The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-11-04
General Sir Redvers Butler has left

General Sir Redvers Butler has left
Cape Town for Ladysmith
A balated dispatch from Isadysmith.
describing Mondays fight. SAYS: "A
| couple of SquadrOnS of huSSars had a
narrow escape from disaster early in
the day They found themselves sud-
denly confronted within easy range by
an overwhelming force of Beers. who
seemed to spring from the bowels of
the earth. The hussars were spIendidly
handled and were extricated with ONLY
one man wounded
The queen is credited with express
ing sincere pity for Sir George Stewart
White, and the officials are in no wise
| inclined to judge him harshIy So far
as the public is concerned. however.
while qualification is felt at the manner
| in which the isolated battaliOns surren-
| dered, there is still severe criticism Of
| General White and Lieutenant Colonel
! Carleton for allowing the column to
get out Of touch, for the absence of
proper scouting and for not retiring
| when the ammunition was lost In ia
vOr Of Lieutenant Colonel Carleton the
explanation is hazarded that he be-
lieved it was imperative to the success
of General Whites operations that he
should hold the position at Nicholson's
Mex.
| The Morning Post comments severely
upon the British contempt for the enc
my, as shown by the belief that the
| large BOer force at Acton Homes could
be held in check by CarletOn's small
column. 1t points out that even if the.
British there had been supplied with
ammunition they could not have held
out only a few hours longer. inasmucb
as they were in the most complete
sense detached. and because nobody
apparently at Ladysmith had any idea
of their distress or took any measures
to rescue them.
The column was sacrificed. - saws
the Morning Post. because it was sent
into action gagged and bIindfoIded 1t
had neither scout nor patrol. Twelve
hundred men were thrown away for
lack of cavalry. which would not have
been missed from another part of the
field
The Standard which comments in
similar terms upon the fact that Gen
eral White made no effort to extricate
the column from the impossible situa-
ton into which he had thrust it,"
draws sad picture of the men hoping
for relief and then realizing with bit
terness of heart that someone had
blundered: that they had been forgot
ten by their general and his staff and
that nothing was left but surrender
and Imprisonment at Pretoria until the
end of the war"
The Daily Chronicle says: TT is evil
dent that somebody blundered. but
more details are required before the
blame can be apportioned."
The Times says: A careful calcula-
ton of the British losses in all the en-
gagements since the outbreak of hos
tilities, excluding the casualties among
the mono commissioned officers. and men
in Mondays disaster at Ladysmith.
which are thus far unknown here, gives
4 total of 916, to which probably 1000
will be added when the details regard
ng the Ladysmith reverse are received.
This total is made up as follows: Off
2ers 1873, eighteen being killed. sixty-one
wounded and fifty-three captured: men
SO, being 137 killed, 492 wounded and U.s.
captured.
The Times further says: The dangers
If Sir George Whites plans are patent
ven to civilians. but it is not impossible
hat the Cape boys in charge of the
battery have been tempered
With by the Beers. Otherwise such a
arge and comprehensive stampede is a
7ery extraordinary occurrence from
uch slight cause.
General Whites movements, so far
IS 1T can be understood from present
Information is open to criticism, espec-
ally in the complete absence of COM
nunication with the main body
Inc morning papers comment with
he greatest satisfaction upon Canada's
uggestion regarding the sending of
econd contingent to South Africa