The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-09

and succeeded in Sllenclng the BOer hre-
Meanwhile two companies of the Argyll
Highlanders advancing along the plain
in a westerly direction found the Beers
entrenched at a small drift. A sharp
enga cement followed lasting the whole
day.
Gen. Macdonald now only requires
sufficient troops in order to completely
surround the Beers. Gen. Babinglon
was dispatched from Modder river with
d large force of cavalry and two horse
| batteries but failed to reach here al
though he started early enough in the
day to enable him to get here early
this evening.
STRATEGY ABANDONED.
New York, Feb. 9.-The London news
papers fully realize that General Bull
lers new fight to rescue Ladysmith has
only begun; that he is not much better
off now than he was when he captured
Spion kop, and that there will be
further long lists of dead and wounded,
whether General Buller fails or sue
! ceeds Nothing has been published as
| to General Buffers movements on
ground at Vaal Krantz and bring up
more troops and artillery the critics
| will be satisfied. 1t is not known in
London how important Vaal Krantz is.
| but it is pretty well understood that
the Beers intended to fight every inch
/ of the war There is no strategy in
| volved in General Buffers movemenN
I He is hammering his way through the
moving straight toward Ladysmith, and
seeking to split Joubert's army.
| Pretoria dispatches continue to
| describe the BOer losses as trivial and
! the British advantages of position as
! delusive.
The success of the British movement
| appears to be an artillery problem.
Vaal Krants is exposed to a long range
enfilading fire from Spion Kop on the
| west and Doom Klof on the east The
British are now on kopjes and the
/ Beers have mounted heavy guns on
! higher SUBMITS, which command Vaal
| Krantz. The British themselves have
| massed their heavy guns on Mount
| Alice, ZWart kOp on the south bank
! of the river and brought their field bat
! terieS into action with cumulative effect.
! Continued occupation of the kOpjeS and
j of Buffers to LadySmith depend upon
| the power of the British artillery to
silence these enflading guns. This is
! the view taken in official circles and
| there is a buoyant feeling of confidence.
Much confidence is felt in Lord
! Roberts campaign against the Free
| State from Cape Colony. It is not yet
! clear whether General MacDonaldS 5
| movement to the west of General
Methuen's camp is anything more than
! a reconnaissance in force to protect a
/ fresh advance from Belmont to Doug
| las, and the SkirmiShing still in pro-
| gress is decisive. General Gatacre has
| strengthened his outpOsts north and
! west of SterkStrOOm, which were threat
! ened with attack, but has not maSSed
his forces for an advance toward the
| Orange river. General French was
| bombarding the enemy'S position vigOr-
| ously yesterday from Colesburg, but
his manoeuvers have not yet been
| crowned with success. The. Dutch in
J that quarter have been heavily rein
! forced and are no longer acting on the
! defensive, but are taking up new posi-
! tions between Colesberg and Phillips
town, in the direction of De Aar, the
! chief British depot of military supplies.
! There is no definite information re-
/ specting the distribution of the $4,000
! reinfOrcements with which General
| Roberts is opening the campaign on the
southern or western frontier of the
! Free State.
/ BRITISH RETIRE ACROSS TUGELA.
! BOer Head Laager, Ladysmith, Thurs
day, Feb. S.-The British who were in
possession of the kopje at MOlens Drift
| abandoned it after a bombardment by
| Boer cannon this morning and retired
| across the Tugela river to their former
| position.
| A desultory cannonade is proceeding at
| the Tugela this morning but otherwise
| everything is quiet.
METHUEN ORDERS RETREAT.
Koodoosberg Drift. Thursday Feb.
| SIN order to completely surround the
j Beers, Gen. Darlington was dispatched
| from the Modder River with a large
! force of cavalry and two batteries of
I horse artillery but failed to reach here,
! although he started early enough in the
! day to enable him to get here early this
| afternoon. This morning Gen. Methuen
! ordered that the combined force should
! retire on the Nodder River which move
ment is now progressing The Boer
were 80 men killed or wounded.
THOSE MULES AGAIN.
London, Feb. almost all the critics
| now point out that the mere pushing
/ through to Ladysmith without securing
-
! would only add danger to what is al
| ready a critical situation.
! Another Frere Camp dispatch says a
Boer prisoner asserts that the burghers
expected General Butler to cross at
! Skiots Drift, and that thousands of
! Beers were being posted at DornklOOf
/ to oppose such passage while on
/ captured hill there We're only a few
| hundred Johannesburgers. This tends
| to increase the anxiety of those who
/ believe that General Butler has scarcely
! begun the serious part of his advance
! though encourag agement is CLEANED from
| the news that the heavy naval guns
| after repeated attempts during which
the mules rolled down the hill have sue
! ceeded in reaching the summit Of
/ Swartz Kop whence they are doing eX
| cellent practice.
Gen. Hector McDonalds retirement
| from Koodoosberg has created disap-
I pOintment but the operation was ap-
I parenty only intended a SOrtie and
/ it's success or failure could scarcely
have resulted in any material effect on
! the campaign.
To the daily rumor of the relief of
/ Ladysmith was added last evening that
| Lord Rothschild had positive informa
1 tion to that effect and that he had
/ communicated it to various members of
| the house of lords during yesterdays s
/ session. Lord Rothsehild today said he
! had no news of the nature mentioned
/ and that he did not go to the house of
i lords yesterday
A rumor that Ladysnith had been re-
| lieved is again current today but the
war Office authorities say they have no
confirmation of the report.
Military attaches will leave tonor-
row. Their destination is not given,
but presumably they will join Lord
| Roberts, whose whereabouts have not
yet been made public.
1t was said today that one of the first
steps to increase the home army will
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