Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1900-02-01
BULLER IN RETREAT.
ee,TfsH FORCES REcROsS THE
TuGELA RIVER.
Expedition Moving to the Keheh Oh
Iadvsmith Is Turned Back After a
Sermons Defeat - English GeneraIs
story of Spion kop.

THE war news for which the people OF
England have been waiting in agonlzlns
cusnense has come 1t is in the shape Oh
dispatch from Gen. Butler ana Tells
of the retreat of the British army across
the Tugela River and the story OF Spion
kop. The dispatch is dated at spear
mans Camp and reads as follows:
"On. Jan. 20 Warren drove back the
enemy and obtained possession ol lne
southern crests of the high table lana eA-
tending from the line of Acton homes
and Honger's Poort to the western Lazy
smith hills. From then to Jan. 70 ne re-
NAMED in close contact with the enemy.
1.-THE enemy held a strong posltion on
range Of small kopjes stretching 1roh
northwest to southeast across the pa
teau from Acton Homes, through oploh
Kop, to the left bank of the Iugela. Inc
actual position held was perfectiy teha-
bic. but did not lend itself to an ADVANCE
as the southern slopes were SO steep lhat
Warren could not get an effective artli-
Iery position, and water supply was a
difficulty.
lon Jan. % | assented to his attacking
Spion Kop, a large hill, indeed noun
tain. which was evidently the key OF the
position, but was far more accesslDle
from the north than from the south. On
the night of Jan. % he attacked Splon
Kop but found it very difficult to hold,
as it's perimeter was too large, ana wa
ter, which he had been led to believe ex-
listed, in this extraordinarily dry season
was found very deficient.
THE crests were held all that day
against severe attacks and heavy shell
fire. Our men fought with great gal
lantry. I would 7 especially mention the
conduct of the Second Cameronians and
the Third Kings Rifles, who supported
the attack on the mountain from the
steepest side and in each case fought
their way to the top, and the Second Ian
cashire Fusiliers and Second Middlesex,
who magnifcently maintained the best
traditions of the British army through
out the trying day of Jan. "a, and Thor
nycroft's mounted infantry, who fought
throughout the day equally well along
side of them.
Gen. Woodgate, who was in com
mand at the summit, having been wound
ed, the officer who succeeded him decided
on the night of Jan. "a to abandon the
position, and did so before dawn Jan. 20.
Il reached Warren's camp at 8 a. m.
on jan 20 and decided that second at
tack upon Spion Kop was useless and
that the enemy's right was too strong to
allow me to force it. Accordingly l de-
cided to withdraw the force to the south
of the Tugela. A few hours afterward
we commenced withdrawing the train,
and in thirty-eight hours Warren's force
was concentrated south Of the Tugela
without the loss of man or a pound of
stores.
'The fact that the force could with
draw from actual touch-in some cases
the lines were less than a thousand yards
apart-with the enemy, in the manner it
did, is, think, sufficient evidence of the
morale of the troops, and that we were
permitted to withdraw our cumbrous OK
and mule transports across the river,
eighty-fve yards broad, with twenty-foot
banks and very swift current, unno-
Tested, is, l think, proof that the enemy
has been taught to respect our soldiers
fighting powers
Boer advices state that 800 British
dead were left on the battlefield, but the
report is discredited in London. The
loss, however. is conceded to have been
heavy.