Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1897-11-16
riPED ON TO VICTORY.
Nwou@ded Highland Piper In
spEed Irish SOLDIER.
swsrF Acgos> l. Bath zOsr-
How the Brave Gordon clansmen bed
the Attack and captured Indian Tr'b. -
men's strong s"id-comrades Moved
Down by iched Fire.


of this city have received graphic de-
tails by mail Of the recapture of Dargai
ridge by the Gordon Highlanders on
Oct. 90, brief &C cunt OF which was
given in these dispatches. during which
that regiment exhibited remarkable
dash and courage.
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, General
Biggs sent The Second division to dis
lodge the tribesmen from the Dargal
ridge. The position was very strong
one, the enemy occupying the summit
of a PERCEPTIONS hill. The top of this
hill could be reached only by single
path, along which the attacking force,
at first consisting of a Ghurka regi-
ment, the Derbyshire regiment and the
Dorsetshire regiment, was obliged to
climb in Indian file. while three batter
les of artillery shelled tie breastworks
of the hill men.
Dargai ridge, from the direction of
the assault, presents frontage OF
about mile, the left end OF which Is
sheer rock for 200 yards. In spite of
the diffiulty of the ascent, the move
ments of the British troops were fairly
well covered, except in the case of the
low dip, or small valley, from 100 to
100 yards wide. about half way up the
ridge. This dip was exposed to direct
fire from the summit of the cliffs. AS
the Ghurkas, supported by the Derby
shires and Dorsetshires reached this fire
zone the top of the cliffs burst out into
flame, for 900 tribesmen had reserved
their fire until that moment. Time
and again they tried it, but failed.
Then reluctantly the senior officer
photographed down to the main body
of the British troops that the passage
could not be made.
AT this iuncture General Kempster
ordered the Gordon Highlanders to the
front.
The time had arrived for desperate
action, for it was then o'clock in the
afternoon and the dead and wounded
were lying thick on every side. Over
100 men had already fallen, and the
enemy were shouting their defiance and
waving their battlefags and beating
their drums. confident of the impregna-
bility of their position and certain of
their success.
But the Gordon Highlanders had to
be reckoned with. Rapidly forming
his men, and after his now historic
speech, "Men of the Gordon High
landers: Our general says that posi-
ton must be taken at all cost. The
Gordon Hlghlanders will take il"
Colonel Matthias, the commander of
the Highlanders, dashed out at the
head of his gallant regiment and in
moment they were across carrying
every one with them in their onrush,
storming the ridge with a resolution
that was resistless and beating down
all opposition
When Colonel Matthias gave the order
to advance he and his officers leaped
into the open and the pipers of the
Highlanders followed, striking up
"Cock of the North and with shout
the leading company of Killed men
lead swept over, through and past
them, bullets churning up the dust
which half hid the rushing bodies.
Piper Findlater, blowing his loudest
and best, was among the first to show
the way across that deadly strip of
ground, and when, after traversing but
a few yards, he was laid low by shot
through both legs, he managed to prop
himself up against bowlder and con-
tinued with undated energy, to play
Cock of the North" animating his
comrades by the familiar, stirring
music of his pipes.
But the ire of the enemy was most
deadly, the leading line melted away
and it seemed that the Gordon High
landers would be anpihilated. More
men, however, sprang into the passage
Then, with a second cheer the mixed
troops, Highlanders, Dorsetshires,
Ghurkas, Derbyshires and Sikhs
streamed across, and the enemy, see-
ing the barrier had been swept away,
left their loopholes and rock barricades
and fled precipitately down the reverse
slopes.
Piper Findlater has been recon-
mended for the Victoria cross.
Captain Robinson of the Ghurkas
after leading his men across the fire
zone to the cover and finding the force
there insufficient, returned over the
death trap alone and was mortally
wounded while leading the second rush
of Ghurkas to support the first body of
that regiment.