The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-02-15
FORCED TO RETIRE.
Beers Again Drive Butler Across
the Tugela.
Special to the HERALD.

{
were in possession of the kopje at
Molens drift abandoned it after bonn
Dardment by Boer cannon this morn
ing and retired across the Tugela river
to their former position.
A desultory cannonade is proceeding
at the Tugela this morning, but other
wise every thing is quiet.
Believed In London.
London, Feb. 10.--London accepts as
true the Boer statement that Gen. Bull
Ter has failed again. These statements
were passed by the British censor at
Alden and are read in the light of Mr..
Balfour's announcement in the COM
mons that Gen. Butler is not pressing
his advance.
special dispatch from Spearman's
camp dated Friday noon says that, ow-
ing to the Boer cross fire and the inn
possibility of intrenching Vaal Krantz,
Gen. Buffers force withdrew. The
Financial News, which publishes this
dispatch, suggests that Gen. Butler
has not yet actually recrossed the
Tugela.
Mr.. Winston Churchill wires that
Vaal Krantz was impracticable for the
guns which were needed to support a
further advance. His cablegram leaves
Gen. Butler en- Tuesday night sending
fresh brigade to relieve the tired hold
ers of Vaal Krantz.
Ba1four's Statement.
London, Feb. 10.-Mr. Balfour, the
government leader, replying to ques-
ton in the house of commons Friday
evening as to whether any information
had been received from the seat of war,
said:
"Our information points to the fact that
Gen. Butler is not pressing an advance from
the position he has occupied We do not
consider 1t right to press him for details
of the operations which are in progress,
nor if he gives such information, do we
deem it proper to make this public until
such operations are completed. The gov
eminent had no information as to whether
Gen. Macdonald has retired"
Utterly DumfOunded.
London, Feb. 10. - The war office
has evidently heard nothing of Gen.
Buffers retreat as described in the
dispatch from the Boer head lager,
Ladysmith, February 8. When shown
the Boer dispatch the officials appeared
utterly dumfounded. Apparently they
had not the least suspicion of the
possibility of such an outcome of the
operations.
Causes Bitter Disappointment.
Tile news spread rapidly, and nat
urally disappointment was visible on
all sides, although the long silence from
the upper Tugela had already aroused
apprehension that Gen. Butler might
have found it impossible to go forward,
in which case he would have no option
but to recross the river.
Fierce CannOna ding.
Kilograms from Ladysmith, dated
Monday, describe the effect Gen. Bull
ier's cannonade had on the worn gar
rison. Hope ran high that the long
period of inactivity and tedium was
drawing to a close. The crash of guns
was almost continuous for ten hours,
and at times it seemed as if as many as
20 shells burst in a minute. The Beers,
preparing always for the possibility of
defeat, were driving herds and sending
long wagon trains towards the Drakens
berg passes. Intense darkness and ST.
lence followed, broken only by frogs
croaking and the occasional blaze of
star shells, surrounding the town with
a circle of light to prevent the unob-
served approach of the enemy. A Sc
ries of British mines, laid for the Beers,
exploded accidentally, shaking and
alarming the city and camp.
MacDonaId's Retirement.
Gen. MacDonald's retirement puzzles
the military commentors. The theory
that finds acceptance is that it was or
dered by Lord Roberts, and that both
Gen. Buffers and Gen. MacDonald's
operations were by the direction of the
commander in chief, in order to occupy
the Beers at widely separated points, so
they would be unable to transfer any
portion of their forces to oppose the
projected central advance.
Methuen Orders n Retirement.
Koodoosberg Drift. Feb. S.-The
Beers yesterday made a determined
attempt to drive the British from a
hill commanding the drift. Mount ting
two segen-pounders at the northern
extremity, they sEelled the position in
termittently the whole day. The
Seaforth highlanders gained posi-
ton on the rocky summit and kept up
IA sustained rifle fire, but suffered
somewhat from the Beers Smelling. A
battery was sent and succeeded in 81
iencing the Boer fire. Meanwhile two
companies of the Argyll highlanders
advancing along the plain in wester-
Nv direction found the Beers in
trcnched at small drift. A sharp en-
gagemcnt followed, lasting the whole
day.
Gen. Macdonald now only required
sufficient troops in order to complete
" surround the Beers. In order to
do this, Gen. Babihgton was dispatched
from the Modder river with a large
force of cavalry and two batteries of
horse artillery, but failed to reach
mere, although he started early enough
in the Jay to enable him to get here
early this afternoon. This morning
Gen. Methuen ordered that the com
bined force should retire upon the
Modder river, which movement is now
proceeding. The British losses in the
fighting on Wednesday were so men
killed or wounded.