THE RHODESIAN FIELD FORCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIV, Issue 12323, 13 October 1900, Page 5

THE RHODESIAN FIELD FORCE.

THE MARCH FROM MARANDELLAS. ADVANCE ON THE ENEMY. THE RETIREMENT TO MAFEKING. ABANDONMENT OF ZEERUST AND OTTOSHOOP. [From Our Correspondent.] MAFEKING, August 10. It is almost a- misnomer to style Lieuten-ant-General Sir Frederick Carrington s division- of the field force operating in South Africa “ The Rhodesian- Field Force,” inasmuch as the supposition that the Bo,ers would- trek into Rhodesia has some time since been found to be erroneous. Still, the troops that -landed in Portuguese territory will continue to bear the designation bestowed on them when it was thought their services would bo required in Rhodesia. When the troops were drafted from the .base camp at Marandellas to Bulawayo it was thought that the bulk of them would find their way to Tuli, and from there spread out along the Transvaal border. A LONG MARCH. It was as far back as June 7 that the first, of the Fourth Contingent of New Zealanders left Marandellas on their long march across the 300 miles which lay to the capital of Rhodesia, and on June 10 the last of the Fifth, under Colonel -NeWall, made a start on the road. The march takes from twenty to thirty days, the ’ slow rate of progress being accounted for by the fact that troops have to entirely depend on ration® carried on bullock waggons (and, on parentheses, let it be remarked, that the bullock teams all look remarkably weU, bespeaking -a virtue in the long tussock-ljke grass not apparent to the eye). The first of our men had not gone far, in fact, had got no farther than Fort Charter, four days out, when a number of the remounts' obtained at base canip (these being Hungarian ponies) were ordered to be quarantined, on account of several cases of, glanders having broken out, and these were left behind, in charge of Lieutenant Banchop, and Lieutenant Kedall, being on sick list also, remained at Fort Charter, and, although Captain. Fulton .was another fever patient at that time, he struggled on as a waggon passenger. A third officer left on the road was Captain Davey, who, falling from his horse, was left behind at Gwelo. Gwelo is the only town on the road to Bulawayo, it being principally sustained by mines in its neighbourhood. There are no signs of cultivation whatever from one end of the journey- to the other, and it is strange indeed for a colonial to come plump into a city, for Bulawayo is such, without any environs.. It is not my province to say anything about the capital of Rhodesia-, but it struck most of us as being a town built ahead-of • its time. There are some really fine buildings, to wit, the Grand Hotel, which would-be an ornament to any of our capitals, but the streets are not built up, and, generally, Bulawayo is a half-finished sort of place. Although, of course, as you know, an artillery battery of Canadians and some of the Queensland Volunteers had a part in tbs relief of Mafeking," the first real migration of tho Rhodesian Field Force from its originally-designed operating ground v«is the despatch of the one-pounder battery from Bulawayo to Mafeking. on July 21 and 22. The 15-pounder battery, manned solely by a company of the,Auckland Fifth, a few days previously to this, had started on the road to Tali, but orders had been issued for their recall, to follow the other artillery brigade. The bulk of the Fourth Contingent had by this time reached Tuli, and the remaining portions of it, together with the Fifth, were at- various stages'on the way thither. It might here be remarked that the niain bodj of °the Otago and Southland boys had but Major Francis, Captain Harvey, Lieutenants Tubman and Macdonald officering them, as Captain Full oil .remained invalided at Bulawayo, and the other lieutenants were with small sections following oil. . You have been inundated with all sorts of matter in regard to Mafeking, its defence, position, and all,about it. What struck all of us on Teaching the now world-famed prison for seven months of Colonel (now Major-General) Badeu-Powell, was how he could possibly have held but witly his handful of men for such a . time against overwhelming odds, in such' a defenceless position.

THE RHODESIAN FIELD FORCE SENT FORTH FROM MAFEKING.

The first movement of the Rhodesian Field Force out of Mafeking was on Thursday, July 26. The one-pouuder battery, escorted four squadrons of New South Wales Imperial Bushmen, and three companies of ■ Paget’s ' Horse, - and a company of Kimberley Light _ Horse, all under the command of BrigadierGeneral Lord Errol, started on the march for Lichtenburg. That, the force was now in disputed country was evident by the disposition of the inarching force, for, immediately on leaving Mafeking, the troops spread out like a fan. Lichtenburg, which is distant forty.miles from Mafeking, was reached on Friday evening. The town, is situated in a rather pleasant valley, and the streets are lined' with fruit trees, and the place bears the appellation of the “ Garden Township.” . Just before getting to Lichtenburg, the horses of the force were watered in a lagoon . overlooked by the Mansion House of the Boer commander, De La Rty. -THE ADVANCE ON OTTOSHOOP.

