The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-12-15
British saarshaled there in full strength.

battle lasted until night closed in. I'm
retreated, leaving his dead and help
lessly wounded to the mercy of Jou-
bert. The casualties in the three fights
at Bronkhorst Spruit, Laingsnek and
Ingog0 River show on which side the
generalship lay. The British loss foot
ed up 250 killed and $50 wounded
against II killed and 35 wounded in
the Boer ranks. In view Of the British
and Boer official returns up to the close
of the hardest fighting before Lady
smith, these figures are significant.
The battle losses of the British in Octo-
Der were fully LOO killed and wound
ed according to reports filed in Lon
don. The reports from Pretoria show
80 Beers killed and 200 wounded. In
the long run the palm of generalship
lies with the leader who gets the lar
gest return on the smallest investment.
Joubert shut his enemies up at all
points with loss of one to four in
battle.
At Majuba Hill Joubert was outgen-
eraled at the start, but recovered his
grip with remarkable celebrity and
vigor. The British took advantage of
the trusting nature Of the Beers and
stretched the moral law. There was
truce on, and proposal for peaceful
settlement had been sent into the Boer
lines. Through no fault of President
Kruger answer was delayed beyond
the hour named, but General Joubert
Is a man of peace when possible, and,
believing in the good faith of General
Colley, he massed his troops in camp,
leaving Majuba Hill unoccupied. Cen
eral Colley climbed to the summit in
the night with a strong force and at
daybreak looked down upon the Beers
in the plain below. The hill on the
side Of the Beers was rocky and pre-
cipitous, and the situation was like
that at Little Round Top, Gettysburg,
only worse for the Beers. The Con
federates at Gettysburg had a better
chance to drive the Federals from the
key to the field than had Joubert to
get Majuba Hill from the British. But
the day was lost to the budding Trans
vaal republic unless Joubert retook
! the hill at once. Nerve is a sine qua
non for a general on the field, and that
Joubert displayed on the instant at
Majuba Hill when he saw the British
: flag flying from the summit. There
!; was no way of getting column to
mount the rocky face of the hill. But
the Beers are as sprightly as the cham
OILS of the Alps, and Joubert ordered
them to climb that hill to the cover
of the brink and from there open on
the enemy. What could be accomplish
ed at long range, was done, and the
British found that the hill was safer
at distance from the brink than II
was close to the edge, where the Beers
could be watched, SO they fell back ia
safe positions and left the Beers ia
work unseen.
Suddenly hundreds Of Boer rifles
opened on the British from points OF
vantage on the summit. Although the
/ British were sheltered by rocks and
ridges of earth, the bullets struck
home, and General Colley's men began
to grow shaky without SO much as see.
ing an enemy. A British charge was
proposed, but General Colley thought
best to wait until the Beers got excited
and rushed from cover. But when that
time came it was too late for the Brit
ish. The Boer rush was a tide not to
be stemmed, and so Majuba Hill
! stands as Q monument to the martial
! genius of General Pet Joubert and q
freedom giving victory.
Even If Joubert is not an American
product he is known to many Ameri
cans, for he visited this country II
| $500 One of tho storins fold of q ro