VOLUNTEERS ENCAMPMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10956, 10 November 1897, Page 2

VOLUNTEERS ENCAMPMENT.

SHAIH FIGHT AT THE PENINSULA.

The battery's and the:rifles' eucimptnent3 •ere terminated! yesterday, by a sham fight on le • Peninsula heights.;. Although an ex-.-pUonally heavy gale-blew throughout the ight and., the weather was anything bat cornising, the morning broke fine, ftna tte meteorological conditions proved most proitions for the .day's operations. vColonel Vebb »n&' Captain R'bia acted ia the position f umpires, and Were on the field at daybreak, living remained in the battery's cimptbrough,ut (lie night, and before proceedings comnenced they were joined by Surgeon-captain rVillr ■' . . . , The "general idea?' of the operation may be Ascribed as follows:—At an early hour the } Bitfcery,'undsr Captain Chslmer, was renforced by the Engineers, acting a,k rifles. At 0 o'clock precisely the attacking force, camnanded by CapUwi Smith, moved off from ?orbury Park. Tha City' Guards', under Lieneuant Crawford, formed the left attack, proceedng io section columns at considerable intervals ;o the Anderson's Bay railway crossing, where ;hey were' temporarily hnlted. The remainder jf Captain Smith's battalion, consisting of the Highland Rifles, North Duuedin Rtf s, and High School Cadets, proceeded cautiously,' keeping well "under,-cover, .past Tahuna Park &nd through tHe; SsudhiHa to attack the enemy's left. Captain' Chalmsr had posted two guns, under Lieutenant Morris, with a small escort, at the extreme point of Grant's Braes, overlooking VauxhVil, and thew soon came into action, as' Lieutenant Crawford's column threatened their; right from the lower road. The other half - bastery, under Lieutenant Baron, was placed on a crossroad close to the Upp?c' Piniusula, road, aud.wM waiting foe crd*H, protected by a strong escort, when f,ho attacking party came up the slope of Shiel 7.Hi11, \aad was immediately engaged" with, the escort, who held its ground well,"bat wns too close tb the guns to bs of any service. ■■ Lieutenarift-Barbh, hiviiifc; received no order?, acted on his own responsibility and retired hi? sons,-but too late to take up a good position. Ho came into action on a blind road, and fired a few rounds, bat as the attacking force pressed onahd'btfsVp-iwered the escort the guris 'were helpless and they and ths escort were pat out of action by order of the umpires ; 20 men of the attacking patty were aUo deeraid casnnlties and put out of action. The att*ckiuj. force next proceeded on. and gained possession oi the sumraih of Shiel: Hill, commmdiog the whole Grant's Braes, and consequently when the two guns under' Lieutenant Morris were retired the fight was. over, the attacking force beiag'm'po>«e«aiorfbf all tnehigh ground. It should be added that cyclists were freely used by both .sidei to reconnoitre aod obtain information of esoh'othor's positions and probable niovoraerit3. ■ On the "cense firiDg" and "fssembly sounding the ■ force" was coUectad, on Graut's Braes - Colonel Webb addressed a few words to the offkers'und explained that the guns had b»eu lost in consequence of the attacking force hnving acquired high ground. Had Linuttnivnt B*ron's guvs :taken up a poutiou on the summit of Shial.Hill, with an escart 500 yds down the slope, and the guns on the right under Lieutenant-Morris'Been -.-retired to the same, position, it would have, been extremely difficult for the attacking force to hive taken them, or, at any rats, they would have done so at a con-

side rable loss of life. Otr-the wholfe the day was a most enjoyable and instructive one, and the operations will likely be repeated at some future period. The. proceedings were watched with interest by a fairly large number of spectators. After resting for* about an hour at tio J3 Bittorj's camp Uie-ritta c6rpa marchsd. to the Forbury Park where they did amp'e j.ntice to a meal which tbev Were pieced to find; was awaiting them. Both camps broke up during the afternoon, aisd the meu. marched to, the Garrison Hall and wore dismissed. , . ■ ' . . ■