The evening times., 1899-12-16
BuIler's Defeat.

Butler did exactly the thing that every
| military writer in England and the United
States had argued he would not do. He
attempted frontal attack on the fortified
centre of the Boer position at Colenso. He
| therefore walked into trap, a hundred
| times more barefaced than that into which
Carleton fell at Nicholson's Mex, or CAT
acre found himself in at Stormberg, and has
sustained a repulse in his first forward
movement on the Tugela line amounting
to decisive defeat when We consider that
ii involved the loss of eleven guns and
neeessitated retreat 10 the main British
camp at Cheveley, under a severe flank at
| tack on the right. The news of the action
is as yet incomplete, but as far as it goes 1t
seems to indicate that the general-in- chief
has made worse strategical and tactical
blunders than any of his subordinate COM
manders has been guilty OF since the first
gun of the war was fired.
What nearly all military critics expected
was that Butler would emplace his heavy
guns with adequate support in way to
cover the two fords near Colenso. feint in
the direction of the Helpmaakar road 10
the east, and throw heavy flying column
west by the Dewdrop road from Frere, and
attempt to turn the Boer right at the
Zwartsberg; thus to come within touch OF
Ladysmith If successful. Subject to GER
tain conditions, the alternative of a feint
on the left and a movement to turn Jou-
bert's flank above Weenen was considered
about equally probable. But with the les
sons of past British errors before his eyes
nobody has been uncomplimentary enough
10 Sir Redvers Butler TO assume that he
would adopt the hammer and tongs tactics
of Lord Methuen, and butt his head against
the strong, heavily fortified and entrench-
ed Boer centre.
The. generals report seems to lay the
blame for the terrible loss of the guns upon
Colonel Long. his chief Of artillery, who
the report suggests, advanced close TO the
river in an effort to get his pieces within
effective range. and without learning that
the ground in front of him was full of
enemies. Without knowing exactly what
the duty of Colonel Long was in the cir
cumstances, under British army rules, We
should say that he would hardly have ad-
vanced as he did, without first receiving
information from the officer commanding
the scouts-if there were any-that the
coast was clear to the river. II would be
regarded as improper II not unconstitu-
tional to expect American artillery 10 do its
own scouting, when there were lighter
troops around to attend to that prelimi-
nary. On the whole We are impressed with
the idea that Long is not the right man to
bear the blame.
In the light of the dispatches, which may
not tell the whole truth and be misleading
in many ways, Buffers movement looks
simple and amateurish. Why he should as
sumo, for instance, that by feinting on one
OF two forcs only two miles apart. he could
readily or even probably force the other,
We do not understand. These fords are
equally vital 10 the integrity of Joubert's
centre. One OF them is on the road from
Colenso TO Dewdrop; the other on the road
to Peters Station. Necessarily, they
must have been strongly protected against
attack long ago. Il is possible, however,
that we are doing an injustice to the Brit
ish general, In taking IT for granted that
he intended to deliver his main attack at
Colenso. The whole movement may have
been designed as feint TO divert Joubert's
attention and keep him engaged while a
flank attack was being executed elsewhere.
If this was the case, of course. the whole
plan was wrecked by the staggering repulse
and losses at Colenso. We only throw out
this suggestion as possibility, the weight
of evidence SO far being that the affair was
a serious frontal attack intended to bring
on a decisive encounter with the Boer CEN
tire.
Whatever was the scheme its failure,
there is reason to fear, leaves Sir Redvers
Butler in seriously crippled condition. |
OF the eleven guns captured some at least,
and perhaps five six of them, must have |
been the new siege howitzers, of which |
such great things have been expected by |
the War Office. A late despatch this morn |
ing states that large number Of lyddite |
shells were taken with the guns. which is |
a bad outlook for the British who now may !
be hoist with their own petard.
The PathOs of Whist.