New-York tribune., 1900-01-26
WARREN A WARY FIGHTER
ONE BRITISH GENERAL, Uses RoEp TAO
TICS AGAINST THE BOERs.
lCopyTisht; 1905 By The New-York Tribunal
lBY CABLE TO THE rRIBUNE.I

ICopyrsht; 1900; By The New-Yory Tribunal
lBT CABLE THE rR1BUvEI
LONDON jan 70. a m.-GeneraI Warren haA
Won ms MaJuoa by Boer tactics and the finest
English lighting qualities His night at+ack
upon Splon kop was completely successful Tha
S'oIHlihs party ascended tc the summit stealthiv
ana without observation. and surprised the gar
rison' which made an ineffective defence ard
ned 1t was daring feat of arms. which was
rendered possible by Dutch neglect TO protect
the approaches TO the summit This was Sir
George Coley's glaring mistake in tactics AZ
MaJuoa' and the Beers themselves with all their
cunning nave repeated it when the.r were on
lhe TOP and the British at the bottom. The
Boers took Majuba with trivial loss on their
side The British were not equally fortunate az
Spion Kop. but the position gained was worth
what 1t cost, and also the courage REQUIRED fpr
so hazardous an exploit. The Dutch showed
their appreciation of the value OF the stronghold
oy making determined effort to regain IL by
shelhng and attacking 1t in force. 1t was held
by the British on Wednesday, and the garrison
was probably strongly reinforced at night
General Butler evidently had a terribly anxious
day himself while waiting for news from War
ren, and when it came his feeling of relief found
expression after midnight in an involuntary
tribute TO the conduct OF the soldiers. The men
are splendid" he wrote at the close Of the bulIe-
tin Of victory. General Butler is a cold bust
nesslike martinez from whom 1t is as difficult to
draw compliment sunbeam from cucum-
Ter. Enthusiasm for once overpowered him
Englishmen who read the dispatch to the war
Office after twenty-foUr hours OF extreme tension
were not under the same self-restraint They
exulted in the feat Of arms which had trans
formed the situation on the upper TugeIa from
critical into hopeful one. They had War
sens opinion that he had rendered the enemy's
position untenable and Buffers word for It thar
the men were splendid There was a marked
feeling of public relief. and London was bright
and CHEEKY at night.
\ WAR OFFICE BLUNDER
have learned that the publication Of c,an.-.,
Buffers previous dispatch announcing the night
attack before it had come or was blunder due
to a minor misunderstanding in the War Osice
1t had been intended that the closing paragraph
relating to the night assault should be omitted
but through clerical carelessness the entire mes
sage was sent to the newspaper offices.
Details OF the capture Of Spion Kop are stfli
meagre at midnight, but some light has been
thrown upon the operations OF the two previous
days. When Warren's force was apparently
standing idle the field artillery and howitzsru
were at work. while battalions were waiting
under cover and exposing themselves as little as
possible. Lyddite and shrapnel were showered
upon the lonS stony kopje which formed the
main position OF the enemy upon the crest OF
spurs leading upward 10 SpiOn KOp. Special
correspondents. telegraphing as late $50
O'Clock on Tuesday night assumed that the
army would be massed for a decisive attack
through the zone OF fire three-quarters OF mile
wide. Warren's secret was wen kept. He un-
derstood what the Dutch wanted him TO do. and
ne carefully refrained from doing It. They had
selected their position with special reference to
the final challenge 70 British valor offered by
bare, open slopes which must be traversed be-
fore bayonets could be used The British gen
erals had not finched elsewhere from asking
their soldiers to expose themselves TO a mur-
dsrous musxstry fire under similar conditions.
General Warren was old hand who dislikad