The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-22
By Correspondents Of London Papars.
Graphic Descriptions Of
Bloody Scenes.
FIGHT At NICHOLSON'S mex
Originated in Stampede Of Artillery
Mules, and Ended in
Surrender.

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the Transvaal and lengthy descriptions
from war correspondents that otter into
print through the mails. TEEN with
thrilling and pethelc Incidents. Writ
ing to his mother, n young oficer OF the
Manchesters, wounded In one OF the
hrst engagements. relates that while he
lay at nlgh5 on the hillside, expecting
to die, bleeding from bad wound in
bis thigh and shlvering with cold, there
,tumbled over him Tommy OF my
company named Rogers" This Tom
my quickly whipped on his own over
coat, placing 1t around the boy ofticer.
and lying down put his arms around
him and for the rest OF that long, cold
night kept him beautifully warm"
The Times correspondent gives
graphic account and explanation Of the
British disaster at NIcholsOn's Mex,
where carleton's column. consisting of
six companies OF the Royal Irish FusI-
Iiers, four and half companies Of the
Glouceshlre regiment, and number ten
mountain battery surrendered.
Two hoNvs before daybrenk," says
this CORRESPONDENT, while the column
was in enclosed country either shot
was fired or a boulser rolled into the
battery. The mules stampeded and
easily broke away from their half
asleep drivers. They came back upon
the GloucestershIre regiment. the ad-
vance party of whom fired into the
mass. believing in the darkness that 1t
was an attack. 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 animals with them, 1t be-
came a hopeless panic. The animals,
wild With the shouting and the turmoil.
Tore down the Nullah into the darkness
and the last. that was heard Of them
was the sound OF ammunition boxes and
panlers as they were spIintered against
the bouIders. The hubbub OF these few
minutes was sufdclent to have alarmed
the enemy. BY a strenuous effort the
Officers successed in getting the men
again under control. and when daylight
came they seized the arst position
which presented itself. and which was
about two miles short OF the original
goal. They were forced to take advan-
tage of the frat kopje. as Boer scouts
were all around them and the day was
ushered in with desIltory firing. 1t
was a sorry position which they had
chosen, and the men were In sorrler
plight. All their reserve 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 daybreak Boer scouts
were reconnoIterIng. and about
o'clock mounted Beers could be seen
Galloplng in small groups to the cover
Of the hill on the west. Later, strong
parties of mounted men took positions
on the far side of the two hills COM
mandIng the kopje from the west.
About o'clock these two parties had
crowned the hills and opened heavy
FIRE at short range right down upon the
plateau. Our men made a plucky at
tempt to return this fire, but II was
impossible. They were under cross
are t,om two directions. flank and
rear. The two companies Of Glouees-
tershlres holding the self-contained
ridges, were driven from their shelter.
and as they crossed the open on the low
plateau we're terribly mauied, the men
falling in groups. The Beers on the
west had not declared themselves. but
about 200 marksmen climbed 10 the
position which the two companies OF
the Gloucestershlres had Just vacated.
These men absolutely raked the
plateau. and It was then that the men
were ordered to take cover on the steep
reverse OF the kopIe. As soon as the
enemy realized this move, the men on
the western hill teemed on to the SUM
nit and opened iire upon our men as
they lay on the slope. They we're abso-
iuteiy hemmed in, and what had COM
menced as a sklrnIsh seemed about to
become n butchery. The grim order
was passed around % faugh ballass,
NJ your bayonets and die like men,
There WAS the clatter OF steel, the
moment OF suspense. and then the
cease fre' sounded Again and again
It sounded, but the Irish fuslliers were
los,h 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 battle
fsld Of ElandSlasgte. realistically de.
tails the horrors OF war. He writes;
The battlefield, as It stood on the
Sunday. conveyed suficIent proof Of
the severity Of the ire. The wounded
had been removed BY daylight. but the
burial parties had not arrived 10 per-
form the last duties to the dead. The
men lay there as they had fallen, sad
pathetic tribute 10 the courage or the
British soldier We followed this tragic
'Fail-Highlanders. Manchestcfs and
mounted volunteers lay Indiscrimlna'e'
" grouped. Then solitary Agures an-