The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-26
Roberts Scores Him for
Blundering.
SHARP COMMENT At HOME
Warren May be Recalled News from
Daigetty--Boers Appeal to
Afrikanders.

LONDON. April 1.-THE War Office
tonight publishes in the Gazette" a
dispatch from Lord Roberts, dated Feb
ruary 18th, submitting General Buffers
dispatches describing the Spion Kop
and other operations from January 18th
to January Gath. Lord Roberts deals
severely with General Warren and
some others. Even General Butler does
not escape. Lord Roberts complains
that the plan OF operations Is not clear
ly described in the dispatches. After
sketching General Buffers intentions,
as communicated to Sir Charles War
ren, who commanded the whole force,
Lord Roberts points out that General
Warren seems to have concluded, after
consultation with his officers. that the
| flanking movement ordered by General
Butler was impracticable, and therefore
so changed the plan of advance as to
necessitate the capture and retention of
| Spion Kop. Lord Roberts continues:
"As Warren considered IL impossible
to make the wide fanking movement
which was recommended. IL not actual
| ly prescribed in the secret instructions.
he should forthwith have acquainted
Butler with the course he proposed TO
adopt There is nothing to show wheth-
er he did so or not. But IL 10 only fair
to Warren to point out that Butler ap-
pears throughout to have been aware
of what was happening"
Regarding the withdrawal from Spion
Kop. the retention Of which had become
essential to the relief of Ladysmith.
Lord Roberts says: 81 regret to be un-
able to concur with Butler in thinking
Thornycroft exercised wise discretion
in ordering the troops to retire. ! am
of the opinion that Thornycroft's as
sumption OF responsibility and author
ity was wholly inexcusable. During the
night the enemys fire could not have
been formidable, and IL would not have
taken more than two or three hours for
| Thornycroft to communicate by mes
senger with Major-General Coke or
Warren. Coke appears to have left
Spion Kop at 9: 80 p. m. for the purpose
OF consulting with Warren. Up to that
hour the idea of withdrawal had not
| been entertained. Yet almost imme-
diately after Coke's departure Thorny-
croft issued the order. without refer
ence to superior authority, which upset
the whole plan of operations and rem
derer unavailing the sacrifices made 10
carry ii into effect. On the other hand.
il is only right to say that Thornycroft
appears to have behaved in a very gal
liant manner throughout the day.
1T is to be regretted that Warren did
not himself visit the Spion Kop in the
| afternoon or evening, knowing as he
| Il hot h. fof f,f' 'aT a
critical and that the loss OF the posi-
| tion would involve the failure of the
operations. He consequently was oblig
ed to summon Coke to his headquar-
| ters, and the command at Spion Kop
| thus devolved on Thornycroft, un-
| known to Coke. who was under the I'm
preston that the command devolved
upon Colonel Hill as senior officer.
| Omission or mistakes of this nature
may be trifiing in themselves. yet they
may exercise an important influence
over the course of events. and believe
Butler was justified In remarking:
There was a want of organization and
system which acted most unfavorably
on the defense
THE attempt to relieve I.adysmith
was well devised. and agree with Bull
| Ter in thinking II ought to have sue
measure have been due to the difficult
ties of the ground and the commanding
positions held by the enemy. and prob
ably also to errors of judgment and
want of administrative capacity on the
part OF Warren. But. whatever faults
Warren may have committed. the fail
ure must also be attributed to the disin-
clination OF the officer IN supreme com
mand to assert his authority and f"e
that what he thought best ~-~s d''".
and also to the unwarraD'able aud
needless assumption OF resDo visibility
by subordinate officer"
The dispatch concludes:
The gratifying feature of these dis
patches Is the admirable behavior OF the
troops throughout the operation"
Comment in London.
| LONDON. April 1S.-U:55 o. MI
Lord Roberts criticisms OF General
Butler. General Warren and Colonel
| Thornycroft continue topics or acute
| interest All the afternoon papers COM
ment at length on the structures OF the
British commander-in-chief In South
| Africa. taking the same lines as the
morning papers. praising Lord Roberts
for his frankness and specializing upon
what the publication OF the dispatches
at the present moment portends.
Some OF them maintain there Is moth
/ ing left for General Butler but to re-
| sign. The st. James Gazette Is par