The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-21
THE STORY OF
MAJUBA HILL


Der the Maine!" Leading Englishmen. how
ever, repel the idea that the South African
conflict is one of revenge. !
In this connection the story of the famous
fight at Majuba Hill, from which the slo-
gan just quoted arose. may be recalled.
Majuba Hill is in extreme Northern Natal,
near Laings Mex, where, about MONTH
before the Majuba battle, the Beers in
flicted another defeat on the British.
Both these fights occurred in 1881 while
the Beers were wagng the war which re-
suited in their securing independence in in
ternal affairs. Howard C. Hillegan, in his
the Majuba battle:
During the night of February 26, 1881,
Gen. Sir George Colley, the British COM
mander, made a move which was RESPONSE
BILE for one of the greatest displays of
bravery the world has ever seem The fight
at Majuba Hill was won by the Beers
against greater odds than have been en-
countered by any other volunteer force in
modern times, and is an example of the
courage, bravery and absolute confidence
of the Beers when they believe they are di-
vinely guided
Between the camps of General Colley
and Commandant-General Joubert lay Ma
juba Hill, a plateau with precfpitous sides
and a perfectly level top about $500 feet
above the camps. In point of resemblance
the hill was a. huge inverted tub, whose
summit could only be reached by narrow
path General Colley and 600 men, almost
all of whom were trained soldiers fresh
from England, assembled the narrow path
by moonlight, and when the sun rose in the
morning were able to look from the summit
of the hill and see the Boer camp in the
valley.
1.-THE plan of campaign was that the reg
iments which had been left behind in camp
should attempt to force the pass through
Laings Mex and that the troops on Majuba
Hill should make new attack on the
Beers and in that manner crush them. So
positive were the soldiers of the success
that awaited their plans that they specu-
lated on the number of Beers who would
live to tell the story of the battle.
at was Sunday morning, and had the
distance between the two armies been less
the soldiers on the hill might have heard
the sound of many voices singing hymns of
praise and the prayers that were being
offered by the Beers kneeling in the valley
The English held their enemies in the palm
of their hand, 1t seemed, and with few
heavy guns they could have killed them by
the scores.
1.-THE sides of the hill were so steep that
d. did not enter the minds of the English
that the Beers would attempt to ascend
except by the same path which they had
traversed, and that was impossible, because
the path leading from the base was occu-
pied by English forces. The idea that the
Beers would climb from terrace to terrace,
from one bush to another, and gain the
summit in that manner, occurred to no
one.
Before there was any stir in the Beers
camp the English soldiers stood on the
edge of THE summit, and, shaking their
fists in exultation, challenged the enemy;
Come up here, you beggars!
"The Beers soon discovered the presence
of the English on the hill and the camp
presented such an animated scene that the
English soldiers were led to imagine that
CONSERVATION had seized the Beers and that
they were preparing for retreat
"A
marched toward the base of the hill, the
illusion was dspelled; and still later, when
$50 volunteers from the Boer army COM
menced to ascend the sides of the hill, the
former spirit of braggadocio which char
acterzed the British soldiers resolved itself
into a feeling of nervousness. During the
forenoon the British fired at such OF the
climbing Beers as they could see, but tki
Beers succeeded in lodging from one stona
to another so thai only one of their num-
Der was killed on the ascent.
when the $50 Beers reached the sum-
NIT of the hill, after an arduous climb of
more than five hours, they lay behind rocks
at the edge and commenced hot fire at
the English soldiers, who had retreated into
the center of the plateau, about thirty
yards distant. The English soldiers had
been ordered to fix their bayonets and were
prepared to charge, but the order was never
given. A fresh party of Beers had reached
the summit and threatened to flank the En-
glish. who, having lost many of their off,
GERS and scores of men, became wildly panic
stricken.
several minutes after General Colley
was Killed. the British soldiers who escaped
from the storm of bullets broke for the
edge of the summit and allowed themselves
to drop and roll down the sides of the hill.
When the list of casualties was completed
it was found that the Beers had killed 90,
wounded 1874 and taken prisoners 50 of the
600 soldiers who assembled the hill. The loss
on the Boer side was one killed and five
wounded"
Sir Evelyn Wood succeeded General Col
ley and arranged an armistice with the
Beers. Then the Gladstone government
concluded treaty of peace with them.
IiFEI SDAkOTA
From the New York Sun.
The colonel halted his horse in front of a
nd lltterad VionrOlS