The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-28
CASUALTY LIST.
Belated Dispatches From the Front Give
Names of Dead and Injured.

Names of Dead and Injured.
New York, Dec. 27.-A dispatch to the
Tribune from London says: A belated
dispatch from Ladysmith was posted in
the war office yesterday. 1t was three
days casualty list with four deaths
from fever and dysentery, three men
wounded, apparently from shell fire and
on separate entry 10 killed and 16
wounded in what looked like a sortie or
reconnaissance last Friday, in which
were engaged the Fifth lancers, who
Fought so well at Elandslaagte, and the
remnants of the Gloucester regiment,
and the Tenth mountain battery, which
We're entrapped at Nicholson's Mex,
There We're no details and it was pos
sible that a British gun had burst or
that the enemy's gun fire had been suf-
hciently accurate to account for the
large casualty list, but the Optimists
chose to infer that General Whites
men had been again showing their met
tie by venturing outside their lines, es-
pecfally as Lieutenant Colonel FaWcett
of the Fifth lancers, the officer appar-
emily in command, was severely wound
ed. This regiment was stationed at
Pietermaritzburg before the opening Of
the war and has lost heavily in officers
during the campaign in Natal.
The Times correspondent at Sterk-
strom describes the general attitude of
the Cape Dutch. He says that General
Gatacre's reverse and the news of 9TH
er British disasters undoubtedly en-
couraged many waverers to join the
Boer commanders, although the num-
Der of those who have done so is great
ly exaggerated.
The last reservists of all arms and
branches of the service have been called
upon to join their colors. When this
summons, has been answered it will be
possible to judge the effectiveness of
the mobilization scheme as a whole, but
apparently the military authorities
have been over Sanguine in assuming
that three army corps can be recruited
from the first line of reservists. They
will certainly have two, but third will
have to be pieced out with the militia
and volunteers. 1t has also become ap-
parent that the militia, which has a pa
per strength of 11,000, includes 10000
men of the regular army reserve and is
scaled down to $4,000 men in an emer-
gency like the present one At least
10000 men have appeared in two places
as reserves and a false impression of
the country's military resources has
been created.
There is no trustworthy news from
Buffers army and the military writer's
are weary of the thankless business of
planning his campaign for him at a dis
tance of 5000 miles, especially when
frontal attack seems the only resource
of British strategy in the field. There is
a general agreement, however, among
the military men ClaC an eIIOEt IOEce
the passage of the river will not be at
tempted the second time near Colenso
until full control of the southern bank
has been secured.
The arrival of the siege train is re-
ported at last at Cape Town. The mil
itary authorities have at last supplied
their army with dozen heavy guns
after the Beers have been dragging
siege guns from the Pretoria forts over
Upper Natal and across the veldt to
Magersfotein and Mafeking and out
class the British horse and field artil-
lery. 1t is not yet clear whether Cen
eral Methuen or General Butler will
make use of these guns in attacking
the strongly fortified positions in front
of them.
Whether the Ladysmith garrison is
fighting galantly outside or is exposed
to a closer and more destructive fire
from the enemy's guns, these casualty
lists, with the fatal cases of typhoid
fever, are eloquent appeals to the Brit
ish army beyond the Tugela to rescue
it as speedily as possible from prolon-
cation of the siege. The relief of Lady
smith has become General Buffers first
objective point and everything else has
been sacrificed to attain that object.
At outpost affair is reported from
Chieveley, where a picket of Hussars
posted on a hill were surprised by a
porty of 100 Beers, two troopers being
killed and five or six horses captured.