Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-12-21
LOST OVER 1000 MEN.
GEN. METHUENS ARMY CUT TO
PIECES BY THE BOERS.
British Repulscd with Heavy Casual
ties on the Road 10 Kimberley High
land Brigade Alone Has 7OOWounded,

Late London adviccs are to the effect
that Gen. Mcthucn's casualties in Mon
days battle north of Modder river cN-
ceeded 1000. The Highland brigade
alone lost fifty-two officers and 61o men
in killed, wounded and missing. The Vi
cinity Of the war office III London was
crowded with anxious inquircrs and there
were many affecting scenes when the
names appeared on the bulletin board.
Women in furs pressed forward with
women in old cloth jackets to make sure
they were reading the wcll-lnown name
Alright and rank and class were forgot
ten in a common grief. Groups of pco-
pie wearing anxious looks upon their
faces daily discuss the gloomy situation
in South Africa, aud crowds assemble ut
the war office reading each bulletin as 1t
is posted. waiting for good news. Each
important battle seems To bring "A worse
reverse FOR the British. and the papers
sorrowfully admit that Gen. Mcthucn 5
check at Magersfontein is the most seri-
Gus event tho war has yet produced.
One newspaper correspondent sums up
the gloomy situation in the following Ian
guage: with Lord Mcthucn defeated,
with loss of great number of his men
and i'm danger of being attacked at any
moment by superior forces, with Gen.
Gatacrc rcpulscd with Il loss of 400 men
and facing an admittedly imprcgnablc
Boer position; with Mafcking short Of
rations and greatly harassed by bonn
bardmcnt: with Kimberley and Lady
smith completely invested and hourly
pcppercd by Bocr shells with Sir Red
yers Butler, still unprcparcd 10 advance;
with an uprising of discontinued Cape
Dutch imminent. reign of terror III
Zululand, 1000 British soldiers captive
mt Pretoria, the Bocr forces flushed with
cleverly earned victories and fighting
harder than ever, three British trans
ports grounded within the month-this
is ANYTHING but the cheerful picture in
South Africa which the British public
and the war Office have To look upon,
when they were confident at the begin
ming of the war that the British would
cat their Christmas dinner in Pretoria"
All England was shocked by the news
of Gen. Mcthuen'S defeat. Gen. Cat
acres reverse was considered very bad,
but at the time the universal expression
was wait till Butler and Methucn de-
liver their blows" The fraGmentary dis
patch which first arrived was sufficient
theless the optimsts declared that fur
ther accounts would tell of British sue
cess The official dispatch shows mat
tcrs even worse than the first report in
dicated.
The British casualties included the
Marques of Winchester major Of the
Second battalion Coldstrcam Guards,
killed; Mai. Gen. Wauchopc. command
~, Ii.,hI iii
ed: Lieut. Wauchopc. wounded; Royal
Highlandcrs, Lieut.. Col. Goudc killed,
five officers wounded and three missing.
and Col. Downham of the First battalion
Gordon IIighlandcrs who was mortally
wounded.
When the Ilighlandcrs met the murder
Gus point blank fire Of the Beers about
300 were moved down. The Black
Watch regiment on reforming WAS able
TO muster only 100 men. The Beers lost
heavily i'm the trenches aud also in the
wire entanglcmcntS when they came into
the open in an attempt tp make Il flank
attack on the British The terrific Brit
ish artillery fire provoked no response
except from the Borr rifles until nearly
1 o'clock i'm the afternoon, when The Cor
don Highlandcrs formed to renew the
advanced with the utmost gnlantry to
attack the Beers, close TO the place where
lay their dead and wounded comrades Of
the Highland brigade
The Beers opened with heavy shrap-
mel fire as the British advanced, and il
was found physically impossible TO take
the Boer trenches. The British got with
in 200 yards. but could not get nearer.
.I 1s. 4 II
Beers had free recourse 10 barbed wire
cntanglcmcnts,
Tuesday morning both sides occupied
the positions they held before the battle.
The greatest bravery was displayed by
both officers and men. The wounded
include Col. A. II. Codrington and Capt.
Sterling. both of the First battalion of
the Coldstrcam Guards.