Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-22
TELL OF VALOROUS DEEDS
Letters From British Soldiers Campaigning
in South Africa.
Supplemental Account of Some of the
Hnrd-FOuEht Battles
in Natal.

/
Transvaal and lengthy descriptions from
war correspondents that filter into print
through the mails TEEN with thrilling and
pathetic incidents. Writing to his mother
| a young officer of the Manchesters
wounded in one of the first engagements
| relates that while he lay on the hillside
| expecting to die through the night, which
| had fallen, bleeding from a bad wound
| in his thigh and shivering with cold there
stumbled over him a Tommy of my
company named Rogers This Tommy
| quickly whipped off his own overcoat
placed it around the boy officer, and lying
| down. put his arm around him for the rest
| of that long. cold night and kept him
beautifully warm
| The Times correspondent gives a graphic
account and explanation of the British
| disaster at Nicholson Mex, where Garlic
| tons column consisting of six companies
| of the Royal Irish Fusieers four and a
half companies of the Worcestershire reg
| tment, and No. 10 Mountain Battery, sur
rendered.
Two hours before daybreak,' says this
! correspondent, while the column was IN
an Enclosed country, either a shot was
fired or boulder rolled into the battery
| in column of route. The mules stampeded
| and easily broke away from their half
! asleep drivers. They came back upon the
| Gloucestershire regiment. the advance
| party of whom fired into the mass. be-
| lieNing in the darkness that it was an at
| tack.
| Mules Dash Into the Ranks.
This added to the chaos, the ranks were
broken by the frenzied animals. and they
| dashed through the ranks of the rear
| guard. carrying the first and second reserve
| ammunition Is with them. 1t became
hopeless panic. The animals, wild with
| the shouting and the turmoil tore down
| the nullah into the darkness and the last
| heard hn
| OF ammunition boxes and paniers as they
were splirtered against the bouders.
| by strenuous effort the officers sue
| ceeded in getting the men again under
| control, and when daylight came they
! seized the first position which presented
| itself and which was about two miles
| position which they had chosen, and the
men We're in sorrier plight. All their re-
serve ammunition was gone. and though
| they had saved pieces of the screw guns
| they We're rot able with these pieces to
| patch up a single mounting.
| About O'Clock mounted Beers could be
seen galloping i'll small groups in the cover
at the reverse of the hill on the west.
Later strong parties of mounted men took
positions on the far side of the two hills
| commanding the kopje from the west.
About . O'Clock these two parties had
crowned the hills and opened a heavy fire
at short range down upon the plateau. Our
men made a plucky attempt to return this
IRE, but it was impossible. They We're I'M
Der cross-fire from flank and rear. The
two companies of Gloucestershires holding
the self-contained ridge We're driven from
their shelter, ard as they crossed the open
on the low plateau were terribly mauled,
| the men falling in groups.
Accurate Fire of the Beers.
THE Beers on the west had not yet de-
clared themselves, but about 300 marks
men climbed to the position which the two
companies of the Gloucestershires had lust
vacated. These men absolutely raked the
plateau, and it was then that the men were
ordered to take to cover on the steep re-
verse of the kopje. As soon as the enemy
realized this move the men the western
hill termed onto the summit and opened
upon our men as they lay on the slopc
They were absolutely1hemmed in, and what
had commenced skirmish seemed about
TO become butchery. The grim order was
passed around 'Faugh- -Ballaghs, fix your
bayonets and die like men, There was the
clatter of steel, the moment of suspense.
and then the cease fire sounded. Again
and again ii sounded, but the Irish Fusi-
leers were loath to accept the call, and
continued firing for many minutes Then
1t was unconditional surrender, and the
men laid down their arms
The correspondent at Ladysmith of the
same paper, describing the battlefield of
Elandslaagte, realistically details the hor-
rorS of war. He writes:
The battlefield, it stood on the Sun
day, conveyed sufficient proof of the Sc.
verify OF the fire. The wounded had been
removed by daylight but the burial parties
had not arrived to perform the last duties
to the dead The men lay there as they
mad fallen, sad, pathetic tribute to the
courage of the British soldier We followed
this tragic trail-Highlanders, Manchesters
and mounted volunteers lay Understandable
ly grouped.
Cover of Little Avail.