The morning news., 1899-10-18
HOW B0ERS FOUGHT IN 1881.
ENGLAND's DISASTROUS CAMPAIGN
IN NORTHERN NATAL.

Soldiers Were Caught by the
Fighting Farmers Of the Trans
VRal-How the BOcrs Reached the
Top of Maiuba and Slaughtered
Half the British Command.
From the Baltimore American.
The last revolt Of the Beers against
British domination, in which they We're
almost universally successful in their en-
counters with the enemy, broke out in
December. 1850 during the warm summer
of the Southern hemisphere, and it came
to an end with the peace that was con
cluded after the disastrous battle Of Ma
juba Mountain on Feb 26, 1881. The tale
of misfortune begius with the affair at
Broukerspruit in December The Ninety
fourth Regiment, forming a part Of the
British garrison of the Transvaal, had
been ordered 10 concentrate at Pretoria,
and was on the march thither. No ac-
tual fighting had as yet taken place; but
the Beers had held a mass meeting, pro
claimed a republic, and announced That
they were going to begin. AT Bronker-
spruit they laid a carefully prepared ann
bush along the road by which the Nine
ty-fourth We're advancing, and awaited
their victims.
The British Colonel says a writer in
recent number of Chambers journal, had
been warned to look out for traps but, a
far as can now be known, he had no idea
that these sharp-shooung farmers were
really in earnest, and he failed 10 profit
by the warning. The Ninety-fourth were
strung out for half a mile along the road;
the weather was hot, and many of the
soldiers had put Their rifles in the wag>
ons. In short, the march was conducted
as If in time of profound peace. At a
certain spot the long column was halted
by Boer patrol. There was a brief col
loquy between the Colonel and The Beers;
they ordered him to go back, and he re-
fused. Nobody seems to have noticed the
ambushed rifemen or to have observed
the little heaps of stones with which these
skilled hunters of wild game, old hands
shooting over the bare veldt had
thoughtfully marked out beforehand at
100, $50 and 200 yards their exact distance
from their intended targets
Inc Boer rifles cracked and in twenty
minutes all the officers and half the British
troops were shot down, and the rest were
made prisoners; the loss on the side of the
Farmers was almost nil. AS Western
American crudey observed il was a case
OF lot of frst-class frontiersmen taking
In a crowd OF tenderfeet out of the wet
II was terribly severe lesson that in the
race OF possible enemy a soldier must
After 4 the Bronkerspruit disaster tbo
whole country was up. All tbe Rritisb
Garrisons in the Transvaal were he
seaguered by the Beers. and one garrison
Potchefstroom, was known both bv them
and by Sir George Pomeroy Colley. The
general in command in Natal to be short
OF provisions. Colley gallantly determined
10 cut his way in, if possible. and relieve
It. lie knew well enough that ere long
an army from over seas must he sent to
retrieve the honor of the British arms
but ne was also aware that it must in
eVitably arrive too late to save Potcnef-
stroom. The Beers had occupied Laings
Mex! the pass leading into the Trausvaal
from Natal and with the small British
force he had at his command he hoped TO
be able 10 dislodge them and clear the
read. Gen. Colley was considered TO be
one OF the very best officers in the Brit
ish army. He had had some experience I'm
actual fighting in China and he had ex
hibited extraordinary skill and courage
and resources in the difficult task OF or
ganHing the transport in the Ashanti
campaigns. He certainly could no. be
caAed novice in war But unfortunate
ly, there was one thing of which all his
previous experience had taught him moth
ing, and that was how to fight agains
good shots armed with modern breech
leaders.
Charge in Broad Daylight.
On Jan. q, 1881 Coley moved upon
Laing's Mex with about 100 men and six
guns. The force of Beers opposed 10 him
is said by Alfred Aylward who appears to
have acted as their military secretary. TO
have numbered ,437 under Gems Jouberr
and Smidt. The Beers had no guns. anl
dreaded artillery fire more than anything
else; accordingly they dug some dummy
trenches in soft ground on a conspicuous
part of the Mex and then judiciously dis
posed themselves in safety elsewhere. Col
leyS guns opened fire al a mile and a half
and appear 10 have principally occupied
themselves in shelling the empty trenches.
according to Alfred Aylward no one was
hurt or even frightened by the cannon
ade. 1t may be noted that Alfred AyI-'
wards figures are not contradicted by Sir
William Butler in the Life of Sir George
Colley," which he has recently published.
and, indeed, with reference 10 this par
ticular action, Gen. Colley himself dep.ores
the inefectiveness of mis- artillery practice
in one Of his letters printed by his biog-
rapher.
Posting the naval brigade, with the rock
ct apparatus and some Of the Sixtieth
Rifles, in an inclosed ground, while they
were under cover and keeping about half
his force in reserve, 'ey despatched five
companies of the FIfty-eighth Regiment
number 4S0 bayOnats, together with atout
a hundred mounted men to assault the left
advanced in column of companies across
the open ground ana up the hill, against
nearly thrice her own number of the best
shots in the word, VINO were under cover
and armed with good modern rifles. The
charge Of he DerVish host at Omdurman
was not SO gallant or so futile. In a few
minutes the handful of mounted men were
scattered, and one-third of the Fifty-eighth
lay dead or wounded on that bloody slope
The survivors drew off, reformed their
shattered lines behind the Sixiieth Rifles
and retired in good order. The Boer loss
is said to have been two. 1t was magnif-
cent but IL was not war. 1t proved, if any
proof were needed, that for infantry in
column to charge in broad daylight works
thus strongly held by resolute men who
can handle breech- loaders is to court ruin
and disaster
After Laing's Mex the exultant Beers
threatened Collcy's communications, and
on Feb. 5, he sailed out from his camp
at Mount Prospect 10 clear the road in his
rear This time he took wi h him five com