The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-04-25
ROBERTS SCORES BUTLER
SENSATIONAL ANALYSIS OF sP1ON
KOP.
The Commander in Chief Reports on
the Operations Around Ladysmith-
designations Expected as a Result

LONDON, April 1.-THE War Office
tonight published in the Gazette a dis
patch from Lord Roberts, dated Feb
ruary 49, submitting General Buffers
dispatches describing the Spion Kop
and other operations from January II
to January "a. Lord Roberts deals
severely with General Warren and some
others. Even General Butler does not
escape. Lord Roberts complains that
the plan of operations is not clearly de-
scribed in the dispatches, After sketch
ing General Buffers intentions, as COM
municated to Sir Charles Warren who
commanded the whole force, Lord Rob-
erts points out that General Warren
seems to have concluded after consul
tation with his officers that the flank
ing movement ordered by General Bull
Ter was impracticable and therefore so
changed the plan of advance as to ne
cessitate the capture and retention of
Spion Kop.
Lord Roberts continues: "As War
rem considered it impossible to make
the wide thanking movement which was
recommended, if not actually pre-
scribed in the secret Instructions he
should have forthwith acquainted Bull
Ter with the course he proposed to
adopt There is nothing to show wheth-
er he did so or not. But it is only fair
to Warren to point out that Butler APP
pears throughout to nave Deen aware
of what was happening"
Regarding the withdrawal from Spion
Kop, the retention of which had be-
come essential to the relief of Lady
smith, Lord Roberts says: Il regret to
be unable to concur with Butler in
thinking Thorneycroft exercised wise
discretion in ordering the troops to re-
tire. ] am of the opinion that Thorn
eycroft's assumption of responsibility
So IN
During the night enemy's force could
not have been formidable, and it would
not have taken more than two or three
hours for ThorneycToft to communicate
by messenger with Major General Coke
or Warren. Coke appears to have left
Spion Kop at $3.50 p. m, for the purpose
of consulting with Warren. UP to that
hour the idea of withdrawal had not
been entertained. Yet almost immedi-
ately after COkes departure Thorney-
croft issued the order, without reference
to superior authority, which upset the
whole plan of operations, and rendered
unavailing the sacrifices made to carry
it into effect. On the other hand 1t is
only right to say that Thorneycroft APP
pears to have behaved in very gallant
manner throughout the day.
1T is to be regretted that Warren did
not himself visit ,SpiOn Kop during the
afternoon or evening, knowing as he did
that the state of affairs was very crit
ical, and that the loss of the position
would involve the failure of the opera
tons. He, consequently, was obliged to
summon Coke to his headquarters, and
the command at Spion Kop thus de-
volved on Thorneycroft, unknown to
Coke, who was under the impression
that the command devolved upon Col
onel Hill as senior officer Omissions
or mistakes of this nature may be trif-
ling in themselves, yet they may eXer-
else an important influence over the
course of events, and I believe Butler
was justified in remarking, There was
a want of organization and system
which acted most unfavorably on the
defense"
1.-The attempt to relieve Ladysmith
was well devised, and 1 agree with Bull
Ter in thinking it ought to have sue
ceeded. That it failed may, in some
measure, have been due to the difficult
ties of the ground and the commanding
positions held by the enemy and prob
ably also to errors of judgment and
want of administrative capacity on the
part of Warren. But, whatever faults
Warren may have committed, the fail
ure must also be attributed to the disin-
clination of the officer in supreme COM
mand to assert his authority and see
that what he thought best was done,
and also to the unwarrantable and
needless assumption of responsibility
| by a subordinate officer"
The dispatch concludes: THE graft
| flying feature of these dispatches is the
admirable behavior of the troops
/ throughout the operation"