The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 31, 1899, Page 1

The VOLUME I‘;XYX\;I— SAN FRANCISCO, TUESDAY, OCTOBER SILENCING BIG TH Shelling of Ladysmith Causes the Combined British Forces Under General White to Sally Forth and Attack the Enemy. Losses Are Heavy on Both Sides, and the British Are Again Puzzled by the Tactical Skill of] Joubert’s Men--Mules and Guns Fall Into the Hands of Boers. FOROECECEONONY i tel fei fed fe Rl f=l fel fel | fei fel j=l i=leisd g’ 7 LONDON, Oct. 31.—There is considerable speculation in London as to the strength % ? of the opposing forces at Ladysmith. The British have 15,000 men. With regard to the Boer g B {orce the estimates vary. The Morning Post says 30,000, the Standard 18,000 and the Daily # : . I | summarizes the news as follows: “General White's official estimate of g B Glencoe is 500 killed and wounded. All dotibt as to the guns captured at ® ® s set at rest by General White's statement that three Boer guns were dismounted or @ R di 1d left at the top of the hill. The Boers have succeeded in capturing 1500 mules, g/ vhich is a serious loss in a country where beasts of burden are difficult to obtain.” 8 ECECECEONECE O EONOEORCEOEONC RO NOROEO ECHCECECHCEON fi.figi ONDON, Oct. 31.— The | The losses on the Boer side were| The British artillery quickly | l_ D Telegraph has the | considerable.” reduced the volume of the en- | following account of the| LADYSMITH, Oct. 30.—Fir- | emy’s fire, but the attack deliv- | | engagement from its | ing commenced at 5 o’clock this | ered on the right flank was the | s rrespondent at the | morning, the Boers shelling | principal one, and the column | lecisive reconnoissance Gene ed Stewart White adva Ladysmith with forty-pounders. An of the British forces was made at dawn, with | the object of shelling the Boers advance | was compelled to charge. The | | Boer attack had been silenced for | {a time, and the British infantry | advanced, covered by cavalry. | | | 1 with all the |from the position where yester- | The enemy now began to develop | s from Ladysmith, | day they had mounted a number | a heavy counter attack, and as | toward Tintayon. Two |of guns. On reaching the spot, | they were in great numerical su- brigades under Colonels Ian | however, it was found that they | periority General White gave or- 1 ilton and Howard, and an-|had evacuated the position. | ders for the infantry to be gradu- vith Sir General Archibald The British continued to ad-|ally withdrawn. The movement vance, and the movement devel- oped into a reconnoissance in force. Juluwan, ents, guided by nt toward | was carried out with great steadi- | nessand deliberation, under cover The enemy were posted | of the British guns, which made on a range of hills having a front- | excellent practice. " s were found to be | age of about sixteen miles. The Some shells were thrown into force at all points. Al-| British force was disposed in the | the town from the Boers forty- -ven batteries of | following order: On the right, | pounders at a range of over 6000 r Adye, marched on our ex- eyond the old camp. art failed entirely | three regiments of cavalry, four | yards, but no damage was dcne. the enemy until [ batteries of the Royal Field Ar-|The engagement lasted several I e Fifth Lancers, |tillery and five battalions of infan- | hours, and resulted, on the Brit- ‘ross the eneiny’s | try; in the center, three batteries ish side, in casualties estimated at from &0 to 100. The Boer losses must largely have exceeded this total. The attack was admirably de- livered by the British right, and -etreat. This, | of the Royal Field Artillery, two | i to entice the en- | regiments of cavalry and four in- Boers only replying | fantry battalions; on the left, the shell fire Royal Irish Fusileers, the Glou- c attack so developed iccttcmhire regiment and the 1 el H Iton had to re- | Tenth Mountain Battery. This | Boers were fairly driven out of i ht with three i-:n—i orce had been detailed to guard one of their strongholds near S I the Gordon Highland- | the English left flank at a late | Lombardskop. It was not pos- ers he Devc regiment | hour last night. General White’s | sible, however, to push the suc- d. the Manchester regiment |plan of operations was that as the | cess much further, as beyond that rvals. Our artillery then | movement developed the force|point lay along, big ridge, afford- d front, and a severe artil-| constituting the center, which was disposed under cover of a kopje about three miles from the advanced. ?tm\-n. should throw itself upon teries remained in ac- | the enemy, while the left fank the twelve-pounder, | was being held by the Fusileers ck-firers of the naval con- laml the Gloucesters. The scheme noent came into action. The | was well devised but failed in ex-| nemy had field pieces, machine | ecution, owing.to the fact that | apparent. a twelve-pounder. Gen- | the Boer position which formed | General White, who was with e in the afternoon with- | the British objective had been | the center, seeing that the troofis his forces upon Ladysmith. evacuated. {on the right were somewhat WHITE'S REPORT OF THE BATTLE WITH THE BOERS British Commander of the Troops at Ladysmith Practically Admits That He Sustained Heavy Losses The War Office here has received a dispatch which says General White has fought an engage- eral Joubert’s forces, which were pushed back after several hours’ fighting. The British lost - losses were much greater. The Boers were in greater number and had better artillery. General Wt atch, which was dated 4:30 p. m. to-day, read: “I employed all the troops here except the obligatory garrison before the works. I sent a mountain battery, the Royal Irish Fusileers and the Gloucesters to take up a position on the hills to clear my left flank. The force moved at 11 o’clock yesterday evening, and during some night firing, the battery mules stampeded with some of the guns, which, however, I hope to recover. These two battalions have not yet re- turned, but they are expected this afternoon. “I detailed two brigade divisions of fleld artillery and five battalions of infantry aided by cavalry un- der General French to attack a position upon which the enemy yesterday mounted guns. We found this position evacuated, but our force was attacked with considerable vigor with what I believe were General Joubert’s troops. They had many guns and showed in great numbers. Our troops were all in action and we pushed the enemy back sevaral miles, but did not succeed in reaching his laager. Our losses are estimated at between 80 and 100, but those of the enemy must have been much greater, the fire of our guns appearing very effective. “After being in action several hours I withdrew the troops, and they returned unmolested to their cantonments. The enemy are in great number, and their guns range further than our field guns. “I now have some naval guns which have temporarily silenced and I hope will permanently dominate the enemy’s best guns, with which he has been bombarding the town at a range of over 6000 yards. ing every kind of natural cover. Of this the enemy took the fullest. advantage. The British failed to dislodge the Boers, and as the infantry moved forward in extended order they came under a heavy and well directed rifle fire, the result of which was soon 1 ensued, the guns gener- pporting the reinforcing TONDON, ( ment, presuma about 100 men 30. shells | B i T |® ¢ ss00608-44 4 1 wagon going to Mafeking. LONRON, Oct. ley to withstand assaults. Boers. A Kaffir spy of Crocodile port. train. had conslderable loss. PRICE FIVE CENTS. BOER GUNS COSTS LIVES OF MANY TROOPS B e e e e e O O o e S LADYSMITH Garrison at Mafeking Made an Unsuccessful Bayonet At- tack on Boers. OURENZO MARQUEZ, Delagoa Bay, Oct. 30.—A dispatch received hers to-day under date of October 28 rays General Cronje. the Boer commander, announced there that the British garrison at Mafeking made a bayonet attack on Commandant Louw's laager near Grandstand, but were repulsed, leaving six dead on the field, and it was believed that many of the at- tacking party were wounded. The dispatch adds that Saturday morning Colonel Baden-Powell asked for an armistice in order to bury the dead. Gen- eral Cronje consented to this, the Boers assisting in placing the dead in the 80.—The latest news from the western border has appar- ently assured the British authorities as to the ability of Mafeking and Kimber- A dispatch from Fort Tull, forwarded during the evening of October 24, an- nounced that Blackburn's force in the skirmish at Rhodes Drift killed twelve reported that many Boers were lying in the Drift dying. Black- burn died of his wounds on returning to Fort Tuli. Boers are concentrating strongly on the Rhodesian border with Maxims. A War Office dispateh from Cape Town, dated October 26, says an armored train under Llewellyn got within 1900 yards of the Boer laager, three miles south The Boers had driven in their horses on the approach of the Three Maxim volleys were discharged into the Boers, who must have They returned ten shots with no effect. outpost had several skirmishes on the Crocodile River. From later advices it was learned that the Llewellyn train returned to Mo- chudi, 100 miles north of Mafeking. Llewelyn reports all quiet. Scouts there report that the Colonel Plumer's pressed, sent to their assistance the whole center column with the exception of the Devonshire regi- ment. ; The battle had then lasted four hours, during which the artillery fire on both sides had been almost incessant. The ‘Naval Brigade, which landed at Durban, had ar- rived on the scene toward the end of the fight, and they immediately brought their heavy guns into play. Their practice was magnifi- cent. At the foutth shot the en- emy’s forty-pounders had Dbeen knocked out of action. The town is now freed [rom apprehension of bombardment. Throughout the engagement the Boers held their ground with courage and tenacity, and, con- sidering the intensity of the Brit- ish artillery fire, they must have suffered severely. DEADLY FIRE OF THE BOER ARTILLERY LONDON, Oct. 31.