CABLE NEWS.

Evening Post, Volume LVIII, Issue 141, 12 December 1899, Page 5

CABLE NEWS.

TOY ELECTRIC TEIiEQKArH. — COPyUIQHT.] « _^CP~ A SERIOUS REVERSE. GENERAL GATACRE DEFEATED. A SURPRISING FORCE ITSELF SURPRISED. OBLIGED TO RETREAT BEFORE THE ENEMY. MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED MEN MISSING. [phess association.] CAPETOWN, 11th December. Lieut. -General Sir W. F. Gatacre, who is in. command of the Third Division of the British Army in South Africa, and has since his arrival been manoeuvring in Northern Cape Colony, has had an engagement with the invading Free State and Transvaal commandoes which, under Commandant Grobler, lately seized several important positions to the southward of the Orange River. The movements of the enemy in the morth-east districts h«,\« been of such a character that a check to their operations was deemed necessary, and the British General consequently moved in that direction along the railway line to Molteno. On Saturday night Sir William Qatacre left Molteno with a force of 3000 men, including the Second Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers (sth Foot, Lieut. -Colonel R. L. A. Femrington) and the Second Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles (86th Foot, Lieut.-Colonel H. A. Eager), supported by 800 mounted infantry and the 74th and 77th Batteries of Artillery, with the object of surprising 2500 Boers at Stormberg Junction. When within two miles of the point at which the enemy were supposed to be laagered, the advancing forces encountered the burghers, who opened a sudden firo from the front and on the right flank. Taken by surpriee and staggered by the unexpected attack, the British regiments sought cover behind an adjacent kopje> but, being still within range, were shifted from there, the artillery being brought into action and covering the retreat. At this stage a body of reinforcements for the enemy was observed advancing on the right, and part of the Northumberlands and Irish -Rifles were sent to intercept them. Tho attempt could not be carried out successfully, as the troops were subjected . to a heavy fire from a number of machine guns, which had been trained on to the lino of their march. It appears from the reports that have been received that the strength of the enemy had been underestimated, and in addition to this they ' occupied an impregnable position, which the attacking force was unable to assail. The Irish Riflea and the Northumberland Regiment behaved splendidly during the action, but it is feared that the losses suffered by these troops have been heavy. The British were at last compelled to retreat, and during their inarch away from tho field of battle they were continually harassed by the fire from two fortypounders, which were brought to bear upon them by the enemy. General Gatacre has telegraphed his regret at the serious reverse, but states that he was misled as to the enemy's position by his guides, and was brought face to face with the "burghers on impracticable groundSo far as the casualties are concerned no complete information can yet be acquired, but there are no fewer than 306 officers and men missing from the Northumberlands and 29 from the Irish Rifles. Later. With reference to Sir William Gatacre's defeat it is known that two men were killed and nine officers and sixteen men wounded, while there are nine officers among the missing. Tho retreat of the British was followed for three hours by the Boer artillery, i Alter a fatiguing march, the troops reached their main position, but a gun i had to be abandoned by the artillerymen on the road. It is feared that the disaster will intensify the disloyalty that has been making itself apparent amongst the Cape Dutch. [There ore three lines of railway etn*ting northward through thp eastern park of Cape Colony. .One of these runs from East London, and two from Port Elizabeth. In the northern districts an east-and-west line runs athwart these Mnes, 1 connecting De Aar, on the fourth, or main trunk Jms, with the two Port Elizabeth | systems (at Naauwpoort) and with the , East London system at Stormberg. Travi elling northward from East London, one , comes to Molteno, at 210 miles from the ; port, and to Stormberg Junction at 221 , miles. From this point the main eastern line goes on to Aliwal North, 59 miles further to the north-east. For some weeks the Free State Boers have over-run these | north-east districts, and the British retirl ed before them, first from Aliwal and then from Stormberg, which the enemy have held in (strength of late. When GenJ eral Gatacre arrived at the Cape he established his head-quarters at Queenstown, 67 miles south of Stormberg, with the object of driving back the enemy. ' The disastrous action of which we now hear was the first serious blow struck by 1 Mm.] ADVICE TO THE GOVERNMENT 1 BRITISH LOSS OF SEVEN HUNDRED 1 MEN. Under last night's date the Agent-Gene-ral cabled from London to the Premier stating that Lieut.-General Gatacre was repulsed at Stormberg,, with a loss of about seven hundred men.