Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-01-09

LONDON, January S.-1he- first ac-
count, giving any adequate explanation
of Gen. Buffers defeat at the Tugela
river comes from Bennett Burleigh, the
Daily Telegraph's correspondent. 1t APP
pears that the battle orders; drawn up
by Gen. Clery,. provided for the effee-
tive support of the artillery by Harris,
Barton's and Dundonald's. brigades.
These were never completed. Gen.
Hart missed his way. Lord Dundonald
failed to support and Gen Barton got
part of his forces in an untenable po-
sition. Col. Long with the artillery,
outpaced the escort Of the guns and
they were lost. Briefly that seems Ito
be the story of the Tugela river. But
through graphic columns there contin-
ua1ly, recurs the discovery of unexpect-
ed entertainments and awful fIsilades
from hidden Beers and galiantry such
as has seldom marked British battle
fields.
AltCI uooClIulHS uoW IuO LII LUSH
force began their advance at daylight
and how the Beers left them absolute
ly unmolested, the correspondent says:
cat $40 there suddenly burst an aw-
full crash of Boer musketry upon the
batteries and advancing infantry The
rattle of the Mausers swelled and was
maintained "
AS One Continuous Roar.
From the buildings and lines of
trenches south of the river and from
the river bank itself the Beers fired at
our gunners and footmen, and from the
trenches ON the northern side of the
Tugela river and from Fort Wylie and
elsewhere they sent out a hurricane of
-leaden hail and the bullets venomously
rained upon the ground in all direc-
ti6ns, raising puffs Of dust and tearing
through the air with shrill. sounds.
Few have ever seen so heavy and so
deadly a fusilade but neither the Brit
ish gunners nor the infantry hesitat-
ed or WINGED. Cannon were wheeled
into position although many of the
horses and men were shot down ere
the nianoeuvre was completed, and our
indominatable soldiers walked erect
and straight onward. Not even Rome
in her palmiest days ever possessed
more devoted sons. AS the gladiat0rs
marched proud and beaming to meet
death, so the soldiers doomed to die,
saluted and then with alacrity stepped
forward to do their duty, Glory or the
grave .Anglo-Saxon soldiers always
advance that way. I asked an Ameri-
can who fad seen warfare at home, in
Cuba and Manila, if his own country
men generally did this and he answer
ed:
eyes, it is marvellous, but waste
full
"Closer and closer walked the sol
diers toward the Boer trenches, until
Within 400 Yards
of the nearest rifle pits. Then lying
down they returned the fire, but there
was little or nothing to aim at.
by 7:15 the Irish brigade had driv-
en- the Beers to the north bank of the
Tugela. They found that the enemy
had planted the ground with barbed
wire entanglements. Even in the bed
of the river, barbed wire was laid
down. Into the water went the Dublin
Innis killings, Borderers and Con-
naughts, but it was found at the ford
that the Beers had cunningly damned
the river and there was ten feet of
water where ordinarily It is but knee
deep. They stroye to find the cross
ings and many a fine fellow with his
weight of ammunition and accoutre-
ments, was drowned 1t was desper-
ate and serious situation. The attack
upon the right was making no progress
and the hearts of the men had reached
an apparent impasse. But there were
furious and angry irishmen who had
resolved to get across somehow. BY
dint of scrambling from rock to roci.
and swimming, number won the 9TH
er side. Yet most of them found that
they had but passed across a winding
spruit. The Tugela still lay in front
and all the while
%he Murderous Fire
of cannon and Mauser crashed, and
comrades fell weltering in their blood.
In the meanwhile Col. Long had
lost his guns and Gems. Butler and
Clery, with their stats and escorts had
ridden to the scene. :
THE sponting hail Of lead and iron
snapped and spluttered and the dust
pulled more than. ever Lord Roberts
son with Captains Sehofeld and Con-
grove, volunteered to ride out and en-
deavor to save the two field batteries
in the open. Readily other volunteers
were found. Corporals from the lines
and drivers of the ammunition wagons,
taking spare teams. galloped out and
continued an sixth PaEe.