The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-22
Butler Forced to Retire Five Miles
to a Stronger Position Among
the Hills
KITCHENER SAILS
FOR ISLAND OF MALTA
Duke of Marlboro and A. Conan
Doyle Among Those Who
Volunteer Services

London. Dec. 21-Dispatches from
Natal indicate that Butler has found it
necessary to retire from his advanced
position at Chieveley, which disposes of
the already discredited rumor that he
had retrieved his disaster of Friday and
crossed the river They are lacking in
any confirmation of yesterdays report
that the lost guns have been retaken.
Little credence is placed in the report
that the guns were not captured by the
Beers. Had the story been true Gen.
Butler must have referred to it. His
artillery can not now muster more than
80 guns, while the captured British
weapons have no doubt been mounted
in the Boer lines and can be used, since
the ammunition wagons seem to have
been lost with them. One dispatch be-
low states definitely that the Beers cap
tured the guns.
The Daily Mail correspondent with
Butler telegraphs from Chieveley Sun
day, saying: Gen. Buffers army
moved back five miles today, the march
beginning at l o'clock this morning, two
briSades going to Frere in order to de-
feat a possible attempt on the part of
| the Beers to execute a flank move
ment to destroy the railroad on the
| British rear. The Beers admit that
they suffered considerable loss during
Fridays battle. The British lost in
fridays action 140 killed, 634 wounded
and 81 missing or prisoners. Col. Long
| hnf Of hp
tillery, were wounded during the battle.
The most daring exploit of that great
action was the attempt of Capt Scho-
field, Capt. ColgroVe and Lieut. Roberts,
son of Lord Roberts, to bring off the
| disabled guns left near the river bank
on the British right. Lieut.. Roberts,
who was mortally wounded, was buried
today. Capt. Colgrove was wounded in
the leg and four other bullets pierced
his clothing"
If this list Of casualties is correct,
only three commissioned officers We're
killed, as the war office has a list of
1877 rank and file Killed. The press dis
patch probably sets the number of
killed too low.
Another dispatch from Chieveley Sat
urday says Col G. M Bullock of the
First Devonshires, of his officers and
40 of his men were taken prisoners by
for their wounded. An ambulance train
is taking the British who We're wounded
in yesterdays (Friday's) battle at the
| Tugela river, to Estcourt and PETER
maritzburg. An armistice has been
asked for until midnight to bury the
dead. The Beers can be seen today
placing guns in new positions COM
handing the camps. The heat is in
tense, but the British troops are WELL.
The Morning Posts correspondent
telegraphs from Chieveley Saturday,
saying: The Beers have placed their
guns in positions which command this
camp. They have captured ten of our
guns"
The Times correspondent at Chieve-
| ley says the Beers have damned the
river below Bridledrift, making it al
most impossible. The Dublin Fusileers
had four men drowned while attempting
the passage. People who know the
country consider the Boer position the
strongest possible.
| The Chronicles correspondent at
Chieveley tells a story of the 14-year- old
| bugler of the Dublin Fusileers. He got
three wounds in the chest and one in
an arm. He staggered back to the
| dressing station unaided. In reply to
the chaplains question If he was suffer-
| ing pain, the lad said: "Only a sting
ing feeling in my hand"
Burleigh, in the Telegraph, says that
the Beers are digging more trenches
nearer the river and employing a
Creusot gun to shell the British camp,