The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-17
AS GUEST OF HONOR
MAI. GEN. SIR IAN HAMILTON AR
RIVEs THIS MORNING.
TO VISIT GEN. GORDON.
WILL SEE FORT SCREVEN AND
AVONDALE RANGE.

To Meet Officers From Fort screven
and Several Savannahians Mt Din
ner This EVening-Has Been Ask
ed TO Review First Regiment-Gen.
Hamilton Is One of the Most Dis
tinRuished Officers in the Royal
Army of Great Britnin-Sketch of
His IllustriOus Career in BOer
War.
Maj. Gen. Sir Ian Hamilton, a mem
Der of the staff of Lord Roberts, COM
mander-in- chief of the British army,
and one of the most distinguished Of
flcers of the military establishment of
Great Britain, who is in this country
as the guest of Adjt. Gen. Corbin, and
is now en- route to the Fort Riley ma
neuvers. will arrive in Savannah this
morning, to be the guest of Gen. w.
w. Gordon for two days.
1t had been hoped to have Gen. Ham
ilton remain longer in Savannah. but
he has been obliged. to forego this pleas
ure, and will leave Sunday evening for
Fort Riley, where the maneuvers are
already in progress. He had been ex-
pected to arrive yesterday. but a tele-
gram received by Gen. Gordon an
nounced that he would arrive this
morning.
No public functions have been ar
ranged for the reception of the distin-
guished guest, as Gen. Gordon has de-
termined to first consult the wishes of
Gen. Hamilton. In the event he be
prevailed upon to remain over Monday,
there will be a review of the First
Regiment OF Infantry, under the COM
mand of Col. G. A. Gordon. In an
swer to a telegram of inquiry, Gen.
Hamilton wired yesterday that he had
his uniform with him and would be
pleased to review the regiment, but that
he would not be able to remain in the
city until Monday.
At Dinner This Evening.
Gen. Hamilton will meet a number
of the officers from Fort Screven and
several friends of Gen. Gordon's at a
dinner this evening. Tomorrow he will
probably go to Fort Screven with Gen.
Gordon, as the guest of Col. James B.
Quinn, United States engineer. Col.
Quinn has made arrangements to take
the party to the fort on the govern
ment boat, Angler, in the event Gen.
Hamilton's pleasure so dictates. He
spent yesterday at the fort making ar
rangements for his reception.
1t is also probable that a trip will
be made to Avondale Range this after
noon, in the event the weather is pro-
pitious. No further plans for his en-
tertainment have been made, and since
he will be in the city but two days, it
is not probable that a programme of
any greater length could be observed.
The name of Maj. Gen. Sir Ian Ham
ilton is familiar to Savannahians from
it's frequent mention in dispatches dur
ing the war in South Africa, but the
incidents in his career are best known
to those who have studied the history
| of that war.
From A. Conan Doyle's book enti-
| tied The Great Boer War a few items
which will no doubt be of interest, are
here given:
Gen. Hamilton was commander of
one of the brigades in the defense of
Ladysmith in the beginning of the Boer
war.
Conspicuous for GaIIantry.
In the assault by the Beers upon
Wagon Hill Zone of the positions held
| by the BRITISH, Hamilton was con-
| spicuous for his gallantry in rallying
the defenders, and led them in repeated
rushes against the Beers. In the hand
to-hand struggle DeVilliers of the Free
State shot Miller Walnut dead; Ian
Hamilton fired at DeVilliers with his
revolver and missed him. Young AL
brecht of the Light Horse shot Devil
| liers. A Boer named de Jaeger shot
| Albrecht. Digby-Jones of the Sappers
shot de Jaeger and in a few minutes
was himself mortally wounded.
| Conan Doyle in his story Of the
great Boer war says: There has been
no better fighting in our time than
that upon Wagon Hill on that jan
| uary morning" After Ladysmith
had been relieved and when Lord Rob-
| erts reorganized his army in prepara-
ton for an advance he caused all the
mounted infantry of the center to be
collected into one division and placed
| it under the command of Gen. Ian