Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-02-16
BRITISH BLUNDERS.
Views of n Canadian OHicer on south
African Campaign.

VICTORIA. Il. c., Feb. ia letter
received by Mrs \. A. HUMPHREYS of
this city from captain in Il border reg
iment who was wounded at Spion kop
gives n graphic description of the loss of
the British guns at the Tugcla river.
The letter was dated at Frerc. Dec. 81,
and in part says:
''People hardly realize yet what big
undertaking this is turning out to be.
Everything points to the Beers having
not less than 10000 men in the field, with
guns superior to ours in range and little
behind us in craftsmanship. and until
we get out lot more troops there is no
likelihood of our doing much more than
to hold them in check.
"They are undoubtedly following a
plan of campaign which they have work
ed out in all details in peace times, and
they are carrying il out most perfectly
They have spies everywhere and are al
ways prepared to meet any move on our
part almost before we have begun. We
are exactly the reverse and never seem to
know what they are doing nor how many
there are of them in any direction. We
won't trust n single colonial (Cape Col
oniSt
I'VE have a first class Typographical
map of the frontier of the Transvaal. but
no information as to forces No one
knows which hill commands another or
what kind of positions there are on the
other side Of the mountains facing MS.
We are exactly like the French i'm the
Franco-Gorman war. with excellent maps
of the cncmy's country. but with none
of cur own. The Boer positions are on
all the high ridges and hills They OK
f,r mil / =
ground in front.
1.-The hills behind are prepared for de-
Tense. If they are driven back from one
position, they don't have to 20 very far to
get behind a new line of resistance. Wa
ter is far from plentiful and the trans.
ports scarce, so we have to stick pretty
close to the railway. Butler has Il hard
nut To crack in the Boer position in front
of us-Colenso hills defending the river
Tugela, which we must cross and which
is only fordabe in places and far be
tween.
1--WE tried to do so last Friday and had
battle We were 10000 strong and the
Beers between 10000 and II 900. Our
brigade lFiGthl attacked on the left. but
our brigadNr made an awful mess of it
and Butler ordered him to withdraw
which we did after 523 were killed and
wounded. Something went wrong with
the right brigade. and the officer com
handing the Royal artillery advanced his
guns to within 100 yards of the Boer po-
Sition and trenches long before the in
fnntry were at hand TO support him.
The Beers allowed the guns to be I'M
limbered and then poured such a hail of
bullets that the teams of two batteries
were killed in a ve'y short time. When
the gunners were shot down. the attack
could not be carried out and Butler had
to give the order to retire, and ten guns
had to be abandoned. Our total loss was
liz and all for nothing.
"Buller almost wcpt and was heard to
eNclaim. My brigadiers have sold me-
"We shall have another division here
shortly and will then have 10000 men.
and rs the RocrS have been receiving re-
endorsements they will number not far
from 10000, and all in splendid positions.
The Shlioking AMI bursting of shells and
the roar of battle and the thousands of
MauscrS. Mctfords and MaXims last
Friday We're something awful The heat.
too. was dreadful, but the men behaved
splcndilly."