Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-15
AT MACERSFONTE|N.
The Fighting on Both Sides
Was Desperate
BOER LOSSES TERRIBLE,
Total Number Of British Casual
ties S32.
NO TRUTH IN LADYsMITH REPORT
story Of Capture of Ten Thousand
Bocrs Wholly observation-disclosures
sibIe for Siege to Have Been Raised
by This Time.
by This Time.

LONDON. December 1j.-i:ij 4. NJ
| The War Office is still without news from
Ladysmith, other than that already pub
lished. The general belief is that the
large Boer forces Lord Methuen encount-
cred at Magersfontein were partly
drawn from Natal, and that General
Butler will strike a blow before these
have time to return.
The stories circulated yesterday that
| General Butler and General Clery had en-
tered Ladysmith and captured 10000
Beers are totally without confirmation.
The War Office has heard nothing Of
the relief of Ladysmith. and do not credit
the reports. saying that the relief Of the
place at such an early date is believed TO
be practically impossible.
sORTIE FROM LADYSMITH.
LONDON, December IA special dis
| patch received here from Weenen, Natal,
dated Monday, December 18th. says that
the Ladysmith garrison has made a
sortie and destroyed the Modderspruit
bridge
AiETHUEN'S FIGHT DESPERATE.
MODDER RIVER. CAPE COLONY.
| Tuesday. December "Details gathered
! here by representative Of the Assoc
cated Press. among the wounded British
and Beers, give some idea Of the despe-
rate nature of the fight az Alagersfontein.
The Highlanders did all that the most
| gallant troops ia the world could do.
| but IL was impossible 10 face the terrible
| fire Of the Beers.
The British artillery saved the situa-
! ton. and divided the honOrs with the
| Scots The batteries worked for hours,
under "a calling rihe-fire
According 10 the BOer stories. it was
| impossible for the BuIghers 10 have es-
! capped fearful loss. One BOer prisoner
sald a single iyddte shell killed or
wounded over seventy. and that two other
| shells burst over two bodies of Beers
ensconced behind the range. doing fear
| ful damage All agree that the Beers
| fought throughout with the utmost gal
| lantry. Their sharpshoOters seldom miss
ed the mark.
PICKING OFF OFFICERS
A Seaforth Highlander says that while
! he was lying wounded on the field he
saw BOer. of typical German appear
| ance. faultlessy dressed, with polished
! top-b boots. a shirt with silk ruffies, and
! a cigar in his mouth, walking among the
| ant-hills picking of the British. lie was
| quite alone, and IL was apparent, from
| the frequent use he made Of field-glasses,
| that he was singing out officers.
Another wounded Boer says that
| lyddite shell. fired on Sunday, fell in the
middle of an open-air prayer-meeting,
| held 10 offer supplications for the sue
cess Of the Boer arms
WOUNDED WELL CARED FOR.
All the wounded are full Of praise for
the treatment they received from the
! medical department on the battlefield.
While the Guards were advancing on
the plain. which the Beers were Smelling
from adjoining ridges they encountered
and cut up a strong Boer picket posted
on a hill for purposes OF observation. All
of the members of the picket were either
killed, wounded, or taken prisoners.
BRITISH CASUALTIES, $50.
LONDON, December IA revised list
OF the total casualties OF the British
troops OF all arms at Magersiontein
amounts TO s36.
There were fifteen officers killed and
four wounded. I'VE are missing, and one
il known to have been made prisoner.
The War Office has received message
stating that there were $50 casualties
among the on-commissioned officers and
men of the Highland Brigade at Aagers-
f0ntein. The brigade lost ten officers
killed. thirty-eight wounded, and four
missing.
SIXTH DIVISION EMBARKING.
LONDON. December 1.-THE War Office
this evening made the following an
nouncement.
The Sixth Division has been modified.
and foar battaliOns OF this division Will
have embarked by Sunday.
The government has also approved n
the immediate mobilization of the Seventh
Division.
FRENCH HAS a SKIRMlSH.
LONDON. December 1.-THE War Office
has received The following dispatch from
General FOrester-W Walker, at Cape Town:
General French wires, under date of
December 18th. reporting a skirmish at
4 o'clock in the morning with 1900 Beers,
who were advancing southwark toward
Nauwpoort. The skrnishing continued
all the morning the Beers fighting on a
front of fourteen miles. The enemy re-
tired with a loss of forty killed and
wounded. our casualties were one killed
and seven wounded including one officer
and two missing.
WINSTON CHURCHILL ESCAPES.
LORENZO MARQUEE. DELAGOA
BAY. December H--Winston Churchill
the newspaper correspondent and former
officer OF the Fourth Hussars, VINO was
captured AT the time OF the armored-train
disaster near EstcOurt November 10Th,
mas escaped from Pretoria.
BRITISH WHOLLY UNPREPARED.
LONDON. December 1.-THE cOrrespon-
dent of the Standard. at Modder river,
describing the fight at Magersfontein,
says:
''Six miles had 10 be covered before the
Highland Brigade could reach the Boer
stronghold 1t is not yet clear through
what mischance the force. which was
led by guides, came upon the Bcer
trenches so Unexpectedly and so suddenly.
Beyond question, the Beers were
aware of the approach Of the British, and
had prepared TO receive them Accord
ing 10 one version, two Highlanders,
through nervousness or clumsiness. dis
charged their rifles prsmaturely; but 1t
is equally probable that the advance Boer
scouts conveyed the intelligence.
"Our men were totally unprepared. They
had not even fixed bayonets. The
disaster is all the more exasperaung be-
cause OF the consciousness that had the
ht.igade been cxtonded and had liked bayO-