The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-03-01
BULLER'S ADVANCE
Slowly Cutting His Way to
Beleaguered Ladysmith.
Takes Beers Main Position at
Peters Hill.
Ills Movement, However, Is
Stubbornly Resisted and
Costs Many Lives.

LONDON, Feb. 2S.-The war Office
has received the following dispatch from
General Butler. dated headquarters,
Hlandwan Feb. 20. 3 n. m:
Finding that the passage of LANCE
wacht's spruit was commanded by strong
intrenchmeDts, j reconnoitered for an
other passage of the Tugela. One was
found for me below the cataract by Colo
mel Sandbach, Royal engineers, on Feb.
%. We commenced making an approach
thereto, and on Feb. 26, finding that l
could make the passage practicable, l
crossed the guns and baggage back TO
the south side of the Tugela, took up the
pontoon bridge on Monday night and re-
laid II at the new site. which is just
below the point marked cataract. Dur
ing all this time the troops had been scat
tered, crouching under hastily construct
ed small stone shelters, and exposed to a
calling shell and rifle fire, and throughout
they maintained the most excellent spir-
its. Tuesday General Barton with two
battalions of the Sixth brigade and the
Dublin fusileers crept about n mile and a
half down the banks of the river and
asccnded an almost PERCEPTIONS cliff of
about 900 feet, assaulted and carried the
top of Peters hill. This hill. to GER
tain extent, turned the enemy's left, and
the Fourth brigade under Colonel Nor
cott. and the Eleventh brigade. Colonel
Kitchener commanding. the whole under
command of General Warren, assaicd
the enemy's position, which was mag
nihcently carried by the South Lanca-
shire regiment about sunset. We took
about GO prisoners and scattered the enc
my in all directions. There seems to be
still considerable body of them left on
and under Bulwana mountain. Our
losses. l hope, are not large. They GER
tainly are much less than they would
have been were it not for the admirable
manner in which the artillery was served,
especially the guns manned by the Royal
naval force and the Natal naval volun-
teers."
Queen Victoria has sent the following
message to General Butler:
II have heard with the dcepest concern
of the heavy losses sustained by my
brave Irish soldiers. ! desire to express
my sympathy and admiration of the
splendid fighting qualities which they
have exhibited throughout these trying
operations
General Buffers account of the tre-
mendous resistance he is encountering in
his efforts to reach Ladysmith has
brought public interest, with sharp
turn, from complacent contemplation Of
Lord Roberts victory to realization OF
the serious conditions still existing in
Natal. Though General Buffers lengthy
dispatch is construed as victory bravely
won. the commander of the forces in
Natal has so often reported similar vic
tories without achieving his main OBJ
jective that the public has learned to
contain its jubilation until Ladysmith is
actually relieved, while the long list of
casualties invariably following any ap-
parent gain by General Butler is always
awaited with dread and anxiety which
temporarily rob his partial success of its
acclaim. However, it is the generally
accepted belief that General Butler is
determined to reach General White this
time, and, though the stages are dsap-
pointingly slow, the nation confidently
awaits the news of the relief of those
5000 besieged troops. General Buffers
report shows there is urgent need of
Lord Roberts exerting every effort to
still further draw off the Beers from
Natal to the Free State. That he will
do so, and quite likely is already doing
so, by marching upon Blocmfonte!n. is
regarded as almost certain by the mill
tary critics here.
With the additional 600 Beers report
ed to br prisoners at Kimberley, it seems
that the number of men captured by
Lord Roberts nearly reaches 5000.
The afternoon papers continue to com
ment on the hero of Kandahnr's great
achievement, laying special stress on the
gallantry of the Canadians, who, accord
ing to Paardeberg special, were actual
ly fighting hand to hand in the Boer
trenches when General Cronje surrender
ed. though this scarcely agrees with Lord
Roberts dispatch.