Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-23
THE ADVANCE UN LADySMlYH

carefully censored, indicate that the
British forces are making progress to-
ward Ladysmith. though the advance is
slow. The fanking movement under
the command of General Warren has
been the most successful. the operations
under the immediate direction of Butler
showing no very important results, but
there appears to be good reason TO be-
lieve that the British are securely over
the Tugela river and can hold the ground
they have taken. 1t has been sug
gested that the Beers are perhaps draw
ing their enemy into II trap and this
may prove to be the case, but it must
be assumed that the British commander,
who should have learned a good deal by
this time about Boer tactics, is fully
on his guard.
While, however, the British have made
some progress and have paid heavily
for it. the advices do not show that
they have yet reached position of
such advantage as to promise the at
tainment of their immediate obiect-the
relief of Ladysmth-with the force
they now have under Butler. The prob
ability is that this force is confronted
by an army equally strong in all re-
spects. occupying formidable positions
and fighting on the defensive. Even
if the Boer army is considerably less
numerous than the British, its advan-
tage in position more than offsets the
difference. A thousand good soldiers,
well intrenched, are equal to an attack
ing force of several times their num-
ber which has been demonstrated more
than once in this war.
The Roer tactics being wholly de-
fensive they have prepared for this in
the most complete manner possible and
they are not likely to be driven from
their position by force less than double
their number. An officer in our civil
war. in a communication to an eastern
paper, says that the defensive strategy
of the Beers, together with the posses
sion of the passes of Natal and the
line of the Orange and the Caledon,
fully doubles their resisting force and
Field Marshal Roberts should have
under his command 100000 men to in
sure superiority upon the theater of war.
This number will be inadequate if the
Boer strength. as generally estimated. is
from 10000 to 100000. Assuming it to
be the smaller number Great Britain
will undoubtedly find it necessary to
send to South Africa at least 100000
soldiers in order to conquer the Beers.
There appear to be some people in
England who still entertain the idea
that the war will not be protracted and
talk of the Beers being conquered within
six months. Such people can certainly
have very little conception of the sit
uation and of the difficulties to be over
come. They probably think that the
relief of Ladysmith would be the be-
ginning of the end of the conflict. That.
however, would be but the first step in
the great task the British have before
them. When they have driven the
Beers from British territory and begin
the invasion of the Transvaal they will
encounter difficulties quite as great il
not more formidable than they have yet
met-ditficulties that will not be over
come without an enormous loss of life.
The war is as yet in its first stage and
ii has cost England 10000 soldiers,
though no really great battle has been
fought 1t is more likely to continue a
year than to be ended in a shorter time,
unless there should be intervention, of
which there is now no prospect
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