The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-20

fFrom the African Reviev.,

It & usual, know, for military men to
sneer at the generalship, or want of It,
which, as they a1lege, was responsible
for the Majuba disaster-these critics are
wise after the event. 1t Is forgotten that
the Beers met other officers than General
Colley at Bronkhorst Spruit in number
Of fights about Pretoria, Potchestroom,
and other villages, and that IN no case
were our men and military leaders able
to stand UP to the enemy. At Durham, in
Natal, In 1873, we got the worst of It.,
as we did at Doornkop, where English
officers Of the ordinary type commanded.
The only military success which English
officers n~elaim in a good many en-
counters with the Beers Is the Battle OF
Boomplaatss fought in 1913 between artil-
lery and flint-lock guns. 1t Is. therefore.
nonsense to take refuge behind the lack
OF generalship Of our leaders. II such
factors as courage and leadership do not
come into the controversy. except TO a
very limited extent, in what direction
must we look for the explanation of our
defeats?
At Laing's Neck the action began by
our guns dropping a few shells into the
Boer lines, and, as admitted by the Beers
themselves. the small loss they suffered
from this flre-General Joubert was meas
ly hit by a splinter of shell-induced
them to think seriously of abandoning the
position. They were about to leave when
the attack by a small number Of mount
ed infantry and by few companies OF
Colonel Deane's regiment was made. On
" one Of our men reached the Boer lines,
the others being stopped short distance
away. and as they were unsupported.
these were driven back down the hill.
Result: 10 killed and wounded on the
British side, against twenty-four Beers
killed and wounded. At Ingogo, fought
few days afterwards, a force OF about
800 men and two guns were stopped on
a small plateau, and, after an action last
ing all day, our men, with the two guns,
were withdrawn during the night. leav-
ing dead and wounded on the ground.
The Beers also crept up to within sixty
yards OF our guns. They lost seventeen
killed and wounded. while our loss was
142 killed and wounded.
A force OF about 600 infantry set out
for the summit of Aiajuba Hill on the
night OF February 36. ISL. There were
about $50 combatants. After leaving some
companies on the road about 400 men
reached the summit. and were disposed In
various positions about the rim OF the
mountain. The first shots were fired about
S o'clock, and the combat went on unin-
| terruptedly for hours. In the final stages
the main body Of the Beers crept to with
in forty yards, and for a considerable
| time fusilladed our troops at this dis
| lance Many OF the men fen In the sub
| seQuent fight: but when the ghting was
over. az / O'Clock, our casualties were
2S0 killed and wounded. while the Beers
lost one killed and four wounded. At
| Bronkhorst we lost I'D men killed and
wounded. within ten minutes. the Beers
losing one. In the Jameson raid our loss
! es were about 100 killed and wounded IN
| the actual fighting.
II Is usually maintained that these
| rransvaal fights were fought at q disai
/ vantage. and that our men were IN ZACH
| case vastly outnumbeTed. II we accept
| the Boer accounts. our forces were not
nutnumbered. At Majuba they say they
| had about 400 men. But even assuming
that there we're as many as 100 Beers.
the result Is still extremely unsatiSfae-
| tory.