New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-13
HOPE RENEWED IN LONDON.
NEWS OF GENERAL BULLER'S TURN
ING MOVEMENT RELIEVES A
GREAT STRAIN.
Copyright; 1900: BY The New-York Tribune.I
[BY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNE.l

[BY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNE.
London. Jan. 13. a. m.-The news that Cen
eral Butler had moved caused intense feeling
Of public relief yesterday in London. where the
suspense had become well nigh intolerabIe. A
bulletin was posted in the War Office at noon
stating that he had occupied the south bank of
the Tugele at Potgieter's Drift Thursday morn
ing, had seized pont and had found the n
emy strongly entrenched four and half miles
10 the north. This dispatch was sent from
Springfield on the Little Tugela, where the
enemy had previously been reported as holding
the extreme position at the western end of their
long defensive line of seventeen miles.
Probably the pont was a travelling bridge
worked by ropes There such a clumsy
contrivance for crossing the river There is on
q large scale a map Of the gap known as Pot
gieter's Poort, overlooking the passage. The
Tugela drift ford is fifteen miles west of
Colenso and eight miles north of Springfield on
the wagon road to Dewdrop and Ladysmith
Buffers advance line at Potgieter's Drift was
about fifteen miles from Wagon HILL where
Whites force fighting desperately a week
ago. The British army when once across the
Tugela would have the enemy intrenched
IN front at the western end OF their
long line following the Tugela to Colenso.
Butler is apparently attempting the turning
movement west Of Colenso which nearly all
military experts were expecting when his first
battle was fought, on December Is, directly in
front. The military writers have assumed dur
ing the last fortnight that there would be
turning movement. but that 1t would be east of
colenso from Weenen. Some of these experts
clung with tenacity TO their theory yesterday,
and described the Potgieter demonstration as
feint designed TO distract Joubert's attention
from the real point Of attack at the other end of
the line but this explanation was not borne out
by General Buffers own presence at Springfield.
He had probably been waiting for the completion
of his mule transport service, which would en-
able him 10 carry the main body of his army
away from the railway base of supplies and
light day after day on the enemys flank until
junction could be effected with Whites army.
The veterans also suggested that he might have
Fingered in his camp until General Robertss ar
E rival at Cape Town in order to allow the new
( commander in chief the privilege of vetoing at
the last moment the proposed plan of campeien
THE BOERs KNEW OF 1T.
Whatever was the precise cause of his mac
9ion, General Butler was at last in the saddle
&nd second battle OF series Of battles would be
fought for the relief of Ladysmith singulariy
Enough, the only previous reference to this west
hrn turning movement which had appeared in
print was in q dispatch from the Boer camp AT
f4Coienso II was vague rumor that the British
we're building a railway from Frere Camp tow
#srd Potgieter's Drift. The occupation of the
#south bank Of the Tugela at that point by the
Is British could not have been surprise TO the
Beers. The drift is at the apex of long bend
or loop. and back of il are low ranges OF kopjes
with broken country all the way TO Ladysmith
"a turning movement east of Coenso would
E have threatened the main line OF the Boer COM
& Continued third page.