Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1900-02-01
BUTLER IN RETREAT.
|sRiTlsH FORCES RecRoss THE
TuoELA RIVER.
Expedition Moving to the Relief of
Ladysmith La Turned Back After q
Serious Defeat = English Generals
Story of Spion kop.

The war news for which the people Of
England have been waiting In agonizing
suspense has come. 1t Is in the shape Of
a dispatch from Gen. Butler and tells
OF the retreat of the British army across
the Tugela River and the story Of Spion
kop. The dispatch is dated at Spear
mans Camp and reads as follows:
ION. Jan. 20 Warren drove back the
enemy and obtained possession of the
southern crests of the high table land ex-
tending from the line OF Acton Homes
and Honger's Poort to the western Lady
smith hills. From then to Jan. 20 he re-
mained.in close contact with the enemy.
1.-The enemy held strong position on a
range of small kopjes stretching from
northwest to southeast across the pla-
teau from Acton Homes, through Spion
Kop, to the left bank of the Tugela. The
actual position held was perfectly tena-
BILE, but did not lend itself to an advance,
as the southern slopes were so steep that
Warren could not get an effective artil-
lery position, and water supply was a
difficulty.
"On Jan. % assented to his attacking
Spion Kop, large hill, indeed noun
tain, which was evidently the key of the
position, but was far more accessible
from the north than from the south On
the night Of Jan. % he attacked Spion
Kop, but found it very difficult to hold,
as it's perimeter was too large, and wa
ter, which he had been led to believe ex-
listed, in this extraordinarily dry season
was found very deficient.
''The crests were held all that day
against severe attacks and heavy shell
fire. Our men fought with great gal
lantry. / would especially mention the
conduct of the Second Cameronians and
the Third Kings Rifles, who supported
the attack on the mountain from the
steepest side and in each case fought
their way to the top, and the Second Lam
cashire Fusiliers and Second Middlesex,
who magnifcently maintained the best
traditions Of the British army through
out the trying day of Jan. "a, and Thor
nycroft's mounted infantry, who fought
throughout the day equally well along
side of them.
Gen. Woodgate, who was in COM
mand at the summit, having been wound
ed, the officer who succeeded him decided
on the night OF Jan. "A to abandon the
position, and did so before dawn Jan. %.
Il reached Warren's camp at a. M.
on Jan. % and decided that u second at
tack upon Spion Kop was useless and
that the enemy's right was too strong to
allow me to force it. Accordingly l de-
cided to withdraw the force to the south
of the .Tugela. A few hours afterward
we commenced withdrawing the train,
and in thirty-eight hours Warren's force
was concentrated south of the Tugela
without the loss of a man or pound of
stores.
1.-The fact that the force could with
draw from actual touch-in some cases
the lines were less than a thousand yards
apart-with the enemy, in the manner it
did, is, think, sufficient evidence of the
morale of the troops, and that we were
permitted to withdraw our cumbrous OK
and mule transports across the river,
eighty-ive yards broad, with twenty-foot
banks and very swift current, unmo-
Tested, is, think, proof that the enemy
has been targht to respect our soldiers
fighting powers"
Boer advices state that 1,50O British
dead were left on the battlefield, but the
report is discredited in London. The
loss,, however, is conceded to have been
heavy.