The sun., 1900-12-31
!! ! ...'.!. ATTACKED. ! !! 3D..
Pa.oles sScapegoat.
sRTs BLUNDERED.
|e Is For Not Sacrificing
s.sssss,- sss IN snve Milfionaires' and
se&g saas-He Issues
"a Statement. h a
'RTs BLUNDERED.
lsleA


don, Dec 3d. Major General Sir
zglry Colvile, whose resignation has
Il Zen demanded by the war office, but who
Y refused to resign and came to England
from Gibraltar, arriving at Plymouth
Saturday, to demand a trial by court
martial to establish the responsibility for
the yeomanry disaster at Lindley last
# May, has made a counter strike at the
war Office in 5000 word statement
which he has given to the press. He says
4 he has come home to demand a free in
ai1iry and does not intend to be made
scapegoat for the sake of the staff. He
slVers that the Lindley disaster could new
~ have happened had he been informed
OF Lord Roberts intentions, The prima-
IN cause of the surrender, he says, was
the insufficient information given by the
headquarters staff to Colonel Spragge and
himself, and he declines to accept the
blame He lays out the facts and blames
Others. General Colvile and his influen-
tial friends in and ont of the army are
thus beginning a campaign against the
new Secretary of state for war, Mr.. Will
liam ST John Brodrick Lord Roberts
and General Kitchener. 1t is expected to
be fought out with some ferocity in par
lament
Conduct Approved at First.
When he returned from South Africa
General Colvile says he fully acquainted
the war office with the facts. After some
time he was informed by General Sii
Evelyn Wood, the adjutant general, thai
Lord Lansdowne, then secretary of state
for war, had directed him to say tha
General Lord Wolseley, the commands
in chief, approved of General Colyile'
resuming his Gibraltar command. HI
learned unofiicially that an army board o
five of the highest officials of the war of
flee had considered his statements ant
Lord Roberts dispatches on the subject
His reappointment was the result of tn
INQUIRY.
To his intense surprise, Adjutant Ger
eral Wood on Dec 21 notified him tina
Mr. William ST. John Brodricl, the new
ly appointed secretary of state for wal
held him responsible for the loss of tn
yeomanry and ordered him to quit HI
command Immediately and hand over h
resignation
General Colyile, going into official d
tails, says he was ordered to concentrai
his division at Heilbron on May % al
names the various dispositions of tt
other divisions which extended across ii
Orange Free State. He assumed th
Lord Roberts intended to advanc
sweeping all before him. His orde
were absolute, and he had to carry the
out. Hence he could not go to the rell
Of the 500 yeomanry without risking t
success of the grand operation. Und
any circumstances, he says, he consider
it his duty to push on, even if he we
sure it would entail the loss of the ye
manry Besides, he had only food enou
for two days. He pushed on, and t
yeomanry surrendered. Lord Robel
broke up General Colvile's division a
expressed his dissatisfaction.
Son my pointing out that had obey
his orders to the letter." declares Genel
Colyile, she said his orders were only
tended as guide"
General Colyile alludes to some of
yeomanry being millionaires and quo
Lord Roberts as saying it was his duty
sacrifice his force for the yeomanry.
will be remembered" General Coly
says, sthat the corps d'elite number
500 and my force nearly eight times Il
number"
General Colvile cites two examples
what he considers Lord Kitchener's 8
fective staff work"