The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 16, 1899, Page 1

[ to be 4., 2Per not [ th, taken fron Lo o Forary 4 ’ e — YV.teous - - N /‘ <\ Tall VOLUME KXVII—=NO. 186. SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1899, GENERAL BULLER’S FORCE DEFEATED PRICE FIVE CENTS. WHILE TRYING TO CROSS THE TUGELA the " Britlish Troops in Seuth Africa to Reach Ladysmith Re- sults in Disaster. Boers Concealed Along the River Mow Down the Advancing Foe, Causing the British to Hastily Retreat, Leaving Eleven Guns and Many Dead Behind. ONDON, Dec. 16.—The War Office has received a dispatch announcing that General Buller has met with a serious reverse. losing eleven guns. General Buller was attempting to cross the Tugela River. Finding it impossible to effect his object he ordered a retreat in order to avoid greater losses. The following is the text of General Buller’s dispatch announcing his reverse: “Buller to Lansdowne: Chieveley Camp. December 15, 6:20 p. m.—I regret to report a seri- ous reverse. | moved in full strength from our camp near Chieveley at 4 o'clock this morning. There are two fordable places in the Tugela River, and it was my intention to force a passage through at one of them. They are about two miles apart. s “My intention was to force one or the other with one brigade supported by a central rigade. “General Hart was to attack the left drift, General Hildyard the right road and General Lyt- telton was to take the center and to support either. Early in the day | saw that General Hart would not be abie to force a passage. and | directed him to withdraw. He had, however, at- tacked with great gallantry. and his ieading battalion, the Connaught Rangers, | fear, suffered a reat deal. Colonel L. G. Brooke was seriously wounded. “I then ordered General Hildyard to advance, which he did, and his leading regiment, the East Surrey, occupied Colenso station and the houses near the bridge. “At that moment | heard that the whole artillery | had sent to support the attack—the Fourteenth and Sixty-sixth field batteries and six naval 12-pounder quick-firers, under Colonel Long—had advanced close {o the river in Long’s desire to be within effective range. It proved to be full of the enemy, who suddenly opened a galling fire at close range, killing all their horses, and the gunners were compelled to stand to their guns. Some of the wagon teams got shelter for the troops in a donga, and desperate efforts were made to bring out the field guns. The fire, how- ever. was too severe, and only two were saved by Captain Scholfield and some drivers whose names | will furnish. “Another most gallant attempt with three teams was made by an officer, whose name | will obtain. Of the eighteen horses thirteen were killed, and as several drivers were wounded I ' would not allow another attempt, as it seemed that they would be a shell mark, sacrificing iife to a gallant attempt to force the passage. Unsupported by artillery, | directed the troops to with- draw, which they did in good order. “Throughout the day a considerable force of the enem but was kept back by mounted men under Lord Dundonald and another part of General Barton’s bri- gade. The day was intensely hot and most trying on the troops, whose conduct was excellent. We have abandoned ten guns and lost by shell fire one. The losses in General Hart’s brigade are, | fear, very heavy, aithough the proportion of severely wounded, | hope, is not large. The Fourteenth and Sixty-sixth Field Batteries also suffered severe losses. We have retired to our camp at Chieveley.” L o Y y was pressing on my right flank, | ONDON, Dec. 16.—Eng- land went to sleep last night without knowing the worst news that has come from the seat of war since hostilities began. | What time the War Office re- jcci\'cml the news of General Bul- ler’s reverse, which was practical- ly a defeat, is not known, but it was after midnight when it made | public Buller's report. |it needs -elucidation in certain parts, but there can be no mis- taking the results of the battle. Eleven British guns lost, at- | tempts h_\' two columns to cross the river repulsed with heavy loss | and the retreat to camp—that is | the outcome of Buller's first at- | tempt to reach Ladysmith. Two points in his report stand | out with tremendous significance L e e R A S A A A N > verses experienced by Methuen land Gatacre are recalled. When he moved out in full force from Chieveley early yesterday morn- Yerebe b et D e S R R o S S S T RIS | the passage at one of two ford- able places on the Tugela River, { but he discovered that this was not feasible, owing to the fact | been under estimated. | At Stormberg and Magersfon- :lein the same fact was discovered, | but not until the British advance ‘had been surrounded by the mo- { bile foe. Again, as in these other two