Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-01-24
THE BRITISH AND B0ERS.
Butler Making Another Desperate Ehor'
to Relieve Ladysmith.

Butler Making Another Desperate Effort
to Relieve Ladysmith.
Although there is no doubt OF the
fact that General Butler is moving on
the Beers investing Ladysmith, and
that fighting has been in progress Tor
several days, still there are no satlsfac'
tory details. 1t is the same old story
of strict censorship that will not allow
the transmission of the least bit of in
formation that may be of benefit to the
Beers. Nothing, therefore, comes from
South Africa until it is already a
matter of common knowledge there,
and much that is known there, even to
both sides, is suppressed from the out
side world.
1t is known now that Buffers army,
supposed to be about 10000 strong,
crossed the Tuegla river at Potgeiter's
Drift. This point, from the maps at
hand, appears to be about 25 miles
west of Colenso, and nearly the same
distance southwest of Ladysmith. Be-
tween this point and Ladysmith, with
entertainments extending for miles,
the Boer lines are strongly fortified,
and the taking of their different
positions in the work cut out for the
British before Ladysmith can be re-
relieved.
A London dispatch of Monday sum-
med up the general idea of the
present situation as being that General
Butler was holding the northern bank
of the river with some 5000 men and
1S field guns, while Sir Charles Warren,
with about $4,000 men, 80 guns and a
large force of cavalry, has been sent
to work his way around the right
flank of the Beers, eight or ten miles
away.
Several Of the London papers oi
Monday print dispatches that indicate
bloody outpost fighting between Gen
eral Warren's troops and the Beers.
General Warren opened the attack on
Saturday morning and kept it up
throughout the day, his troops bivou'
acking on the field at night. The
fighting was RECOMMENDED at dawn
Sunday morning and continued
throughout the day. The meagre re-
ports merely indicate that many have
been killed and wounded on the Brit,
ish side, and probably also on the side
of the Beers; but as yet there has
been nothing decisive.
1t seems that so far as the reports
up to Monday were concerned, they
related only to clashes between ad.
vanced lines. The Beers had thrown
out such lines in entrenchments, and
It was their policy to hold these en-.
trenchments as long as possible and
then retire either to another line or to
the main position. Several of these
temporary positions had been taken ;
but still the main position had not been
taken up to the latest report. 1t was
not expected that it would be taken,
if at all, until after several days OF
bloody fighting.
The indications are that the British
have considerably changed their tao
tics. They are no more disposed to
make their reckless charges forward
and be shot down by the Boer rifle.
men but instead they depend upon
their artillery to clear the Boer trench
es, after which the infantry advances,
taking advantage of all possible cover.
According to the nature of the re-
ports at hand, the fate of Ladysmith
ought to be decided within a very few
days. 1t is possible that the decisive
battle has already been fought. If the
British have been successful, the news
will not be held back.
At last accounts Mafeking was still
holding out. There has been no news
from Kimberly for several days. 1t is
possible that the town has fallen.
This, however, is not certain.