Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-11-02
FALL INTO A TRAP
Beers Capture Two British
Regiments at Ladysmith.
SURROUND THEM IN HILLS.
Royal Irish Fusieers and Gloucester
shire Regiments Surrender.
LOSSES REACH NEARLY 1000.
SURROUND THEM IN HILLS.
LOSSES REACH NEARLY 1000

sixty-One Officers In the Detachment Cap
tured by the Boers-News of the Disas-
ter Casts the Whole Country Into Gloom.
Worst Defeat for a Hundred Years.
LONDON, Nov. There was con-
tinuous stream Of callers at the war of
flee until a late hour, everybody anx-
iously lnquiring regarding Mondays S
casualties, but the war office declared
nothing had been received since Gen
eral Whites dispatch conveying the
information of the capitulation Of the
Royal Irish Fusileers and the Gloucester
regiment. This delay in getting fur
ther intelligence is attributed in part
to the breaking down of the east coast
cable, but it stands to reason that the
war office must be possessed of further
news which it is not thought advisable
to publish as yet. The disaster has
caused feeling akin to CONSERVATION
and in Worcestershire and the north of
Ireland, where the regiments were re.
cruited, the blackest gloom prevails,
families awaiting with beating hearts
the news. Many homes are already in
mourning i'll consequence Of losses sus
tanned by these regiments in previous
engagements.
Public anxiety was caused by a spe.
cial dispatch from Ladysmith, pub
lished in the late editions to the effect
that before darkness last night the
Beers occupied the position held by
their heavy artillery which Genera
White had silenced by the naval brig
ade and had opened fire again.
The dispatch further says: "The
enemy are again closing in and the sit
uation is one Of grave anxiety. Be
yond doubt the Boer retirement Mon
day was ruse to draw General White
into the hilly country and away fro,s
the British camp"
This last sentence is significant anC
confirms the opinion of military experts
that General White is allowing himsel
to be outgeneraled by Commandan
General Joubert.
No exact report of losses has yet beel
made public, but the best estimate i.
that l, 400 to l,S40 men have been cap
tured or killed. The officers with the
lost detachment numbered 81. Whites
report shows ~ of these prisoners Th,
inference drawn here is that the other.
have been killed.
From the scanty adyices received i
seems certain that the disaster was {
simple repetition Of the battle Of Majub;
hill, though on a larger scale. The two
regiments were allowed to march into
trap set for them by the Beers. 1t il
simply case of the Boer spider and tn,
guileless British fly. In fact, the Who'll,
engagement Of Monday seems to have
been brought on by Commandant Gen
eral Joubert, who conceived a gian
trap, out of which, as the official dis
patch shows, Sir George only escaped
with difficulty. General White had th'
idea of driving the Beers from the hill
seven miles out, which General Jouber
made show of fortifying on Sunday
The Boer forces left force sutficien
to draw General White on, while, will
the remainder of the Beers, he moved
stealthily around the British right, tt
deliver flank attack and to endeavol
to cut off General White from Lady
smith. The British commander sue
ceeded in beating off the attack, but
only with great difficulty. and during
: the movement his troops suffered from
a fanking fire.
!; Harsh things are said in military cir
, cles Of the tactics which have made pos
sible the ambush of the Eighteenth
Hussars at Glencoe and now the loss O.
two fine regiments.
! 1t is feared that Sir George White il
no match for the Beers, insofar as Gun
ming tactics are concerned, and it il
pointed out that if the British com
! manders continue to lead their mel
into obvious traps, further disasters
must be looked for
About 5000 fresh troops will arrive
!, at Cape Town on Sunday next from
England and be available to reinforce
General White. Transports will arriv,
there daily after Sunday, until by tht
! end of next week $4,000 troops viii
have been landed in South Africa
These troops are intended for Genera
Buffers army, but they will undoubt
! edly be dispatched to Natal if the situa
ton there should become perilous. The
British army will eventually reach tn,
huge total Of S9,634, of which 50, SO:
J will be regulars and the other 10000
miscellaneous, but excellent colonia
troops.
Worst Defeat for "a Hundred Years,
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