New-York tribune., 1901-01-28
WAR NOTES.
BRAVE DEEDS UNRECORDED AND UNRE-
WARDED-DEFECTIvE TRAINING OF
TN STAFF-THE SURVIVAL
OF THE FITTEST
London. January 1R.

OF exceptional hardship, priVation and suffering,
and the soldiers can scarcely be blamed for
feeling that their work is not appreciated at
home. How can it be otherwise when the war
correspondents returned from the field six or
eight months ago, and only the agents of the
main press associations were left the ground
to tell the story of the campaign from day to
day in the briefest possible dispatches. This
week many Englishmen have been thrilled by
recital in one of the daily papers OF the heroism
and pluck of a single detachment of mounted in
fantry. The story told in detail to the
extent Of column. 1t was description of the
defence of Kaalfontein between Pretoria and
johannesburg by one hundred and twenty gall
liant British soldiers who were suddenly at
tackled on the railway by twelve hundred Beers.
They were surrounded; the wires north and
south were cut and they were left isolated and
hopelessy outnumbered A private soldier vol
unteered TO ride through the Boer lines to the
nearest station to telegraph for assistance and
did so through a shower of Mauser bullets, with
a swarm Of rough riders behind him. Hour
after hour the soldiers defended their trenches,
beating back every onslaught OF the enemy and
keeping the flag flying until renforcements came
to their rescue. Incidents like this are
stanty occurring, but are unrecorded. Lord
hltchener's account Of this exploit contained
hardly twenty words. but a correspondent i'm
parted color, life and heroism TO it. and the face
or every English reader flushed with pride as
the story was told. If the London press were
10 send back its correspondents to the field it
would do much TO encourage the soldiers and to
revive public interest in the campaign
Many of the officers have returned from South
Africa, and there is no lack of war stories in
clubs and in town and country houses. The
colonel OF the West Surrey has returned with
full budget of incidents of the Natal campaign,
His battalion suffered heavily in killed and
wounded, but had the distinction Of never re-
porting missing man, no member of the regi-
ment having been taken prisoner One night
this reputation was imperilled. The colonel had
been ordered during the day TO send out COM
pany Of mounted infantry to reconnoitre the
enemy's position. a corporal and six men scout
ing in advance of the company were cut Off A
thousand Beers suddenly rushed forward from
two sides where they had been concealed, and,
massing themselves behind them, called upon
them to surrender. The British supports being
outnumbered, fell back and left the seven scouts
to their fate The corporal pointed TO a farm
house long way off. and ordered his men to
gallop to II. The seven scouts spurred their
horses. and, crouching in their saddles. escaped
shower of bullets. When the house was
reached il was found filled with women and
children. The corporal posted one man in the
barn and another in the main room OF the house.
with orders to shoot any one who attempted TO
betray them. He sent a third trooper across
country by roundabout way. TO give warning
at camp and TO ask for assistance. With the
three remaining soldiers he mounted the ladder
TO the loft and, from the windows, defended the
house when the Beers attacked IL. The first
volley from the loft brought down four Beers;
a few minutes afterward FIVE more burghers
were killed. and the enemy retired until night
fall. AS il grew dark the corporal. still leaving
his trooper in charge Of the main room, massed
HIS garrison in the stable saddled the horses
cut opening in the back wall and prepared
for flight. The guard was called out OF the
house, and at the moment when the Beers were
approaching the farm under cover OF darkness
the six troopers rode off unobserved. The sew
enth man had reported at camp late in the af-
ternoon, and before the cooneI's dinner had
been finished the remaining scouts were again
in British lines. The reputation OF the West
Surrey for never having a missing man was
safe.
There are hundreds OF stories like this TO illus
trate the bravery and resources Of British SOL
diers. Few OF them ever get into print Vic
toria crosses are awarded for noteworthy in
stances OF galIantry but only one exploit out OF
a thousand in this campaign will receive this
exceptional distinction. Honorable mention of
officers names is seldom made in official dis
patches and there is no general distribution OF
decorations Promotions also slow. The
colonel OF the West Surrey, 10 whom reference
has been made, has rendered brilliant service
without receiving promotion. and this is due to
a technical reason-the senior colonel Of the
regiment being in India and entitled to the
preference. Promotion in the regular service
follows the lines Of battalions, regiments and
special corps, and as matter Of routine Officers
in South Africa are largely acting as substitutes
of higher rank doing Of
periors but not receiving promotion. Lord
Kitchener, General French and General Baden
Powell the only officers who have been pro-
NOTED during the campaign to the highest rank
During the American Civil War there were no
Victoria crosses or decorations. but the corre-
spondents recorded every act Of gallantry and
every achievement of generalship and promo
tions were rapid and constant in every branch
Of the service. In this way the ardor and am
bition Of officers were stimulated, for brave
deeds and good work were neither unrecorded
nor unrewarded In the British army scderly
conduct too often passes without observation
and there are few direct rewards at least in
South Africa. for exceptional skill and daring.
While Sir Henry Colvile has not improved his
reputation by appealing from the War Office
TO the newspapers he has brought to light one
of the weak points in the British campaign. His
structures upon the work of the Headquarters
staff have been incisive and have made an i'm
preston upon the public. Military men frankly
admit that a German general would never have
sent to the commanding officer OF an important
column in a combined movement so meagre and
obscure telegram as the one which Sir Henry
Colvile received at Lindley. directing him to GO
on TO Hebron. The difficulties of staff work
without doubt have been exceptional on the
veldt; but there have been numerous instances