Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-11
NEW GENERALS NEEDED,
BE ZONE BY ROBERTS AND
KITCHENER.

New York, Jan. 11-A dispatch to the
world from London says: Englss,d's 9
present situation is due to more trouble
Wluhln the British lines than without. de.
clare the expert military writer's for the
LONDON morning newspapers, who say
more things in private than the editors
allow to get into print.
Colonel Cough, who commanded the
cavalry detachment in the battle of
Magersfontein Is in London pressing
for a court martial upon Lord Me-
thuen's report that he failed to
carry out orders given him by the general
In charge. Cough has been temporarily
placarded and urged to postpone his per-
sonal demands until the war situation is
more settled.
General Yule, who conducted the re.
treat from Dundee, is also in London but
IN the strictest seclusion. He is suffer-
Ing, 1t Is said. from mental collapse,
caused by his attempts to follow and save
the troops which We're in deadly peril from
trying to hold the advanced posts in Ma
tai, without sufficient strength of cavalry
and artillery.
The London newspapers without max.
ing any direct charge, make announce
ments that General Butler is not in good
health.
It is known here that war officers re-
ceive little If any information from him
directly while Lady Butler gets a message
every day from her husband briefly an
nouncing that he is well. The gossips
urge that this is exactly the step a
thoughtful husband would take to reas-
sure his wife II he was not up to the mark.
The uncensored mail reports assert that
General Gatacre was sitting in the Mol
teno railway station with his head in llix
hands bewaling the repulse of his troops
when the general in command of the
communications first reported the disaster
to the Suffolk regiment under General
French'S command.
The first task of Lord Roberts and Kit.
chener, who arrived in Capetown last
Wednesday night. must be. the war critics
urge, to rearrange the generals in charge
of the various British forces so that all
may be brought up to an effective fight
ing point.
General Hector Mcdonald and General
Tucker are now on. their way from India
to South Africa.
The Daily Nails military writer says:
THE appearance of the new commander
in chief upon the scene should restore the
confidence of the soldiers SO sadly shaken
by the past Let our men see that their
lives are not being wasted and they may
unfortunately. little doubt that Lord Me-
thuen's health has completely broken
down. How long has this fact been
within the knowledge of the war offfce?"
The London Mornings Posts military
expert observes: "There is weapon with
which the mobile Beers in certain cases
can be held fast-the spade. The British
game is to put a line OF trenches along
their front and prolong it around one of
their flanks. General Sherman used to
drive back General Johnston in this way,
having himself the superior force. Cen
eral Buffers force may not be superior to
that confronting him, but as soon as his
men have dug themselves trenches
small party can keep back large party
of Beers. His mounted men can be used
to push the lines beyond and round the
Boer flank, being relieved as soon as they
have won position by infantry able to
hold 1t. This would in ordinary cases
end in forcing the retreat of the Beers.
In Natal, where. If they retreat. they free
Ladysmith. 1t would bring on the decisive
battle under conditions less unfavorable
to the British than those Of the 18th Of
December.