The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-02-24
THE FIGHTING WITH CRONJE.

Detailed Description of the Early Days
 of the Charlottesville Nature of the
 British Artillery Fire.
 Paardeberg Drift Orange Free State
 Tuesday, Feb. 20.-As night fell, after
 the terrific fighting between Lord Rob-
 erts' army and that of General Cronje, which lasted all day Sunday, there was q sudden cessation of fire, as both sides
 were thoroughly tired and glad to rest. The work of collecting the dead and
 wounded proceeded and the men slept where they had fought the whole day.
 The action was one of the most hotly
 contested in the history of the war; for the Boers were fighting for their lives, while the British determinedly harassed
 them. The mounted infantry did good work and the Highland brigade fought steadily and sternly. The whole force
 behaved well.
 On Sunday evening the cordon around the Boers was completely closed on every side in perfect silence. A few Boers came into camp during the night and confessed that they were sick of fighting, and that General Cronje was being urged to surrender. All the anil mals and the men suffered terribly from thirst, as it was impossible to transport water. A heavy thunderstorm in the afternoon, however, considerably re- lieved their sufferngs.
 Lord Kitchener was present with the force. General Macdonald was wound- ed in the foot, but not severely.
 General Cronje's force occupied the river bed. The British marched splen- didly to overtake the retreating enemy. Deserters said that a great number of the Boers lost their horses. Trek oxen were daily seen wandering over the plain, and many came into the British lines. it't
 Monday morning broke finding the Boers in the same place, having during the night constructed intrenchments around the laager, which was still threatened by General Smith -Dorien. The infantry rested after the terrible hard days fighting on Sunday.
 The mounted infantry and battery of horse artillery started to observe the enemy, who were holding kopje, but while riding around the southern side of the kopje the infantry received a heavy fusillade and were obliged to move further out. They sustained no casualty. Pushing on, the detachment found that the kopje extended a con- siderable distance west, sloping gradu- ally to the plain. They seized a, good | defensive position, which was garris- l oned. They continued the movement l and completely turned the Boers, whose left was held strongly by farmhouse, which was vigorously shelled. The de- tachment returned to camp at nightfall, | leaving a garrison on the ridge. Mean | while desultory bombardment of the | Boer position was kept up and good | deal of rifle fire concentrated where the Essex men were attempting to rush up | the river.
 About midday the cry that General | French had arrived passed down the ranks, but his division operated out of sight of the force. When Lord Roberts arrived, he addressed several regiments, ] and was vigorously cheered.
 Early in the day General Cronje asked | for a twenty-four hours armistice in or der to bury his dead. Lord Kitchener and a little later came another with word to the effect that if the British were inhuman enough to refuse an armistice for the purpose of burying the dead General Cronje saw no other resource but to surrender. Upon receipt of this message Lord proceeded to the Boer laager in order to arrange the equalization, but he was met by a messenger, who that General Cronje said that the whole thing was mistake; that he had not the slightest intention of surrendering. but would fight until he died General Kitchener returned,