The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-04
Might Have Been Forced to Capitu-
Long-Expected Relief Arrived.
INVESTED FOR FOUR MONTHS
STORY OF THE LONG SIEGE TOLD IN
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
General Whites SOrtfes and Buffers
Various Attempts to Reach the
Beleaguered Town.

LONDON. March s.-The story of the
siege of Ladysmith is being told in the
London press in letters and dispatches
from correspondents. The latest kilograms
confirm previous reports that General
Whites garrison was in sore straits for
food. For weeks the only meat procurable
was taken from the carcasses of emaciated
horses and mules that had once been used
as cavalry chargers and transport animals.
The horses and mules We're killed each day
by order of the commander. The relief of
the town this week, therefore, was fortu-
nate. for. while it might have held out a
short time longer, the troops were not In a
condition to resist a concentrated attack.
Natal Is now free of Beers and there will
be no trouble in forwarding the sick and
wounded to Durham and other points for
treatment. General Butler, in dispatch
from Ladysmith makes it clear that the
Beers decided to raise the seige of the town
Immediately they learned that General
Cronje was at the mercy of General Rob-
erts at Paardeberg. The British advance
in Natal was then only opposed in order to
anow time for the big guns and ammuni-
ton and stores to be safely removed north
and west. That the Beers were not COM
pletely successful in carrying out this in
tention was owing to the fact that they
were more or less demoralized by General
Buffers victorious attack on Tuesday.
After the battle orders were evidently
given for hasty retreat to the passes.
with the result that large quantities of am
munition and two guns were left behind.
Virtually speaking, Natal is now clear of
the Republican forces.
A GREAT MILITARY DEPOT.
Since the opening of the Anglo-Boer war
the one all-important position which has
been alike the objective point of the in
vadng army under Joubert and of the re-
lieving army under Butler has been the
town of Ladysmith. AS a strategic point of
vantage Ladysmith has been admitted on
all hands to have been practically worth
less. So far as the mere furtherance of the
war was concerned, regarded from it's
strategic side, the taking Of Ladysmith was
not desired by the Beers. The place was
not fortified. It's occupation would have
been of no special advantage to the Beers.
1t was defended only by trenches. and its
natural position was not easily defensible,
requiring an unusually large force TO hold
it. But it was not the Importance of it's
location that made the Beers eager to
seize and the British so anxious to defend
and relieve this famous city and camp of
Ladysmith. The place had been selected as
the site for the principal British military
depot of South Africa This selection had
been vigorously but unavailingly objected
to by Gen. William Francis Butler, late
commander of British forces in South
Africa His protests became louder and
more urgent when great military stores be-
gan to accumulate In the camp. But the
authorities paid little heed to his warnings
and continued to pile up stores in Lady
smith, i'm spite of the rumored preparations
of the TranSvaal for war.
In the care of General White at Lady
smith ammunition amounting in value TO
s5,000,0O0 and commissary stores OF like
aggregate were warehoused when the
Beers declared war on Oct IL. This was
the true reason why Ladysmith has been
the mutual objective of the contending
armies, as well as the reason why General
White did not dare to abandon the position
before he was surrounded by the invaders
from the Transvaal.
THE SIEGE OF THE TOWN.
The siege of Ladysmith began Nov. 2.
This was after the retreat of the British
forces from Glencoe and the safe arrival
of the Glencoe-Dundee attachments at the
camp of General White. Between the
opening of the war and the beginning of
the siege several important engagements
were fought in the neighborhood of the big
British camp near the Transvaal border
that at Glencoe on Oct 80, in which the
British lost 43 killed, Isl wounded and 200
captured; at Elandslaagte, where they lost
AZ killed and 215 wounded, and at Nichol-
sons Mex Oct. So where they lost AZ killed,
$50 wounded and SAB captured.
General Whites forces at Ladysmith
were variously estimated at between s'ooO
and 10000, accounting for the men lost in
action before the siege and the reinforce
ment of colonial volunteers. This number
was only slightly reduced by losses sus-
tanned in the several sorties made by
Whites orders, and in the two attacks in
force made by the Beers to storm the posi-
ton on Nov. 80 and Jan. s. General White
was amply supplied with food and ammuni-
ton, but the suffering In the camp was
very great, owing to the ravages or enter1c
fever and the general i'll health or the
troops. caused by the vitiation of the water
of Kip river, from which the camp and
the town drew their supply.
Buffers army of relief began to arrive
about the middle of November. and by
December he had under his command
about 10000 men, most OF whom ne could
use in the battlefield owing TO the fact that
his line of communication did not require
a large guard On Dec Is he tried to cross
the Tugela and lost eleven guns and more
than 1000 men. Buffers second attempt 10
cross the Tugela was made Jan. IL. but on
Jan IS he was again forced to retire.
Meanwhile he had fought the bloody six
day battle of Spion kop. In this battle
twenty-six officers were killed, twenty
wounded and six men captured. The Brit
ish fatalities were nearly 600. On Feb.
General Butler. whose forces had been now
augumented by 10000, making his total
force theoretically, 50,O00, crossed the river
for the third time. but he retreated three
DAVIS later. On Feb. q Butler began his
fourth attempt. While both sides were pre-
pairing for battle news of the British
change of campaign plans in the west
reached the Beers in Natal and their con-
fidence was weakened. Many of their
troops were drawn off TO march either 20
their capital in the north or 10 the relief
of General Cronje in the west. After one
or two skrmishes, in which the Boer posi-
ton on the kopjes were taken. the advance
portion of Buffers army, with General
Dundonald in command. marched into
Ladysmith, told in cable dispatches this
week.
CHRONOLOGY OF THE CAMPAIGN.
Oct. 12-Boer army invades Natal
Oct. 2O-Battle OF Glencoe: Beers re-
pulsed; General Symons mortally wounded;
British losses, So killed, 191 wounded
Oct. 2l-Battle of Elandslaagte: Beers
repulsed; British losses. 81 killed. 210
wounded
Oct. 2i-Battle of Rietfontein; British
compelled TO retire, having II killed, 10s
oct. 3O-Battle of Ladysmith British en-
trapped and defeated after having 500 men
captured and 300 killed and wounded.
Nov. 2-Siege of Ladysmith begins
Nov 3-British troops forced TO evacuate
Colenso.
near Estcourt; Winston Churchill and IS
men captured.
Nov. i6-Battle of Willow Grange south
of Colenso: Beers repulsed; British losses