Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1900-01-18
WARINSOUTH AFRICA
OPTICAL SITUATION REPORTED
AT LADYSMiTH.
Reports Say the Boer Onslaught OF 9a'-
urdav Resulted in Killing or Wouno-
ING Nearly One Thousand Brush anu
.ho4 Two Thousand Burghers.

Inc aosnerate assault upon Gen. White
- T.odvsmith has not greatly reneveu lug
ca,+b African situation from the Dli.i0n
st,r,dno;nt Terrible losses on Dotn siueo
80 ranorted rs the result OF the neice
l,ot+la While nothing Official mas oeen
-, ont az to the British casualties
s,,mmarv of them has been recelVeu III
| r ondon in which it is stated that tney
o,,orn+ to twelve officers killed ana tnil
=, wounded. and 800 men of the rank anu
G1o k;llad and wounded. That IS neasy
,orcantape in a force which proDapiy
cannot muster more than SOU nj lof
d,+y The Boer losses were placeu Wy
+ho came report at between 2,UOo anu
| . 600 Nanifestly there must be a goou
| daal of conjecture about the latter ny
nras vet if must be remembered that Tue
| 6obtine lasted for seventeen hours anu
| that the Beers were attacking lntrencheu
POSITIONS If these figures are correct
| tbev show very clearly the Determined
| nature of the fighting.
At this writing no movement IS repor'
od from any direction in South AFRICA.
All the columns are inactive and appar-
entlv waiting directions from the new
ommander-in-chief Ladysmith is stu
hesieged by the Beers and Butler, Win
his immense army of $4,000 men, is un-
able to relieve it. Kimberley still re-
mains hard pressed by the enemy, ana
Cen. Methuen cautiously remains IN MS
fortified camp to the south of the Modder
river. evidently afraid to resume opera
+;ons against the Dutch. Mafeklng, IN
British Bechuanaland, is surrounded by
Roer forces and the latest sortle OF the
British ended in repulse, which cost
the beseged dearly. In northern cape
| Colony Gems. French and Gatacre are
J unable to obtain any important advan-
tage over the Beers. The reported cap
ture of Colesberg by Gen. French mas
| t1rned out to be untrue and one OF ms
| later reports is an admission OF defeaI
in which 157 men were killed or captured.
Gatacre, after his disastrous experience
at Stormberg, warily keeps out OF boer
traps by remaining practically inactive.
Thus while the British are justly proud
| of Gen Whites heroic defense Of Lady
| smith, there is nothing in the general
situation that is encouraging. Every
where the British are held at bay and
although in the campaign thus far they
| have lost nearly 5000 men they have ac-
compfished practically nothing. In no
place have the Beers been pressed back
| from British territory. The plan of cam
paign of Butler has proved so far COM
plete failure.
It would be unwise to conclude, how
ever, that this condition will long remain
so. Humanity speaking, the Beers can
not long withstand the tremendous ar
| mics that Gems. Roberts and Kitchener
| will soon be sending against them and
the result will be that they will be beaten
back into their own territories, where the
| fighting will be of even more desperate
character than any hitherto in this cam
paign
A Desperate Fight.
The desperate fighting at Ladysmith
Saturday disabused the British and the
world generally Of a highly erroneous
opinion 1t was held that while the
Beers fought we'll from cover they were
not trained enough to attack an entrench-
ed enemy. But they conclusively proved
on Saturday that they are equally brave
and adroit in attack as in defense. For
nearly seventeen hours they hurled them
selves against the British positions, chief
ly at Caesars Camp and Wagon Hill,
and though repulsed they returned again
and again to the attack with indomitable
bravery Three times the Beers captur-
ed the British entertainments at Wagon
Hill and as often they were driven out at
the point of the bayonet. One position
they occupied all day until late in the
afternoon, when amid heavy storm they
We're driven out by the bayonet
Whether Butler can relieve Ladysmith
may we'll be doubted. Since his defeat
at Colenso, or the Tugela river, few
weeks ago he has not so far as known
taken single step to retrieve his disas-
ter. Even when Gen. White signalled
him Saturday that he was hard pressed,
the most Butler could do to help him was
to order q demonstration at Colenso,
which London paper remarked had as
much effect as ordering "a display of
fireworks"
1t is expected, however, that Butler
will attack the Beers soon and is merely
waiting to have every available gun and
man ready. That he will need all Of his
3o,UOO troops is certain. If he makes a
frontal attack he will have to cross the
Tugela river, the fords of which are I'M
der Boer guns and the approaches to
which are defended by barbed wire en-
Engagements. Even the river bed con
tains barbed wire. Then before him lie
series of entertainments, some sixteen
miles long, nearly as strong as the works
of Plevna, where the Turks so CALAMITY
held at bay the Russians. Defending
these entertainments are men as brave
and able as any in the world, for under
the training of European officers the
Beers are now disciplined army. It is
easily apparent that the task before Bull
Ter is not an easy one
In other parts of South Africa the war
situation has undergone no material
change. The nature of the fighting in
northern Cape Colony, where Gen.
FRENCH is operating is of a skirmish-
ing nature and no serious engagement
may be expected there for the present at
least Later when Gems. Roberts and
hitchener formulate their plans. it is
probable that a strong force will be sent
up the railroad from Port Elizabeth, with
OF Il: