NEWS OF THE WAR.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 116, 13 November 1900, Page 2

NEWS OF THE WAR.

A GOOD WORD FOR GENERAL GATACRE. A letter signed *~ Boys of His Brigade" appeared in the Daily News a few weeks ago. It was written by a private soldier to his f alher, and was as follows : — Bloemfontein, Orange River Colony, South Africa, 11th August, IyOO. From those serving with Sir William Gatacre before his being recalled to England. Sir — We wish to see a good word published for one of our best Generals, who has been criticised (more or less) by all. If he had only had fair play from the first there is no doubt he would have been tho first General in the Free State. Where is there another General who had forty miles of line to. guard, and over thirty miles of front to watch, with barely 5000 men, no cavalry, and hardly any artillery? •' • «. The par I he was at was one of the worst spots in the country, full of rebels, who pretended to be loyalists, but who carried all sorts of news to the Boers, who were about twenty miles from our camp. The Boers were also supplied with the latest newspapers, for ' some of the Mounted Infantry, while scouting, found a paper only two days old, containing an account of the movements of our General and others. If General Buller had taken into consideration the Hardships n that General Gatacre had to put up with, and given him -the .troops he needed io have enabled him' to" take Stormb'erg,' he would never haVe'l^en defeated. . Not haying the men, atid not knowing defeat, he tried to take the Boers'' position, and failed. But. after his,, reverse where was there a harder-working man in Africa? Up between two/'juid three o'clock in the morning,-' 'visiting the different points of his divided troops - at the front, returning for dinner, changing horses, and away again lintil dark at night. Then ■when he get some artillery the- Boers knew,- and cleared out of Stormberg. But where was there a finer bit of generalship than thftt of Sir AVUliam's from Stormberg to Spriirgfontejii? One of the most brilliant movements of the war — the saving of Betltulie Bridge— was made by Sir William. After he 'got to Springfontein, owing to leaving men on the line of communication, he had next to no troops with him, otherwise the Royal Irish would never have been compelled to surrender at Reddersberg, which we all think was the cause of his recall to England. v THE NEW BOER LEADER. ' The nomination ,of Commandant Viljoen as Commandant-General is not likely to be popular {writes a correspondent at Pretoria), as General de La Rey is considered by the burghers to be immensely . superior to' the new nominee. It is interesting, at . this juncture to recall the fact that Viljoen made a speech to the British prisoners at Nooitgedacht before their release, when he staged that in a few weeks he' hoped to shake Jiands with them; as brothers, and no longer as men ' 'seeking each other's lives. The speech, at' tho 'present state" of things is significant, but -Viljo.en as a subordinate General may hold entirely different views from Viljoen as Commander-in-Ohief. The ' burghers' here are inclined to think that the appointment implies that Viljoen, who is a very vain man, is likely ' to make continued resistance.