New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-04-08
FROM CAMP AND FIELD.
WAR SCENES AND INCIDENTS FROM
THE PENS OF CORRESPONDENTS.

81
r,-s from the scene OF war been more interest
- Within the last few days fifty columns
~ these have appeared in the London papers, and
Cor the first time Great Britain has learned the
dramatic details that marked the ride Of General
r--e,cb into Kimberley. the advance OF Lord Rob
- INTO the Orange Free State. the corraIlng OF
General Cronje. the advance relieve Ladysmith
- the rerrors OF the sieges Of Kimberley and
,r.esti1r On many points entirely light is
---ou-, while every letter shows how inadequately
the censored cable dispatches describe the struggle
IN South Africa
FRENCHS RIDE TO KIMBERLEY.
r,-, This interesting accumulation the most vivid
Dc -e-,ans the detailed account OF General French's
ride 10 kimberley. Tt Is said that since six hun
5-e5 cavalry charged. and charged fruitlessy. at
Falac.ava no such spectacular sight has been re-
-,~se5 in the annals Of In this case there
80 zen thousand and with them raising the dust
n The plains some forty-two guns. The
-rsnondent Of The London Times described these
tangs as follows:
From Modder River. from Rensburg and from De
Az me cavalry. mounted infantry and horse artl-
ery zane IN 2 g me- Ts1 io6r ON MonaY the
nar.h began. Ramdam. eight miles 10 the south
esSt soon passed. and a sharp skirmish Sc
efr-d DekieIs Drift. the Riet- After a halt OF
q day me column moved on At Kip Drift the
Gayairg division halted a night The GREATNESS
a-rS-a II a dash through the enemy's country, car
riad orlt with II rapidly probably without parRl-
I'll mad left lis mark the horses. and the trans
port WAS hopeleSsiy I'D me rear rive udss taloiLs
and forage were carried by each man. and scanty
~ - -, 5-,,.,v,s,ta.5 climate mad impaired
mem health. apart from the inevitable slackness
n had NOT been possible TO spare them. Day after
sav -na cavalry moved At high pressure over the
saadeess velGt during the hottest hours OF me DAY
burden mat this alone entails. The absence OF
SHADE IS not a relative InaIter- 0n.Sh tor Iiig
could creep under for shadow The very leaves OF
min or deeply serrated-popars. willows and babel
taorns giving little shelter from the tremen-
l-- he mid IA
0r thursday. the 18th at 10 O'Clock the critical
asz2 T6 s @se mace few ana miles s oa5 Of Kip Drift on
northern side Of The river cleared the way I9r
Ger some I'VE miles east of the border fence: This
bodv was composed Of Kltchener's and Roberts's
horse and TWO more regiments of mounted in
fantry- Before they entered the great plain OF
Alexanders1ontein the contingent from M9dder
I ers H. ir;re5 ne force which now
numbered some ten thousand men, seven batteries
horse artillery and three field batteries. Their
entry into the plain was the signal for the great
n width and I'VE in length eonVerglng sIgnLiiy 10
and babel thorns in scattered groups Of threes and
f0urs are the only trees IN this wide and level
expanse, ana the whole force. headed by the Lancer
regiments and the Scots GTeys advance guard
The kopjes on either side were held by Beers
VINO poured bullets and shells into the advancing
mass. almost hidden by the curtain OF dust that
rose from under the hoofs Of the horses. These
we're quickly cleared of their occupants by the i'm
peruous rush OF The mounted infantry. Lieutenant
Sweet EscoJt, OF the 10TH Lancers was the hrst
officer 10 fall. shot dead az fifty yards by a Boer
tore he eou5 produce me bic CRY for mercy
Kopje after kopje was cleared, and the Beers were
|IsfiT- ssi5 +F, enemy on either SIDE beInIess
10 Withstand this tremendous charge and almost
powerless TO harm II A DaTbed rinderpest fence,
moment, and the halt enabled the Beers 70 with
draw their guns. It was no time for a flank
At De villiers farm at the northern end of the
watering the horses. They had come ten miles
raa.aa ar viii q he adj lac
had both mnimized the casualties and prevented
Crou5e from appearing with thousand men TO
line me kopjes on the plain The latter realized
that he was defeated. and acted with MS usual
sagacity. The cavalry column haQ DaTely EoIle
I've miles beyond the plain before the OK wagons
Of the Beers were inspanned, and the long lines
OF transport We're trekklng PACK across Lie very
line Of the advance he mad been power5ess 70
MltA n al me thousands of the investing
force beyond a Few struggling bodies of men out
rarroIlinG or foragng when Cron5e gave the order
70 retreat. left on the hills and ridges that
had been their camping ground so long.
Meanwhile the cavalry pushed on FROM De wi VII
ners farm the country resembles some great Eng
Iish park studded with single trees and undu-
ang q56er me 9ng snDh long tracks in the
cr1lrn bling red soil Here the pace began TO ten
lr lel5 &c I'm ~ z+rsiT mon the horses of
me ROYAL Horse Artillery had been extreme ana
q Is impossible TO praise TOO highly the nandlIns
that brought nearly ali or them saIely through
there was no tine TO pause, and at last some
three miles on the first sight OF Kimberley burst
upon The column through the fringe OF trees. As
one arurOarles from southeast the urst view
of The Diasond City. lying stretched aIong Inc IT,
OF hills on the horizon is striking enough fd i i
The distance among the green SafQeIs ma ~, -
round nearly every house. divided by huge DlulIs
o. ratings each crowned with us uIa5eaIn g.,
the occasional splre or a church al
the ground maze that is entirely absent mere
IN the the day. presented picture 10 "uicn
there can be few parallels Sentiment apart. this
Isolated Of Englishmen- raised lar hlgner
worthy enough hut the interest born of the treas
ures below IT, and Of the surprising climax through
which was passing, gave i an attraction on thls
sunny afternoon that il will never again possess;
A passage perilous makyth port pleasant
The disappointment OF Magersfontein and the heart
sickness Of deferred hope were alike iorgo s en-
march might as well have been review, as tht
immense column emerged from the trees and
lnova5 5ovyn +ba long stones that oppose the ris
ing ground on which Wesselton stands. The Beers
on he north of the town at the intermediate sta
ZION and Ea,7rerga-1 were firing their last shots
frorn their great gun ignorance Of their Ialiure
on The south but these soon stopped. and General
French entered the town which IN a moment had
pun out IT'S flags and decorations me pam -. -
had been caused by the continuous bursting OF Lne
huge shells over every part OF the besieged town
vanished and from the 100 foot level OF the ala
mond mines thousands Of women ana ch''oieA
emerged into the light OF day.
CRoNJE.s REARGUARD ACTION.
The fierce reare1ard action of February Is with
Cronie. under Kitchener. during which the Ca
nadians suffered 50 severely is fully described Dy
THE Tines correspondent at PaardeDerg, VINO
after saying that the Canadians specially showed
magnificent and almost reckless courage" writes:
When once the battle had begun, II was almost
tireiy soldiers and reglneIlta1 otllceIS Jill
And way the soldiers fought reflects the great
est credit them. Exhausted by weeks narch-
onk since the previous afternoon, their steadiness
40 courage could hardly be surpassed Perhaps
le most reckless bravery was shown by the w elsh.
ne tOrnwaIls and the Canadians, but all the regl-
menis behaved spiendidly, and IL would be invldi-
Aspness OF the casualty list. eleven hundred.
sd HaeaT -rrrVGE