The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-18
STORY OF LADYSMITH FIGHT.
FIRST DETAILED REPORT OF THE
BoERs' ASSAULT.

Shot and SheIl-Cnpture of Thirty
HighlRnders, All of Whom Were
WOunded-ManyO officers Fell in the
COnfict-The Beers Were Finally
Repulsed.
London, Jan. 1S..-The first detailed re-
port of the assault on Ladysmith is given
in a dispatch from there published to-day
by the Standard.
1t is dated Ladysmith, Jan. 6, via Frere,
Jan. II and makes the first mention of the
capture of the Highlanders 1t shows the
garrison was surprised and several times
the situation was critical. Every one OF the
thirty Gordon Highlanders who surren-
dered was wounded. The dispatch follows:
The enemy to-day made determined
effort to capture two positions, Caesars
Camp and Wagon Hill. The latter is a
lofty eminence to the southwest, possess
sion of which would have brought them
within rifle range of the town. Caesars
Camp was held by the First battalion of
the Manchester regiment.
The position was separated from that
of the Beers by a rocky ravine. In the
morning darkness the Heidelberg commau-
do evaded our pickets and reached the
foot of the slope at half past 2. Before
the danger could be realized, the outlying
Sangares had been rushed and their de-
tenders slain. on hearing the firing two
companies of the Gordon Highlanders went
to the assistance of the Manchesters. The
Beers were thought to be concentrating on
the southern slope, where they had al
ready secured footing on the plateau.
Here, however. their advance was checked
by the steady volleys of our infantry ana
the deadly fire of an automatic gun.
HiEbIanders TO the Rescue.
"The camp was being assailed on the
left flank and on the front. BY daybreak
reinforcements of Gordon Highlanders
and of the rifle brigade had been hurried
up to the fighting line. Lieut. Col Dick
Cunningham who was leading the Cor
dons out of camp, fell mortally wounded
being hit by a stray bullet while stin close
to the town. The Fiftythird Battery of
Field Artillery, under Mai. Abby, crossed
the Kip river and sheed the ridge and
reverse slope of the front position, where
the enemy were lying among the thorn
bushes
1.-THE shrapnel which few over our
heads did terrible execution 1t effectu-
ally held the Beers in check and stopped
their reinforcements through the ravine.
'fThe enemy fought with stubborn cour-
age. Their 6-inch gun on Umbulwar1a
mountain and the smaller satellites threw
more than a hundred shells at Abdy's
battery and at the troops on the hill. our
troops, however were not less gallant and
resolved, and the enemy was pressed back
step by step until at length those who
Iaff hrrI and Ha1 tn NJ tor lar
"A terrific storm of rain and hail, ac-
companied by peals of thunder. Mad burst
over the camp during the fighting. This
served to swell the streams into raging
torrents. In their efforts to escape num-
bers of tthe enemy flung themselves into
the current and were swept away.
THE struggle in this part of the field
was now ended. and the finale was a ter
rife fusillade all along the line, the crash
of which almost drowned the incessant
thunder above.
Struggle at Wagon Hill.
Meanwhile a more exciting contest was
in progress i'm the direction of Wagon
Hill. At O'Clock a storming party, fur
nished by the Harrlsmith commando, crept
slowly and cautiously along donga in
the valley, which divides our posts from
their camp A few well aimed rifle shots
killed our pickets Taking advantage of
every inch of cover the Beers then grad
ually reached the crest of the nights Here
a body of light horse was posted but they
were forced to retire before the advance
of the Free Staters, there being no breast
works for defense on the western shoulder
of the hill With little to impede their
progress the enemy soon came to an en-
placement, where they surprised working
parties of the Gordon Highlanders and
the Sixtieth Rifles.
Lieut.. Digby Jones of the Royal Engi-
neers, collected a handful Of men, made a
gallant effort to hold the position, but
the numbers were against him. and after
a stout resistance, he was driven back
and the enemy got possession of the sum
nit. Even then, however. me Free Stat
ers were afraid to venture far or 90 face
the heavy fire from the Sangar. Here Il
was that Lieut.. McNaughten and thirty
of the Gordons were captured, although
not until every man among them was
wounded
How Beers Were Driven BACK.
"At 5 o'clock Col Edwards, with two
squadrons of the Light Horse, arrived up
on the scene, and the Twenty-first Battery
of the Royal Field Artillery, under Mai
Blewitt, came into action, preventing the
stormng party being reinforced from the
Boer camp.
1.-The Eighteenth Hussars and the Fifth
Lancers meantime checked the movement
on our right 0ank. our position at TINS
point had become critical Our men had
retired for cover behind the northern
slope while the enemy had made their
way into the pass dividing them from the
hill. Mai. Bowen rallied few of the
rifles, but fell while leading them TO the
charge. His example was at once follow
ed by Lieut. Tod. but the latter met the
same fate
"rhe enemy were making good the foot
ing they had already secured in the en-
placement, when Mai. Miller Walnut,
calling the scattered Gordons together,
charged in and drove them back. Having
thus cleared the ground, he Joined Lieut..
Dgby Jones in a newly prepared en-
placement on the western shoulder
"a. pause ensued for a time, but the
Beers were not yet finally beaten. Taking
advantage Of the storm now raging, they
essayed to capture the position by another
rush. Three of their leaders reached the
parapet. but were shot down by Lieut.
Digby Jones and Lieut. Walnut, the lat
ter of whom also fell.
"The renewed check practically ended
the duel though small parties of the braver