The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-01
ON BULLER'S FIRING LINE.
AMERICAN ON THB BOsPIT<L SHfr
MAINE Ar THE FROST.

Shooting and Spirited Movements BY the
Troops - Ride on an Armored Train.
An Amsdc.n s,,yreon ON hoard the hospital
.hin M.,ns nov a, Durham. Natal, has written
IN a re,.,ive In ,bis city the following account
NJ a Inn h. made N DE ahne line a few miles
! from Iadysmitb ana pac of a thrilling fight he
al in the latter mart Of February. The letter Ia
! dated Feb %. and saws:
aye sta y,ed nm Monday evening ,at on A crowd
| I'D train for the front There was no sleep to he
had An Al eysyv sta ton our passes were examined.
Al $40 A. NJ, We got 10 Chieyeley, left our bags
And want on A mils further 10 the camp, then 10
| Gun Hin. vbers the 6inch gun from the Terrible
IA p,.oed The officer was looking through a
| t.lescope .cross the veldt over Colenso and the
| Tuseln I rot out nv glasses and could make
| out A Boer waxon train, horsemen and an am
| buiance. Orders were given 10 sight, load and
Are We were light alongside the Zig gun and
| whom she went of the noise was something 10 hear
The 100 pounds Of Iyddite. sighted for 10000
Yards. took abou, fifteen seconds 10 reach the
enemy. Then a huge volume Of yellow smoke
| rose in A spo, about a hundred yards from tile Beer
| train and how they did scatter, There were three
! or four Beers In their shirt sleeves, with horses
| t,,heed neal. They made ,rscks to tho nearest
| hill. Then there was another shell where they
| had gone, then another further up and another
| before they we're over the highest hill.
"A Sureeon.Majo who was there asked US
II We did not want 10 20 further up the lines and
| offered US q lift In an ambulance. So OF We went
~. ~. An "a Uuss., nm taken the day be-
uiieo mne' III A"" $50
fore. There was q dressing stauon ana the MAJOR
asked me TO have breakfast, in his tent, canned
-, h;.,,,, cog.s and pines mile with sugar
and bn,,sr included, While there an officer came
down with an ambulance train from another
ho.ni,., md oas,sd IN tax. ms another s,ep fur
ther on. lie was nouh'ea' ou' so'on III "'.N'u
with us Ave miles up the country. We passed an
.no,mous artillery train, ten guns with ammunition
-.ao,.a h,,g.,ss ot inf. n,rv ,roopsof cav alry.
besides the wagon trains pulled by sixteen ana
,x.n,v oxen The guns had eighteen and twenty
-, An .,orr w.,s ,ronchss with infantry
mules All aiohs "ete ~ WV" "n''
in them and al one place. ten neld guns, blanng
.u.v ecross the river On our way we came
IS m.nv Roe, trenches with empty Mnuser
shells in them. evacuated the night before We
s,onped a, ,be Sixth Division Bearer Company
.hn wore in . bu,, me, several officers and were
invited TO lunch and a Jolly meal 1t was Two hours
i.,a, on, newly made friends were in action and
80 ,hsr,'
we saw then'
After lunch we started up the hill 10 see The Boer
rtrsnchtoen,s ,ba, bad been shelled the day be-
a. ,h. ,ni., y,.sa
fore, All the way up among me "n,'N sias'
and mimoss trees, were evidences Of the battle.
There were large holes from the lyddite. shrap-
n'' "v' 81, II. ID s,r,,.,sd
mel, shells, bullets, split rocks ana sphh'rd
trees. At the top there was a line Of trenches
fully half a mile long, commanding the whole
Every six feei in front, in and behind the trenches
were huge lyddi,e holes. The trenches were beau
ufully made, deep enough for a man to stand mp
nigh, in. u., , should h 1ss so %sMI'S on aan rh"s Shns
grew louder, M When the top was REACHED IL was
Just below on the other side, Inc English ar.
The wagon trains were in the centre and rear
The Beers occupied the centre Of the English
over our heads and one OF the Boer shell landed Just
below US, withou, exploding, but knocking
a horse nan down and scattering every one nenrit
no smoke. YOU know, from any, only a blue haze
nyer ihs infantry We saw absolutely no Beers,
and could only Judge their position by their trenches
end where Inc lSydIlie shells hurst. | should
Judge nb1nt is. 900 men were engaged and 1t is a
sirhtI shall never forget. From our lucky position
we could see the battle splendidly. After watch.
ns We had tn miles 70 walk beck. From our
Mi. q t..n Hi, really a spur Of Monte Crlsto, We
could zee The Boer Long Iom' on the hill WHICH
Was bombatiing iadysmth. We were only
s,v,n miles iron, that place and but for an inter
yeninr hin, could have seen the town. OF course
these we're Buffers troops that were engaged;
l"N .lT UAN InFL nDNn M I " wv DtdI
err,sin hi din.clion. saw shells bursting in the
m a., nnu,iinn and then from Hussar Hill shw
.,obt cnns come ralloping down at q fearful
80 ahou, n u7e ACROSS the omen ycldt, turn,
nnlimber and fire. II was n thrilling sight
WaiLina v.s veYy had. the ground beng covered
"dh smoiI Lose stones. We came across plenty
,an'has with smutv shells in them. even the
g,,chns and ANAL stream beds were filled with
Nam xii the country. YOU see. had been taken
"nly the day brfor. Again We saw regiment
@aIloring nlons and from every one we got mods
and snlntas and friendly words. Two officers
s,or,.d nd On A
""'tHsrc vou been to the 'front.' Your naval
~uns nre doing good work
"Ibav tool us Tor naval officers, and referred
n de naval Snns that were doing the Iyddite
sh.iiin1 i'm Inc 6atue we had left.
iii Hnss,Y Hill We got q lit on an ambulance
hal 10 Gbisvelev. arnv,ng nj about 7.3O o clock,
f"n,sore anil weary, but thrilled with our most
moster gave ms sumner and the floor ~ his office
a .ieen an INT Whit with nv sore bones. the hard
400, And the fens, / slept not a wink, and at
? 40 An cot up and went out All around the
s,otinn mon we're slepping, having arrived en- late
,,nins ctbays we've Walking m and down waiting
t Ip Il, vl,gbi i got word of The fact that an ar
mnred IRAN was 10 20 down 10 Colenso with Ger.
uo,t. b,ig,is Ia occupv IL the Beers having
ev,cu,tad the town that day. So AS soon as the
oBne, in rb,rgr rs mo along | boldly asked 10 20
and wasv very politely told m gh, go with pleasure;
Ali A NJ We started with about two hundred
man In the cars. moving along for n mile or so
nro, Ne bo,,Iap ronnI oTCulenso. nj n good rate
Tbep when nbout n milr from the sta ton an officer
mounted The engine and we slowed down, running
rnyy c,w,iousJy ns no ono know whether the Beers
b,d iii left the trenches over the rvar " even
the station ON this side All over the hills or rather
,hs Main leading down from Chicvelev 70 ,olenso,
On ma the troons- long lines Of artillery, the men
in their blue coats, regiments ~ infantry, cavalry