The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-01-16

Correspondence of Associated Press.6
London, January British war cor
respondents are pouring in through the
mails columns of descriptions of the
operations in South Africa. Those re-
Gently printed refer chiefly to the bat
ties of Graspan and Modder river, for
il is yet too early for the publication
of full of Buffers defeat at
COlenso.
The Times correspondent at Modder
river has written a graphic accoun
of the long. fierce battle that takes
it's name from that stream.
For the whole of the day." he
writes, the Guards brigade lay on the
open yeldt in a lee that was actually
ITO degrees in the shade at Ida
Meanwhile the left flank had not been
idle, and after the general had person.
ally led them to the summit of a slight
rise that commanded the only posi-
bic mean of crossing the river-the
dam nat had been built to turn the
MOdder river into an ornamental wa
ter for the picnics of Kimberley ex-
cursiOnists-they moved in echelon to-
wards the edege of the river bank IN
the enemy's extreme left.
THAT 1T could even be attempted
to cross the river sliding sideways
through the rush of the water over the
paddles Of a rickety iron bar, by one
clinging to the short supports in full
view of the opposite shore was an act
of reckless heroism against which even
the wary Cronje had not provided.
This, however, is what actually was
done. and it will be difficult to find a
parallel for the stubborn pluck of the
men who accompanied Colonel Barter
across the 300 yards of dam n weir.
Little by little a force was collected
which cleared several of the nearest
hoUses on the right and effected an
occupation of an irrigation patch from
which they were never diSlOdged. For
thirteen hours they fought on the tree
less, shadeless veldt and were so ex-
haUSted that in undred of cases, men
and officers alike slept as they lay in
the scrub, careless of the shell and
rifle fire that Surged Over them.
To provide them with food was i'm
possible. to bring a water cart on ~
fieId-as the COIdstream guards found
by bitter eXperience-was only tempt
ing men 20 expose themselves to death.
rushing for the water at all hazards,
n leaving the cover, such as it was.
afforded by the nine or ten inch Of
growth of mimosa scrub.
Early in the afternoon. the general
was shot through the thigh and for
some time the two brigades, in the alb
SenCe of orders. We're compelled to act
independently of each other, h only
communication being a warning to
the Ninth brigade not to fire upon the
First. of which there vas some dam
ger.
The magnificent manner in which
the Beers la realized and augmented
the strength of h position. the sue
cess with which they had kept their
works and disposition secret Until the
crucial moment. the feint or the eX-
IRENE right by which they drew off
, -he entire artillery strength of our
force from thei- main position and the
astonishing accuracy of their picked
shots at the longest ranges should all
be remembered TO the credit of their
generals; but it was in the material
which formed the commands that
they failed. They could not do more
than they actually did with the men
under their command. Already jeal-
ousies had sprung up among the gen
erals, the men accused each other of
cOwardice, and the threat of physical
force, if rumOrs were true, had to be
held over them more than once.
1T will be impossible in any future
war for the officers to retain their
swords, and it will be worth while for
the W@9ffice to construct some light
carbine to replace the weighty rifle
served out to the men.
The laval brigade advanced III eN-
tended order. but in conVerging upon
the position to be taken, they uncon-
sciOusiy found themselves closed in,
and in that formation attempted the
ascent. The fire directed upon them
was terrible and, distinguished by their
swords, the officers were the first TO
fall. Commander EthelStan was NOR
tally wounded fifty yards from the first
slope and one by one the rest fell "a
they advanced, many with two or three
bullet wounds The slaughter was ap-
palling to watch; the gallantry dis
played was useless under the pitiless
iron hail.
Little by little the thin line of khaki
CrawIed up to the top. The stoI ming
line now so was near the crest that the
guns could only be directed upon the
Beers enfiIading the position from the
spurs of the kopje on the left, and al
most in a calm, the works of Sanger
were reached and crossed. In the next
half minute fifty men tumbled and I'M
mediately rushed forward to clear the
position in the rear. This was, how
ever. stubbornIy held for a quarter OF
an hour more. perhaps more, as a
screen than anything else, to the
retreat of the Beers.
Above. the hill top was almost
dropping with blood; not a boulder es-
capped its splash of crimson, and tbs
innumerable Splinters and chips OF
ironstone blocks indicated the terrific
nature of our fire. Most of the dead
or wounded were carried of-fifty Of
the more severely wounded were found
in their hospital, a quarter of a mile
away-but here and there a dead mar
proved that here the TTansvaal had
sent it's men down for the first time Il
meet the on-coming column"
Julian Ralph, correspondent of The
Daily Mail, says that one of the most
astonishing facts of the war is that al
some of these battles the better class
of Beers come to battle in their car
riages like gentlemen driving to the
Derby at home, and having done their
best, have retired in the same way
leaving their vassals to cover their re.
treat.
From the Ladysmith correspondent
of The Daily Nail comes a grim touch
of besieged misery:
"DiShaUAIIod women are OearinU Ou'