Next morning, aiders were issued fur a move to Ottoshoop, and it appears that this ■was "an instruction from • headquarters, as the eneinv were said .-to be in strong force near at hand. Before leaving -Lichtenburg, all surplus stores were destroyed, arid the small force which .garrisoned the place attached themselves to Lord Errol’s command. The road was over burnt plain,, and, camping for the night in a hollow, preparations were made for an attack, which, however, was not made. A long march on the Sunday brought Lord Errol to Ottoshoop at night, and there the troops rested for a few days. .On Wednesday, August 1, Zeerust was reached, fifteen miles distant. The force might be said to be in the heart of the Transvaal, and a fair land it appeared to be to those who had come by way of Rhodesia. Fenced and cultivated stations were to be seen, all along the road, the background of ranges giving a picturesque appearance to tho country. Zeerust itself, a town of considerable importance, is prettily situated in a fertile valley, with high hills all around. Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Carrington, reaching Zeerust on Augiisb 2, took over command of the force, which was strengthened by the arrival of the bat : tcry manned by the Auckland section of the Fifth, and a company or two of lihperial Bushmen. It ought to have been mentioned that a few miles out- of Zeerust, on the Ottoshoop Road, ■ stands the residence of the Boer commander-in-chief, Botha-. He is, or was, the possessor of a very fine orange garden, and, the fruit being ripe and -luscious, the troops helped themselves. -This can scarcely be culled commandeering, for, if not pulled, the fruit would, doubtless, have rotted on the trees. On Friday, August 3, with General Carrington at its head, the force left Zeerust, with the ostensible object of relieving Colonel Hoare, who, with a small force of Australian Bushmen, was in a tight place at Elands River. On the night of Saturday, the force camped within seven-miles of where the Boers were supposed to be entrenched, •their position being assumed by the- sullen booming of heavy a-Tillery, heard all Saturday. , IN TOUCH WITH THE ENEMY. Moving out of canip shortly before seven, tho force felt its way,towards Elands- River, and, by eleven, commenced to engage the enemy. The artillery duel lasted for about

a couple of hours, when the General ordered a retirement, 'the Boers being found to he strongly posted. Getting to the scene of the’previous night’s camp, the troops were ■watering the horses arid doing a little commaiodeering in .an orange’ grove through which the watering stream • flowed, when suddenly a rifle fire was opened on the force. The guard left in camp in the morning had. noticed during the afternoon horsemen entering a,dump of bush on the opposite,: slope to that routd which the road wended, and when our forces grouped on return from the-battlefield the party were reckoned to bo-some of our patrols,-and no notice was taken of them; but it soon. Ibe'capre, apparent that those in the bush were.Boers,.for it .was from- them,the fire came. How it -was, no- one was hit was simply wonderful, for the Mauser bullets were falling all around, and the troops were somewhat closely massed. ; The casualty list was one horse jshot. It can he .said, however, that the enemy’s fire, was soon silenced,' for one off the Pom-pom guns - was speedily directed on the place whence came; tho fire,-and the Boers were soon driven, from their cover. Major Gosling,' commandant -of the battery, acted as, chief gunner, and some of the Idiots -were seen to have mado telling effect. Under cover of the Pom-pom fire, the column commenced to retire, and between ten and eleven the rear guard reached Little Marico. It will thus be seen that so far as relieving the -beleaguered force, the advance faded, but tie General ascertained something ofthe position and ’strength of the enemy. The General'-Wast greatly pleased with the manner in which the colonial' troops comported themselves in action. Xhe Aucklanders, with the artillery, did really good work. Lieutenant Grey Johnston ■, had charge .of No. 5 Pom-pom gum, in which battery there are also a few other New Zealanders. ' Lieutenant Johnston’s gun only went into action just before the order to retire was giveto, but the cool manner in which the young lieutenant directed operations under fire bespoke his soldierly qualities and ability for command. ■ He has gained the entire confidence of 'his men. The New South Wales Bushmen swung into action as on parade. There Were no killed on our side, but’the wounded numbered some eighteen or nineteen. A-shell struck so close to General Carrington that the concussion brought him to the ground. Dr De Benzie, of Christchurch, who, as has previously been slated, is now attached'to the Staff Medical Corps, was talking to his orderly when the artillery duel was at its height, and the latter was wounded. The ambulance had been ordered to-take up a position near the guns, and Dr De- Benzie can now understand that some of the tales of deliberate fifing on the ambulance arc .very • far-fetched. In the position, in. which. ho was placed the enemy could-not .direct fire on the guns without the ambulance being in jeopardy. Another New Zealander ,at the Elands River engagement was,young Trooper .Moore, ' of Dunedin, who was attached to Colonel Grey’s staff-as orderly. ~ . ; ■ THE RETIREMENT. There was fighting again on the Monday, It was reported at eleven o’clock that-the enemy had! surrounded the 7 camp at Little Marico. " This proved to be substantially correct, though the number of Boers’could not be great. The General,'however, determined to fall back, on Zeerust, and, with the bin guns- (Auckland Brigade) to clcriy the way and .-the.' one-pounders bringing up the rear, the march commenced without any stand being, ordered. ' The convoy was a lout' one, and it was . not until five next morning that the rear-guard got- to file camp, at ZceniM. It was well an all-night march was made, for if was afterwards ascertained that the enemy had .brought some heavv guns to a,position commanding the road' so, if there had been delay in reaching Zmut part of the force would probably have been cub to pieces. There were several wounded, the total casualty list for the two days reaching thirty wounded and' a couple missing. Zeerust is fortified, and .is in a o-ood natural position to hold, so, when tlift order was sounded for a retirement towards Mafeking on Wednesday, August 8, the only solution an outsider could place on the movement was that it was a ruse to draw the-enemy into more -open country. The soldiers certainly thought “ someone had blundered ” when, not only was Zeerust abandoned, bub the large accumulation of stores and ammunition was destroyed. These made a royal bonfire on the morning of leaving, the value of the goods destroyed being variously estimated at from £15,000 to £50.000. Similarly Ottoslioop was left, to the eneinv, and Mafeking was reached on August 10.