Evening star., 1900-05-07
British Officer Denies Their Violating
the Rules of War.
TELLS HOW MISTAKES OCCURRED
In Nearly Every Instance Fault Was
on British Side.
SEVERAL CASES CITE d

made against the Beers.
Ever since the war commenced there
has been a series of allegations of cruelty.
perfidy and the breaches of the customs of
civilized war on the part of the Beers.
Not only does ner position in life as
subject and a servant of her majesty natu-
rally inspire me to side with the popular
view against the enemies of my country,
but my previous service in South Africa
would scarcely warrant my being more par
tial to the Beers than TO my own country
men. We soldiers. however. by years of
training have learned to keep our heads
cool and our eyes clear in what are, to the
rest of the world. moments of excitement
As We have nothing to gain by exaggera-
ton and no public to cater to, our words
should h; q more weight than those of
civilian writer's who see for the first
time, those who never see it at close quar-
terS and those who receive all but the
barest official information from the Tom
niles who either eXaggerate for playfulnesS
or who are not accustomed to weigh their
words carefully.
Il have nothing to gain one way the
other, and that being so. ! may safely tell
the plain, unvarnished truth. which is like
ly to be unpopular on this subject as on
all others. 1t is not my wish to morally
whitewash the Boer with mere words of
praise, but | think | am in a position to
account for a good many things in a way
which, when | have given scientific
sons. may satisfy my readers.
The Case at Glencoe.
'The first of these breaches of the Gus
toms of war occurred. or was supposed to
have occurred. at the battle of Glencoe the
first struggle of the war. The allegation
was that when TaIana Hill was captured
by the Dublin Fusiliers and the Rifles. the
Beers retired. carrying white flags over
their shoulders. and thus saved themselves
from destruction by our rifles and guns.
/ have made careful inquiries from officers,
senior officers. who were present and whom
knew to he cool soldiers. likely to observe
correctly. One of these assures me, and
the others tell similar story. that he was
one Of the first to reach the top of the hill
and was well placed for observation. He
found the bulk of the Boer army in full
retreat at a distance of about SEQ yards,
but a smaller number of men. who had
been left to hold the hill to the last and
cover the retreat. Were much closer and
also in full retreat. They had left behind
them in their hurried flight field hospital
and to this rode a B0er, coming from the
main body and holding a white flag He
carried letter to the English general ask
ing for armistice to enable them to bury
the dead and carry off the wounded
NO doubt the stage of the fight at which
such a request could be granted had not
yet arrived but by no stretch of prejudice
could it be termed treacherous or a mis-
Use of the white flag. nor should it in any
way have prevented our guns firing on the
re;reating army. That they did not fire is
true. but that was due to a false view of
humanity on the part of the officer in
command. I have been assured by al of
whom l have inquired that no other flag
was raised. and that it was practically i'm
possible for one to be put up unnoticed by
them
Firing on AmbuIanceS
ut was repeatedly stated after the battle
Of CUlenso that the Boer artillery had fired
on our ambulances and that one of them
had even been overturned by a shell 1t Is
undoubtedly true that a number of shells
went c,ose to the ambulances. and I be-
HeVe that one was really struck. but there
Is no reason to believe that they were de-
Hberately aimed at. 1 had myself occasion
to 60 to the ambulance during the fight
and found them placed directly in front
OF hill on which was "A naval gun The
heId batteries We're at the time in action
a short distance in advance, so that
the ambulanceS We're between the two
and ont very far from either 1t is
not reasonable to suppose that the Boer ar
tIlery should submit without replying to
our shell fire, because chose to select
SO improper place for the wounded. They
certainly could not have fired at the guns
without many shots falling very close to
the ambulances. / have heard since but I
cannot vOuch for its accuracy that the no.
sltl1n in front Of the naval gun was selected
by a stan officer contrary to the opinion of
Cn1TRe.
after the Irish brigade had been ordered
10 rellre the ambulanCeS advanced over the
ground on which it had been fought ana
was covered with dead and wounded men.
A considerable body of men had however
Lot heard the order to retire. and were
fighting doggedly on. held the ground for
three hours after the general retirement in
spite Of being nearly surrounded by the
BoerS. The apbulances came quite close
to these men. and again received sOr1e Of
the fire meant for others. The Beers pro-
tested angrily at the time to some of the
officers who had been made prisoners
against the firing being kept up when the
ambulances We're on the field and tho
wounded We're being collected.
\ Mistake All Around
'"The brave men who had so stubbornly
resisted had nothing to do with the ambu-
lances. and were not even aware that they
had come up behind them. so that on this
occasion IT was impossible to blame either
side. / may add that this is the only fOun-
dation for the statement which once ap-
peared. that the men of the Irish regiment
had taken refuge behind an ambulance.
after tho attack on Vaal Krantz much the
same statements were made on that occa-
sion. / was d personal witness to the
currsnce. \ narrow dehe led down the
hill toward Potgieter's Drift, and along this
the ambulanCes inCautiOusly advanced.
Once started in the stream Of wagons no
return was possible. and they had to move
on and take their places in inextricable
SuInble below a brigade of infantry
Nvoudcking in field Of ground between
two hills the right: a corps OF mounted
cOlDnidlS and cavalry regiment We're
the left. and half the transport of the col
umn was gathered together in front. Such
q position invited shell fire. and the pres
ence Of :he ambulances. so far from guard
ing against it, might reasonably be COM
planned Of as contrary to the usages of war
Ambulances have no right to come within
the field Of fire: l believe. but l am not Ger
tain. that three miles is =he limit. The en-
emy, fortunately. could not see the bulk OF
the troops, and had no idea Of the damage
it was in their power to infiict. and only a
few shells were thrown. The wagons and
mounted men crowding upon the lee of the
hill escaped observation and the shelling
ceased Had a number of guns been trained
on this spot it is impossible to estimate the
loss that might have been inflicted on us.
The wagons could not have retreated
through the crowded defile the anbuIances
would have been broken up and | suppose
there would have been loud denunciation of
the barbarous BOer.''
British Fired on White Flag
THE day before the attack on Spion Kop
two Beers advanced along the top of that
HILL waving large white flag. 1 watched
them till they arrived near the southern
most DOinf thew sa,xx