—Mr. Stevens, the war correspondent of the Daily Mall, describ- ing the engagement at Ladysmith, says: “By 10 o'clock the British had driven the Boers back several miles,- when the retirement was ordered, which Sir Arch- ibald Hunter conducted with great skiil, retiring battalion by battalion, cqyering the movement with the artillery of their guns by alternate batteries. The Boer ar- [ 7 tillery—fleld, quick firing and slege guns— immediately opened a heavy fire all around, showing their knowledge of war by aiming at the guns and wagons as they retired. Little damage was done, however, and our operations were quite unflurried. “At the end of the action a bearer com- pany advanced under a Red Cross flag to seek the wounded and was fired upon by the Boers, apparently through a mis- apprehension or because of want of dis- cipline since the fire soon ceased. In the meantime the native bearers continued their advance, their cool bravery being most praiseworthy. All the troops retired in safety and pickets were left on the fleld.” Except a vague reference in the Stand- ard, none of the special dispatches make mention of the missing battalions, state- ments regarding them evidently having been censored. The correspondent of the Times at Ladysmith says: “The action seemed to be proceeding most satisfactorily when, at 7:15 a. m., the enemy in large numbers, with field guns, Maxims and 37'millimeter guns, began to develop a heavy attack on Colonel Grim- wood’s infantry. The cavalry brigade had moved@ip on our right, holding the parallel ridge over against Colonel Grim- wood’s position and practically acting as infantry. In the meantime our batteries kept down the slege gun fire upon Lady- smith with shrapnel. At 9 o'clock there seemed to be a lull as our reserves moved up, but suddenly the engagement re- opened as the enemy on our right brought further artillery to bear. Colonel Grim- ‘wood, who, with the three advance bat- talions, had held the ridge for five hours, suddenly fell back across the open upon our guns. “The Fifty-third Battery - pluckily pushed forward to cover this withdrawal. Several casualties occurred at this phase. The Fifty-third Battery held on against a cross-fire of rifles and quick-firing guns until the infantry was clear. The teams of the two guns were damaged and the battery eventually retired, made-up teams being sent to extricate the guns. The cavalry, remaining unsupported, were forced to fall back also. SO DR N A D DA A e e oSSR Y- -4 e 2 BATTLE oCcTOBER 2| SUNDAY RIVER D e SROSY S SRR SaCRE SIOTE SOl e SiCo SiCE SaCE e o 404040 ENCIRCLED. This pictorial map ghows the positions of the Boer and British forces about Ladysmith, as told in the dispatches. EUROPE O S * S S PP IR MR S S S e L T N D L SO S DU S DD DU MO S SIS SO SN A BRITISH TROOPS WERE REPULSED WILL NOT INTERFERE State Department - Fails to Receive Word of Any Action by Powers. ALL HEADQUARTERS, WELLINGTON 30.—None of the American representatives stationed at HOTEL, WASHINGTON, Oct. European courte has reported anything to the State Department indicating interference by European powers in the Transvaal war. officials indorse The Call-Herald's As a matter of fact, here the cablegram from Paris reporting that the several powers likely to inferfere are too busily engaged elsewhere to pay at- tention to South African affairs. accepted as such by the powers. France and Germany are watching the si tage of anything that may result benefic Besides, the mobilization of British squadrons is undoubtedly a warning by Great Britain of her preparedness to act, Of course, and is it is to be expected that Russia, tuation carefully, ready to take advan- *fally to them; but none of them, so far as the information of the State Department indicates. has made any move of a hostile character to Great Britaln. nor is it believed they are likely to take any action which may precipitate a general war. No matter if Great Britain should become involved in controversies with for- eign nations growing out of the South African situation, the United States will undoubtedly maintain an attitude of strict neutrality, provided American inter- ests are not endangered. Such an attitude would undoubtedly be of great value to Great Britain and more valuable to the powers opposing her. BERLIN, Oct. 30.