The Elbert County tribune., 1899-10-26
GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.
MANY BRITISH OFFICERS KILLED
Boer shnrpshooters Get In Their Work
Thought That Boers May BE Plan
ming q Strategic Move.

ming y ttfhtrkfc Nso'"+
London. Oct. 21.-Gencrnis White
and French attacked Elandslangte,
Boer stronghold. Saturday afternoon,
and sllenced the enemy's three guns
and carried their position. British cav
airy are In pursuit Of the Beers, WHO
left their position aud retreated-
The victory over the Beers near
Glencoe, Natal. yesterday, was Obtain
ed Mt 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 wouhu
ed. General Symons died to-day OF
the wound he received yesterday WINE
leading his men where the fighting was
hottest.
Extremely official news respecting
the battle was given out to-day at the
war office. Up to 3 p. Ill. the squadron
OF the Eighteenth Hussars. numbering
400 pursued the Beers after the nght:
They have not returned TO camp ana
IL Is feared they were drawn INTO a
trap and killed by the enemy.
Besides these two bodies OF troops
there are thirty-threc enlisted men
missing from the various commands
In the fight. They are believed 10 DC
either captured or killed.
The battle at Glencoe as even Official
reports admit, was no skirmish, but n
battle that lasted eight hours. Inc
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,
but kept on and on, merely stopping
4. rnfnrIu ranks
The British artillery displayed aston
ishing craftsmanship. This soon ST.
fenced the Boer guns on the top OF Te-
Ian hill and then the order came to
charge.
The British troops behaved with
great gallantry and ut no time were
beyond the control of their officers.
But the slaughter In their ranks was
pitiful. The percentage OF officers that
fell was fsy In excess OF the enlisted
men. About D per cent. Of the troops
engaged were officers. yet % per cent
OF the dead are officers. Among the
wounded they number 10 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 rs many wounded
The explanation Is simple. The Off
GERS followed the tradition Of the En-
| glish army and refused to take advan
tnge of cover. while they ordered theiI
men to do It, 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 theiI
men were behind rocks and bits OF
| fallen timber.
Cape Town, Oct. 90. 300 p. NIT !,
now definitely known that Glencot
wss attacked yesterday by the Boel
main northern column under Genera
Joubcrt. Our forces are entrenched II
n good position. The situation there !,
not yet fully cleared up.
1000 p. ma dispatch has just ar
rived announcing that the Beers nr'
shelling Dundee, east of Glencoe, a
long range, but that their fire is In
effective.
Kimberley. Oct 2O.-By dispatcl
rider from Orange river)-'rhis Is tn,
sixth day OF Kimbcrley's investmen
by the enemy. An armored train wen
out yesterday and found the Boer,
still in the direction of spytfonteln.
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.
The local trndesmen nre proving thcil
| loyalty by nn agreement to keep dow
the price OF foodstufrs.
Cape Town. Oct. 23.-It Is rumoret
here this morning that Barklcy West
northwest Of Kimberley. has been sur
rendered to the Beers without firing
shot.
More spies have arrived. Two Eng
lishmen who had been imprisoned b,
the Beers escaped last evening ant
have Just arrived here.
Probably the Boer movement wal
curbed by the defeat at Glencoe, but
seems reasonable to believe. judgin.
from the determination and fanaticisn
of the Boer forces, that they will soon
er or later. any way before Butler
corps take the field, return TO the fiel,
with redoubled aggrcssiveness in
desperate attempt TO break the back
bone of General Whites forces. hav
ing previously endcavorcd 10 weaker
1t by feint and flank movements.
Such supposition regarding th
Boer plans Is based upon the belle
that Commandant General .Ioubert'
main objective Is TO break up or rou
General Whites command before th
British reinforcements arrive. But
is possible the willy Boer general ha
carefully concealed strategy which h
intends to carry out In an uncxpecte
direction and that the attack upo
General White on Friday was merel
Intended TO deceive the British as /
the main objective. Reliable new
from the Beers is so hard 10 secure /
London that 1t is impossible to predlc
with any degree of certainty what tn
next few weeks are likely to brin
forth.