The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-04-10
BULLBR'S BAD BLUNDERS
4 British Officer CriticiSes the Cam
paigu Of the Tugela.
The March and the Struggle That
Led to LRdysmttb-The British
10 Topography and Reckless of
strateEy-The Tactics Employed.

CelVHC IN tnlS city, contains the iOiloMiaS
let, from an officer in General Buffers
arm or the Tugela:
The blind man has I.uud his way home
al last With his stick ne felt his way
along the walls and cliffs. tapping. tap
ping tapping as he moved on, turning at
the corners, and feeling along till at last
his stick. missing the wall. slipped into
his own doorway. True. indeed. he had
a few misfort lnes and was badly wounded
by some lamp-pOsts, flaming with light,
but which 10 him. POOR soul. were all dark.
He had been lost for many days and few
had keep up hope that be would ever ar
rive; but now there is rejoicing on all
sides. and doubtless his w0unds-the NOR
al one at least-will be salved with the
healing ointment of public applause.
Yes. Ladysmith has been relieved at
last; we have been laundering along the
line OF kills that form that northern bEnk
OF the Tugela for many months; attemp;
Ing to pass b at all sorts Of impossible
places, and suffering heavy loss each time.
That Is an accurate description OF The ten
weeks campaign on the Tugela. No one
knew the ground or too. the trouble TO
learn it. As an example Of this sublime
Indifference. General Butler was not aware
that Hlangwani Mountain. which com
mandcd the crossing OF The Tugeia, was on
the southern side OF the river iii he had
failed I'm three diffcren attempts. Yet he
lived for weeks wi.lin three or four miles
OF the hill and at the battle OF COlenso
his right flank extended beyond H.. As TO
strategy there was none neither good
nor bad. The troops were moved along,
and when a hill or an entertainment APP
pe8red they were ordered to take IL.
Sometimes the failed. sometimes they sue
ceeded: often when they had succeeded,
after terrible loss. the post was found TO
be useless and was abandoned. This is the
blind folly In which We have been en-
gagged. and which. more through good
luck th-I good management. has eyentu-
ally succeeded. Bur had Not Lord Roberts
victory drawn away great part Of the
Beers for the defence Of their own Coun-
try. IL would never have succeeded. and
Ladysmith would have fallen. Thus weak
enCd, the Beers had not force enough 10
occupy such long defensive position. and
one by one their strong places tel into
our hands.
"Ou Friday. February 20 General Hart
was ordered 20 send Up the CUurauglt
Rangers. the IuuiskIliings and the Dubnus
along the lrc OF the railway 10 attacl,
some low hills where he river turned
again toward he east The operation Was
most difficult and dangerous. SIX COM
pauiez OF the Inniski.lugs and Two com
panie- of the Couuaugat Rangers formed
the a'tackrg line, The remainder Of the
Rams - and half Of the Dublins were in
SUP 1ort. the reserve q. insisted of the other
Ell. Of the Duhiins- ln tris order the
ftish Brigade recros-sd .he railway and
began the attack coming o. under a
severe cruSs-hrc from the -.s on the
right and left. II is at thes lines that
tTctical errors lead To such terrible loss Of
life Some troops bad indeed. been sent
20 the hills on the left. but they were not
ordered to push the attack, and they could
no. from their position even see the
northern slopes; taeF merely acted as SEN
t:ies 20 prevent our being entirely cut on
Anyone could see that it was madness
10 send an attacking force up the central
hin. while he fauNGg nal was uuDccupied.
and the Beers thereon were iei;. free 90
concentrate their FIRE for iIs defence
But stupid as was the scheme. The
method adopted for It's execution was even
WORSE General Hart PLACED himself on a
neighhoriug hin with a telescope and a
bug.er. h. was completely on, Of touch
with the attack and could not know when
q rest was necessary or when an attack
could probably Dee pressed. These mat
tiers are felt only by the officers on the
SCOT and if is absolutely necessary 10 leave
ID 10 their discretion Bur there he stood.
sounding al intervals the advance then
the double" ana then the charge.
When BE- appeared 70 him that the at
suit his taste the bugle rang out again
Ia peremprOTy tones Our artillery mean
while was Smelling the trench at the top
OF the hill. and kept down he euemy's
FIRE from that direction, 50 that the ad-
vanciuS line got TO within hundred yards
Of what seemed 90 them 10 be the top.
and waited for a moment 10 take breath.
GnGeT cover Of the steeUnesS OF the hill.
Then the generals bugler sounded the
three calls. advance double
charge The word was passed along The
ranks; bayonets were fixed, and. springing
10 their feet the men dashed forward
with a Cnser. Not shot was fired by tie
enemy ana the place seemed 10 be de
serted. The crest was reached and passed
and the triumph seemed complete.
But alas that crest was a false one;
there was slight dip behind. then an
other rise which constituted the real crest
As the men advanced over the skyline
and exposed themselves to fun view the
BoCfs suddenly stood up in their trenches
and fired in quick succession the FIVE
rounds with which their MauseTs were
charged at a range of fifty yards. The
effect was TOO terrible to describe. That
great rush OF men. confident and erect
as a great wave nearing the shore. was
checked IN moment. There was a stag
ger forward and then all that remained
was line Of poor, hopeless human beings
struggling on the ground in agony. Some
rose again. perhaps not knowing what they
We're doing and fell. pierced in many in
stances with dozen bullets. Those who
maryelOusly escaped the murderous dis
charge could only lie with the others