Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-01-13
Correspondence Associated Press.)

correspondence ASSDCfdlcu lCSc.J
LONDON, January 3.-British war
correspondents are pouring in through
the mails columns of descriptions of
the operations in South Africa. Those
recently printed refer chiefly to the
battles of Gras Pan and Modder river,
for it is yet too early for the publica-
ton of full accounts of Buffers defeat
at Colenso. The Times correspondent
at Modder river has written a graphic
account of the 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
veldt in a heat that was 10 degrees
in the shade at midday. Meanwhile
the left flank had not been idle, and,
after the general had personally led
them to the summit of a slight rise
that commanded the only possible
means of crossing the river-the dam
that had been built to turn the Modder
river into an ornamental water for
the picnics of Kimberley excursionists
they moved in echelon toward the
enemy's extreme left.
THAT it could even be attempted to
cross the river sliding sidewalks
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 pro-
vided. This, however, is what was
actually done. and it would be diff
cult to find a parallel for the stubborn
Col. Barter across the 300 yards of dam
and weir. One by one some 400 of
them crossed. Then a detachment of
the Royal engineers, showing how
well they could take their part in the
forefront of the fighting line, followed
them, and after that some more Of the
Yorkshire light infantry. Little by
little a force was collected which
cleared several of the nearest houses
on the right and effected an occupa-
ton of an irrigation patch, from which
they were never dislodged.
To fight for thirteen hours is an or
deal that in n kind Of warfare would
be a terrible strain; but out on the
treeless, shadeless veldt, with the Their
mometer at the degree mentioned, the
exhaustion suffered by our men was SO
great that in hundreds of cases men
and officers alike slept as they lay in
the scrub, careless of the she'll and rifle
fire that surged over them. To provide
them food was impossible, to bring a
water cart on the field, as the Cold
Stream Guards found by bitter exper-
fence, was only tempting men to expose
themselves to death, rushing for the
water at all hazards, and leaving the
cover, such as it was afforded by the
nine or ten-inch growth of mimesa
scrub.
Early in the afternoon the general
was shot through the thigh and, for
some time, two brigades, in the alb
sence of orders, were compelled to act
independently of each other, the only
communication being a warning to the
Ninth brigade not to fire upon the
First, of which there was some danger.
"The magnificent manner in which
the Beers realized ard augmented the
strength of the position, the success
with which they had kept their works,
and disposition secret until the cruz
cal moment, the feint in the extreme
right by which they drew off the en-
tire artillery strength of our force
from their main position, and the as
tonishing 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