The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-26


day. within striking distance of mo-
| bile enemy whom we wish to crcum-
! vent, every private soldier has canvas
shelter, and the other arrangements are
on an equally elaborate scale. The con-
| sequence is that roads are crowded,
drifts are blocked, marching troops are
delayed and all rapidity of movement
is out Of the question. Meanwhile, the
enemy completes the Notifications of his
positions, and the cost of capturing
them arises. 1t is a poor enemy to let
a soldier live well for three days at
the price of killing him on the fourth"
Few more brilliant stories have been
written than the account in the stand
ard from Ladysmith of the terrific as
sault upon that camp by the Beers, jan
uary g. 1t is now an old story in it's
main features, but it takes time to get
copy out of Ladysmith, and many of
the details told by the standards"
correspondence prove we'll worth wait
ing for. First of ALL he gives a lucid
explanation of the mysterious way in
which the Beers managed to get so close
before they were discovered. 'At 7
o'clock Friday night" he writes, 900
hind Bulwana, and fording the river,
came to a kopje south of Caesars camp.
Here they bivouacked until / o'clock in
the morning, when they crept cautious
ly along the ravine and across Fouries
Spruit. Avoiding our pickets and pa
trolls, one section moved up the ravine
to the eastern shoulder and climbed
silently up the slope in the fold of the
hill Another company moved along
the bowlder stream ascent toward the
plateau on the south. Three or four
thousand We're in reserve among the
kopjes and broken ground. They were
ready to assist the storrning parties,
and to occupy the hills in force as soon
as their comrades secured footing.
BOER TRICK FAILED.
SIN the attack upon Caesars Camp,
one party Of fifty Beers seeking to make
good their retreat were overtaken by the
Border Mounted Rifles, and escaped for
the moment by declaring that they were
the town guard This trick has, however,
become too stale and every man was
shot down as he came into the open.
The Beers, as l have repeatedly said,
appear to think that the white flag is
a legitimate weapon of offense, and may
be used as a cloak for any treacherV
A Boer officer with dozen armed fol-
lowers, advanced up the hill with
white flag and shouted that they were
coming to surrender. When called up
on to drop their weapons they made
it clear that their intention was not
surrender, but treachery.
when after many hours of fierce
fighting the Beers were almost repulsed
from Caesars Camp a storm came to
aid in dire extremity. The vo1leylng
musketry of hail and the roar of thun-
der added a dreadful note to the can
and sheets of flooding rain
turned the spruits into raging torrents
and the plains into lakes. To see fifty
yards through this binding shower was
Selling the moment the
Beers pushed forward another force
from behind Bulwana. But they did
not get beyond the kopje east of Gaze
sars Camp, where our naval gun threw
a few useful shells into their midst.
The storming party made dash from
the hillside, hoping to find protection in
the storm. Many were shot in flight,
while others flung themselves into the
river and were swept out of sight This
rush brought the fight at Caesars Camp
to close amid a fusillade that almost
drowned the thunder
But it was at Wagon Hill where the |
most dramatic features of the assault |
occurred. OF this the Standards" cor
writes:
Colonel Edwards was leading his men
.4;x So
when bullet struck him in the Shout !
Ter. Though robbed of their leader at I
critical moment, the Light Horse new
n wavered. Creeping forward to points |
hat seemed least exposed to the de-
fire from the front of the hill, I
hey fought manfully, often within
.wenty, and even ten, yards Of their
enemy. This duel went on for hours
Without any NANTES st advantage to eth
ar side, though men We're falling on ev-
Try hand. Major Bowen called for vol
lnteers among the Sixtieth Rifles. Only |
lalf a dozen came forward, and with
his handful of heroes the gallant officer
dashed at strong position held by the
enemy. Not a man lived to tell the
tory of their valor. Lieutenant Tod,
With twenty-five men, made another
gallant charge. Thus the fight wavered
trough the long and anxious hours of
he morning.
GORDON HIGHLANDERS RALLIED.
''At noon the Devons came to the res
ue The Gordons, having no officer,
we're again falling back, but rallied to
he call of Major Miller-Wallnutt,
whose gigantic figure was soon at the
lead of a desperate charge. The enemy
eft the emplacement, and, rushing up
he western ascent, took cover among
he rocks. Their presence here was not
ess dangerous and another effort was
nade to dislodge them.
"A subalteran was in charge of a
party of Sappers, Lieutenant
)igby Jones, a youth of %, who has al
eady won fame by the destruction of
he howitzer on Surprise Hill. When
he enemy first appeared on the crest of
Wagon Hill, Lieutenant Digby-Jones
ngaged the storming party from sun
ar on the west front. Driven from
hat position, he had been conspicuous
the engagement for acts of {
eroism that attracted the notice of {
olonel Hamilton, who had decided to
commend him for the Victoria Cross.
ollecting a mixed company of Sappers,
lilies, and Highlanders, he led them
gainst the new position held by the /
nemy. AS they dashed up the narrow
sarrir1 iI1fY