Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1899-12-14
CORPS WIPED out.
Battle at Magersfontein Fear
fully Bloody.
THE BRITISH HAD TO RETIRE.
Burghers Held Their Position, From
which the English Were Unable to Dis
lodge Them The Loss of the British
was Extremely Heavy.

LONDON, Dec. 14-General Forester
Walker, telegraphing from Cape Town,
sent a dispatch from Lord Methuen
dated Modder River, Dec. IL, which
contains the following:
Gas the Beers occupied their trenches
strongly this morning | retired in per-
feet order here, where | am in security.
81 have gathered from some of the
prisoners and from our men with the
ambulances, who talked with the Beers,
that the enemy's losses were terrible,
some corps being completely wiped out.
The Beers have been most kind to my
wounded.
A dispatch from General Methuen.
dated Dec. 10, contained the following:
"Our artillery shelled very strong
position held by the enemy in long.
high kopje, from until dusk, Sunday.
1t rained hard last night. The High
land brigade attacked at daybreak on
Monday the south end of the kopie.
The attack was properly timed, but
failed. The guards were ordered TO
protect the Highlands right and rear.
1.-THE cavalry and mounted infantry,
with howitzer artillery battery, at
tackled the enemy ON the right and the
guards on the left, supported by field ar
tillery end howitzer artillery. They
shelled the position from daybreak and
at 1:15 / sent the Gordons to support
the Highland brigade. The troops held
their own in front Of the enemy's en-
trenchments until dusk, the positions
extending, including the kopie, for a
distance of six miles toward the Modder
river Today am holding my position
and entrenching myself. | had to face
at least $4,000 men. Our loss was
great. !"
The war office received a dispatch
from General Forester Walker, dated
Cape Town, Tuesday, Dec. IL, contain
ing the following:
eMethuen wires that General Wau-
chope was killed III action Yesterday
Major General Andrew IL. Wauchope,
@. b., @. M. G., entered the army IN
1866 was promoted colonel in 1888,
served in the Ashanti war in 1878. III
the Egyptian war in 1882, in the Soudan
expedition of Io,j4, and in the Nile ex-
petition of 1894-85. He was in COM
mand of the First brigade of the Egyp-
tian expeditionary force in 1898. Gen
eral Wauchope had been wounded four
times, three times severely.
A dispatch from Orange RIVER con-
tanned the following: "Three hundred
and wounded men have arrived here
from the Modder river.
LONDON, Dec. 14.-Julian RAJ phi, de-
scribing the battle at Magersfontein in
a special dispatch to The Daily Mail
said:
1.-The Beers were entrenehed at Ma
gersfontein, four miles north of Modder
river. At dawn Monday the Highland
ers, advancing across the veldt, were
suddenly subjected to murderous fire
from the trenches about 200 yards in
front The greater part of the fearful
loss of the day was thus suffered In a
single minute.
STARTLED and overwhelmed, the bril-
gade retired quickly, but soon rallied
and retained their position. This was
on the left.
''On the right the Guards brigade ad.
vaneed across the veldt against other
trenches and fought an invisible foe for
Is hours.
''At II in the morning the Gordon
HlghlanderS were SenU forward. Inc
Beers allowed them to pass one line of
trenches and then enfiladed them. We
raked the Boer trenches with artillery
I'll ~oughout the day. The fighting only
ceased with nightfall."
FRERE CAMP. Natal, Tuesday, Dec.
the Beers are still Smelling Ladysmith.
The heot is terrific.
MoDDER RIVER, Tuesday, Dec. H.
Inc British casualties included the
Marquis OF Winchester, major of the
Second battalion Coldstream Guards,
who was killed, and Colonel Down
ham of the First battalion Gordon
Highlanders, who was mortally
wounded.
When the Highlanders met the MUIR
derous pointblank fire of the Beers,
about 200 were mown down. The
Black Watch regiment, on reinforcing,
was able to muster only 1850 men. The
Beers lost heavily in the trenches and
also III the wire entanglements when
they came into the open in an attempt
to make flank attack ON the British,