Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1900-02-28
InniskIIIIne and Dublin FusIIeers
Lose Many Officers and Two
Hundred and Fifty Men at
Railroad Hill.
AMOUNTED 70 A SLAUGHTER
Butler Is Pounding Away and
Claims to Have Made Some
Advance.
BuLLER HAS TO PAY DEARLY

London, Feb. 2S-The war office re-
ceived the following from General
Butler: "Headwaters Landwanik,
Feb. 2S. a. m.-Finding the passage
of Lange Watches Spruit commanded
by strong intrenchments, l recon
noitered for another passage of Tu-
gela- One was found for me below
Cataract by Colonel Sandbach, of the
Royal engineers, Feb. 25th. We COM
menced making an approach thereto,
and Feb 26th, finding l could make
the passage practicable, I crossed the
guns and baggage back to the south
side of the Tugela and took up the
pontoon bridge Monday night and re-
layed it at its new site just below the
present marked cataract During all
this time the troops had been scatter
ed crouching under hastily construct
ed small stone shelters and exposed
to CALLING shell and rifle fire,through
out which they maintained the most
excellent spirits. Tuesday, General
Barton, with two battalions Of the
Sixth brigade and the Dublin Fusi--
leers, crept about a mile and a half
down the banks of the river and as
cended an almost perpendicular cliff
about 500 feet, and assaulted and car
ried the top of Pieter's hill This hill
to certain extent turned the enemy's
left, and the Fourth brigade, under
Colonel Norcott and the Eleventh bri-
gade, Colonel Kitchener command.
ing, the whole under the command Of
General Warren, assailed the enemy's
position, which was magnificently
carried by the South Lancashire regi.
ment, about sunset. We took about
sixty prisoners and scattered the enc.
my in all directions. There seems to-
be still considerable body of them
left on and under Bulwano mountain
Our losses, hope. are not large, They
certainly are much less than they
would have been were it not for the
admirable manner in which the artil
lery served, especially the guns man
ned by the Royal naval force and the
Natal naval volunteers"
London. Feb. 2S-But for the sur
render of General Cronje, which over
shadowed the news from the Natal
England would be shuddering over the
British reverses at Railway hill
where the Inniskillings and Fusileers
were caught in Boer trap and
slaughtered The London MAILS" cor
respondent, under date of Pieters
Feb. Gath, describes the engagement:
Last night the Inniskillings and
Fusileers, mixed with some Dublin
Fusileers and Connaught rangers, at
tempted to carry Railway hill from
Pieters. They were under a contin-
uous fire. The Beers retreated td
the crest and then came back on
either flank of the Irish troops, en-
filading the captured trench with "a
savage cross. as well as direct fire
All night our men held the position
under a ceaseless fire at terrible cost.
At roll call only five officers and an
hundred men answered to their
names. Colonel Thackery and Major
Sanders, of the Inniskillings; Colonel
Sitwell, of the Dublin Fusileers; Cap
tain Maitland, of the Second Gordons
and Colonel Thorold, of the Welsh
Fusileers, were killed. Two hundred
and fifty-two OF the rank and file were
killed or wounded. General Lyttle-
toms brigade relieved them at 10
o'clock this morning, when the Boer
artillery pounded the troops holding
the center of the kopjes without
pause but with little effect"
London, sos p m.-The war office
received the following dispatch from
Lord Roberts: Paardeberg, Feb. 2S-7
Cronje, with his family, left here yes