Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-12-28
MAJUBA HILL.

cry often heard in the present war 1t
is counterpart of the American cry
Remember the Maine!" Leading
Englishmen, however, repel the idea
that the south African conflict is one
of revenge.
In this connection the story of the
famous fight at Majuba HILL from
which the slogan just quoted arose,
may be recalled. Majuba hill Is in ex-
IRENE northern Natal, near Laings
Mex where, about a month before the
other defeat on the British.
Both these fights occurred IN 1881
while the beers were waging the war
which resulted in their securing indie
pendence in internal affairs. Howard
C. Hillegas, in his book, Dom Pauls
People, thus describes the Majuba
battle:
During the light of February &c,
1881, Gen. Sir George Colley, the Brit
ish commander, made move which
was responsible for one of the greatest
displays of bravery the world has ever
seen. The fight at Majuba hill was
won by the beers against greater odds
than have been encountered by any
other volunteer force in modern times,
and is an example of the courage, BRAY
cry and absolute confidence of the
beers when they believe they are di-
vinely guided.
Between the camps of General Col
ley and Commandant-Genera Joubert
lay Majuba hill, a plateau with precip-
itous sides and a perfectly level top
about $500 feet above the camps. In
point of resemblance the hill was a
huge inverted tub, whose summit could
only he reached by narrow path
General Colley and 600 men, almost all
of whom were trained soldiers fresh
from England, assembled the narrow
path by moonlight, and when the sun
rose in the morning were able to look
from the summit of the hill and see the
boer camp in the valley.
THE plan of campaign was that the
regiments which had been left behind
in camp should attempt to force the
pass through Laings Mex and that the
troops on Matilda hill should make a
new attack on the beers and in that
manner crush them. So positive were
the soldiers of the success that awaited
their plans that they speculated on the
number of beers who would live to tell
the story of the battle.
1T was Sunday morning, and had
the distance between the two armies
been less the soldiers on the hill might
have heard the sound of many voices
singing hymns of praise and the pray
ers that were being offered by the beers
kneeling in the valley. The English
held their enemies in the palm of their
guns they could have killed them by
the scores.
The sides of the hill were so steep
that it did not enter the minds Of the
English that the beers would attempt
to ascend except by the same path
which they had traversed, and that was
impossible, because the path leading
from the base was occupied by English
forces. The idea that the beers would
climb from terrace to terrace, from one
bush to another, and gain the summit
! in that manner, occurred to no one.
Before there was any stir in the
beers camp the English soldiers stood
on the edge of the summit, and shak-
ing their fists in eXultation. challenged
the enemy: Come up here, you beg
gars!'
"The beers soon discovered the pres
ence of the English on the hill and the
camp presented such an animated
scene that the English soldiers were
led to imagine that CONSERVATION had
seized the beers and that they were
preparing for a retreat.
"A short time afterward, when the
beers marched toward the base of the
hill, the illusion was dispelled; and
still later, when $50 volunteers from
the boer army commenced to ascend
the sides of the hill the former spirit
of braggadocio which characterized
the British soldiers resolved itself into
feeling of nervousness. During the
forenoon the British fired at such of
the climbing beers as they could see
but the beers succeeded in lodging
from one stone to another, so that
only one of their number was killed in
the ascent.
When the $50 beers reached the
summit of the hill, after an arduous
climb of more than five hours, they
lay behind rocks at the edge and com
menced hot fire at the English sold
iers, who had retreated into the center
of the plateau, 30 yards distant. The
English soldiers had been ordered to
fix their bayonets and were prepared
to charge, but the order was never
given. A fresh party Of beers had
reached the summit and threatened to
Sank the English, who, having lost
many of their officers and scores of
men, became wildly panic-stricken.
Several minutes after General Col
ley was killed the British soldiers who
had escaped from the storm OF bullets
broke for the edge of the summit and
allowed themselves to drop and roll
down the sides " the hill. When the
list of casualties was completed it was
found that the beers had killed 92,
wounded 1874 and taken prisoners SO
of the 500 soldiers who assembled the