The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1902-04-23
THE Beers IN BATTLE
edward B. Rose Describes Their
Methods of Warfare.

rrepch and Italian Scouts nave
dered Very Valuable Service.
Nests" Another Plan of
a;rr Against Surprise-Tripli-
system of Trenches Affords
rrective Protection.
,ronch of warfare to which the
.us attach almost supreme impor-
1000 and rightly so, is scouting, writes
Tr1r,ard B. Rose in the April Forum.
.t+,is their rowing habits and mode OF
~. make them particularly adept. al
4houph during the present war some OF
most valuable work in this direc-
Ion has been performed by uitlanders.
TO- IT, corns of scouts, one composed or
nroncbmen under Captain LIE Gallien
80 the other of Italians under the
Command of Captain Ricchiardi, both
united in Johannesburg during the
earlier months of the war, rendered
o.,,;oas of almost incalculable value to
4ho Roer cause. OF an essentially eau
ions nature, the Beers never think or
',o1ino in any new direction until the
country has been thoroughly reconnoi-
torod nv scouting parties and the enc
o,, has been located, and it is to this
foc+ that their marvellous mobility is
1orcelv due. Having ascertained the
nosition of their opponents and calcu-
lated the numbers likely to be engaged
Of any given point, the scouts report to
+ha General of the forces to which they
ore attached, and the burghers are
then shifted from one position to an
other so as to be ready for all emergen-
cios. Thus it is that during the present
camnaign the Beers have almost inva-
riably been just where they could do
tho most effective work and in about
fine right numbers to do it.
Another method of guarding against
surprise is that of "crow nests" Choos-
ing as elevated a position as possible
in the neighborhood Of their trenches
or lager, the Beers erect cover OF
loose bushes made to appear so natu-
raj that from quite short distance it
is easily mistaken for the growing
shrubbv bush with which the country
is to a great extent covered. Planted
on the top of a kopje, the Beers with
their telescopes and fieldglasses are
able to keep lookout over miles Of the
surrounding country while themselves
perfectly hidden.
Having decided upon the positions
they intend to occupy and defend, the
burghers proceed to dig trenches or
erect low stone walls, or "schanzes," as
they are called, of loose stones piled up
some three feet high, or. if the ground
is suitable, they do both, If anything,
the latter afford the more effective pro-
lection of the two, since not only do
these schanzes give almost perfect
shelter from rife fire. but through the
interstices between the stones the men
are able to watch for the approaching
enemy. On the smallest mark being
presented they either use the inter-
stices as loopholes or else they pop up,
aim, fire and are down again in an al
most incredibly short space of time. In
this manner they can pick off the ad-
vancing soldiers while remaining in al
most perfect security themselves. This
method of fighting explains to great
extent the extraordinary disproportion
in the casualties of Beers and British
respectively in most of the important
engagements fought during the present
war These schanzes are frequently
several miles in length and are some
times built in duplicate or even tripli-
cate, thus enabling the Beers on being
driven back from the first to retire and
continue to fight behind the second and
the third. The admirable construction
of these trenches has been testified to
on more than one occasion by the Brit
lsh generals, notably by Sir Redvers
Butler in his dispatches on the opera
tons in Natal
Law