The silver star., 1899-10-27
GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.
MANY BRITISH OFFICERS KILLED
Boer sharpshooters Get In Their Work
Thought That Boers May BE Plan
ming . Strategic Move.


London. Oct. 21.-Generals White
and French attacked Elandslaagte. a
Boer stronghold. Saturday afternoon,
and silenced the enemy's three guns
and carried their position. British cav
airy are in pursuit OF the Beers, who
left their position and retreated.
The victory over the Beers near
Glencoe, Natal, yesterday. was obtain
ell at fearful cost. The British rout-
ed the enemy, but they lost eleven
Commanding officers killed, including
Sir William Penn SymOns. the general
commanding. and twenty-One wound
ed. General Symons died to-day OF
the wound he received yesterday while
leading his men where the fighting was
hottest.
Extremely official news respecting
the battle was given out to-day ut the
war office. Up to ; p. m. the squadron
OF the Eighteenth Hussars. numbering
100 pursued the Beers after the tight.
They have not returned TO camp and
it is feared they We're drawn into
trap and killed by the enemy.
Besides these two bodies of troops
there are thrty-three enlisted men
missing from the various commands
in the fight. They are believed to be
either captured or killed.
The battle at Glencoe as even official
reports admit was no skirmsh. but Il
battle that lasted eight hours. The
fighting was fierce
The Beers displayed remarkable
courage when once driven from their
cover by the advance of the British.
who paused neither for shot nor shell.
bu; kept on and on. merely stopping
for breathing spell or TO reform ranks.
The British artillery displayed aston
ishing craftsmanship. This soon ST.
lenced the Boer guns on the top of re-
Ian hill and then the order came to
charge.
The British troops behaved with
great galantry and nj no time We're
beyond the control of their officers.
But the slaughter in their ranks was
pitiful. The percentage of officers thar
fell was far in excess of the enlisted
men. About ; per cent. of the troops
engaged We're officers. yet - per cent.
of the dead are officers. Among the
wounded they number 16 per cent.
In other words. five times as many
officers Were killed as enlisted men. in
proportion to their numbers. and more
than three times as many wounded.
The explanation Is simple. The Off
GERS followed the tradition of the En-
glish army and refused to take adyan-
tage of cover. while they ordered their
men to do ii. This valiant and in
spring conduct cost them bitter losses
but IL helped them win the day. They
stood behind their men when the ranks
Were lying down and thus made them
selves targets for Boer sharpshooters.
and they stood in the open while their
men We're behind rocks and bits of
fallen timber
~
now definitely known that Glencoe
was attacked yesterday by the Boer
main northern column under General
Ioubert. our forces are entrenched In
good position. Tile situation there is
not yet fully cleared up.
1900 y. ma dispatch has Just ar
rived announcing that the Beers are
shelling Dundee. east of Glencoe. at
long range, but that their fire is in
effective.
Kimberley. Oct. 20.-,By dispatch
rider from Orange riyer.b-This Is the
sixth day Of Kimberley's Investment
by the enemy. An armored train went
out yesterday and found the Beers
still in the direction of Spytfontein.
Their position Is believed To be strong.
Two dispatch riders to Mafeking. Mr..
Stapleton and Mr.. Harding. We're cap
tured by Beers October 18th.
More spies have arrived Two Eng
lishmen who had been imprisoned by
the Beers escaped last evening and
have just arrived here.
The local tradesmen are proving theis
loyalty by an agreement 10 keep down
the price of foodstuifs.
Cape Town. Oct. 23.-If is rumored
here this morning that Barkley West.
northwest OF Kimberley. has been sur
rendered 10 the Beers without firing a
shot
Probably the Boer movement was
curbed 10y the defeat at Glencoe. hut II
seems reasonable to believe. Judging
from the determination and fanaticism
OF the Boer forces. that they will soon-
er or later. any way before Buffers
corps take the field. return to the field
with redoubled aggrcsslveness I'm a
desperate attempt 10 break the back
bone OF General Whites forces, hny-
Ing previously endeavored TO weaken
II by feint and flank movements.
such supposition regarding the
Boer plans is based upon the belief
that tommandant General .Ioubcrt's
main objective Is To break up or ROM
General Whites command before the
British relnfcrccincnfs arrive. I'm, II
Is possible the willy Bocr general has
enr,tuiiy concealed strategy which lie
Intends TO carry out In an unexpected
direction and that the attack upon
6encrnl White ON Friday was merely
intended to deceive the British ns to
the main objective. Reliable news
from the Beers In 40 hard 10 secure I'm
London that II IL impossible to predict
with any degree of certainty what the
next Few weeks nrc likely 10 bring
forth.
Llpton VIII T.s N A.>i.