ENGAGEMENT AT REITFONTEIN.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3883, 28 October 1899, Page 7

ENGAGEMENT AT REITFONTEIN.

HEAVY BRITISH LOSSES.' • . , RETREAT ,GF ’'THE ENEMY. • (Received October'27, 10.30 p.m.) - ■ ■ DURBAN, Friday. • Further information has been received concerning the engagement at '’Reitfoutein, near Colesberg, a town in Cape Colony near the southern border of the Orange-Free State.: It appears'that a'force of six thousand Boers and Free State .burghers occupied a ridge commanding the main road. A general encounter ■ took place, and after the. British ’artillery had silenced the enemy’sguns, an advance was made by the Ist' Battalion (28th, ,Fo,ot) of ' the ! Gloucestershirei‘ 'Regiment and the’DeVdn Regiment (11th Foot). , ThcSe troops encountered a withering fire When' storming^the'Tintayoni I .'Hill; the ciisualtios of -the Gloucesters numbering sixty-four. - Trie' Natal/Carabineer's, the Ist' Battalion of the Liverpool Regiment'and a troop, of the .Imperial Light Horse as-, sailed the Boers-from the rear. The sharpshooters on the hill covered them. .A splendid rifle duel was maintailed between both, sides. _Tho, colonial: marksmen eclipsed thp Boers-, shooting brilliantly, Finally, ,a, Bntish-colonial. charge forced ; the enemy to-retreat to ’their main- position 1 at Matawanskop, ■ which was shelled until abandoned'. s ' ' ' A'detrichinepk'pf Lancers (were-, afterwards Sent’,in pursuit, apd' killed many ofthefoe. , '• [The first cable message; published yesterday, with reference to the battle of Reitfontein, announced .that it was a serious affair. In it Lioptenant-Colonel E.-.-P,- Wilford, of the Gloucestershire Regiment, one of the officers recently transferred from India, was killed, and six other officers were wounded. ■. It was at;.fifst'stated , that the British loss was fourteen killed arid 95 - wounded, but it would now appear that the casualties were much greater, ris sixty-four of the Gloucesters alone have fallen. The position at Colesberg has .been recognised for some time to have been one of great danger.]