Arizona republican., 1899-11-02
General Whites Use Of "Capit-
ulate" Was DemOraliziDg.
AN EFFORT AT REINSURANCE
a Promise by the war Office Thai
Inc Casually List Will Be Pub
Iished Todsy-The OaiV Con-
ISOLATION Held Ouf TO England .
That H,r sons Died With Ira
diiionaI Bravery.

London. Nov. 1.-The gloom caused
by the British disaster at Ladysmith
was in measure relieved by a story
giving an account of the heroic stand
made by the decimated battalions un-
til their last cartridges were gone. The
British nerve was momentarily shaken
by General Whites use of the word
"capitulate'' in his first telegram. but
now that it is known that the GlOuces-
ters and Fusileers fought against over
whelming odds and upheld the best
traditions of the British army the ten
sion has been relieved. since there is no
longer any ground to dread that loss of
life was accompanied by dishonOr. The
details today show the catastrophe in
a brighter aspect. Full battaliOns were
not engaged and therefore the list of
prisoners is materially reduced, while
the disaster now appears to have been
not so much a consequence of defects
in the plan of action as a misfortune
whereby the column was deprived of
its ammunition.
Still it seems incomprehensible why
the plight of the luckless column was
not known at headquarters. as the
scene of the surrender was only about
three miles northwest of Ladysmith
and Lieutenant-Col. Carlton must have
expected relief, or instead of attempt
ing to retain the defensive position he
would have retraced his steps to Lady
smith when he suffered the loss of his
ammunition. Apart from General
Whites statement that the losses are
very numerous. there is nothing to in
dicate the extent of them. except a
vague report that a soldier who brought
the news to Ladysmith. said the
British dead and wounded were lying
in heaps and that hundreds needed
doctors. This. however, is hardly
borne out by the long list Of captured
officers.
The breakdown of the Delagoa bay
cable route, combined with the monopo-
lization of the available telegraph
lines by the government and British
staff officers, is responsible for the fact
that nothing further has arrived from
South Africa. The government has re-
ceived dispatches rectifying the cas-
ualty lists. These will be published to-
morrow. Up to midnight nothing had
been received concerning Mondays
casualties. The war Office officials
were working under great strain.
Captain Perriott, staff captain to the
military secretary. has just died, his
end being hastened by anxiety and
overwork. An unconfirmed state
ment is published that General Sir
Redvers Butler has left Cape Town for
Ladysmith.
1t was reported at Aldershott today
that another complete army division
will forthwith be formed for service
in South Africa. The division consists
of 10000 men and fifty-four guns. This
is probably a preliminary step toward
calling out the Second army corps.
1t was learned today that the govern
ment has been obliged to refuse per-
mission for the United States to send
an officer to watch the Transvaal war
owing to a precedent which only per
mits one representative from each rec
ognized power. Captain Slocum, United
States military attache at Lisbon, has
been appointed.