Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-01-15
SOLDIERS LETTERS.
News Direct from Men Who
Do the Fighting.
Graphic Descriptions Of Battles from
British and Beers Soldiers.
One Boer Lad Who Fought Well and Then
Used His Legs.

soldiers fighting against the Beers are
published in large numbers and in
many cases are just as interesting as
the accounts by trained war CORES
pondents. A medical officer under
Lord Methuen describing the battle of
Modder river, writes:
"A lot of the North Lancashire men
We're horribly wounded. l turned over
a sergeant, black in the face, dead.
One man was brought to me who had
been struck by a shell fragment-face
mutilated throat cut and chest LAGER
ated. Oh, God, the sight was sicken-
ing; blood everywhere. Very few of
our men being wounded we Went out
near sunset 10 aid the Highlanders-
They had been lying all day under that
frightful sun and their wounded were
still there. No stretcher bearers could
advance, as they We're all shot at. They
shouted to me to crawl on the ground,
as though most of the firing was over,
there We're still three or four Beers,
with express rifles and explosive bull
let's who We're under cover and VINO
kept picking off our men. Some men
utterly collapsed and all | could do was
to put a pad to their wounds and my
whiskey flask to their lips. | then
crawled back to my horse and made
my way to some ambulances two miles
distant to get their aid. l was under
fire all the time. | felt kind of a
solemn disregard, as | had been ex-
posed to a greater danger before"
In a letter written to his father from
Moor river in November an officer in
the Queens Royal Surrey Regiment,
says: Against an enemy like the
Beers infantry are useless. The Beers
have spies everywhere and as they are
we'll mounted they can move away
hours before our infantry can get
within striking distance. on the other
hand they will never attack and when
We advance toward Pretoria comman-
dos will be left all over the country
looting and burning farms
The special correspondents of the
Cape Argus thus describes a lombard
ment of Kimberley: What will prob
ably be handed down in the annals of
history to Boer posterity as the BON
bardment of Kimberley probably oc-
CURED on Tuesday, NOV. :, and if ever
the farcial element We're introduced in
to such n serious business as war, the
puerile attempts to rae Kimberley can
surely lay claim To i'll
From the Hurr side come reports just
as interesting. u lad of Il wrote t. his
mother after the battle uf Elandsl.tagto
ana the letter il published in the journal
de Gcnrvc. as follows: ''Wc Were On i
kopje. our horses were behind it in 4
hollow. As the infantry advanced against
us we began shooting. When it looked rs
if we were going to be- surrounded. cer-
tain number Of our men feH back to an
other position. About loo Of Us RENAME |
al tha knnie Eut the tir4 III thr Maxim.
and the other guns became 81 violent
that We withdrew Il little to tina cover.
The general ana Commaudlnt Niliprn
allied rs and brought as back tn IN, ton
Of the hill ana advised us to grt under
shelter there as much as ppSsinic fol-
lowed the general with a dozen others To
tho right ana NiIinrn lrd the rest tu the
left. The English were still advancing
and they were now within $40 wards OF
us. 1t was easy to recognize the kitie>,
they were wearing. We fired at them in
cessantlv. All Our bullets seemed to
strike | had no time to be afraid /
praved God and fired on. aiming each
time at one Of their mon. You know ]
am not a bad shot.
.''Thpir N,9Xins ulV, u>; hack what We
sent them without a moments Stop. \
few of us. finding our position too risky.
ran hack to where the horses were ana
went off | was close t. the general and
remained We fired on he az well as /.
and tried IN get cover brLipd fbrpp ere II
hinrks If rock when , Iy,iditc she'll burst
clos 10 ne and covered MS with earth and
stnnac Tho prnar,I Withdrew us 4 LITTLE
barL A. mis- nom,nt an. uf my neigh
h"rS va iii in rho SHE I'm he mad
.tra,,rth onougb + u4t ia his bors. ana
,ntln'1aI ~ Ivn vnra nuv. nuIy nighttime
81 tha lnnie Win me general ana ND
piittas w.. Sin iIvlncin,, ana crushing
~, ~ cir.i 81 n wards distance ~
,uara I'm t;,,no ~ them INST then N.
1 i, VII tTt .,rn,,i rama H., v.Ie
SIi ,;,ht n ,,b,n, thraa ,v,,r.
.v I, y NJ, Tri.rt WIN \ieitar,n bal
49,, ,,,''i,,,IaI 4, ~, ,yri.t inn il. ls.nt
N nri',. ,,;th Ill Iaft h.nl rastinr HI
-, u I'M hi ,iaht ,rm Mi, roiiId neither
bu, II I'M NH ',"r,I n,,, ,t.f,nI MIX
~, j." I'LL ,,,..t. ,xh,,istnj
my M ,';57 niI r,I,iIi y,biist W.
N'!' n .ir ,,,,',f tln uni,nI-
looheu ~ ~, ~" it ,h, uihtt ti,..
"a , ,,n LILY ;th 4, .,,.e 1,ha XII I'll
ovshli 49, MI i m. i,;,t, MN II
whls'lt" ~ hy .'ip"'.u ;.i ,., III III wnnn1 VI
pc uoIe. VIZ III, VII i. III, ,,I,.i
-'oslii toinPlt!Vu ny i XIII ,t ,,,,.',
run ~ y. b'''' ~ H., ti 17,i Mini,
VINO WIS seated VI VIZ Sto'Iiu HIN KIM
as dcath- We threw uoMI oui hiu9h't /
anu tN"iAihlhS lh,'t MS II uSi.t II, III
then We ruSntu uo"u ION thc NIL
Tor IL was case 81 SAVING WI y" 4
skins. The TWO bpdleS ~ me 'tuNdli'lilE
EngHSh troops were Wllhlll =" N'tuS -
each other. ran down hrtWfch 'il'i
without turning my h"id !" ri-hl "i ~ !
The bullets gave me wings. doh lhlhh
that | ever ran :" quick
llrf.ly II