West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-12-06
BACK FROM BOER WAR
His Praise Of Kitchener and Dc Wet.
z. ID. Curran, an American Who Il
inNaiided Home, Bears the Sears OF
Seven Boer Wounds.

l.. ID, Curran, an American, dressed in
the uniform of "Kitehener's horse" one of
the mos, famous and hardest fighting cav
airy regiments IN the South African war,
was recently in New York ON his way to his
home in Atlanta. lie fought with the req
lment for i5 months, was in seven general
engagements, besides score of skirmiShes,
was wounded more or less seriously seven
times, the last wound being a shot through
the right lung, received at the battle of
Land River, which laid him up for good,
and he was invalided home, says the New
York Times. II was rather difficult to get
Curran TO speak Of his experiences the other
night, as he said he was tired of fighting and
talking of lighting lie added. however:
81 dr'f,ed from Atlanta into Mexico, aid
in 1896 went from Vera Cruz to South
Africa. stuck TO my business of railroad
ing and was foreman of gang of workmen
on bridge on the Cape Town railway three
miles from Kimberly in October, 1900,
when the Boers began closing in on the
place. Then | had to do one of three
things-join the British. join the Beers or
get shot.
al took chances with the British, and as
'kiiehener's horse came along then joined
Troop G., under Captain Warren. formerly
chief of police of Natal. We started right
out on months trip through the rebel
territory, and we fought in Doer. Briiis,own,
Prieska, Thabanchu, Lindley, Heilbron,
Blocmfoniein and dozen other places tha,
| can't remember. We were in General
lan liamilton's column, and there were
20, 600 men in II. We were being bothered
all the time by the Bocrs, but half the time
we didn't seem TO be trying to stop them.
We jus, KEEP, marching on.
''lgot my first wound in the battle of
Thabanchu--shot clean through the leg.
Say, tina, was hot battle, and It's all rot
to talk Of the British always being in the
open. We got behind rocks every time,
officers and all. II was question of doing
that or getting killed. Why, when those
Pompom'. or machine guns, of the Beers
got at us the way the bullets came was like
getting money from home. There was no
living unless you were behind something.
put my hat up on rock once and got IL
full of n kinds of bullets before you could
take chew OF tobacco.
81 was lying behind rock next TO n man
named Van Buren. We were pumping
away when Van says to me, ,scaredlike, MY
gun won't work. You see, when man
ean'I shoe, he begins to get scared right
away. Well, this man Van started in and
dug and scratched down behind that rock
until at last he was completely buried in
dirt. Captain Warren was wounded in two
places, 5ut he kept crawling about steady
ing the men by calling to them.
Speaking about officers, we never paid
much attention TO them when we got into
fight Most Of the younger ones were fell
lows who had bought their commissions and
hardly knew rife from a carbine. They'd
stand behind rock and say, Il say, men,
move along that way, or, 'Hey, there,
work oyah TO the left, will you ? We had
business TO attend to, and we Just went
whichever way seemed best. Some of these
society chaps would go right out in the
open wearing their single eyeglasses and get
shot down like men.
''Well, we finally worked our way down
TO Dornkop, near Johannesburg, where we
struck about goo Irish-American mounted
police, and VIC went through them like
water through a sieve. You see, we we're
little sore on these men on account of the
way they got into the co6 ay. know
there were I5oof them from Philadelphia
who went through Cape own with big red
crosses on their arms and we're treated fine
by the British. When they got into the
Boer lines, they tore those badges off and
shouldercd iiaes. There was some awfuily
hot fighting all around that neiehborhood.
got shot through the knee, and we los,
lot Of men. I myself was detailed 10
bury 90 Scotch higbIanders in one day.
Those Gordon hghlanders we're the best
fighters Of the whole British army.
"The Ionges, fight we we're in was at
Diamond hill, 40 miles north Of Pretoria.
We foughi two days and nights with General
Boiha The Kitchener horse seemed 10
have the wors, Of that taule. On the morn.
Of the FIRST day they made ne stand stock
still 50 feet apart for three hours, while
other regiments were moving around to the
enemy's rear. We were Just picked of like
tenPin'. irs standing like that and being
shot at that scares man. It's the first
time ever got really scared sick.
"Finally We got the order 20 charge. and
everything was all right again Later in
the day Lord Kitchener rode down the line
and said he was proud to have a regiment
like that bear his name. You stood like
men, said he After he passed little way
J remarked 60 friend, q stood because /
was too al fred scared 10 run The Gen.
cral heard me, turned and scowled. then
smiled and rode on. on the second dav Of
the battle a she'll struck my horse, Light
ming, that h1d carried me I,soo miles and
toto all my battles The thing tore him all
go pieces, AID dropped 10 The ground on
bed n blood add bones knew my luck
was lost. AMI sure enough little later
bullet orc through my dgh, lunz. Tha,
ended me- aad was iuyaHded by degrees
20 Cap Town aud later took passage on the
,fansporl Idaho for Halifax with the FIRST
Canadian contingent
''What do I think of the British Gen.
erals Wen, to begin with. ,hink Ki,eh
ener IS the greatest soldier they have and
the coolest blooded. orucisi sor Of gun
hat ever rode horse lie looked on
company Of men as so many sticks. saw