—Emperor William's farewell message to the British Royal Dragoons, of which regiment he is honorary Africa, expressing his Majesty's hope that all might return is taken as a proof of Germany's official neutrality. colonel, on their departure for “‘unscathed and well.” One of the evening papers, referring to the dispatch, points out its high political significance and says it is the best answer to ‘“‘pan-Germanic leagues, Anglophobia and predictions of for- eign intervention, in which Germany is to play a leading part.” The Boersen Courier says: ‘‘The repeated foreign efforts to inveigle Germany into interfering in a-question absolutely foreign to her national interests have palpably the sole object of discrediting her policy. Germany declines the role of acting manager in foreign interests detrimental to her own.” “Then began a general retirement on Ladysmith. The guns which had been covering the Devonshire Regiment stoutly covered the final withdrawal. The enemy did not press, but showed themselves in their position in great numbers, only to find that the Naval Brigade from the Powerful had arrived. Two quick-firing guns were at once placed in position, un- der cover of a redoubt, and in five rounds they silenced the enemy's forty-pounder. The troops were back in Ladysmith by 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The casualties caused by the enemy’s artillery were not severe. The mountain battery on the left reported it had suffered through a stam- pede of mules. mounted infantry and volunteer cavalry behaved splendidly in difficult circum- stances. Dr. Jameson and Sir John Wil- loughby arrived to-day and were spec- tators of the action.” g WHITE’S TROOPS YET IN SERIOUS PREDICAMENT LONDON, Oct. 31.—The engagement yesterday at Ladysmith, which, despite the rather heavy losses, must be regarded rather as an extended reconnoissance or skirmish than a battle, seems to make little change in the actual position. It is disappointing to the British public, as again revealing tactical skill of an un- expectedly high order on the side of the Boers. In addition to the possession of a number of heavy guns, the transport of which causes wonderment here, they have available marvelous ability. Unless commanded by skilliful European officers, it s hardly considered probable that Boer farmers would have assumed a feigned position, as they evidently did, in front of the right column, with the intention of retreating from it to their real line of de- fense and of inducing the British to at- tack over a fire-swept zone. The special dispatches describing the engagement again fail to confirm General ‘White's official account that the Boers Our artillery, cavalry, | were pushed back several miles. When it is considered that the censorsaip is very severe, the only conclusion that can be arrived at is that the action was ex- | tremely inconclusive. The fighting began | with a frontal attack on the main Boer | position, which, however, was found evacuated. The enemy having retired, now made a change of front and de- veloped a heavy attack on Colonel Grim- wood’s brigade. To meet this, the British artillery, which had been shelling the evacuated | position, also changed front. | Grimwood’s brigade was promptly rein- | forced, but soon was obliged to fall buck rapidly, with consequences which might | have been serious had not the Fifty-third | fieid battery ckily covered the move- ment at considerable loss to itself. It is quite certain that General White failed to accomplish the object he in- tended, and the day’s proceedings are an instructive example of the difficulty of operations when the enemy holds an ex- tended position by which he is able to make sudden and unexpected develop- ments and changes of front. Sir Redvers Buller cannot arrive at the scene of the fighting until the end of this week. In the meantime General White will need all his resources to preven* the Boers around Ladysmith linking their forces. The omission of all details likely to give a true idea of the position from General White's dispatch may be due to his reticence, but editing by war office offi- clals is likely to be agaln severely com- mented upon, BULLER AT TABLE BAY. LONDON, Oct. 3L—A dispatch from Cape Town announces the arrival at Table Bay of the Dunottar Castle late last evening with General Sir Redvers Buller and his staff, who are expected to land this morning. They will meet with a tremendous ovation in Cape Town. It is reported from Pretoria that 200 of the British wounded from Dundee have arrived there and have been furnished ac- commodation In the state school building.