Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1899-12-04

M0DDER RIVER
Fourteen Hours of Steady Fight
Ing Failed to Dlslodee.
the Beers.
LOSSES WERE TREMENDOUS
Bombardment. ! Continued at
Ladysmith-Methuen Re-
ported at Kimberly.


ported at Kimberly.
London, Dec. 4.-The Daily Chron-
icle publishes the following dispatch
dated November, 29. from its CORE
spondent at Modder River Camp:
The severest engagement our column
yet had and probably the severest of
the whole campaign was fought yes
terday on the banks of the Modder
kiver. The battle waged fiercely for
nearly fourteen hours. The enemy
occupied strongly entrenched posi-
ton, their front extending 1--WE miles
along the bank of the stream. They
were well supplied with artillery and
fought desperately. :
Our force consisted of the second
battalion Coldstream Guards, first
battalion Scott's Guards, third bat
talon Grenadier Guards, first battal-
ionn Northumberland Fusiliers, sec
ond battalion Yorkshire light III
fantry (The Kings OWN part Of the
first battalion of Loyal North Ian
cashire Regiment, the ninth Lancors,
mounted infantry, three batteries Of
field artillery and the first battalion
of the Argyll and Sutherland High
landers princess Louise's.)
The latter reinforced us from Cen
eral Wauchopes' brigade and arrived
just in time for the fight. The battle
started at-daybreak, our guns shelling
the Beers left. The enemy replied
with artillery, Hotchkiss and Maxims
and the artillery duel lasted for some
hours. Then there was brief lull in
the, enemy's operations of which the
general Immediately took advantage.
The infantry advanced across the
plain towards the river in two bri-
gades. The guards on the right were
met by an awful hail of bullets from
the enemy's sharpshooters, posted
close to the river on the opposite
bank Ours had no cover whatever
and were simply moved down. 1t
seemed impossible to live through the
terrible fire but the brave fellows
did not retreat an inch. Boer fire
was horribly accurate, they must
have numbered at least ten thousand
Scott's guards advanced six hundred
yards before they were fired on.
Then they had to lie down to escape
the deadly fusilade which lasted with
out intermission throughout the day.
The Highlanders made several at
tempts to force the passage of the
river but were exposed to such a mur-
.derous enfilading fire that they had to
retire after they suffered horribly.
Subsequently party of guards got
. over and held their own for hours
against vastly superior force.
The general opinion of the staff is
that there had never been such sus-
tanned fire in the annals of the British
army as that our troops had to face
yesterday. Our men fell In dozens
while trying to rush over the bridge.
Among the many heroic deeds, one
of the most conspicuous was that of
Lieutenant Colonel Codrington, of the
/ Coldstream Guards, Captain Sellpein
of the Queensland Contingent, and g
dozen members of the Coldstream
guards who jumped into the river and
swan nearly TO the other side in the
face of steady fire but who were
forced to retire and joining hands
swan back, two of their number be
ing nealy drowned in the retreat 81
British guns kept up heavy fire al
day and fearful havoc was wrought
on the Boer positions, the enemy
being forced to fee from their en-
trenchments. Night put an end tt
the terrible bloodshed. The infantry
brigade was dreadfully cut up.s .Ths
Beers retreated during the night, TAX
ing their guns with them, and we ar;
now occupying their positions. Tht
enemy's loss was tremendous.
London, Dec. 4-Later details from
the Modder River show that even tn,
desperate courage of the attacking
/ force, displayed all day long Novem
| Der 2S, failed to drive the Beers from
ltheir strong entrenchments and nigh
] fell on an undecided battle. But az
! parently, during the night, Genera
/ Cronje, commanding the Beers, VIII
are said to have numbered 1000, de
} cided that the struggle was hopeless
for the British found the town an
surrounding positions, evacuated whe
daylight broke and the whole Britis