Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-06-05

we started tnls morning at daybreak and
marched about 10 miles to Six Miles
Spruit, both banks of which were occu-
pied by the enemy. Henry's and Ross
mountain infantry, with the West Somer-
set, Dorset, Bedford and Sussex compan-
les of Yeomanry, quickly dislodged them
nearly mile, when they found them
selves under a heavy fire from guns
which the Beers had placed in a well
concealed commanding position.
Our heavy guns of the naval and
heavy artillery, which had purposely been
hurried to the assistance of the mounted
infantry as fast as oxen and mules
could travel over the great rolling hills
surrounding Pretoria. The guns We're
Pole-Carew and after few rounds drove
the enemy from their positions. The
Beers then attempted to turn our left
flank, in which they were again folled oy
the mounted infantry and Yeomanry,
supported by Maxwell's brigade of Tuck
er's division. AS however. they still kept
pressing our left rear, sent word to Ian
Hamilton, who was advancing three
miles to our left, to incline toward us and
fill up the gap between the two columns.
This finally checked the enemy, who were
driven back toward Pretoria. I hoped
we would have been able to follow them
up, but the days now are very short in
this part of the world: and, after two
hours marching and fighting, We bad to
bivouac on the ground gained during the
day.
1.-The guards brigade is quite near the
southermost fort by which Pretoria Is de-
Tended and less than four miles from the
town."
London, June S, II a. NIT is officially
announced that Lord Roberts occupiEl
Six Miles Spruit on June 4.
New York, June 5.-A dispatch to the
Tribune from London says There has
been a complete embargo on war news
for "a hours. A column can be filled
with things which the public is not al
lowed to know, such as General Roberts
plan of campaign against Pretoria, Cen
eral Buffers progress in turning the
Beers out of Laings Mex. the direction
and extent of the movements from the
| western border into the Transvaal under
Hunter, Methuen, Baden-Powell and
Darlington, the whereabouts of French
and Hamilton and the full effects of the
counterstroke planned by the Free State
! generals against the British line Of COM
munication A few lines will suffice for
an exposition of the scraps OF infOrma-
tion which the censor permits to pass
over the wires. These relate mainly to
General Warren's fight with the rebels
| in the poor white district General Run
| dies reconnaissance in force, which was
converted into serious engagement;
| the capture of two of Brabant's patrols
near Ficksburg, the uncertainties of the
situation at Pretoria and the fight of the
! Boer officials to the coast or to the
mountains. News of real Importance
is suppressed and 1t is not practicable
for the shreWdest expert to ascertain
/ what is going on at the front or to fore
| cast the date for the occupation of Pre-
| toria The war office closed at midnight
without throwing any light upon the
confused situation.
/ ks,s
| inaction at johannesburg is due to the
necessity for receiving reinforcements
! before ordering a fresh advance. He
| has only four brigades of infantry Oh
the advance line and one of these must
be left behind to guard Johannesburg.
Three brigades of infantry. as many
brigades of cavalry and division of
mounted infantry, hardly suffice for the
| occupation of Pretoria, especially when
the railway needs to be guarded. It Is
| reasonable to assume that he is waiting
either for the columns to appear from
! the western frontier or for reinforce
ments to arrive from the south. There
| is no evidence that his line of communi-
cations has been broken by the raiding
| operations Of the Free State comman-
does or that the Dutch operations on
the eastern flank have been successful at
any point. General Roberts is waiting
until he is fully prepared to drive the
Beers from Pretoria and possibly to in
tercept portion of their force.
The mystery with which General
French's movements are invested has
not been explained. The military ex-
perts agree that he Is the only general
on the British side who has devised new
| tactics during the campaign. He has
| taught his troopers to ride fully ten
yards apart and to advance by q series
] of rushes over a zone of fire, horse and
/ rider when In motion being a less ex-
posed target than an infantryman: The
mounted infantry are trained by him to
| approach at intervals in threes. one
| trooper holding three horses while the
| other two fire their rifles and all gallop-
| ing on for a fresh rush
| F'rench's cavalry tactics in the judg-
ment of experts are likely to revolution