The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1900-03-10
BOERS NOT SAVAGES.
AN ENoLlsHMAN PAYS THEM
HIGH TRIBUTE. .
Says That They Arc Generous Friends
and Pitvlng Foes and That They Arc
Being M%sliciously Misrepresented BY
the Capltalistic Press Of England.

and Pitylng Foes and That They Are
Being Maliciously Misrsprese nted by
tho Capltalistic Press OF England.
An officer who took part in the bat
tie of Colenso writes to a London
paper, describing the confusion and
slaughter that marked Buffers first
battle in the campaign. He also re-
counts an incident which shows the
Boer soldiers in a pleasanter light than
is often done. lie says: About ten
men of the ~ConnaIghts and twenty of
the Inniskillings, representatives OF
the green and orange under Col.
Thackery, found themselves in this po-
sition, and the ambulance wagons be-
ing already on the field carrying OF
the wounded, they were obliged to
cas- firing. Well, men, said Col.
Thackery, 1T is now Pretoria for us
(meaning surrender), or shall we do
the best we CAM The devil of Pre-
tcria for u.s. was the cry OF all; do
the best you can. and if the worst
comes we'll fight it out A Boer officer
came up and said: You seem to have
lost very heavily here
Eyes said Col. Thackcry, laughing,
but we shall be at Pretoria for the
New Year all the same
We'll, said the Boer. If you are,
L promise to stand you the best bottle
of champagne in South Africa
"After some similar chaff, Cc1.
Thackery said: 'Good-by. I'm going
back to camp, and intend to take my
arms with me-
livery we'll, I've no orders about
that, but in any cast I'm looking the
other way And so they parted. 1t
has been the custom in England. for
the purpose of. melting the passions OF
the people to the war pitch, to describe
the Beers as little better than savages,
but many incidents like the above
prove them to be something very diff
ferent. People are too ready to take
up cries of treaclery against their op-
ponents on partial and one-sided evil
denee.
Gen. Joubert has. / believe, chal-
lcnged inquiry before q court. and two
incidents came unde: my notice in this
battle which show how difficult it is
to deal with such matters, and how
ignorance of what is taking place in
the heat of battle, or, perhaps, errors
of judgment, may be misinterpreted
into treachery.
H"Some indignation was expressed be-
cause n of u ambulances was
struck by a shell. The fact was that
these ambulances had been placed by
mistake in advance of and directly
under one of our naval guns. I under
stand the arrangements of the medical
officer had been altered by a staff Off
Ger, but under such circumstances the
enemy were quite justified in contin-
uing their fire. Again, the parties
whom I have already mentioned as re.
naming In the advance line after the
order for the retirement had been Civ
en- kept up their fire long after the am
,bulancs had advanced to the field and
were picking up the wounded. OF
course, the officers and men were ig-
norant of this, but, naturally, also the
Beers were ignorant, and threatened to
retaliate. What q cry there would have
been all over Europe If our men had
been fired at and hit under similar con-
ditions. The truth Is, q battlefield is
not managed like an electrical ma
chine, by pressing a button. Groups
and lines of highly excited men are
coo$$nrnA Nvynr vnfloo ~ aN,,r&u1 n~I
are. often unaware Of much that is hap
pening outside their immediate vicin-
ity, and, to tell the truth, not always
ever there. Men are often only par
TALLY responsible for the result OF
their W actions, and certainly they
can be very imperfectly controlled"
The officer was with the Irish bri-
gade. and says: EVERY survivor looks
back with bitterness and indignation
at the gross folly and Encouragement
that led to the certain slaughter of his
companions. The brigade was marched
into the very jaws of death in mass OF
quarter columns, and without waiting
for the artillery preparation. No
scouts were sent forward to discover
the exact position of. the ford. No
skirmishers were thrown out to cover
the advance Of the main body. No at
tempt was made to extend till well
within the ION Of rife fire and till
shells had already begun to burst over
their devoted heads. Then It was
found for the first time that they had
been led. not only under a destructive
frontal fire from beyond the river
which barred their passage, but into
the very midst Of a deadly enflade.
For five hours the men were allowed to
remain in this position, helpless for
good, seeing their comrades shot at
every moment by their sides, yet pow
erless to retaliate. Like the Roman
sentry, they kept their posts to the
last, but when the orders came to re-
tire nearly 600 lay on the field. A
more wanton sacrifice Of life has never
been made, and there is not an oficer
or man In the brigade who is not we'll
aware Of the facts"
A Chestnut.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once told a
good story Of a friend who always car
ried In his pocket a horse-chestnut as
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