El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-15
MASSACRE OF MAJUBA HILL.
Story OF the Eiuht .

Story OF the Fight.
Golfers Weekly England, says in the
course of her history suffered-as does
every fighting natlon-many defeats,
but never one SO humiliating to her
national pride as her defeat at Majuba
Hill on February q, 1881, by the rude
Beers of the Transvaal. That she
then accepted that defeat was due to
the existence sof a Gladstonian cabi-
net in England and the ever-present
desire of that party for peace at any
price.
| 1t is to avenge that defeat-Uitland-
ers' grievances and suzerainty compli-
cations Notwithstanding Great
Britain is now in the field in South AT
RIGA with the pick of her army and her
most trusted generals.
February q, 1881.
1t was on that day that Gen. Sir
George Colley, an officer of experience
and undoubted personal bravery, after
q forced night march, took up POSI-
ton on the summit of Ma uba with h1s
force of 600 British soldiers. Since his
defeat by the Beers at Laing's Neck on
January -21 his communications had
been constantly attacked by the bur
CHEERS, and on taking up the highly I'm
portant strategic position on MaJu ba,
| he determined once more to assume
the offensive. The BOer forces filled
the valley commanded by the hill, and
when thew discovered the position Ia
ken by the British forces they mani
tested every symptom of panic and
made what at first seemed a general
movement to retreat. They, however,
did not do so. The advance OF Gems.
Jouber and Smidt prevailed, and the
Beers settled down to preparations for
an attack.
On the English side overconfidence
and the inevitable panicky feeling that
always seizes soldier when surprised
by q daring movement such as that
made by the Beers, contributed to the
days defeat. To Gen. Colley and his
officers the position on the summit OF
the hill appeared impregnable. Its nat
seucer-like top commanded the plain
on every side, and no thought seems to
have been given to artificial fortlhca-
ton.
The Beers, however, knew that the
sides of the hill which rose precipitate-
ly from the plain, were SCARED by
deep cliffs and gullies. Up these Jou-
bert determined to send a band OF his
picked men, and to cover their opera
tious the men in the valley opened q
brisk fire on the soldiers on the hill.
So accurate was the shooting OF the
Beers that the English soldiers kept
under cover as much as possible. only
rising now and then to return q volley.
Little harm was done by this long
range firing on either side, and so con-
fident of their security were the Brit
ish soldiers that with every volley
they hurled taunts at the enemy in the
distance. For six hours this firing con-
tinued-thst was the length of time it
ascent to climb the hill. Once there,
one party of sixty burghers occupied
small peak standing on the skirt
of the summit, killing by q single vol
ley the small British picket that held
it. The rest of the Beers poured
themselves over the saucer-like edges
of the fat-topped mountain and took
| the British soldiers completely by sur
prise. The movement was SO sudden,
so totally unexpected that the English
force could not awake to realization
of what had happened. They fancied
themselves penned in to slaug liter, apd
all the efforts of their general and his
officers could not recall them to dis
cipline. They precipitated themselves
down the side of the hill into the very
hands of the Beers, who advanced to
meet them.
A handful of them remained to fight
and be killed, among them Gen. Col
ley, who, when he tsaw ell hope lost,
took his life with his own hand. Cam
erou, the war correspondent, who was
taken prisoner by the Beers and i'm
mediately released, described the
scene as one of the widest confusion.
The defeat at Laing's Neck had al
ready demoralized the handful of
British soldiers, who felt isolated in a
strange country, and this new and
startling attack was too much for
them. Had the men yielded to the
rsllying of their officers they could
undoubtedly have withstood the attack
of the Beers and Msjuba would mark
different page in English military
history.
OF the 600 British troops who occu-
pied the summit of Majuba Hill, over
three hundred were killed in retreat.
The Boer loss, according to Boer ac-
counts, was only one killed and five
Majuba Hill ended the brief war of
1881. In less than a month afterwsrd
Mr.. Gladstone signed treaty of peace |
the independence of the |
Trarsysal.
AT 311 Ell Paso ST. you will find J. G. |
Ross & Co., the best equipped under