Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-02-03
THE BRITISH REVERSES.
Call For Men to Face the Bullets
of the Beers.
NEARLY A WHOLE DIVISION LOST


which Are Certainly Not Overesti-
mated, the Dead. Woundeda and Pris-
Oners Amount to 9.523.
London, Jan. 30.-HistOry pauses for
a time in South Africa. 1t is one OIL
those unsatisfactory pauses that are
nearly as trying to British nerves as
sequence of reverses, and apparently 1t
will terminate only when Lord Rob
erts gives the word for the forward
movement into the Free State, which,
according to the most cheerful view, he
will be unable to do for fortnight.
Whether he will permit General Bull
Ter to make another attempt to relieve
Iadysmith IS quite outside the Knowl-
edge even of those closely connected
with the war office. With the troops
due to arrive next month he may think
himself strong enough to try two large
operations. Combining the forces I'M
der Generals Methuen, French ana
Gatacre and adding to lnem the arrlV-
ing troops, Lord Roberts would nave
10000 for the invasion of the Free
State. with 10000 to $4,000 guarding
communications, and 10000 trying to
rescue Ladysmith.
The thing on which everybody seems
agreed is that more men must go 10
the front. There are now 22.ZOZ men
and 155 guns at sea, and there are H.
900 infantry and 5000 cavalry, includ-
ing 5000 yeOmen, practically ready 10
embark. Therefore the government,
without doing more. can place at the
disposal of Lord Roberts 10000 add
tional men and 155 guns. The 1urther
purposes of the war office are supposed
to embrace somewhere in the neigh
borhood OF $4,000 more men. AS the
indication is that candidates Will be
rather scarce the war office Will issue
orders for those reSerViStS who were
found unfit at the previous mo0lllza-
ton examinations TO report for tur-
Their examination. Applicants lot
cavalry service are still freely Offering
as yeOmanry.
General Buffers operation has cost
9l2 men, so far officially reported,
within ten days. Applying TO the zOU
Spion KOp casualties reported yeSter-
day the rule of proportion, the losses
of officers indicate probably 800 casu-
alties vet TO come. The total casual
ties of the war; compiled from official
reports, are 1923, nearly division
OF these 2,4S6 are killed, ISL wound
ed and the rest prisoners.
The aggregate British home troops
in South Africa number 10000, the
Natalians 1853 and Cape COlonialS
2l,000.
A special dispatch from Frere Camp
dated Friday last, says regarding the
repulse at SpiOn KOp:
The ridge held by our men was
faced by a number OF strong niue
kopjes at all ranges, from which TN
Beers sent a concentrated fire from
their rifles, supported by Maxim
Norgenfeldt and a big long range gun
What with the rifles, the machln
guns and the big gun, the summit wa
converted into a perfect nell. In
shells exploded continually IN GU
ranks. and the rifle fire, from an absO
lutely unseen enemy, was perfectly ap
palling. The unfinished trench on tn
summit gave very questionable shell
ter. as the enemy's machine guns wer
so accurately trained upon the plac
that 16 shells fell in the trench IN
single minute. Mortal men could nc
permanently hold such position. Ou
gallant fellows held it tenaciOusly 10
"a hours and then, taking advantag
of the dark night. abandoned II 10 IN
enemy"
General Buffers latest dispatch
the war office on Sunday last state
that Spion Kop was abandoned on az
count of lack of water, inability
brig artillery there and the heav
Boer fire. His whole force withdre
south of the Tugela river with the ev
dent intention of reaching Ladysmlt
by another route. General Bullt
speaks exultingly of the fact chat n
forces retreated across the Tugel
without losing a man or a pound
stores. The fact that General Wa
ren's force captured Spion kop are
easily defeating the small Boer ga
rison." according to Buffers dispatC
at the time, and that the Beers hay
recaptured it, would indicate that
was only another Boer trap set II
the enemy. The reports Of losses
the Spion NOp battle are conflictln
a Boer report giving the British dei
at 1900. This is doubtless an exagge
alton.