The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-21
First Big Battle Results In
Crushing Defeat.
Driven From Their Position on
TaIana Hill
AFTER A HARD FIGHT
Lose All Their Guns and Many
Lives.
British Troops Also Suffered
Severe Losses.

Glencoe Camp. Oct. 1--After eight
hours of continuous heavy ngnulns,
Talana hill was carried by the Dublin
fusileers and the Kings rifles under
cover Of a welI directed artillery IRE by
the Thirteenth and SIxty-ninth batter
les The Beers who threatened the
British rear have retired The hghI
was almost an exact counterpart OF
that of AIaJuba hill. except that the po-
sitions of the Boer and British forces
Were reversed
Gen. Symons was severely, but not
dangerously wounded
The battle was a brilliant success
The Beers got q reverse which may
possibly. for a time at any rate, cnecA
all aggressive action
The British artillery practice in the
early part of the day decided the bat
tie. The seizure Of Dundee hill by the
Beers was d surprise, for although the
pfckets had been exchanging shots AL
night. il was not until a shell doomed
over the town into the camp that their
presence was discovered Then the
shells came fast The hill was positive
" alive with the swarmiug Beers, st1u
the British artillery got TO work with
magnificent energy and precision
The batteries from the camp took up
after quarter hours magnificent mr.
ing suenced the guns on the hills
The CORRESPONDENT could see shells
dropping among the Boer pieces with
remarkable accuracy and doing tre-
mendous execution FOR the enemy were
present in very large numbers and IN
places considerably exposed
Py this time the enemy held the
whole Of the hill behind Smiths farm
the south. in which direction the Brit
ism infantry and cavalry moved at
once
The fight RACED particularly hot at
the valley outside the town Directly
the Roer guns ceased firing, Gen Sy-
mons ordered the Infantry 10 move on
the position. The infantry charge was
magnificent The way the king royal
rifles and the Dublin fusIleers sUOrTned
the position was one OF the most
splendid sights ever seen The firing OF
the Beers was not SO deadly as might
have been expected from troops occu-
pyfng such an excellent position but the
Infantry lost heavily going up the NIL
and only the cOusumuately brilliant
way in which Gen SymOns had trained
them to the fighting of the kind saved
them from being swept away Indeed,
the hill was almost Inaccessible TO the
srormiug party and any neSlLaClOn
would have lost the day. The enemy's
guns, so far as the correspondent could
see were all abandoned. for the BOers
had no time to remove them A stream
of fugitives poured down the mill side
into the valley where the battle went on
with no abatement
Gen. Symons was wounded early in
the action and the command then de-
vOlved on Major Y ule-
The enemy. as they fed, were follow
ed by the cavalry, mounted infantry
and artillery The direction taken was
TO the eastward At the latest reports,
the cavalry had not returned
Some say that four and some say
that five guns were captured Ine
Beers artillery firing was weak A lot
of plugged shells were used Although
the enemy's position was carried soon
after L o'clock. scattered firing went on
almost all afternoon
The British losses are very severe,
but those OF the Beers are much heav-
Ter
The final rush was made with a tri-
umphant yell, and as the British troops
charged TO close quarters the enemy
turned and fed, leaving all their i'm
pedimenta and guns behind them in
their precipiCate flight
While this was going on ono battery
OF artillery. the Eighteenth HussarS
and the mounted infantry. with a part
of the Leicester regiment got on the
enemy's flank. and as the Beers stream
ed wildly down the hills. making for
the main road, they found their retreat
had been cut of. but they rallied for a
while and there was severe firing with
considerable loss to each side Many
Of the enemy surrendered
A rough estimate places the British
loss at go killed or wounded and that
Of the Beers at 500.
A newspaper correspondent states
that through his glasses during the
fighting. he noticed how much the
Beers seemed TO be non-plussed by the
tactics OF the imperial troops. especial
" of the well drilled swift moving
hOrSemen- The enemy was still as of
old. a mob They are without horses
and forage and many of them rely for
food upon what they can obtain by
lOoting- Their animals are mostly in
a wretched condition
It is understood that before the battle
several Beers had left their commau-
does and gone home to their farms.
and many others are now likely to fol-
low.
BRITISH LOSSES
London. Oct 2I-The war office an
nounces that in the fighting yesterday
between Glencoe and Dundee in Natal
tnlrry-one nou-CommiSsiOued officers
and men were killed and Isl wounded
A later dispatch from Sir George Stew
art White says that Sir VIM. Penn
Symons Is brighter today but that the
doctor can give no further opinion
SAD DAY FOR ENGLAND.
London. Oct 21-The war Office Ia,
issued the following list of casusIriss
IN the battle between Glencoe and T7I1.
dee, yesterday. received in a dfsDatoF
from the general commanding in Natal
sir George Stewart White dated Iadv.
BmIth. October p. 4.20 a. m
DIVISIONAL STAFF
General SymOns, mortaIIy woundes
IN the stomach
Colonel c E Beckett assistant adm
tznt general. severely wounded in m
shoulder