, 1900-02-12
IN A ZONE OF DEATH.
sOER TACTICS WILL COST AN
AWFUL LOSS.
An American Onicer Gives His Views
on the South African Situation and
Predicts Horrible Slaughter Many
Thousands Will Fall. a

In The deadly fire-zones of the
Beers Il score of thousands of English
men must fall before the r~ransvaal is,
conquered" This is the opinion of a
distinguished American military au-
thority with whom | talked to-day,
writes Walter Wellman. Great Brit
ain is face to face with the most diff
cult military proposition of the CEN
tury," continued this officer. 1T is a
remarkable fact that the difficulty
which the English rmy is now en-
countering in South Africa was fore
Swallowed in a book published before
the outbreak of hostilities. 1t was
written by a Polish banker named
Biloxi. M. Blioki's studies led him
into a critical examination OF the effect
CT modern small caliber high velocity
magazine rifles when handled by
skillfui and brave troops. and he laid
down the axiom that such troops,
when properly i~ntrenched, could hold
their positions against all corners. By
carefully selecting their positions, he
pointed out, they could sweep the zone
in front of them with a fire so deadly
that no troops in the world could live
In it, while remaining practically out
OF danger themselves. At short range
one of their small caliber balls, driven
at great velocity, could disable from
three to five men. At longer range
from two to three would fall by the
same bit of lei l.. In such a %rre-zone,
he said. attack would be suicide. Men
would go down with appalling rapidity,
and the surviving remnants of the
bravest troops hat eve walked could
do nothing but retreat as rapidly as
possible. They could o recover their
wounded. and the hit must lie where
they fell till firing ceased and flags
of truce covered the rescue.
This is precisely what has hap
pened in South Africa" continued the
military student. The Beers AXE up
commanding positions on the side hills.
They intrench themselves and from
cover sweep the open before them
with a fire so deadly that even the
reckless daring and enthusiastic self
sacrifice Of the British army is unable
to do more than dash into that hell
zone and then dash back again. Ex-
cept in rare instances, where the condi-
tons are unfavorable, have the Beers
failed to hold their intrenchments. On
only few occasions have the combat
ants come to hand to hand fighting.
You will remember that after our cam-
paign in Cuba Inspector General
Breckenridge said the bayonet might
was only useful to grind up coffee
with. for which purpose a small ham
mer would serve better. The English
have had a few opportunities to give
the Beers cold STEEL but only a few
and by small bodies rushing some out
lying position. The great problem for
the English commanders is how to
make an advance. Their troops have
fought with a bravery which fills the
world with admiration, but they have
almost nothing to show for their sacri-
fees. The character Of the country
aids the Beers tactics. 1t Is for the
most part billy and broken. The Beers
take up position on a hillside. Fol-
lowing the usual tactics, the English
shell them out with their artillery and
then advance their infantry to take
the position. But the moment the
artillery fire ceases. and it must stop
before the British line can move into
the open-the Beers move back. from
the other side of the hill, where they
have been in cover, and resume their
places in the trenches. The artillery
has wasted Its strength on empty rife
pits. But before the advancing troops
can get far on their way the Beers are
ready for them, and when the oppor-
tune moment ONE hat deadly rain
Of little bullets sweeps the open like a
simeon. More than once" continued
the officer, the British have walked
into just such destruction; have fallen
by scores. rallied, advanced again, re-
ceived another deadly fire, and have
then broken and retreated, bafiled and
beaten, without once seeing the en-
envy, and probably without hitting one
Of them. Men were never born who
can keep up much Of this sort of fight
ing. The Beers have demonstrated
lhaS WIFI AiOueFH d SIQall
force can defend any favorable posi-
ton against five times their numbers.
Up to date the Boer losses are prob
ably not one-tenth that of the English.
Front attacks are things of the past.
unless commanders have men by the
thousands to throw away. Thanking
Is the only thing that will win, n
thanking is hazardous and almost i'm
possible against troops as mobile and
alert as the Beers, operating in a oun
try favorable to that line of defense.
These are the problems which the
British leaders have to work out, and
every military man in the world is
curious to see how they are going to
do it. In my opinion the British will
find a way to do it. but only by making
good Kruger's prophecy that if con-
quest of the Transvaal, is achieved at
all, 1t will be at a cost which will APP
pail humanity