The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-10-21
VICTORY FOR BRl7ONS.
Beers Badly Defeated in a Conflict
at Glencoe.
BCER LOSSES EIGHT HUNDRED,

While the Casualty List ofths Briton,
Is Estimated 1t Two Hundred and
FIrty-Gen. symons, the British Com
manaer, Said to Ne Badly Wounded
London, Oct. 21.-There was great
battle between the British and thu
Beers at Glencoe yesterday. The alb.
sence Of details regarding the British
losses in the engagement causes the
deepest anxiety, and the war Office Ii
besieged by relatives and friends OF
those making up the forces that took
part In the fight. The battle was bril-
liant success for the British forces. The
Beers got reverse which Iaay posi-
bly,, for time at any rate, check all
aggressive action.
The British artillery practice in the
early part Of the day decided the bat
tie. The seizure OF Dundee Hill by the
Beers was 4 surprise, for, although the
pickets had been exchanging shots all
night, It was not until a shell BOOM
ed over the town into the camp that
their presence was discovered. Then
the shells {. me fast. The hill was posi-
lively alive with the swarming Beers.
Still, the British artillery got to work
with magnificent energy and precision.
The batteries frea the camp took up
positions to the south Of the town and
after a quarter hours magnificent
firing silenced the guns on the hills.
The correspondent could see shells
dropping among the Boer pieces with
remarkable accuracy and doing ire
nendcus execution, for the enemy were
present In very large numbers and in
places considerably exposed.
BY this tine the enemy held the
whole o. the hill behind Smiths
Farm and the Dundee kopje. right
away to the south, in which direction
tho British infantry and cavalry moved
at once.
The fighting ragged particularly hot
at the valley outside the town. Di-
rectly the Eoer guns ceased firing Gen
eral Symons ordered the infantry to
moved on the position. The infantry
charge was mavnifcent. The way the
Kings Royal Rifles and the Dublin
Fusi!iers StolEled the position was one
Of the most s?ieHdiG nights even seen.
The firing Cf he EUei5 was not so
deadly as NIL have been expected
froIA trgoys Occupying such an excel
lett pl9.ti-l, but the infantry lost
heavily going up the hill, and only the
consummateiy brilliant way in which
General Symons had trained them to
fghting OF the kind saved them from
Icing swept awGH Indeed. the hill was
almost mace e5sible to the storming
party, and any hesitation would have
lost the day. The enemy's guns, so
far as the correspondent could see,
were all abandoned, for the Beers had |
no time to remove them.
A stream of fugitives poured down |
the hillside into the valley, where the
battle went OH with no abatement.
General Symons was wounded early
in the action. and the command then
devolved on General Yule. A dispatch
read in the house of commons last
night says General Symons' wound is
The enemy, as they fed. were fol-
lowed by The cavalry, mounted in
fantry and artillery. The direction
taken was to the eastward. At the
latest reports the cavalry had not re-
turned.
Some say that four, and some say
five, guns we're captured. The Boer ar
tillery firing was weak. A lot of plug
ged shells were used
Although the enemy's position was
carried soon after l O'clock, scatter
Ing firing went on almost all after
noon.
The British losses are very severe,
but those Of the Beers are much
heavier. A rough estimate places the
and thet Of the Beers at 500 Many
0f the Beers surrendered.
The dispatches from South Africa
eave no doubt that the Boers failed
N their endeavor to execute COM
oined attack in Natal, and that the
British have achieved brilliant vic
DRY, but at the cost of a heavy list of
killed and wounded.
The Beer plan, it is evident, was to
1old the force at Ladysmith by de-
meas atoms of the Free State burgh-
ers on the western side, so as to pre-
vent achievements being sent to
Glencoe. The latter place was to be
solated by cutting the railway between
t and Ladysmith. Finally a large
orce was to make q conyerging at
ack on Glencoe.
The first TWO items of the program
we're successfully carried out, but the
combined operation against Glencoe
ailed, owing probably to the fact that
he Boer milito~ organization is too
'ough and amaleurish to bring large
orces into simultaneous action. 1t is
believed that only 1000 Beers were in
he actual action.
Dispatches dated Mafeking Saturday