller himself held the enemy fire and got the punt - cable in check in front with a brigade, over, when the infantry, takand that the movement had ing hands, waded waist - deep been quietly and successfully through the water, and at once carried out. On the 10th Jan- effected a lodgment on a low uary General Warren with his ridge, where they bivouacked, division, probably about 15,000 being joined during the night men, left Estcourt, joining by a howitzer battery. MeanGeneral Buller in command of time Sir C. Warren had about 7000 men at Frere, each marched to Trichardt's drift, accompanied by a considerable seven miles west, reaching it artillery force, when both united on the 17th. The Boers tried and marched on the 11th to- to bar the passage with wards Springfield, where the battery; but the naval guns column halted for a day to above Potgeiter's drift brought allow the baggage to come up. a flanking fire to bear

the The advance was covered by guns with the division taking Lord Dundonald's cavalry bri- it in front — and they were

gade, which formed an impene- driven back. A strong detachtrable screen in front, while ment was ferried across in a thoroughly investigating the pontoon to effect a lodgment country on both sides, which on the north bank, followed by was well adapted to Boer tac- others, who rapidly intrenched tics; and it was refreshing to themselves so as to cover the see reconnaissance and scouting construction of a bridge, which at last efficiently carried out. the Engineers completed in Rain fell heavily, the roads two hours, across which the everywhere were deep in mud, whole division marched to take but the troopers pressed on; and post on the western spurs of on the morning of the 12th the Spion Kop—the Boers holding hills overlooking Potgeiter's a strong position five miles drift were

occupied. Next north. Thus on the evening morning 500 Colonial cavalry of the 17th January a division and a Field Artillery battery and a brigade were safely inmoved down to the river's bank trenched on the north bank, without meeting any Boers. and the crossing of the Tugela The Tugela was in flood, and the had been accomplished. enemy contented

themselves In order to cover the right with holding the hills on the and protect the camp at Chieveopposite bank, being reinforced ley, a considerable force under by 1000 burghers, who set to General Barton continued in a work without delay to construct position fronting Colenso.

From a strategical point the feated army, to give time for scheme must be considered as the reserve to move up, or in well planned and skilfully ex- turn to render assistance to it. ecuted. The columns were some The magnitude of the prize five miles apart, a distance not rendered the risk microscopic. too great for mutual assistance; Of course such risks are inthe turning movement against dependent of traps, which we the Boer right by a powerful may be sure will be set when column threatened their com- least expected; but General munications with the Free State, Buller has had some experience and should prevent the retreat of Boer slimness. That he is of the Free Staters, or indeed awake to such underhand tac

of any of the Boer army, by the tics he tells his men in his own passes of the Drakensberg, while words, advising them, when they the assault by a smaller force charge, as to the conditions from the south, on a body facing upon which they should receive the Tugela, would hold it be- the surrender of any of the tween two attacks - General

enemy, warning them that the Buller on the south and Sir G. Boers are treacherous in the White on the north. A success- use they make of the white ful action would drive the enemy flag, concluding with the stirinto the neck of the bottle, ring appeal, “We are going to which stretches between him the relief of our comrades at and Pretoria, across Lang's Nek, Ladysmith; there will be no from which, once committed with turning back.” his heavy guns and numerous On the 18th Lord

Lord Dunwaggons, he could only emerge donald's cavalry brigade, rein disaster. General Buller's risk inforced by the 1st Dragoons, was the Tugela in his imme- pushed on to Acton Homes, diate rear, interposing between where he found the Pretoriahis columns on the north bank Heilbron commando on a koppje and the reserves on the south; commanding the road in order but success in war must always to intercept him; but the Natal be attended by certain risks : to Carabineers galloped up and work only on a certainty is half- gained it, unseen by the Boers, hearted in tactics as in most who were driven off with a loss other things. In the Zulu war of twenty killed and wounded General Crealock did not move and twenty-three prisoners, the till that last ounce of pepper position remaining in our hands. had been served out, and so lost On the same day General the pleasure of taking part in Warren, who had been joined the battle of Ulundi. A prin- by Sir C. Clery with part of his ciple of tactics is not to fight division, bivouacked two miles with an obstacle in your rear; north of the river. On the but in this case, as we know 20th he advanced to within 500 that Boer tactics are opposed to yards of the enemy's position on attack, it would not be difficult a long ridge four miles northto occupy defensive positions to west of Trichardt's drift, the cover the passage of our de- defences consisting chiefly of

VOL. CLXVII.—NO. MXII.

X