The sun., 1900-06-14
COMPLETE VICTORY
OVER GEN. De WET
HIS CAMP TAKEN
Gems. Methuen and Kitchener
Win Battle at the
RhenOster.
B0THA OPPOSES ROBERTS
British Forces Under the Command
ing General Gained Ground Near
Pretoria, But the Beers We're
Not Beaten When Lord
Roberts Left the
Battle Field.
BOTHA OPPOSES ROBERTS

London, June 13.-After a weeks 81
lence Lord Roberts has been heard from,
his line of communications having been
practically restored by means of COM
blete victory gained by Generals Methuen
and Kitchener over General De Wet at
the Rhenoster river. The Boer camp
was captured. ana the Beers were scat
tered i'll all directions.
Lord Roberts on being notified Of the
cutting Of his line Of communications
sent Lord Kitchener in all haste to JON
Lord Mc;hnnn. Ga June / / Lord Rob
erts attacked General Botlla, who was
in strong force II miles southeast Of Pre-
t2ia After strenuous opposition the
British forces gained considerable ground.
but General Bolha, when Lord Roberts
left the field. was still undefeatel
All is quiet at Pretoria and Johannes
burg. and Lord Roberts says that tile
government need have no apprehension
about the security Of the army in South
Africa, az il will not take long to remedy
the leyerses and repair The rilroad.
News Of the situation was contained in
a long dispatch forwarded to the war Of
flee hy Major General Knox. 1t was
<ed 1T kroonStadt. June II, and began
BY saying that he had been requested to
forward from Lord Roberts the following
dispatch from the Pretoria resdency:
Pretoria, June 12.-Pretoria and Jo-
hanncSburg ar" perfectly quiet, and sew
eral Of the inhabitants have expressed
gratitude for the peace and order which
prevail. After surrenderng the city
Botha retired to a place about Is miles
%st on the AiiddleburS road He had a
An;A force ut first, but during the last
few days his numbers increased, and his
being 50 near the town kept mp the eX-
citemcnt i'll the country prevented the
hurghcrs from laying down their arms
and intcrfcred with the collection Of sup
plies. Ii therefore became necessary to
attack lin.
BothH In Strong Position.
This did yesterday. lie held a very
se'0ng position, practically unaSSailable
in front, which cna,lcd him to place the
rEsin portion of his troops on his tlanEs
which lie knew from former experience
were lis vulnerable parts. sent French
with l'ortVr's AMI iJiNan,s cavalry bri
gudeS and iTuttoils mounted infantry
round by our left and Ian Hamilton with
Broadwood and Gaidon's cavalry hri
gade. lsidley's mounted infantry and
Bruce IIamilton'S infantry brigade round
bH our right. Both columns met with
great opposition Al about ) in the aft
ernoon saw two of Iiamiltun'S infantry
battalionS advancing 10 what appeared to
he the key Of the encny's defense on
their left flank. This was almost gained
before dark. and | ordered the force to
byouac on the ground they had won
"Pole-Carew, with his division occu-
Yaed our center. As / have explained
he could not attack. but he gradually ad-
yanced so as TO support Ian Hamilton,
and when | left the field he was on the
line held by the eneHy's outposts in the
morning.
Il hurried back to get news of Me-
thuen's movement. On hearing that the
Free Staters had taken advantage of our
crossing the Naal to interrupt our line
of communication | sent Kitchener with
such troops as | could then spare to Yer
tVredeportD with orders to push south
and communicate with NIethuen, who |
knew had very compact force in the
Vicinity of Heilbron. | also dispatched
a special messenger to Methuen, instruct
ing him to push on at all speed to the
main line of railway. These two officers
met at Eredefort Road station in the
evening of June 10. They marched yes
&erday to the Rhenoster river. where Me-
Shuon gained complete victory over De
Wet and took possession of his camp
and scattered his troops in all directions. |
He and Kitchener marched today toward
Kroonstadt.
The Army Safe, Says Roberts.
.IIcr majestys government need have
no apprehension us to the security Of the |
army in South Africa. The enemy gain
cd Il slight success. which was unfofu-
nate. but which will he remedicd very
shortly. and il will not take long to re-
pair the damage done to the railway. AS |
these diversions are all in existence | am |
now able to hold the line between this
and Rhcnostcr III strength. Methuen will |
arrange 10 guard it onward us he a,l- |,
vancpS.
Hunter should he at Potchefstroom
today. He will then move to Johannes
burg.
I'VE have communicated with Butler,
who WILL no doubt, soon make the pres I
ence of his force in the field felt
Our losses Yesterday We're not, trust.
serious, hut | deplore the death of thar /
gallant soldier, the Earl of Airlie. The |
only other casualties reported as yet are: ,
Seventeenth lancers, Major the Hon. |
Lionel Fortescue and Lieutenant the I
Hon. G. Cavcndish both killed."
The Earl of Airlie, commanding officer
of the Twelfth lancersr, succeeded to the
title in 1881 and was one of the Scottish
representative peers. He served in the
Afghan expedition of 1878 and dis.in-
9niAlad AiilAilt Al Lle A.iG exnet..tnn