The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-06
BLUNDER AT STORMBERG
DESCRIPTION OF THE
DEFEAT OF THE BRITISH.
How Brave Troops Marched Into q
Trap Half Asleep, and Fled Back
to MOltenO, Ten Miles.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
LONDON, Jan. 20.-Extended accounts of
the British reverses at Stormberg, Mayors
fontein and Colenso are coming in by mail
from war correspondents. From these
realistic impressions may be gained of
what defeat really means. II have seen
in my life,' writes the correspondent OF
the Times, lone or two ticklish fights, but
at Stormberg for the first time l was en-
abled to realize what actual defeat means
The hopeless exhaustion of the unhappy
soldiers was terrible to see.'
His description of General Gatacre's re
verse at this point is in part as follows:
'The infantry had been in the train IL,
open trucks or marching since a. m. on
Saturday. The actual march occupied
seven hours, and it is therefore little to be
wondered at that the men were wholly in
capable of making a supreme effort when
at last they were surprised by receiving
fire at short range while marching in tours
In fancied security. On reaching the
enemy's fire the companies at hand rushed
at once against the kopje from whence it
proceeded. and, advancing from bowldeT
to bowlder. swiftly commenced to ascend
At this juncture our own artillery, failing
in the yet uncertain light to observe the
ascent of the infantry. opened fire on the
enemy, and several shells. falling short,
dealt destruction among the assailants Of
the position. A partial retirement instant
ly ensued, and, having been brought to a
standstill, the attack gradually melted
away until, convinced that the case was
hopeless, the general ordered the retire
to be sounded. Had the order been prompt
ly obeyed the troops might not improbably
have been withdrawn without very serious
loss and fresh attempt might even yet
have been successfully prosecuted. But it
was not to be. Many men were loath to
retire because they were anxious to go on,
while not a few were so utterly exhausted
they simply preferred to stay where they
were at all hazards than to undertake the
ordeal of rapid retirement over the open
ground at the foot of the hills. Eventual
ly over 500 wounded men were taken pris-
oners. Steadily, as If on parade, the re-
tirement was executed by those who re-
sponded to the order, the soldiers moving
back at a steady pace without the least
hurry or confusion and hating constantly
to fire.
WHAT CAUSED THE DISASTER.
$50 far as 1 can understand the matter
the causes to which this most lamentable
failure must be attributed are as follows:
1.-THE map of the ground was utterly
misleading and worse than useless.
'Second-So far as / am aware no one
among the responsible authorities had
taken any compass bearings, and conse-
quently no one knew where he was being
taken in the dark.
'Third-The Berkshire Regiment, by
WI No tad nv he
Beers at Stormberg had been built, and to
whom every inch of the ground was ia
miliar, were left at Queenstown instead
of being employed to recapture the works
which they had so unwillingly evacuated
about a month previously.
-'Fourth-Our five hundred men, after
wards made prisoners had fallen into a
trap from which they failed to extricate
of the force had been rallied on a defensive
position in the rear the general had forces
sufficient to warrant fresh attempt upon
some selected point of attack.
"Fffth-In any case the men, who had
been by this time the move for over
twenty-four hours on the stretch, who had
just completed seven hours marching
through the. night, and who had been ac-
tually under arms for upwards of sixteen
hours, were so dead beat that the severe
hill fighting was quite beyond their pow
ers. During the actual retirement from the
hills attacked-or, rather under which we
men were falling asleep in the open
ground, under fire, after or before using
their rifles. No sooner did they halt to fire
than they fell forward, sound asleep. An
officer told me that he awoke several such
men by kicking them soundly and then in
sisted on their continuing their retreat to
place Of safety.
'Sixth-The guns were at first in the
same trap as the infantry and were COM
PEELED to retreat some distance over very
difficult ground before they could come
into action upon even then a poor position,
with most inferior command. During this
movement gun was lost in consequence
of being stuck fast and the struggling
horses were shot down by the encmy.'
Describing the retreat from Storinberg
to Molteno. another special correspondent
at Sterkstroom writes: Then we had the
humiliating experience of being chased
back all those weary ten miles to Molteno,
retreating as fast as We could in small
groups. sometimes crouching against the
right side of the road-the Beers being on
our left fiank-sometimes making our way
INTO the cornfields, or along the intermina-
BILE veldt, or now and again falling prone
on the ground as shell came kissing over
head, waiting with breathless suspense un-
til we heard it's dull thud as it struck the
ground; then, with an exclamation OF
thankfulness. as We found the uncanny
thing did not burst. up and off again. raw
WERE harassed and hurried by the Beers
who accompanied for a distance OF eight
miles with the attentions OF their artillery
At last when the majority Of our force
which had left the night before SO full OF
promise and so brimful OF eagerness, had
straggied into Molteno. about IL o'clock
and when we all generally found our fee,
again. we formed up and got into line al
roll call When name after name was
called; when silence-dead silence-was the
only answer; when 366 men Of the sturdy
Northumberland were missing. and when
some 294 of our gallant Irish comrades
failed to give response, then the grim real
ity of the disaster came home to us and we
silently thanked God that we were safe
and thought very sadly OF the comrades
dead. wounded and missing. left behind In
the terrible trap at Stormberg, from which