The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-12
A THREE HOURS BATTLE
HE FALLS BACK WITH 605 MEN
MISSING.
PARTIAL LOSSES, 2 KILLED, 26 WOUNDED
Beers Says They Have 10000 Men Between
Methuen at Modder River and His 0bjec-
tive Point, Kimberley. Force
Moving TO Oppose Butler.


London, Dec 10--A British force
under Major General Sir William
Forbes Gatacre met severe defeat yes
terday at Stormberg, Northern Cape
Colony
General Gatacre's partial report Of
his losses, received here are killed, rs
wounded aud 605 missing. The missing
men are probably prisoners.
The Boer loss Is not known, and the
size of the Boer force engaged is also
unknown as yet. General Gatacre had
little over 1000 men with him. His
total army is estimated at 5000
The fight lasted about three hours.
The Boer position was found to be inn
pregnable to infantry attack and the
British were finally forced to retire, los
ing one gun.
News of General Buffers main advance
from Frere, Natal, to the relief Of
Ladysmith is expected at amy time. A
Pretoria dispatch states that strong
Boer force has crossed the Tugela river
at Colenso with the object of attacking
General Buffers column.
General Methuen is still at Moddg
river The Beers are said to have 90
600 men between him and his object
point, Kimberley a thousand Of them
made an attack on his line Of communi-
cation at Enslin, but were driven off
The Free Staters, it is reported, have
decided not to defend Bloemfontein, as
it is not fortified, but to make stand
at Bainsyiel, southwest Of Bloemfontein.
AN ARTILLERY DUEL.
Modder River. Cape Colony, Sunday
Evening. Dec, 10.--The naval 4.7-inch
gun again took position north of
camp this afternoon while the howitzer
battery was posted southeast on the
left Of the Boers Both opened a hot
fire with lyddite shells and shrapnel,
to which the Beers sharply replied with
dozen guns thus mlmasking their
position, which was the object Of the
British nlanoeuyre. After an hour 5
firing the Boer guns We're silenced.
BRITISH INVASION DELAYED.
London. Dec 12.-(Tuesday 4.40 a.
m)--General Gatacre's misfortune or
error will delay the invasion of the
Free State, perhaps, some weeks. 1t
is exceedingly probable that he will he
compelled to retire on Queenstown and
to wait for reinforcements which can
hardly reach him until Sir Charles War
ren's division arrives at the Cape.
1t is just two months since the ulti-
matum was delivered Nine engage
ments have been fought, and the Brit
ish have lost five hundred and sixty-six
killed, two thousand and twentysiven
wounded and nineteen hundred and sew
enty-seven missing or prisoners.
HALF RATIONS AT LADYSAfITH.
Lourenzo Marques, Dec. 1.-THE fol-
lowing dispatch has been receiyedfrom
the Boer laager near l1adysnlith:
Several Kaffir runners from Lady
smith to Estcourt have been captured.
They received from IL pounds sterling
to 40 pounds sterling for the trip. The
intercepted messages show that men
and horses in Ladysmith are now on
half rations, that whiskey is pound
sterling a bottle ard that beer is ex-
haustcd.'
OVER 700 BRITISH PRISONERS.
Pretoria, Dee. 11-Six hundred and
seyenty-two British prisoners were
taken at Sto1anberg.
In the fighting at Modder River yes
terday evening General Cronje main
tanned his position and captured fifty
British soldiers.
BOAIBARDING MAFEIIING.
AIafeking. Nov 30-Yia Lourenzo Mar
cues. Dec. 11-Sorties by the British ar
1nored train and Boer shelling of the
town continue. The British have had
but few casualties. Last evening the
proteetorate regiment managed to occu-
py an outpost where the British Lee-Met-
ford- could reach the enemy's big gun
and the result was that the effectiveness
of the Boer fire was materially reduced.
BOERS CAPTURE THREE GUNS.
Pretoria, Dec 11-Via Lourenzo Mar
ques, Dee. 1.-THE Beers captured three
British guns i'm the engagement with
General Gatacre's force at Stormberg.
THE sortie ut Kimberley last Saturday
was an attempt TO take the Boer posi-
tion at Kamperdam and to secure the
waterworks. All the British shots fell