engagements, the British on the | Tugela River were caught in an lambush. The river bed at the point selected by General Hild- vard’s column to cross turned out |to be full of Boers, who over- | whelmed - the British artillery. Ten guns had to be abandoned and another was lost by shell fire. Sl < TEY . pED BuLLER (BrIMANDER- IN~CHIEF. FRop-ruis JATEST- PHeTo" e e e S S R e e e e e e s e e e s e e s s ] i e e e S S S S e S I S S S L A B = e e e R | While the report is fairly clear | | : { { when the circumstances of the re- ing it was his intention to force | that the number of Boers had | beaeie pede ieieierebeberebe b e oD e - s re e e to force FORT WYLIE AND BOER ARTILLERY BoER ARTILLERY AND RIFLEMEN RAILEOAD BRIDGE To GEN_HILDYARDS BRIGADE . LADY SM1TH o — RR STATION. BAST FORD .. BRIDGE TO LADYSMITH BRITISH ARTILLERY UNDER COt . LONG - Fo D000t etedededededeieiesiestededeiotedeeiesioiostosiodoioieiosiedeioiodeseiedetod GEN LITTLETON'S BRIGA RO TO VAN COLENSO AND THE TUGELA RIVER. This shows the rallroad bridge and the Bulwer wagon bridge, which were destroyed by the Boers, with the locations of the fords by which the British attempted passage across the Tugela, and the positions of the contending forces as described in the disps @t e e e S SIS PP R e G S e S S S S Attempt of Commander in Chief of RESERVE. 3 2 REENANS R B e e e A I S S = S = 3 o IMORE TROOPS TOBE |TELLS HOW BOERS RUSHED TO BULLER DECEIVED BRITONS His Defeat Regarded as the Most Ina Letter Jerbert Predicted Many Serious Military Event Since the Indian Mutiny. : | | ‘ ONDON, Dee. 16, 4:30 a. m.—The news of General Buller's reverse that news- | I aper comment to-day Is confined to was received so late perfunctory expressions of extreme regret and disappointment and of the nece y efforts to retrieve the position. This latest check is regarded as the most serious event in Great Britain's military history since the Indian mutiny. The Standard says: “General Buller's dispateh is deplorable reading. It is the now familiar story of concealed Boers and of British troops marching up blindly al- most to the very muzzles of the enemy’s rifies. It cannot be doub that the moral effect will be to aggravate our dif- ficulties over the whole field of operations. The country has discovered with annoy- ance and surprise that subduing Boer farmers is about the hardest work we have entered upon since the Indlan mu- tiny. Their commandants have shown themselves able to give our generals use- ful but expensive lessons in modern tac- ties."” The Times says: “Since the day of the { Indian mutiny the nation has not been with so painful and anxious a Plainly General Buller's ad- paralyzed for the moment as as Lord Methuen's and Gen- re's. vance compl eral G Britain's trusted and {dolized commander is all the greater as during the last forty- t hours there had been reports of the relief of Ladysmith. Office allowed It to be understood that tne position of affairs in Natal was entirely satisfactory. The reaction is all the more pronounced on this account. The gloomy information came too late to reach the service clubs, and only a fow journalists and stragglers were waiting at the War Office. It had hardly been real- ized until now, even after the experience | that General Buller could of the week, fall. Virtually nothing had been allowed to leak through regarding his preparation, but the public waited patiently, in the confident belief that he was taking such time and precautions as would insure suc- cess. No independent reports of the engage- ment have yet been allowed to come | through, but General Buller's own dis- | patch tells the sad tale in sufficient out- line to show that the British have been entrapped again by the astute Boers. It was not anticipated that General Buller ould make a frontal attack. No criti- sms of his movements are made, how- ever, since apparently he suffered a re- pulse rather than a defeat, and did not Special Dispatch to The Call. of calmness and redoubled | The depression over the defeat of Great | Yesterday the War | . Events Which | EW YORK, Deec. o Pre- { toria,” the Britls s on a | level with the Parisian cry of 1570, | “A Berlin." | written by General Jo | smith under date o | tributor to the Be | paper it wa aken. It c only the ann y ould strength to come to our and’s arrogance a her have so cowed Eurc ean they dare not bid her stop able land-grabbing, not even Major-General Fitzroy Hart, Com- manding the Irish Brigade Which Lost So Heavily at Colenso. from them our Our calculations e credited th ‘To Pre | | ~ | parks. push the attack home, but broke it off in | The English public the middle so as to save a useless sacri- °ading reports. Their cry fice of life. It is expected that he will re- L& lavel withitlis Earieian ory new the attack shortly. erlin. Immediately on receiving