The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-04-18
ROBERTS CENSURES BULLER
CHARGED WITH WEAKNESS IN
SPION KOP OPERATIONS.

| General Warren Also Severely Criticized
terizcd Needless Assumption or
Responsibility by Subordinatc-
London Astoundsd at the Publication
Both Commanders May be Recalled.
London, April 1.-THE war office to-
Rnight published in the Gazette a dis
patch from Lord Roberts, dated Febru-
ary 13, submitting General Buffers dis
patches describing the Spion Kop ana
other operations from January II to
January "a. Lord Roberts deals severe
| ly with General Warren and some 9TH
ers. Even General Butler does not es-
cape. Lord Roberts complains that the
plan Of operations is not clearly de-
scribed in the dispatches. After sketch
ing General Buffers Intentions, as
communicated to Sir Charles Warren,
who commanded the whole force, Lord
Roberts points out that General War
rem seems to have concluded, after
consultation with his officers, that the
f1anking movement ordered by General
Butler was impracticable and therefore,
SO changed the plan of advance az to
necessitate the capture and retention OF
Spion Kop Lord Roberts continues. ls
las Warren considered it impossible
to make the wide flanking movement
which was raised, If not actually pre-
scribed in the secret instructions, he
should, forthwith have acquainted
Butler with the course he proposed to
adopt. There is nothing to show
whether he did so or not. But it Is
only fair to Warren to point out that
Butler appears throughout to have been
aware of what had been happening"
Regarding the withdrawal from Spion
Kop, the retention Of which had be-
come essential to the relief Of Lady
smith, Lord Roberts says. II regret to
be unable to concur with Butler in
thinking that Thorneycroft exercised
wise discretion in ordering the troops
to retire l am of the opinion that
Thornycroft's assumption Of responsi-
biiftyanda was wholly inexcus-
able. During the night the enemy's fire
could not have been formidable and 1t
would not have taken more than two or
three hours for Thorneycroft to COM
municate by messenger with Major
General Coke or Warren. Coke APP
pears to have left Spion Kop at $3.50 D..
M for the purpose or consulting with
Warren Up to that hour the idea Of
withdrawal had not been entertained.
Yet, almost Immediately after Cokes
departure Thorneycroft issued TIE or-
der without reference to superior au-
thority, which upset the whole plan Of
operations and rendered unavai1ing the
sacrifices already made to carry it into
effect. 1t is only right to state that
Thorneycroft appears to have behaved
in very gallant manner throughout
the day y u y It is to be re-
gretted that Warren did not himself
visit Spion Kop in the afternoon or eve
ming knowing, as he did, that the state
of affairs was very critical and that
the loss of the position would involve
the failure of the operations. He, con-
sequently, was ready to summon Coke
to his headquarters and the command
at Spion Kop thus devolved on Thor
neycroft, unknown to Coke, who was
under the impression that the command
devolved upon Colonel HILL as senior
officer
Mistakes of this nature may be triv-s
ial in themselves, yet they may ex-
ercise an important influence on the
course Of events. Butler was jus-
titled in remarking there was a want
of organization and system which acted
most unfavorably on the defence The
attempt to relieve Ladysmith was we'll
devised and I agree with Butler in
r hi ytpor ya1,f ~ I.-x
That it failed may in some measure
have been due to the difficulty Of the
ground and the commanding positions
held by the enemy and probably also to
error of Judgment and want of admin
capacity on the part of War
rem. But, whatever faults Warren may
have committed the failure must also
be attributed to the disinclnation Of
the officer in supreme command to as
sert his authority and see that what he
thought best was done and also to the
unwarrantable and needless assump-
ton of responsibility by subordinate
officer"
The dispatch concludes: "The graft
flying feature of these dispatches is the
admirable behavior of the troops
the operation.
KuIicr's Reports.
General Buffers reports commenting
on General Warren's reports of the
capture and evacuation of Spion Kop.
after disputing the correctness of some
Of Warren's assertions and describing
The dangerous situation occupied by
Warren's force, tells that he saw the
force at Spion Kop had given way be-
fore Warren knew of 1t. Butler there
fore telegraphed to Warren:
UNLESS you put a really good, hard
lighting man in command on top, you
will lose the hill. I suggest Thorney-
croft"
General Butler continues: II have
not thought it necessary to order an
investigation. If at Sundown the de-
'ense of thessummit had been taken in
1and entrenchments laid out and the
lead and wounded removed the whole
place would have been brought under
'egular military commands and the hills
would have been held, l am sure. But,
10 arrangements were made. Coke APP
bears to have been ordered away just
is he would have been useful and no
me succeeded him. Those on top were
snorant of the fact that the guns were