Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-04-30
TERRIBLE BOER RIFLES.
BRITISH SERcEANT's GRAPHIC MAR.
RATIvE OF BUlLER'S FIRST RouT.

The Night Before the Battle-The First
Shell and the Horrors That Followed
the Second-AH Day Under the Boers'
! Fire-Terrors of Thirst.
! y ERGEANT ALFRED MILLS,
% of the First Battalion of Royal
y Dublin Fusiliers, who were in
the rout of General Buffers
/ forces at Tugela River on December
/ Is, writes to his parents of Ottawa,
Canada, giving some details of that
battle. He says:
my Dear Mother-I have been in
my first battle and how L am going to
describe the horrors of it to you
don't know. The night before the
battle we were all served out with ex-
ira ammunition so that each man
could go into action with $50 rounds.
AT the same time our commanding Of
ticor told us the Irish Brigade were
to attempt to cross Tugela River in
the morning and would try to turn
the enemys left flank. He asked me
to tell the men to keep up the honor
OF the old regiment. Reveille was
sounded at go that morning, and
shortly after our brigade was on the
march toward the Boer position,
which was on very high hills on the
other side of the Tugela. The river
Dis about thirty to fifty yards wide and
the Beers had it one mass of barbed
wire entanglements. The Irish Brig
ade advanced to with 1900 yards of
the river in quarter column and
halted, but shortly after were ordered
to advance another 500 PAGES. All the
commanding officers wanted to extend
their battalions, but General Hart
wouldn't have it, and SO, much against
their will, we started to advance again
in quarter column.
"There was square burnt patch in
front of us. After we had gone o lit
tie way, and when we came near it,
the first Boer shell burst right in the
centre of it. This did not do any
harm, as it was only intended to find
the range. The next shell, however,
came few seconds later, and before
we had time to extend, burst right in
the middle of my company and
knocked over two whole sections. I
was on the right of tho company. Sec
tions two and three got the shell. [
escaped. L looked around after it
burst and was almost overcome with
horror when L saw two of my COM
rades with their heads blown clean
! off, and the remainder of two sections
lying or the ground mangled. AS
soon as the effect of the shot was seen
by the enemy, their rifle fire COM
menced. They had all the ant hills
marked white to give them the range
and as we were on broad open plain
our men began to drop fast.
although bullets, shell, shrapnel,
case shot and machine explosive bull
lets were flying around us, we still
kept advancing. The whole battalion
was extended in firing line by this
time with our three companies of the
first battalion i'll the most exposed posi-
tion. The Boors had burnt all the grass
in front OF their position, SO the black
ground would show up our khaki uni
forms. We kept making shortrushes
of about one hundred yards each,
firing few volleys from time to time,
until we arrived within q couple of
hundred yards of the enemy. We
could not very we'll advance much
farther on account of the river being
between us and the enemy. 1t was at
this short range where great many
of our boys fell. Lying on the bare
ground they could be easily seen by
the Doors.
81 managed to get behind small
tuft of grass and by showing my head
well into the ground when the Boer
fire became too hot was not hit, but
with all my scheming there were thou
sands of bullets that almost came with
in range of my retreat. AS balls be-
gan to rain thicker some went between
my legs, some under my arms as lay
face down, and more just missed my
head by an inch or two. Once I put
out my hand and got bullet between
my fingers. Another time, without
realizing what marks they were for the
Boer aim, had crawled behind one
of the ant heaps when man of the
Enniskillen Fusiliers shouted. For
Gods sake, get away from that ant
heapP L crept off. A moment later
q shrapnel shell struck the heap and
| blew 1t to atoms, killing ana WoundlnS
seven OF eight men who had crawled
up behind it. I fired 140 rounds, but
hadn't the satisfaction of seeing any
of my shots take effect, as the Beers
were completely under cover in their
trenches.
"To add to the horror of the battle,
twas burning hot day. The sweat
poured out of us like rain. The thirst
was harder to endure than the enemy's
fire. 1 lost my water bottle in the
dark before going out in the morning,
and was so thirsty when my mouth
was filled with dust 1 could not spit
it out. My only thought was where
I would get the bullet when it came.
I was certain could not possibly get
back without being hit. One young
fellow of the Enniskillen Fusiliers,