The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-12
MARKINGS SURPRISE.
TOWN BOMB1RDED BY BIG STORM
AND GREAT DAMAGE DONE.
River Rose Feet an Hour-The Wom-
ems Larger Swept Away-Rocks Dis
as Disconnected MS the British.

lodged and Ground to Atoms-Boer,
as Disconnected ms the British.
Modder River, Jan. 20.--We of Lore
Methuen's force are not resting We
are busy enough; we simply are not
fighting.
And 1 am not sure that when we all
come to be judged for the fighting we
have done at the end of the war, II
shall not be said that in the time we
took to fight four battles, and in the
severity of those engagements, we did
not DO as much as could be expected OF
everyday fighting men.
Magersfontein seems likely to be the
END of the chapter of war as it was
practiced by the Wellingtons, Wolse-
leys, Won Moltkes and Grants. Look
at Magersfontein. 1t is a grass and
bushstrewn plain just missing being
level by reason of a few slight ridges
Had Lord Metfuen rushed upon it as
quickly from the Modder river fight as
he rushed from one to the other of his
preceding battles, he might not have
been checked because the strength of
the obstacle was made In the time he
gave the Beers in which to build their
trenches.
WHAT MAGERSFONTNIN SHOWED
He might thus have gained another
victory but this would only have post
poned that revelation of the strength
of modern weapons which must, in any
event, have 500 startled the world. He
had fought three battles in a week. He
might have fought fourth. Then his
men must have rested and he would
have met his check at Spyfontein.
Somewhere very soon the Beers
would have shown him what they de-
monstrated at Magersfonten, which is
that, given plain field of grass, mod
ern magazine rifles and quick-firing
small guns, the whole German army
itself could not dislodge the $4,000 men
of the two Boer republics
do not mean to say that there We're
many Beers or many British in this
battle. Of the Beers there We're $4,000
to $1,000, of the British 5000 or $1,000
But do mean that by a frontal attack
on those grass-edged trenches not 3d.
600 British could have beaten the Is, 1000
Beers, except at such a sacrifice of life
as no commander would require or
could be pardoned for occasioning.
EFFECT OF NEW WEAPONS.
The question of the wisdom or I'M
wisdom of pursuing the method of
frontal attack, which had served Lord
Methuen with success up to this point
is not matter to be discussed here,
because it does not erect the text of
this article, which is that the modern
small arm seems to be about to revo-
lutionize warfare
For frontal attack the old military
manuals declared that the attacking
force must be three times that of the
defending force. To-day, with the new
weapons, it is said that ten must at
tack one, but believe it is impossible
to set the modern. proportion correctly,
since to all intents and purposes Ma
gersfontein battlefield, with it's series
of three trenches extending twenty-five
miles isas impregnable to infantry as
Cronstadt is to attack by torpedo
boats,
BOERS QUICK TO LEARN.
The Boer, as a stalker of game, and
later, as a warrior, had made the full
est use of the natural advantages Of a
country whose defenses are everywhere
abundant. OF these defenses he took
the kopjes and their rocks to be the
best, but at Belmont and Graspan he
discovered that the reckless, seeming
ly blind valor of the British made light
of these-simply by making light of
death
The Boer, therefore, modified his
methods by transferring his dependence
to intrenchments.
At Modder river he built his trenches
at the edge off, steep river bed, which
afforded him cover for the movement
of reinforcements and the supplying of
ammunition, food and water to his
forces. At Magersfontein he built a
threefold series Of trenches, and. made
the center of his position kopje
whose foot was fringed by vaal bushes, |
behind which he could move his rein
forcements, carry off his dead and
wounded, and distribute his food and |
fresh supplies of cartridges.
THAT INVISIBLE FOE.
With the old-style single-shot rifle the |
change from behind the rocks of his
hills to the protection afforded by mere |
IluScs VI udStlly -DulIl lTGHCHeS WOulu |
have made him an easy prey to the !
bravest troops in Europe, such as we, |
rightly or wrongly. believe to be in |
Lord Methuen's following.
But with magazine rifles, artillery
and such fearful, terrifying weapons as
the new Vickers Nordenfeldt gun, he |
could make a ridge or trench impreg-
nable, as we have seen.
One of the most interesting and for
midable of the new conditions of war
which we are experiencing is that we
never-or next to never-see our foe.
Can the student of war Cor even the
casual reader) comprehend what it
means to go on for week after week,
and month after month fighting an
Invisible enemy?
ONLY A FEW BOERS SEEN.
Personally 1 saw a few score Beers
away at Belmont a smaller
number escaping from the punishment !
we were melting out to them at Gras-
pan and several hundred showing
themselves with uncommon impu
1ence and courage-before the begin
ming of the battle at Modder river.
But / have no doubt there are men
n our army who have never seen a
Boer in battle. I know of officers who
I