The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-29
WAS A BOER VICTORY
nprrIsH SUFFERED HEAVILY AT
ZEEFONTEIN.
WAR OFFICE ADMITS DEFEAT.
.,,rcHENER SENDS GRAPHIC AC-
COUNT OF FIGHT.

-. Roers Credit for Their Brave
~ and Their Good Behavior to
1younded--British Lost Six officers
I'D 5o Men killed, Besides Eight
osicers wounded and Four Miss
s,o-TotaI Losses Were 1SO-Boers
Gained Mountain Top and Charged
Down Upon Sleeping Men.
london. oct. 2S.-The war office this
afternoon issued statement of British
s.sral+ies at Zeefontein Dec. "a, when
CoI Firman's camp, consisting OF three
oomnanies of yoemanry and two guns,
voc successfully rushed by a Boer force
,oder the command of Gen. De Wet.
rbe length of the list demonstrates the
an+iro success of DeWet's attack. Six
officers and fifty men were killed. eight
officers were wounded and four are
missing. 1t is presumed that the miss
,ng officers were taken along with the
captured guns.
The numbers of the non-commis-
stoned officers and men wounded and
missing have not yet been received, but
the aggregate promises to make the
1eefontein affair a memorable disaster
to the British.
simultaneously with the above, the
war office gave out a dispatch from
lord Kitchener chronicling minor sue
cess of the South African constabulary,
who raided Bothaville and captured
thirty-six Beers.
kitchener Gives Good Account.
In subsequent message Lord Kitch-
ener sends a stirring account of the
fighting at Zeefontein, showing that
the wounded and prisoners must num-
Der $50. He says that in the absence
of Col. Firman, Maj. Williams, who
vss killed, was in command. The COL
umn was encamped on the slope of
a kopje. the southern side of which
was rrecipitous. Outposts held the
edge of the precipice. The northern
slope. or which the camp was pitched,
was gentle. The outposts were well
pushed out and the position, naturally
strong. had been entrenched. 1t was
a ncor light night. The Beers appear
TO have climbed the precipice, and,
mastering near the top, at 2 a. m,
suddenly attacked the picket on The
summit. Before the men could get
clear Of their tents the Beers swooped
through them, shooting the soldiers
down as they came out Most of the
British officers were shot while trying
to stem the rush. Lieut.. Harwich
himself opened fire with the pompoms
and was shot through the heart while
firing. Lieut.. Watney was killed while
leading a charge. There was no panic
and all engaged did their best. But,
once the picket was overwhelmed, the
superior force of the Beers had all the
advantage. Including the killed and
wounded, about half the column is now
at Glands river bridge. The remainder
are prisoners. The 15-pounder, after
two rounds, became jammed. The
men composing the detachment stood
by the gun and were shot down around
it.
Lieut.. Scarlet, who was wounded,
was overlooked by the Beers and left
behind. He saw two wagon loads of
dead and wounded Beers carried off,
They were mostly hit during the first
attack on the picket.
The Beers Behaved Well.
The Beers, who apparently numbered
about l,20O, under Gen. DeWet, be-
hayed well, leaving men to look after
the wounded
The Imperial Light Horse were four
teen miles away. They heard of the
hght at 4:30 and arrived on the scene
al $50. After breathing their horses
tney galloped after the Beers, who,
however succeeded in reaching the
broken country, where the light horse
were useless against superior num-
bers