Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-11-02
THE WAR IN AFRICA.

w \ Ia y y ".
On Thursday Gen. Symons of the
British Army, who was shot in the
stomach at the battle of Glencoe died at
Dundee, a prisoner of the Beers, whose
General sent word of his death to the
English General
Gen. Symons' fight at Glencoe was
not anything like the decisive victory at
| first alleged, and Gen Yule would in
all probability have been annihilated or
have met with the same fate as the cap
| tured Hussars If he had not retreated.
| Gen. Whites artillery duel" at Riet-
| fontein was very severe engagement,
in which the rifle did great execution
| and in which success was only achieved
at a distressing cost. The lombard
ment of Mafeking had commenced, with
| unknown result, and the Beers had got
| their Hussar prisoners safely TO Pretoria
The campaign is being pushed by the
Beers so strenuously and on such sound
strategical lines that the situation of
| the British gave them cause for deep
| anxiety. 1t was difficult to see how the
| concentrated force at Ladysmith will be
| able to take the aggressive Immediately.
| Apart from the fatigue, regiments like
| the Gordon Highlanders and Royal Ri
hes have been practically without Off
GERS since the fights, and a hundred and
| thirty-five additional officers have been
ordered to leave England as speedily as
possible Orders were issued for an ad-
di:ional 200 troops to sail for South
Africa between November and Novem-
| Der 1S
A dispatch sent from Glencoe camp on
the night of the battle in that vicinity
admits that few Boer dead and wound
ed were found on the field, and explains
this by saving: Throughout the fight
the Beers. in accordance with their
| custom, buried their dead and car
ried off their wounded Immediately at-
ter they fell. those left representing on
" the casualties during the last mo
nents of the fighting. Even their dis
abled cannon had been removed, al
| though broken pieces of them could be
seen lying about
The official announcement of the JOIN
ing of Gen. White and Gen. Iule came
as a great relief, in view Of the fact that
only the incapacity of the intelligence
department OF the Beers saved Gen.
Yule's column from a great disaster.
On Friday night Dundee was full Of
alarms Heavy firing was heard at l
O'Clock and again at 4. 4 severe tbun-
derstorm soon after stopped the Boer
cannonade. Saturday'passedi in momen-
tary expectation of an attack. The
British finally evacuated, taking all
that they could, but leaving plenty be
hind for the Beers to loot.
Gen. Yule's column had very ex-
hausting march, chiefly by night, for
fear of Boer surprises. The heavy rains
and mist hampered the march, but were
the means of saying Gen. 1ule from
molestatiun 1t took the column n
hours to cover the last 16 miles.
The Beers say that Gen. KOck during
the battle read his Bible and prayed for
victory His brother two sons and a
nephew were all wounded and taken
prisoners Col Schiel, of the German
corps, and Commandant Pretorius were
severely wounded.- Many prominent
Beers are not yet accounted for, Philip
Koch says the Beers suffered most from
soldiers in little clothes, half men and
women meaning the Gordon Highland
ers, and in the charge of the Fifth Ian
GERS Col. Schiel assured a correspond
ent that nothing could stand against
the accuracy of the British field guns.
which repeatedly drove the Transvaal
gunners from their embrasures. The
British infantry fire was also he said, a
complete surprise TO the Beers who
were confident of their ability to master
any infantry attack
On Friday hard fighting was reported
near Kimberley; the Beers had the town
surrounded and were anxious to cap
ture Cecil Rhodes whom they consider
their worst enemy.
By Sunday the Beers had Ladysmith
partly surrounded and were mounting
guns on the neighboring hills. The
Boer forces were reported at II, 600 and
the English at II, 900.
On Monday the English made sortie
from Ladysmith and attempted to dis
lodge the Beers from their position, but
appear to have been driven back, with
the loss of battery. A report by way
l--l------ro44IUIcd- nelnfOrCemen1SW were
being hurried to Gen. White at Lady
smith
4 sortie from Mafeking, on the west
border, was also reported.
On Monday, Gen. White, sent two
regiments to take position on the hills
to the left to Ladysmith, the Beers drew
them on by retreating, and then closed
in on them and killed or captured them
all Nineteen officers were Killed ana
forty-two made prisoners, and about
2000 men We're taken, besides a noun
tain battery.
The disaster was reported Tuesday
afternoon and threw London into dis
may, and in Worcestershire and the
North of Ireland, where the captured
regiments were recruited the blackest
gloom prevails families awaiting with
beating hearts the names of the killed
and wounded, which are fully expected
to reach a high figure. Many homes
are already in mourning in consequence
of the losses sustained by those regi-
ments in previous engagements.
Gen White assumed all blame for
the disaster. The Beers reoccupied the
hills around Ladysmith and a battle
was reported to be in progress, Tuesday.