Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-12-13
British General Gatacre Officially.
Reports That He Was Whipped.
RoER GUNS wELLsERvEp.
Ho Collected His Scattered Force. ana
Withdrew, Pursued by tho Beers
for Nino Mlies-rhrs. Hundred
mud sixty-six Northumberland
Missins- Colonel Me,caifo Puni.h-
ed for I" nold Dash Destroys .
Howitzcr ana Loses sixty Men.
(By Telegraph to Virginia n-plot.>

(By Telegraph to Nirginian-P.lot)
London, Dec. l3.-4:45 p. m.-With the
exception of Sundays sortie at Lady,
smith, which the morning papers are
unanimous in regarding as a brilliant
piece OF work, there are no further adj
vices from the seat OF war. y War Of
flee dispatch reports that Arafeking
was safe up TO December 4th but that
the Boers had been Smelling the town
since November eth with increased ef-
feet. Rations had been considerable re-
duced. m5at by half a pound and bread
oy quarter of pound, i'll view of a
ooaoie long siege. Water, however,
was still plentiful
The Beers fear the British bnvonets.
rms is Illustrated In the full accounts
now arriving OF previous sorties It
seems that In Sir Archiba Id Hunters
sally from Ladysnith to capture the
i3oer guns the British did not carry
nayonets, While they were storming
the hill the Beers. suddenly aroused
from sleep, rushed To the edge and
opened an ndlscriminate fire upon
them But just before the British Sc
cured footing on the top of the hill
some one among them shouted Fix
Dayonets and give them cold steel" At
this the Bocrs turned and fled into the
darkness. al
HEAVY LOSSES IN HORSES.
Is Little mention Is made In the War,
Office dispatches of horses, but it us
that the losses In this re-
spect have been exceedingly heavy.
Among the officers alone from 20 to 80
per cent OF their mounts have been
shot under them the Boer tactics be-
ms to shoot first ut an officers horse
and then 1t the rider when dismounted.
General Gatacres disaster at Storm
berg has been blamed for lack of ltnowl-
edge OF the country, but, according to
the Daily Telegraph, when the war
began there were no official maps avail
able at Cape Town and therefore. 1t
Is probable that General Gatacre Is still
without them.
GENERAL GATACRE'S DISASTER.
London. Dec l2-The War Office has
received. the following from General
Goresticr-Walkcr:
Cape Town, Monday, Dec. 1l.-Gat-
acre reports as follows:
THE idc., to attack Stormberg SEEM
ed to promise certain success, but the
distance was underestima ted by my
self and the local guides. y policeman
took us round some miles, and consc-
ouently we were marching from $3.50 D.
m. until Il. m, and were landed in an
impossible position. l do not consider
the error Intentional. The Beers COM
menced firing from the top Of an UNI
Scalable hill. and wounded Il good many
or TrIuH while i'm the-vfs5z.t ir7fain. The
Second northumberland tried to turn
out the enemy, but failed The Second
Irish Fusilicrs seized a kopje near and
held on, supported by the mounted In
fantry and Cape Police. The guns UNI
der Jcffreys could not have been better
handled. but ! regret 10 say that one
gun was overturned in deep nullah
and another sank In quickslnd. Neither
could be eS,ricated in the time avail
able
Seeing the situation I sent a dis
patch rider TO Molteno with the news.
collected and withdrew our forces
from ridge to ridge for about nino
miles. The Bocr guns We're remarkably
we'll served. They carried accurately
5000 yards. I am holding Bushman's
Hook and Cyphergat Am sending the
Irish Rifles and Northumberlands To
Sterkstroom to recuperate. The wound
ed proceed to Queenstown. The missing
Northumberland number SG6. not sos.
as previously reported"
y HoWITZER DESTROYED.
London. Dec. 13.-The War Office
publishes the following dispatch from
General Butler:
Dispatch from General White, dated
December II. says:
Last night Colonel Metcalfe and 500
of the Second Rifle Brigade SORTED to
capture Boer IIowitZer on hill.
They reached the crest without being
discovered. drove off the enemy and
then destroyed the Iiowitzer with gum
cotton.
"'When returning Metcalfe found his
retirement barred by the Beers. but he
ron+;p,,ad IN o,oet1