the news the ‘Your lett | War Office decided to mobilize still an- al s | other division and to replace the losses of | artillery. The necessary reinforcements will be hurried off as speedily as possible. Fifteen transports are due to arrive at Cape Town between December 17 and Jan- uary 8, with about 15,000 troops of all arms, but unless Generar Buller Is able to renew the attack, which is exceedingly doubtful, the British generals will be com- pelled for another fortnight or more to remain on the defensive. The latest dispatches Indicate the con- tinued bombardment of Ladysmith, whose position is now perilous. Major General Sir Herbert Charles er lays much periority of th n the examp . England cannot s 8,000 soldlers to the Transvaal with withdrawing all her troops from the nies. This In itself is an imposing army but only half of them will be available. Granting that England will have effec the landing of her troops by the middl. of December, have lost in meantime at least 10,000 through deat casualties, desertions and captured. Their number would accordingly be reduced to 75,000. We will try to prevent the junction of the English forces under Buller, but even if we should not succeed the English Now Seem to Be Taking Place. Special Dispatch to The Call. | Colonel Lionel Godoiphin Brooke, Commanding the Connaught Kangers, Who Was Severeiy Wounded at Colenso amply sufficient for communication is excel command of and f fons in case the g unkr outh, we e of the splendi guerrilla tacties. sufficient to show to E sibility -of ‘the task she has undertaken. Her losses will be tremendous.” Chormside has beer. appointed to com- mand the Fourteenth Brigade in the Sev- enth Division. The list of casualties among the non- commissioned officers and men in the fight at Magersfonteir, just issued, shows 55 killed, 253 wounded (21 severely) and 76 missing. This, however, is apparently not a complete list. is taking energetic steps. In the | course of the next few days a large body of troops is due to ar- rive at Cape Town. The seventh | | efforts of Captain Scholfield and | some drivers. It seems almost incredible that | the artillery should have ap- | proached so near the river with- | out cavalry or even infantry skir- | mishers having first developed the enemy’s position. Colonel ELong, who was in command of | the batteries, seems to have only | discovered that the river was full of Boers when he got quite close to it with his guns. He was sub- jected to a galling fire at close | range, which killed his men and | horses before he could extricate ghimself. No mention is made of any supporting infantry, though it is hardly possible that batteries Two were saved by, the heroic|would be sent'so far forwardnation to fight the contest to a division is to be mobilized and an eighth may also soon receive orders. This is, so far as the| United Kingdom is concerned, the uttermost that can be done, with the exception of calling out the last reserves that can be | drawn from the garrisons and regular troops. The moral fiber of the British without some support being pro- vided. 1 Scouting appears once more to |have been very ina{eqnatc. Both the number and eXact positions | of the Boers seem to have been unknown to the British. | It is difficult to measure the I probable consequences of this re- | verse. Southern Natal is secure, empire is now being tested as it but it does not appear that Gen- | has not been since the Indian ceral Buller can advance again un- | mutiny and the Crimea. | til reinforcements arrive. Mean-| While news of Buller thfew { while the situation of Ladysmith | is most perilous. It is not possible that the news | of the reverse will shake in any fway the grim determination which now animates the British | into obscurity ail other news ves- terday the report comes from a Boer source of sharp fighting on the night of December 10 at Ma feking. The Roers attempted to | capture the British fort, but were forced to retire. A smart fight at | finish. Already the War Oflice'Zoulspan Drift, ten miles east of the Orange River, on Thurs- day also resulted in the retire- ment of the Boers. General French in the Naauw- poort district has more than once during the last few days checked the Boer advance. We are still without news of further fighting on the part of Lord Methuen's force. Possibly the Boers, equally with the Brit- |ish, are glad of a short respite be- fore renewing the conflict. Gen- eral Cronje in his official dispatch, which hardly breathes the confi- dent spirit of victory, makes the significant admission that his can- non are of very little use, and es- timates his losses at 100 killed | and wounded. BOERS WANT TO FORCE FORMAL RECOGNITION | wASHINGTON, Dec. 15.—Mr. Macrum, | United States Consul at Pretoria, has | cabled the State Department that the