Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1902-03-21

mas received the following commun.
cation from Lord Kitchener at Pre-
toria concering the recent disaste
to British arms in South Africa, tn
Beers under General Delarey admins
tering the defeat:
Lord Methuen has sent me a stat
officer with dictated report. from
which it appears that certain partic
ulars previously given are inaccurate
The rear zone of mounted troops wa,
rushed and overwhelmed at dawn
There was a gap of mile between
the OK and the mule conveys. TIL,
mounted supports to the rear Of tn.
screen, with General Methuen, imme
diately reinforced by all the availabl,
mounted troops and a section Of ths
Thirty-eighth battery, maintained
themselves for an hour, during which
the conveys were closing up without
disorder.
In the meantime 200 infantry were
being disposed by Lord Methuen te
resist the Boer attack. which was
outfianking the left of the rear guard
The Beers pressed that attack hard
and the mounted troops, attempting
to fall back upon the infantry, got
completely out of hand. Two guns
OF the Thirty-eighth battery were
thus left unprotected, but continued
in action until every man, with the
exception Of Lieutenant Nesham, was
bit. Lieutenant Nesham was called
On to surrender. and upon refusing
10 do so was killed.
Lord Methuen, with 200 of the
fusileers and two
guns of the Fourth battery, then
'ound himself isolated, but held on
'or three hours. During this period
he remaining infantry, namely, 100
Of the Lancashires, with some 40
mounted men, mostly Cape police,
Who had occupied the kraal near the
also continued to hold out
against the repeated attacks of the
3oers
by this time Lord Methuen was
wounded and the casualties were ex-
;eedingly heavy amongst his men.
rhe ammunition was mostly expended
md the surrender was made at about
lalf past in the morning.
''The party in the kraal still held
Tut and did not give in until two guns
Ind pompom were brought to bear
lpon them at about 10 o'clock, max
ng their position untenable.
at is confirmed that most of the
3oels wore our khaki uniforms Many
lso wore our badges. Even at close
quarters they could not be distin-
.uished from our men.
at is clear the infantry fought we'll
md the artillery kept up the tradi
ions of their regiment. In addition
o the 40 members of the Cape police
lready mentioned, few imperial
eomanry and Cape police continued
o hold their ground after the panic
ad swept the bulk of the mounted
roops off the field"
Lord Kitchener has telegraphic dis
atches showing that the fighting
asted much longer than was sup.
osed, which confirms the belief that
he disaster TO General Methuen's
Orce was due to leaving too large
alp between the front convoy and the
ear, and to placing an insufficient
Green behind the rear guard, which
rought about a panic among the
roops as result of the Boer on
Taught.
Much resentment is felt that the
oers wore British uniforms and
adges, but there is satisfaction with
ne later accounts of the affair that
ne British troops behaved better
nan was supposed from the earlier
eports.
From the dispatch it is inferred that
eneral Methuen was shot while rid
lg to bring up the mounted troops,
nd that his horse was killed. After
he surrender, General Delarey rode
r and treated General Methuen with
lie greatest courtesy and considera-
on. He ordered his return to Klerks-
orp under the care of his own
ephew and a medical officer
According to the Klerksdorp cor
sspondent of the Daily Mail, the
urghers were so angry at this that
party of them went out and brought
eneral Methuen back. General De-
Trey, however, overruled the objec-
ons of the burghers.
The correspondent of the Daily Mail
avs tribute to General Delarey's
umanity and describes him as a.
fighter and born leader,
tho brings no bitterness or racial
ceiling to his task, and who sternly