DIARY OF THE WAR.

Evening Post, Volume LIX, Issue 11, 13 January 1900, Page 5

DIARY OF THE WAR.

October 9th. — Boer ultimatum demanding assurances from Great Britain. October 11th.— State of war begins. Boers enter Natal, seize trains and out wires. October 12th. — Mr. Conyngham Greene, British Agent at Pretoria, recalled. Armoured train wrecked by Boers at Kraalpau. Lieutenant Nesbitt with fifteen men and two guns captured. October 13th.— MafeJang invested. The dnve&tment of Kirnberley begun. Martial law proclaimed in the Transvaal. President Steyn, of the Free State, issues a proclamation violently denouncing Great Britain. October 14th. — Boers occupy Van Eeenan's Pass and the investment of Ladysmith begins. October 15tlh.— General Sir Redvers Buller leaves England to assume the chief command in South Africa. October 20th.— Battle of Glencoe. Ma-jor-General Symons mortally wounded. Ten British officers and 35 rank and file killed, and 60 officers and lEiO rank and file wounded. Boer losses reported at 600. A squadron of the 18th Hussars captured. October 21st. — Battle of Elandslaagte* Complete victory for the British. Heavj Boer losses, including several prominent men. Many prisoners taken. Britisi losses 247 killed and wounded, 10 mis» 'ing. Tho Gordon Highlanders losfc 118. October 22nd.— Major-General Yuk evacuates Dundee and retires on Glenooe. October 23rd.— Major- General Yule evacuates Glencoe, and marches southward to join Lieut. -General Sir George White. * October 24th.— Sir George "White defeats tike enemy at Rietfontein. British feats the enemy at Rietfontein. Successful British sortie at Mafeking. October 26th.— White and Yule join forces at Ladysmith. October 30th.— Sir George White r moves out and attacks the Boers, who were bombarding Ladysmith. The first Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers and the , second Battalion of the Gloucester Regiment, with No. 10 Mountain Battery, . captured by the enemy (42 officers and ' 1500 men). [ October 31st.— Shelling of Ladysmith resumed. Boer attack on Mafeking ref pulsed with (heavy loss. [ November Ist.— Free State Boers in-, vade Cape Colony. ; | November 2nd.— Colenso (Natal) evacuated. Stormberg camp (North-east Cape 1 Colony) abandoned. ' November 4th.— Compete investment 1 of Ladysmith by the Boers. November 7th.— Bombardment of Kirn' berley seriously commenced, after pre1 liminary skirmishing. ; November 9fch.— Bombardment of : Ladysmith and attack in force by the Boers. Enemy defeated with great loss. i November 14th.— Another successful i sortie from Ladysmith. November 15th.— Free State troops > pour into North and Norfch-east Cape Colony. Aliwal North and Burgfhers- : dorp (north-easb) occupied. Colesberg ; (north) seized by the Boers, i November 16th. — Armoured train i wrecked by Boers near Colenso, Natal. British losses, 3 killed, 9 wounded, and > 100 missing, including Mr. Winston: s Churchill, who subsequently escaped. November 17fch.— Natal Cavalry defeat . a Boer force of 300 men eight miles from , Estcourt. November 22nd. — Boer forces take pos- . session of Ennersdale and Weenen (Natal) k and temporarily isolate Estcourt and . General Clery's force of 14,000. ( November 23rd.— Lieut. -General Lord' : Methuen, advancing along the trunk rail- ' way defeats the enemy at Belmont. \ November 24th.— Brilliant success by ; Major-General Hildyard at Willow ! Grange (Natal) in the course of a reconnaissance in force. ; November 25th.— Lord Metlhuen again ' victorious at Grasspan. I November 28th.— Desperate battle at Modder River. After ten hours* fighting tho Boers retire. General Methuen slightly wounded. British casualties, 73 killed, 375 wounded, and 7 missing. December 4th. — The railway bridge over the Tugela River destroyed by the enemy. December 10th.— Lieut. -General Gatacre suffers a serious reverse at Stonnberg. The British losses in killed, wounded, and missing reported at 700. December 11th. — Successful sortie from Ladysmibh. British casualties, 62. December 14th.— Lord Sethuen attacks the enemy at Macorsfontein, but fails in his attempts, and has to retire to .his base at Modder River. British losses in killed and wounded. 803. MajorGeneral Wauchope killed. December 16th.— General Buller with 12,000 men attempts the passage of the Tugela River, but is repulsed with heavy losses. Reported losses— B2 killed, 667 wounded, and 358 missing. December 18th.— The official statement of British .osses to date is given at 728 killed, 2784 wounded, and 2265 missing, or a total of 5777. The British Cabinet decides to send out 50,000 additional troops, and Field-Marshal Lord Roberts is appointed Commander-in-Chief, with Lord, Kitchener as Chief of the Staff. New Zealanders Under fire for the first time. Trooper Bradford mortally wounded. December 22nd. — Bombardment of. Ladysmith. Eight men killed^ by a bursting shell. January Ist.— Lieut. -General French drives the Boers out of Rensburg, bis losses being 3 killed and 7 wounded. The Queenslana and Canadian troops surprise a Boer laager at Springfield, utterly routing the Boers, and taking 35 prisoners. January 2nd. — Lieut. -General French threatens Coleserg. Boers soon after evacuate the town. January 3rd. — Kuruman, British Be* chuanaland, surrenders to Boers after a gallant resistance. January 4th.— Boeis in North-east Capo Colony fall back, evacuate Cyphergat and Molteno. January 6th. — Fiercest attack on Lady-, smith to date. Tho enemy beaten on. Four companies of Suffolk Kegiment fall into ambush and have to retreat— 26 killed, 22 wounded, 113 missing.