The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-02
BY HARD FIGHTING HE SECURES A
STRONG BOER POSITION.
PETERS HILL TAKEN BY ASSAULT
The Enemy's Flank Thereby Turned.
A Strong Force still In Front OF Him.
Total British Loss to Date Over
Twelve Thousand Men-CronJe's Pc
sition Impregnable-Prfso Sent
to Cape Town-An Account or the
Surrender.

has received the following dispatch |
from Lord Roberts:
"Paardeberg, February 2S.-General |
Cronje with his family, left here yes |
terday in charge Of Major General |
Prettyman, and under the escort OF |
the City Imperial Volunteers mounted |
infantry.
Later in the day the remaining pris- |
| oners went in charge of the Earl OF |
Enroll and escorted by the Gloucesters |
and 100 Imperial Volunteers. The wo- |
| men and children are being sent TO
| their homes. / understand that great
dissatisfaction was felt by the Beers
| at General Cronje's refusal to accept
| my offer Of safe conduct to the women
| and children and medical care for the
wounded, 10 Of whom are now in our
hospital. Very many of them are in
| a terrible plight for want Of care at
! an earlier stage.
"I inspected the Beers laager yes
terday and was much struck by the in
genuity and energy with which their
position was made almost impregnable
| to assault"
A dispatch from Arundel says that
the British troops have again occupied
Rensberg.
TOTAL BRITISH LOSSES.
London, February 2S.-The rapidly
growing casualty lists are being classi-
fled as quickly as possible. They show
that up to this morning the total num-
ber of casualties was 1854, of which
2,o19 were added during the last fort
night. Ten of the eleven Scotch regi-
ments lost about 1850 men, and eight
| of tIa Tr,el ,fc hnn
the Gloucesters and Northumberlands,
while of nearly 200 colonials the Royal
Canadians lost 121 and the Victoria
mounted contingent 26. The casualties
are classified thus: Killed 1,193 wound
ed SS3S, missing 3,173( disease $50.
Lord Roberts has forwarded an ad-
ditional list of the British casualties
| during the three days fighting at
! Paardeberg, showing II killed, 50
wounded and 4 missing, and including
officers and 4 Can1Gian privates
wounded.
BULLER CAPTURES PETERS
HILL.
The war office has received the fol-
lowing from General Butler:
Headquarters, Hlandwani, Febru-
2 ary %, ) a. m.-Finding that the pas
sage OF the Langewachts spruit was
| / reconnOitred for another passage of
= the Tugela. One was found for me be-
= low the cataract by Colonel Sandbach,
of the Royal Engineers, on February
25th. We commenced making an ap-
, | proach thereto and on February 26th,
) | finding that l could make the passage
: practicable, / crossed the guns and
| baggage back to the southside of the
( Tuge'a. took up the pontoon bridge
= on Monday night and relaid it at the
? new site, which is just below the point
marked cataract During all this
: time the troops had been scattered
+ crouching under hastily constructed
t small stone shelters and exposed to a
CALLING shell and rife fire and through
| out they maintained the most excellent
9 | spirits. Tuesday General Barton, with
two battalions of the Sixth brigade
> and the Dublin Fusiliers, crept about
, a mile and a half down the banks OF
= the river and ascended an almost per-
: pendicular cliff of about 500 feet, as
saulted and carried the top of Pieters
hill. This hill, to certain extent
turned the enemy's left, and the
Fourth brigade, under Colonel Norcott
5 and the Eleventh brigade, Colonel
/ | Kitchener commanding, the whole un-
3 der command of General Warren, as
5 saulted the enemy's position which
was magnificently carried by the South
= Lancashire regiment about sunset. We
: | took about sixty prisoners and scatter
5 ed the enemy in all directions. There
seems to be still a considerable body
Of them left on and under Bulwana
mountain Our losses, 1 hope, are not
large. They certainly are much less
than they would have been were il not
for the admirable manner in which the
artillery was served, especially the
. guns manned by the Royal naval force
and the Natal naval volunteers"
r AN ACCOUNT OF CRONJES SUR
/ RENDER.
: Paardeberg, Tuesday, February 81
: The British camp was awakened by
d the continued rattle of rifle fire at day
e break, and the news arrived that the
e Canadians, while building a trench
e quite close to the enemy, were fusil-
e laded at a range of fifty yards. The
Canadians gallantly worked forward
and occupied the edge of the trenches
along the river entirely enfilading the
? | Beers. This movement was followed
, | by cessation OF the fire except an
| occasional solitary shot.
5 Suddenly, regiment stationed on
] the crest Of hill perceived a white
flag and burst into cheers, thus first
| announcing the surrender Of General
Cronje.
, Shortly afterward a note reached
: Lord Roberts, bringing tidings of the
Beers unconditional surrender Cen
eral Prettyman was sent to accept the
surrender
At about o'clock a small group Of
: men appeared in the distance, crossing
the plain towards headquarters. The
latter being apprised Of General Cron-
je's approach, Lord Roberts went 70
the front in the modest cart in which
he sleeps and ordered a guard Of the
| SeaforthS to line up. group OF horse
men then approached. On General
Prettyman's right rode an elderly man
clad in a rough short overcoat, wide
brimmed hat, ordinary tweed trousers
and brown shoes. 1t was the redoubt
able Cronje His face was almost burn
ed black and his curly beard was ting
} ed with gray.
4 Dohnr,S ,r-arl~oa -