The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-12-30
BATTLE OF TUGELA RIVER.

BATTLE OF TUGELA RIVER.
G. Wilfred Pearce, agent of the
Orange Free State at New York,
writes to the Irish World and says
that the London war office is conceal
ing the British losses in South Africa.
Up to Dec. Is the British losses as
given out to the press aggregated
S,7S6, while the real losses as cabled
by the generals in the field were IT,
G42 in killed, wounded and missing.
Gen. Mcthuen said that his loss at
Modder river was heavy. and that the
battle was the bloodiest Of the CELL
tury, but despite that avowal the war
Office gave the total loss on the Brit
ish side as LOTS. 1t must have been
much more, or else AIethuen was talk
ing through his hat when he wrote his
account of the battle. He has since
been unable to proceed to the relief of
Kimberley, and late reports say he
can neither advance nor retire with
safety, as he is surrounded on all
sides by the enemy.
The official report of the battle Of
Tugela river as given to the public,
places the British loss at about 1000,
but it must have been much greater.
Mr.. Pearce says that the principal
officers of the French, German and
Russian armies are in full possession
of the exact text of each dispatch
from the British generals, and that he
gets the exact tables of losses suffered
by the combatants from friends in
Russia and France. What he says is
corroborated by Gen. Schalkenburger,
who commanded the Beers at Tugela
river in the absence of Gen. Joubert.
The day after the battle he sent the
following official report to the author
tiles at Pretoria:
"Friday at dawn, the day long ex-
pected arrived. The. Pretoria detach-
ment of artillery gave the alarm. Gen.
Buffers Ladysmith relief column was
in battle array, advancing on the Boer
positions close to the Tugela and Co.
lcnso. The center consisted of an im-
mense crowd of infantry, flanked on
each side by two batteries, with strong
bodies of cavalry supporting. The
Boer artillery preserved absolute 81
lence, not disclosing it's position. Two
batteries came within rifle distance of
our foremost position, and the Beers
then opened fire with deadly effect.
Our artillery also commenced, and
apparently confused the enemy, who
were allowed to think the bridge was
open for them to cross. Their right
flank, in the meantime, attacked the
Beers southernmost position, but
the Mauser rifle fire was so tremen-
dous that they were rolled back like a
spent wave, leaving ridges and ridges
of dead and dying humanity behind.
Again the British advanced to the at
tack, but again fell back, swelling the
heaps of dead The cavalry charged
to the river, where the Emilio COM
manders sent in such Il murderous
fire that two batteries of cannons had
to be abandoned, which the Beers are
going to bring here. Twice the Brit
ish essayed to bring horses to remove
them. The first time they succeeded
in hitching to one cannon, and on the
second trial the horses and men fell
in heap.
"Then the British were in full re-
treat to their camp, whence they sent
heavy shrapnel fire on Bulwer
bridge, across the Tugela, to prevent
the burghers from recovering the can
non.
''The French attache, Villebois, and
the German attache, Braun, say the
fight could not have been improved
upon by the armies of Europe. Cen
erals Botha and Trichart were always
at the most dangerous points of the
fighting. Eleven ambulances removed
the English dead and wounded.
"Such a tremendous cannonade has
seldom been heard. The veldt for
miles was covered with dead and
wounded. 1t was q most crushing
British defeat. Nine of the cannon
have since been brought across the
river.
"Thc British asked for and were
granted a twcnty-four hours arms,
tlve."
This Official report states that the
Boer loss in killed and wounded was
only thirty, while the British war
office places Buffers loss in killed and
wounded at $50; but that number
would not make 'ridges and ridges OF
dead and dying humanity" as stated
by Gen. Schalkenberger in his report
The truth will eventually leak out, and
when it does it will be found that the
British lost in killed and wounded
alone more than 5000 men. The sec
ond battle of Tugela river will be
fought as soon as Butler is ready tc
! proceed to the relief Of Ladysmith. II
appears to us that the Beers do not
l-want that besieged town to fall until