The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-24
Queens Troopers

Queens Troopers.
LONDON, Oct 23-Interesting and
graphic accounts are supplied by the war
correspondents of the battle of Eland-
slaagte, from which the following are
extracts:
The Daily Telegraph says: Gen French
commenced the action at $50 a. m. The
enemy had only just finished coffee when
they were surprised, and nearly all our
prisoners were caught in the vicinity Of
the captured train. The mining and rail-
way officials escaped from the enemy
and came into US to the number OF th1r-
ty-seven, with several Basuto natives
and coolies. Some Of the latter classes
had been robbed and compelled to work
by the Beers, though the whites were
treated fairly. A Boer sergeant, ma
tive of Cape Colony, hid his rifle and
came in with twenty of his late captives.
The Manchester regiment, with the char
acteristic hardihood of British infantry,
all marched straight back at the enemy,
too often careless of taking cover, de-
spite the rafting, kissing and splitting
Ol Tie hduSSI AOiiiiiy <AenAiiS
says In effect:
Z" What! Hide from yokels! Let 'em
ehoot!
Discipline has its drawbacks as we'll
as its advantages, and our soldiers, who
have learned the Eoer tactics, are now
capable of readjusting the mistakes OF
the past. The panorama was heightened
ard colored by the red hue of gun flashes,
and shells tore along, roaring through
the air like express trains In a tunnel,
bursting noisily and spouting flames, lead
and steel, which hissed like hot iron drop
ped into water. The places Of explosion
were marked by clouds of earth and a
niu,bus of white smoke. The enemy bob
bed about over the rocks Ike Jacks in
the box, firing heavily at US, and with
fair accuracy, for the magazine Mauser
rifle is a terrible weapon, although 1t IN
nlcts clean wounds. Many Of them used
explosive bullets.
1.-The Beers shells were mostly perfus=
sion, and threw up volumes Of mud and
eurth about our gun crews. 1t is fou1d
that the Rock Hill percussion shells give
better result than the high bursting
shrapuel
COURTED DISASTER.
= -"Col: Hamilton, Of the Gordon High
landers, courted disaster by waving his
scarf to give encourag agenent to his men,
who really needed none. Suddenly some-
body showed white flag, and Col. Ham
ilton tried to stop the fighting, but a par
ty of Beers enSconced on a conical hill
and caring nothing about their comrades,
took advantage of the lull to deliver a
heavy fire. The Gordon Highlanders and
the Manchesters were rendered more saw
age than ever by this, and redoubled their
energy, for the Beers in the hokiews w re
delivering fanking flrt.
Our Tommies got wonderful quanti-
ties of loot-f1 ON silk hats and frock
coats to beaded Kaffir loin cloths. 1t
was a sight today to see them loaded.
Although we gave the prisoners the b3st
seats at our camp fires, many of the
poor, wourded had to lie out on the hill
sides, where they spent a terrible night,
crying:
"'For Gods sake, give us water; give
us a doctor; out here are British and
Boers.'
''One man fired round after round fr m
his rifle to attract attention to his whe &
abouts, for the field of battle covered
mics. The Beers say the kits of the
Gordon Highlanders made them conspicu-
Gus targets
The Daily News says: '"The approaching
fall of darkness was q great factor in
the last phases of the fight, making the
capture of the position at once impera-
tive. By this time the crack of rifles
and the rattle of MaXims had become
absolutely furious. Our men had under
stood the necessity well enough. Nothing
Ioath, they supported themselves gallantly
in their resolution to drive the Beers from
their last stand. Officers sergeants and
men fell in the lines but nothing checked
the fierce onset. Conspicuous among the
Gordon Highlanders and in the fighting
line throughout was Lord Alva, attached
to the brigade's staff. The final lisht
was a sight to see. With fixed bayonets,
cheering as they went, our men sprung
over the boulders that weie strewn at
their feet The Beers fired a last volley,
then dashed down the steep to escape
the annihiation threatening them. Some
desperately determined on killing returned
to the Mex in the rear of which the
Highlanders had crouched behind some
boulders. These men fired on ambulance
men at work among the wounded. I and
others there can certify from our own
experience to this dastardly act''
BATTLE WAS BRILLIANT.
The Daily Mail publishes the following
description of the battle, from its spec al
war CORE spondent, G.. w. Stevens, filed
at Ladysmith:
"The battle was brilliant, complete
success. The Beers numbers ed 1,2J5 to
2,010 and probably had about 100 killed d
ard l5J wounded. The fight itself was
Hoo9pueq 10 uoleIlsnIII le. IloB I'd eNII
TACT cs, each arm represented doing its
proper work to perfection. The Gordon
Highlanders, in their attack, advanced IN
magnificent order. They were Immediate
ly saluted with a heavy fire, which told
from the first. Their major fell with a
bullet in his leg but as he lay where he
fell, he lit a pipe and smoked placidly
while the advance continued. AS man
after man dropped supports were rushs d
into the firing line our men dar ting from
cover to cover splendidly led and ever
advancing. Yet as ridge after ridge was
won, the Highanders still found a new
ridge confronting them, and thus they
fought their bl> eding way until the final
ridge was neared with nearly every of
ficer down. Then, slamming every avail
able man into the firing line, Manches-
ters, Devonshires and Light Horse all
mixed, with bugles chanting the advance,