PARTICULARS OF THE BATTLE OF LAINGNECK.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3044, 29 March 1881, Page 4

PARTICULARS OF THE BATTLE OF LAINGNECK.

Natax, February 7.

At six o'clock on the morning of the 28th January, the order to advance was sounded. A mounted squadron, .cs'ipposed of" seventy men of the 00th, led up'-'f_> the flat, which lies between here and the Neck;-followed hy tho Naval Brigade with three rocket tubes, the 58th, a body of artillery wifch;J;wo seven pounders, and the mounted police bringing up tho roar, with ambulances. The flat was reached without the enemy making any demonstration. The rocket tubes then took up a position on the left front, nearly facing the high road, which runs through, tho Neck to the right. Two 9-pounders and ers (unlimbered), one on the extreme right of Jthe other two. Two 9-pounders, one company of Rifles (a detachment of tho 21st), ancl the Gatlings, left the camp at 9.55. The guns began shelling the .Neckby this time, tho Boors being seen on the top of the Neck, not a shot having been fired by them. Sir George Colley commanded in person, and was aware of the strength of the enemy's position, Major Poole and Major Burkcfct having reconnoitred tho place at night. After three-quarters of an hours firing, during which the guns made excellent practice, it was thought practicable to carry tho position at 500 yards, left of the Boers lines, afc the Neck, at the point of the bayonet. The mounted squadron was accordingly ordered to take the hill at the extreme right of the 58th, and carry the height—that is to say, the position just referred to on the right, Colonel Deane, Major Essex, Major Poole, Lieut. Ewes, Lieut. Inman (staff), led on tho 58th. Major Brownlow and Captain Hornby commanded tho mounted infantry. When the leading_companies of the 58th got about half-wayuy >tke rise the first troop of tho mounted squadron, led by Major Brownlow and Pergeantf-Major Luny, charged a kopgen held by t.ue enemy on our extreme . '-V The men rode close up to tho place, and in u.^ f^ o seconcls half the saddles were empty _^ s an instance of the valor shown by the mounteu ™n, Sergeant-Major Luny actually got into thou- of th ? I Boors, but was there immediately &-. 1 °*£?" ■ —half a dozen rifles being fired afc him. j-/ 10 squadron retired after the first destructive volley, and re-formed, and a second time charged up the hill the same way. Nothing, however, could live under the fire, and they fell back — seventeen men killed and wounded, thirty-two hors de combat. By the time tho cavalry were in retreat, the 58th were attacking the hill. At the first rush up the incline made by the men it blow hard. They made a quick movement forward after hard work, and, after two minutes rest, gained a slight ridge intervening between them and the position they were trying to reach. Before the order given, "Deploy to tho right," could he earned out, the moment the heads of our men were seen by the enemy over the ridge, and while the men were somewhat crowded together, the front company received a terrific volley from the Boers, enfilading the-n on the right flank. After about five minutes under this fire our men retired as best they could. Colonel Deane called for the charge, and immediately afterwards his horse was shot under him; he fell on the ground, and springing to his feet, reassured 'the men, calling out, "I am all right." The words were hardly out of his lips, when he fell again—-this time mortally wounded. When Colonel Deane called for " charge," Major Kingston, the other officer, was well to the front, in order to encourage them for tho desperate work before them. When the Colonel was laid low, Major ] Hingston, taking command, ordered the J men to fix bayonets, when he was immediately shot down. He has since died. Tho Boers this time kept well with their entrenchments, our men lying on the ground, and taking a shot whenever an opportunity was seen. When the British rose up to charge, a fire was poured into them, described by everyone who came back as something terrible to remember. Our men were actually within twenty yards of the trenches, lying on the ground, and kept up a fire. That of the Boers told terribly, whilst ours was necessarily less destructive. Here, Major Poole and Lieut. Dolphin were killed—their bodies were found afterwards, well in front of the men. Captain Lovegrove was seriously wounded. Nearly all the non-commissioned officers were either killed or wounded. Those who survived the fire say that in the Boor lines they saw colored men, armed, and fighting; whether Hottentots or Kaffirs, they cannob say. Whether under compulsion or election is equally an open matter. Tho fact remains and cannot be disputed. The only commissioned officers who came out of it are—Captain Lovegrove (wounded), Liout. Jopp, Lieut. Bolton, Hon. Monck, Acting-Adjutant O'Donnell (wounded), Morgan, Hill, Peel, Lacy, and Quar-ter-Master Wallace, Captain Hornby, (58th), in command of the mounted squadron, now commands the 58fch? Out of five staff officers there is only ono—Majors Easox —who came out alive. He must bear a charmed life, being one of the survivors of Isandula. Returning to the details of the encounter there is but one fact to add—when the 58th was compelled to retire, Lieutenant Baillie, who carried the regimental colors, being mortally wounded, Lieutenant Peel offered to assist him. Never mind me—save the colors," was tho reply. Peel, who was cai'iying the Queen's colors, took both, and, falling into a hole, Sergeant Bridstock, thinking that he had been shot, took the colors and ran with them out of danger, for some distance. The body of Baillie was recovered the following day, minus boots, leggings, &c. This applies to the accoutrements of all the men, as they were all stripped of those articles. When the retreat commenced tho artillery commenced firing fast on the Boers, who now showed themselves and kopfc up a constant fusilade on our men. The shells did good service and kept tho Boers from following the men ; but for tho artillery at this moment the loss of life must havo been greater than what it was. On our side, the practice of the artillery was really splendid, tho shells dropping within ten or fifteen yards beyond the regiment in retreat. Notwithstanding the covering fire tho Boers kept up a brisk fire on our forces. Upon reaching the foot of the hill, the 58th Regiment refilled its pouches with ammunition, and were prepared to make another attempt to storm the position. They found 73 killed and 100 wounded. The 58th having come up to the guns, the whole forco then fell back towards the camp. A flag of truce was sent forward to tho enemy, and both parties engaged in the work of burying the dead, and removing the wounded. An offer of a surgeon to attend the Boers was refused by them, who probably sent their wounded away, as a waggon was seen later on, tracking in the direction of Wakkorstroom.