The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-18
And at Several Times the Situation
Was Very Critical.
DEMONSTRATION IN FoR cE.. c E.
Was Made by Mcthnen on Tuesday
Lord Roberts Reports Isepulse OF !.
Determined Attack on French's
Advance Post lsuiier Said
to be Making Salts
factory Progress

LONDON, Jan. 1S.-4:45 A. SE-Generat
Buffers complete surprise OF the Beers
on Potgieters' Drift Hills tends greatly to
shown his forces are concentrated.
In Cape Colony. Methuen has made q
demonstration in force, sheling the Boer
works.
Gatacre is sirmishinS around 1Iolteno.
French is shelling the Eoers ut Rensberg-
Colonel Plumer is moving to the relief
of Mafekins from Bechuanaland.
Plnmer. on January 11th. was one hun
dreG miles north o. aiaEeking.
THE ASSAULT.
LONDON, Jan.1s.-The first detailed re-5
port of the assault on Ladysmith Is
given in dispatch from there, published
to-day by the Standard. 1t Is dated
Ladysmith. January 6, rias Frere, Jan-s
uary IL, and makes the first mention
of the capture of the Highlanders. 1t
shows the garrison was surprised. and
several times the situation was CRITICAL
Every one of the thirty Gordon High
landers who surrendered was wounueti,
The dispatch follows:
..rhe enemy to-day made determined
effort to capture TWO positions, Caesars
ilu sNdSOH hCs AeASsSi -
lofty eminence to the southwest, pos
session of which would have brought
them within rifle range of the town.
Caesars was held by the First battalion
of the Manchester regiment.
''The position: was separated from that
of the Bcers by a rocky ravine- In the
morning darkness the Heidelberg Conn
mando evadetl our pickets. and reached
the foot of the slope at half-past tWo.
Before the danger could be realized, the
outlying Sangars had been rushed and
their defenders slain.
ION hearing the firing two companies
#of the Gordon Highiandes went to the
assistance of the Nanchers. The Beers
were thought to be concentrating on the
southern slope, where they had already
secured q footing on the plateau. Here.
however, their advance was checked by
the steady yolleys of our infantry aud
the deadly fire Of an automatic gun.
FRONT AND FLANK
.'Tfe camp was being assaEed on the
left flank and front BY dayhreak re:n-5
forcenents of Gordon Highlanders and of
t!le Rife brigade had been hurried up to
the lighting line. Lieutenant-Ciioue! Dick
Cunyns hsnl, who was Leading the S;ordons
out of camp, fell morally wounded. being
hit by a stray bullet while still close to the
town. The siF!fty-th third Battery OF rieid
Artillery. under Major Abbey, crossed the
Kip river and sheietl the ridge and Ss-
verse slope of the front position. where
the enemy were lying among the thorn
bushes.
"The sl1rapneI which flew over our heads
did terrible executions. 1t efEsetuully hsid
the Boers In chsck and stopped their reiti-
forcements through the r:tvtne
..The eremy fought with stubborn cour-s!
age TIER big guns on umbutWah't
mountain and the smaller satellites ,es threw
more than hundred shells at AGdeY
battery and at the troops on the mn. our uI
troops, however. ere not less gallant aiid
resolved, and the eneniy was pressed 0ask s
step by step. until at length those VINO
were left brrke and fled IN utter d's .. ofeies-
RAIN AND HAIL..
..h terrific storm of rain and hail, lc-
COMMANDED by peals of thunder. had
burst over the camp during the tighs--
ing. This served to swell the streams.
into raging torrents. In their ennSts
to escape numbers Of the enemy Hung
themselves into the current and WerS
swept away. The struggle In this parls
of the field was now ended, and the hiials
YEA; u terrific fusilade all along the Hne.s
the crash OF which almost drowned the
incessanr thunder. above.
Meanwhile q more exciting contest
was, in progress in the direction OF W;s-a5
son rIli At aso'clocil q stcrmins party.
furnished by the Harrisnlith commando.
..rept SLOWLY and cautiously along don-s
ga in the valley which divides our posts
from, their camp 4 few we'll Armed
rife shots Killed our pickets. Taking
advantage of every inch of cover. ths's
Boers then gradually reached the crest
of the heights. Here a body of Light