Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-02-01
THE AFRICAN WAR.

On Thursday the British War Office
received word that Gen. Warrens Div
ision had captured Spion Kop high
hill on the North side of the Tugela.
During the battle one English Colonel
was killed also % other officers and
men.
The Beers Immediately bega bonn
bardment that forced the English to re
tire from the mill, the news of which
put England ''in deep gloom 1t is
significant that the Beers can make the
English move from high hill, and IN
dicates field guns of longer range.
On Sunday the British War Office re
ceived word from Butler of his defeat at
Spion Kop and retreat to the south
bank of the Tugela. He sent no list OF
casualties. but said he lost no stores.
The Boer account of the battle dated
Jan. %, and coming by way of Lorenzo
Marques, is interesting. 1t reads;
Some Vryheld Bughers from the out
posts on the highest hills of the Splon-
kop group rushed into the laagers, say
ing that the kop was lost and that the
English h:d taken it. Relntorcements
were ordered up but nothing could De
done for some time, the hills being en-
yeloped in thick mist At dawn tue
| Heidelberg and Carolina contlnSents'
supplemented from other commandoes,
began the ascent OF the hill. Three
sn1rs PERCEPTIONS projections. faced the
| Boer positions. Up these the advance
was made. The horses were left under
| the first terrace of rocks.
Scaling the steep hill, the Beers found
that the English had improved the op-
portunity and entrenched heavily. Be
| tween the lines of trenches was an open
yeldt, which had to be rushed under
heavy fire not only from rifles, but OF
| lyddite and shrapnel from the field guns.
| These forces ascended the three spurs
co-ordinately, under cover OF hire from
the Free State Krupps, Creusot and
! big Maxim. The English tried TO rush
! the Beers with the bayonet, but their
| infantry went down before the Boer
rifle fire as before scythe.
The Boer investing party advanced
step by step until o'clock in the after
uoon, when a whitehag went up and 100
men in the front trenches surrendered,
being sent as prisoners to the head laag-
| er..
The Roer advance continued on the
two kopies east of Spionkop Many
Beers were shot, but SO numerous were
the Burghres that the gaps filled auto,
matically. Toward twilight they reached
| the summit of the second kopJe, but dld
not get further.
The British Maxims belched name,
but a wall of fire from the Mausers held
fnr
this pressure, gradually gave way ana
broke, abandoning the position. Inc
prisoners speak highly of the bravery OF
the Burghers who. despising cover, stood
against the skyline edges of the summit
to shoot the Dublin fusilliers sheltered
in the trenches Firing continued Tor
some time and then the Fusillers and
the Light Horse, serving as infantry,
| threw up their arms and rushed out OF
the trenches. The effect of the aband-
onment of Spionkop by the English can
hardly be gauged as yet, but IL must
proye to be immense. An unusually
high proportion of lyddite shells did
not explode.
The Beers reported 1900 British killed
and wounded and in London the relief
of Ladysmith was considered helpless.
On Monday a false report OF the sur
render of Ladysmith passed over the
wires, but in London all hope of saving
the ten thousand men surrounded there
was rapidly vanishing, The war office ace
had nothing new. The office had 2O'0oO
men and 155 guns at sea on their way to
the Cape.
On Monday Gen. Butler read the
Queens message of sympathy to his
troops, and told his troops he expected
to be in Ladysmith within week lie
had not yet given out his list OF casual,
ties at Spion Kop, but it was feared
they would run over $500.
The Beers were shelling Kimberly
that day; and the English Cabinet that
day considered the mobilization OF all
| their fleets.