The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-22

British officers and soldiers fighting In
the Transvaal and lengthy descriptions
from war correspondents that filter into
print through the mails, teen with thrill
ing and pathetic incidents. Writing to
his mother, young officer OF the Man
chesters wounded In one OF the first en-
gagements, relates that while he lay at
| night on the hillside. expecting to die,
bleeding from wound In his thigh and
shivering with cold. there stumbled over
him Tommy OF my company named
Rogers" This Tommy" quickly whipped
off his own overcoat. placed 1t around the
boy officer. and. lying down. put his arms
a.ound him and for the rest OF that long
cold night. kept him beautifully warm"
The Times correspondent gives q graphic
account and explanation OF the British
disaster at Nicholson Mex, where Carle-
tons column. consisting OF six companies
of the Royal Irish Fusileers four and a
half companies of the Worcestershire regi-
ment and No. 10 mountain battery, sur
rendered
correspondent, while the column was In
IN inclosed country either n shot was
fired or boulder rolled into the battery.
The mules stampeded and easily broke
away from their half-aseep drivers. They
came back upon the Goucesiershre regi-
ment. the advance party of whom fred
into the mass. believing In the darkness
that IL was an attack. This added to the
chaos; the ranks We're broken by the fren-
Zied animals and they daGhed through the
ranks of tho rear guard carrying the first
and second reserve ammunition animals
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 that was heard al
them was the sound of ammunition boxes
and panniors as they were spliDterod
against the boulders. The hubbub of these
few minutes was sufficient 10 have
alarmed the enemy. by n strenuous eff
fort the officers succeeded in getting the
men again under control, and when day
light came they seized the first position
which presented Itself and which was
abuut two miles short of the original goal.
They were forced TO take Advantage Of
TIE first kople. as Boer scouts were ali
around them and the day was ushered in
with desutory firing. 1t was n sorry po-
sitlon which they had chosen and the
men were IN sorry plight, All their re-
serve ammunition was gone and though
they had saved pieces OF the screw guns
they were not able with these pieces TO
patch up single mounting.
From earliest dawn Boer scouts were
accommodating, and about o'clock mount
ed Beers could be seen galloping in small
crowds to the cover OF the hill west.
Strong parties of mounted men took po-
sitions on the far side Of the two hills
commanding the kopic from the east,
About . o'clock these two parties had
crowned the hills ana opened a heavy fire
at short range right down upon the
plateau. Our men made plucky attempt
TO return this fire. but 1t was impossible.
They We're under cross fire from two di
rections flank and rear The two COM
pnnies of Gloucestershres, holding the
self-contained ridge, were driven from
their shelter, and as they crossed The open
on the low plateau were terribly mauled,
the men falling in groups, The Beers In
the west had not yet declared themselves,
but about 200 marksmen climbed 10 the
position which the two companies of the
Gloucestershres had Just vacated. These
men absolutely raked the plateau, and 1t
was then that the men were ordered to
take cover on the steep reverse of the
kopje As soon as the enemy realized
this move, the men on the western hill
teemed on to the summit and opened upon
our men as they lay on the slope: they
We're absolutely hemmed in, and what had
commenced as n skirmsh seemed to be-
come a hatchery. The grim order was
passed around, 90 taugh a ballaugh,' Tx
your boyanets and die like men,
There was the cla.tor OF steel, the mo-
ment of suspense, and the cease ilre'
sounded. Again and again It sounded but
tho Irish Fusileers were loath to accept
the call and continued firing for many
minutes. Then II was unconditional sur
render, and the men laid down their
arms"
The correspondent at Ladysmith OF the
same paper, describing the battlefield Of
Glands Laagte, realistically details the
horrors of war. Tie writes: THE battle
field. ms II stood on the sunday, was suf-
hcent proof OF the fire, The wounded had
been removed by daylight, hut the burial
parties had not arrived to perform the last
duties 10 the dead, The men lay there as
they had fallen, II sad, pathetic tribute 10
the courage Of the British soldier We
followed this tragic Observation-Disclosures
Manchestcrs and mounted volunteers lay
unfortunately grouped, The solitary
hgures under the stones showed how little
the cover had availed them. There were
places where wire fences had impcded the