The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-07-20

could say that of the situation after
the charges were over, for the Beers
kept firing until dark. Churchill says
he went back to the rear and the pos
sibility of hauling guns to the hill was
discussed at headquarters. He re-
turned to the hill, meeting on the way
stream of stragglers weaklings and
wounded men. Only one solid British
battalion remained on the hill, he said
The other troops were intermingled,
the battalion leaders surrounded by
but few of their own men. Colonel
Thorneycroft was at the top Of the
mountain and had decided to retreat.
His explanation was, Better six good
battalions safely down the hill than
mop up here in the morning"
So Thorneycroft abandoned the hill
to save the Inevitable humiliation of
the command, and now he is paying
the penalty for what Lord Roberts
calls "the understandable and needless
assumption of authority by a subordi-
nate officer" But it appears that
Thorneycroft was the man for the
place. Butler learned that tire British
troops were giving way before Gen
eral Warren, the division commander,
who was not one moment during the
fight on the hill, knew of it. He tele-
graphed to Warren: UNLESS you put
a really good fighting man in command
on top you'll lose the hill l suggest
Thorneycroft"
The bullet which put General Wood
gate out of the fight had already an
ticlpated Buffers wishes, and Thorney-
croft was even then lighting like
lion for the defense of Spion Kop
against Botha's Beers.
One British account describes a scene
that must have taken place when
Botha's men rushed the trenches.
About 20 Britons at one place stopped
fighting, threw UP their hands and
called out to the Beers that they would
surrender. Thorneycroft saw the act
and as the Beers advanced to take the
prisoners shouted to them: al command
this hill and will allow no surrender!
Go on with your firing!"
Colonel Thorneycroft's command, the
Thorneycroft mounted infantry, had
been in the first column which climbed
the hill and had suffered heavily
Churchill says that on his second trip
to Spion Kop he found the hero sur
rounded by the few survivors of his
battalion He had no time to send
messages or get instructions because
the fight had been too hot, too close to
do anything but send support to
company here, clear a rock there or
bit of trench yonder. That is the pic
ture of a fighting man In crisis like
that on Spion Kop. Now it transpires
that artillery and infantry We're on
the way to support the line holding the
hill, but Thorneycroft didn't know it,
and no officer who did had the sense to
60 forward and see to 1t that the height
was not abandoned In haste.
Thorneycroft's battalion are ''irregu
lars and not given to military show.
One day an officer of the regulars
complained to the colonel that his men
failed to pay the proper respect due to
him as an imperial officer. what"
exclaimed Thorneycroft, they don't
salute you? That's nothing. They
don't salute me. But they are demons
to fight, and that's all want of them"
These rough irregulars captured the
only Boer flag taken on Spion Kop.
The battalion lost II officers on the
hill !.
Spion Kop is being fought ever again
on paper like the battle of Shiloh here.