The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-02
SOUTH AFRICA'S LESSONS.
,,oorRy WEAPONS no NOT LESSEN
bUu wr r,ITE or THE INDIpIDrAL-

at - W
oa.x-Iord woiscley's Awakening
",,,i,b waste Of Men and Means A. Com
- the Careful and Successful IAc-
49,, ~ the Boers-soldlering and Fighting
rag SuN's Correspondent wan ne brHi'h
' groopI
to.n,y. Aug is-A civilian witness OF
,rJ NIothurn's battles around Modder
H. and Magersfon,ein and Of practically
~ ,bo york done by his main column from ue
...io, of the Orange Free State In February
".,1 ,bs capture Of Pretoria early In july II
s,u,eed that at least one general good lesson
A.. CONS out ~ the South African war Tvs
IT,, ,hs usa of the most modern weapons 10y
~" .r,agonlst "a on both sides makes the
Individual more, and not less important wa"
ma I nr, might have said that large equip
1t n heavy ordnance covering most 'u'c-
m'", r,,ye from 5000 yards TO 1000 yards
wa hy -ieyc guns Of set longer range
',LI'. ,,s. firing light guns at their best between
. WV rorIs and ..51o yards-coorerating WIN
., Co.,. from either Mauser or lee-MeUord,
~. t..,t tn make the individual pracucally
..,,r. I'D far ~ his own initiative IL CON
- v,.u working either with or agaihst
-, ,.u,rif,c body. quite n number 81
.,r,.- n4vr been sus aimed In all the blH
.n.,ycmcrt. from rife fire at a range OF over
80 nod Moreover, the man welding me
..,r.n rNtt can strike at this distance hW7
N'"',r,.,,I protection and nerve-stcadicr
.tt,,osnr that he has n reserve oi caruluRes
~ ..,,,,i,o TO draw upon without laying
,- r,rc and recharging from his bandolier'
va ,r., mat ne Is firing smokeless powder.
T.,t both -ttrl so equipped the question
,,,., had modern mechanical invenuNeh'ss
,,,.st ,hn handlers of these weapons
, s,uerlug little short ~ aulomah OF
g,cu an additional advantage TO the man
u,r ,1,fpred with intelligence and nerve
,,,r ,, less ,aUahlc3 From what ! Rave seen
,,.,,, ,ha, the individual has more scope
,r .tovfr, his worth with the now weapons
a., D., lad with the old. when. of course he
,c,rer tn HE enemy before he could
,,l. him In an tho other operations that
mating mn tie sum total ~ a war the
.o,, conclusion hat very great deal derends
~. .,t.ytdual is driven into one hy repeated
,'.rtcurr
r,sr, il alr-ady a great cutlery In England
Ella, tho British system j. all wrong. and That
lie ID, blame for The not very crcditable tale
o,b,lt.,urro-~es and occasional whole reverses
,t,, 81, far make up the record OF the war
s,ould those Justly angered at such n series
I'd, rude d,sirustouments keep up their feelings
bsr,,d the war and insist on explanations
,bsy qHl have missed the vital defect II they
devote themselves to pulling the War once
,r-,ar, q, r.eres I'm the belief that another
c,-,d he devised that would make such an army
a. now represents England in Africa victorious
In a reasonably short time against n Boer force
such A. has opposed IL since last October. |
saw againthat IL is not he system hut the lndli-
ridr,l -as,u-rs. self-reliance. initiative, and
keen interest in the actual momentary business
M, hand that should be looked 10 rather than
any new ready-made system FOR bolstering M
tho idea that the most perfect officials and
INST model War Of1ra in the world would have
made a brilliant army out Of the present per-
s,nnel Possibly that may be the conclusion
OF those who will read some description OF
.v.nts. no longer Yesterdays news, but still
clearer from this distance nv having fuller
knowledge than a mere first glance
plILrRYs DURING EoBERTs's ADVANCE.
On tho day that Lord Robcrts's force crossed
the vaal River. MAY q, IN" FIRST steps were taken
that have led the British troops into the series
NJ troubles against which is only TO be set the
hare occupation Of JOHANNESBURG and Pre-
torla and-though not always-of the line from
Pretoria 10 the river. Gen. Ian Hamilton had
left Kroonstad On May 10 for Iindley and He'll
hron- to destroy. It was understood. President
eteyn's provisional seats Of government. and
to detach as many az possible OF his burghers,
Gen. Hamilton's division was accounted the
best composite force that could be collected
from Lord Roberts, main column. IL should
b. explained that the main column consisted
n the Seventh Gen. Tucker's), the Ninth Gen.
Colvile'sl and the Eleventh Gen. Pole-Carew's)
Infantry divisions, Gen. French's Cavalry
Division, comprising Col. Porter's. Col. Broad
woods, Col Gordon's and Col. Barton's Cavalry
brigade; Gen. Hutton's Mounted Infantry Divis-
lon NJ Australians. Canadian, Ceylon. and other
mounted volunteers enlisted outside Africa, and
Ian Hlmi'on's Mounted Infantry Division,
built around the comparatively small mounted
Infantry force raised in Cape Colony. The
h'f African colonist volunteers, such ne the
ln'arial Light Horse. had gone round from
Nrd - the Kim5'rley-M f"king line with
a., HlT'ar AMI Mlhon, and were not up to
TIE Field Mlrshal's force. Lord Roberts had 10
cover I'm miles from Kroonstad to Johannes
burg without \ town to rest at. He wished
n 40 It in the least possible time while still
m7ting his advance thorough enough q clear
HI, tanks " any hostile force that might cut on
his supplies from the rear. On the west Of
the line from Kroonstad M there is little cover
=" water or supplies, and the Beers did not show
Themselves from that side, While we were
rll In KroonStad, from May IL 10 NAV %, Lord
b4tNu"n, with his reduced division, was brought
from Warr'nton, thirty miles from Kimberley,
where he had been dawdling for nearly three
months, n Bloemhof, and thence across the
wal east-southeast into the Free State To Hoop
sad. Col Pitcher, with a picked force Of
australian and Canadian mounted volunteers.
had b"en thrown out west from Kroonstad
10 Bothavllle, and the country west OF the line
was reported clear
II was from the east that trouble was to be
expected and Gen. Ian Hamilton was equipped
Win the bast force obtainable effectively TO
rear me country. Lord Roberts gave him
Two infantry brigades-Gen Smith-Dorien's
ana Gen Bruce-H amilton's. the former being
'eckoned ono Of the best BriRadiers with prob
soIy the best British infantry brigade now
IN The field, Moreover, Gen. Broadwood's
caValry brigade was detached from Gen.
french A. advance guard to Gen. Hamilton.
VINO had ~ course still his mounted infantry.
u1der De Isle and Ridley This force. num-
NTlAs about twelve thousand men, moved
a'u' SIX mile, out Of Kroonstad on May II.
mere they waited twenty-four hours because
vas discovered that they had not -four days
SUPPLIES with them. The arid. crusty roads
y hroonstad were ground a foot deep into
"Ny aust by heavy eight-span mule and OF
,.ohS taking out the necessary supplies.
" Ia~f Can HauItorH. ..z-u -. ....,ul 80