The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-11-20
ATTACK ON ESTCOUR1.
Beers Might Have Succeeded a Fortnight
Ago, Bat It Is Too Late Now.
BRITISH REFUSED TO RE tNTRApptu
Wnr office Reports show that Rein
forcemcnts Have Been Landed and
Big Guns Are in Action.

New York, November ia dispatch
to the Tribune from London says: Ester
court has remained the center of interest
for the last twenty four house, since the
Dutch allies are attempting to carry out
the last moment tactics which might have
been most effective fortnight ago. The
war office bulletin during the forenoon
tended to minimize the earlier reports OF
Boer repulse by the garrison II was
slight outpost affair, with single shell
Aired from the naval gun and a hasty re-
treat of the small force of the enemy. 1t
might have been explained as an unsuc-
cessful attempt of Free State raiders to
destroy the railway bridge a half mile
away, If General Hildyard had not report
cd large Boer force further back on Il
high hill. The inference was plain that
the Dutch allies were concentrating sew
oral commands upon Estcourt and might
attack the garrison or draw into ambus-
cade before adequate achievements with
field artillery could be sent up from the
coast.
Between the lines of the official dispatch
could be read the motive of this vancouver
of a weak Boer force, which was neitner
RECOMMENDING nor attempting to carry
the position by "A sudden rush. but was
evidently seeking To DRAW out the
provincial cavalry after ii a few miles,
where 1T could be entrapped by larger
body in reserve. These tactics which mad
succeeded after the battle Of Glencoe. fall
ed on a second trial. Military men, IN
commenting upon the AFFAIR last even
ing, derived comfort from the practical
evidence that the Boer forces were be-
coming more wary and suspicious, and
also from the plain admission that the
naval guns were IN position. The shell
which scattered the Beers decoys dispell
ed the allusion that Estcourt was without
powerful artillery and incapable of de-
iense against a Boer gun lire. The naval
brigade was on guard, even If the three
batteries of field artillery We're barely
OH the ship, with horses soft from pro-
tracted voyage.
The news from Lower Natal is meager
since the censorship Is rigidly enforced
there but there is a strong probability
that the Boer attack upon Estcourt has
been delayed too long to be effectual. Mil
itary men at the service clubs breathed
freely last night and commended that the
Beers had missed their last chance in the
campaign and would soon be overpoWered
by superior numbers and science.
Belated dispatches from the southern
frontier Of the Free State only served "a
explain why achievements had been sent
to East London and western border bull
letins. especially from Kimberly we're SC
optimistic that il was difficult 10 explain
why Lord Meuthuno had heen ordered to
relieve Kimberly, The censorship is rails
laJ In, I,or mn
day by day what the guards are doing or
the Orange river.
| The Standard, tho Chronicle and othel
morning papers have long accounts by
mail today from special correspondents
describing in detail the earliest battles
in Upper Natal, and the retreat from
Glencoe These letters while we'll writ
ten, contain few incidents of real interest
and appear so late that little attention is
paid to them.
The next mail from the Cape ought tc
have more interestinb matter, since it will
cover General Whites unfortunate battle
and the loss of Cartoons battalions.
| General Hildyard. who commands the
advance guard of the relief column, was
| in the navy several years, and Is at home
| among the blue Jackets He has been IL
| the army over thirty years and was Will
| Lord Wolsley In the Egyptian campaign
| of 1882, serving as quartermaster general
! He belongs to what is popularity known al
| the "Wosey gang, but only ranks al
major general in command OF brigade
| The real commander of the relief column
| will be Sir Francis Clery, unless Sir VIII
| lam Catacre be substituted for him. The,
are commanders, with the local rank o
| lieutenant general. Like Lord Methure
who is in charge of the field force on tn,
| Orange river. Gatacre has had larger eX
| perience in war than his Two colleagues
having served in Burmah, ChiIal and tw'
Soudnn campaigns, but knows nothing o
South Africa. Clery was in the Zulu wa
and Lord Methune was with Lord Wolsel
in Ashanti and Egypt and commanded
horse and field force in Buchuanaland
Other lieutenant generals under Bulle
are White Walker and French. and anoth
err will be added when the new diyisio
goes out under Sir Charles Warren, VII
knows South 0Africa more thorough
than any other general in the Britis
army