The record-union., 1899-10-23
The STORY OF
A GALLANT FIGHT.
Beers Fought With Enequalsd
Courage.
But the British Artillery 0VerpoWered
Them.
Driven From Their Guns Again and
Again, They Returned When
the Fire SIackened-Not Till
They Were Flanked and the
British Swept Up the Hill Re-
sist1essly Did They Retreat.

LONDON, Oct 22.-A correspondent
in Glencoe Camp, telegraphing on Octo-
ber 10Th and describing the fight that
followed the first engagement in the
Boer attack upon the British position
that day, says:
1T was after the battle was re-
newed, following the lull that. ensued
upon the sharp cannonading of the
British which silenced the guns of the
Beers on Smiths Hill, that our casual
ties began. The Indian hospital corps
of coolies under Major Donegan of the
Eighteenth Hussars, ran out, keeping
in the rear of the advancing infantry
and artillery that had galloped from
the second position through the town
amid the cheers of the citizens.
AT this point the Beers became er
ratio. Our artillery was firing on the
hill where the Beers We're stationed in
great numbers, but the return fire did
little damage. The enemy kept up an
inceSSant shooting, but our Shrapnel
began to tell its tale with the result
that the Boer fire yisibly slackened
From a ceaseless rattle the rifle fire
dwindled to struggling shots.
The artillery in front was shelling
the hill, and the Kings Royal Rifles,
on the right front, were busy with the
Maxims, making the Beers anxious
about their position. Their artillery
had been silenced by the splendid SER
vice of ours.
Meanwhile a squadron of the Eight
eenth Hussars and mounted company
of the Dublin Fusileers were creeping
around on the enemys left flank, while
another squadron of the Hussars and
a mounted company Of the King s
Royal Rifles deployed to the right flank
at the corn fields.
The artillery continued to play On
Smiths Hill with a range of nearly
5000 yards. Under it's cover the Dub
lin Fusileers and the Kings Royal Ri
fles pressed forward
1t was in the execution Of this man
+euver that the casualties to our in
fantry occurred, several men being
killed or wounded.
The firing now eased off on our side,
and only a solitary shot was returned
now and then. General Symons, taking
advantage of this lull, rode forward
with his staff in front of the guns, TAX
ing cover at the rear of the plantation,
near the base of the HILL All this time
our infantry, in extended formation.
had gradually pressed forward, watch
ing the Beers from the rear of the
artillery and massing on the extreme
left Of the hill
I saw three shells in quick success
sion cut some to pieces and drive 9TH
arc ho fro 1ir1cy
hot, but the First Battalion of the
Kings Royal Rifles and the Irish
Fusileers, led respectively by Colonel
Cunning and Colonel Carlton, continued
to mount the hill. Gradually they ex-
tended along the ridge, and at 10
o'clock, after four and half hours of
artillery firing, to screen them, they
managed to reach a wall, running par
allel with the ridge, about 600 yards
from the summit.
This position was gained under cover
of some magnificent shooting by our
artillerymen, who placed shells at
points where the Beers were massed
with amazing accuracy, compelling
them to retire. But not for long. On
again the determined enemy would
come, only to be beaten back again by
the excellent shooting of the Thirteenth
and Sixty-ninth Batteries under Major
Dawkins and Major King.
At IL :45 a. m our firing had almost
ceased, and our infantry were over the
wall in q. twinkling and rushing toward
the plateau at the base of the top or
secondary ridge The defense by the
Beers was most determined, the enemy
r. ~, ga
sillade fire into the British ranks, which
was hotly returned in well-directed vol
leys by the slowly advancing Dublin
Fusileers and Kings Royal Rifles.
A large body of Beers, driven from
Smiths Hill, took refuge in a cattle
kraal, intending q cross fire. The
Thirteenth Battery opened fire, how
ever, and poured in such hail of
bullets as caused them speedily to shift
their position.
Thus far the enemy have displayed
undoubted courage, perhaps unequaled
by the best European troops. They had
stood up to our scattering artillery fire
with the greatest determination, and
then, on Talana Ridge, standing clear
ly out on the sky, they still appeared
unbeaten and defiant. The battle had
now ragged six and a half hours, when
the Sixty-ninth Battery was ordered to
timber up and advance. The battery
galloped into a new position in splendid
form, and was in action at the front
in a moment.
So effective was the apparent result
of this closer range firing that the Thir-
teenth Battery was at once ordered up,
and after two rounds from each bat
terry perfect silence reigned over the
enemy's front, broken only by the
whirring of the Maxims served by the
Dublin Fusileers, who had secured an
excellent position to the right. During
momentary cessation the Beers had
! taken up a position on a hill to the
right of the road leading to Maima
colliery, but the Thirteenth Battery
soon opened fire on them and COM
PEELED them to retire.
Meanwhile the two infantry battal-
ions continued the climb up the hill.
and at 80 p. m, after eight hours of
desperate fighting the position was car
ried, the Beers having precipitately
evacuated the hill Thus what had