NOTES ON THE WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2391, 28 December 1899, Page 26

NOTES ON THE WAR.

December 19.

Important changes are announced by cable. Field-marshal Lord Roberts has been appointed commandsr-in-chief or Her Majesty's forces in South Africa in succession to Lieutenant-general Sir Redvers Buller, who has been appointed to the command of tho troops in Natal for the itjief of Ladysmith. Sir Charles Wan-en is to supersede Lord Methuen in command of the first division operating for the relief of 'Kimbei'ley, and Major-general Charles O.'ucker, C.8., has been appointed to succeed General Gatacre in command of the eastern division in Cape Colony.

With, these changes comes the announcement lhat the War Office has dacided to send 50,000 additional troops immediately to South Africa, and to at once provide 'additional cavalry and artillery to meet the requirements of the situation. The Defence Committee of the Cabinet has decided to accept the services of 12 battalions of militia lor st-r-\*ice abroad. They ihave ordered General flßuller to raise local mounted forces in '.Natal, and have decided to raise a cons:derable body of yeomanry volunteers for active Service. In addition to this it has been 'decided to embody sufficient militia forces for home service. The committee have also decided to accept the services of colonial *roop> if offered, preference being given to • amounted troqps. I would ask my readr-rs ';to bear in "mind that each and everyone of tthem possess an influence that will be taken into consideration by the Government of this colony when the question as to what £New Zealand shall do is discussed. From tone end of the colony to the other strong support will be given to the Government in jiny measure they may adopt to provide an 'adequate force to represent this colony to bear our portion of the burden of the defence of Imperial interescs. In connection with New Zealand and her share in the struggle now going on in South Africa, I am proud to report another brush with the enemy, in which Australians and New Zealanders have taken a part. A cable from Capetown states that 2000 Boera occupied a range of hills parallel to AruDdfcl. During the night the Australians and New Zealanders discovered the Boers, who were posted in a pass to the number of about 1200. A sharp fight euBued, and the enemy were forced to retire. The British loss is reported to be slight, while tha enemy is reported to have lost rery heavily. While reconnoitring on Friday, from his camp north of the Modder River, Lord Methuen fire with his artillery on the enemy, and succeeded in dismounting one of their large guns, and ii. silencing two smaller ones. He then shelled their trenches, and retired without suffering any lo«s.

Further details concerning the battle of Magersfontein state that the whole ot the Scandinavian commando, consisting of 85 men, were either killed or wounded during the engagement except seven, who were made prisoners. Additional reports .by the- Boers state that their losses were terrible. On the night of the 13th they were still collecting their wounded, so that their losses must aave been very heavy and have been inflicted over a considerable extent of their front, as our troops retired on the 12th. During the retirement of Methuen's division on Tuesday, the 12tb, the enemy poured a steady and terrific fire upon our troops, .who behaved with perfect calmness throughout. A hundred instances of British gallantry are reported to have been displayed, each worthy of the highest military honour that can be conferred — the Victoria Cross.

On the Natal side news to hand states that General Buller is holding the enemy at the- Tugela River fully engaged watching his movements, "while- General Clery is moving around their left flank, and intends to cross the Tugela to the north of Weenen, with the intention of turning the enemy's left and gaining his rear. Should General Clery succeed in flanking fere Boer position tne relief of Ladysmith is assured. I trust that the column under his command is of. sufficient strength to effect this purpose. The arrival of two battalions of infantry {s reported. These are a portion of General sir Charles Warren's command, the fifth division of the army corps. To give assurance that the determination of the War Office to hasten matters is being earned into effect it is cabled that 6000 men left Southampton on Saturday, the 16th inst., and, as the vessels now employed for transports are up-to-date passenger ships, these troops ought to reach Capetown by January 2 afc latest. It is very probable that* tho balance of the sixth division— about 6500 men— will have been despatched before this time, and now that Lord Roberts is in command the days of "take it easy" are past and gone until our trpojps are in Pretoria^

[ I am sorry to notice that the various j | Australian Governments do not grasp the j situation in such a spirit as might be ex- j pected. I regret this, as the eyes of tha , world are upon the colonies at this mo- ' ment, and European Governments will be ' sure to gauge their opinions as to the value | of the colonies to Great Britain as a source ' of military strength or weakness by the ' result of their reply to the request of the ! Motherland for assistance. In any future , trouble that may arise these Governments j will laugh at the threat of having to face ! a united Empire and its resources of men and means if the response on the present occasion is inadequate. It is very gratifying to note that private citizens and limited liability companies are more pub-lic-spirit-ad than the Australian politician, ' and I tru«t that Mr Ghirr.side, of Mcli bourne, and every member of the board of 1 the North Queensland Meat Company wiil i receive the thanks of her Britannic Majesty's Ministers, and that the example they set will be appreciated by the public. It is such offers as these that show to the world that our Empire is one, and that, although the offers of our colonial politicians are so puny, the fact that private loyal subjects are prepared to make such offers of cash and goods to assist the Imperial cause gives us hope that Loyalty does exist in the hearts of Australians. I feel confident that the Government of New Zealand will show the world that there is at least one of the colonies under the Southern Cross that knows its duty to our | Queen at this time, and I expect to hear that Mr Seddon's Government has risen to the occasion, and determined to reinforce our contingent in such numbers that it will be worth while to send them. It is reported that a Boer force is moving from Jacobsdal, in the Orange Free State, in a westerly direction, in an endeavour to gain the rear of General' Lord Methuen's position, and that troops have been despatched to intercept this movement of the enemy. As there can be only one reason why the Boers should move south and west, it is evident Gronje intends to try and cut thi, lines of rail and telegraph in rear of Lord Methuen's camp, and then try and hem our troops up on the north bank of th: J Modder in a position where Methuen will be unable to move m either direction. As it is reported that ths railway has been destroyed two miles noith of the Modder River station it is plain that the Boers have pressed up well inside of the fire zone of till.- British camp, as the range of our guns is fully 6000 yards. Consequently lam of opinion that Lord Methuen's retreat to his

present camp was followod by the enemy in such force that they were able to drive our troops back and wreck the railway before they withdrew. In view of the fact that previous cables report tint while our troops wore retreating the lire of tl»3 enemy was terrific, it is almost certain lhat they were driven back steadily hr superior forces of the enemy, and that our men were outnumbered by at least two to one. There is no evidence to hand to justify us. in stating that Loid Methuen was outgen eralled, but it is easy to determine that lils division was altogether too small to carry the enemy's position. I am still of opinion, however, that had General Methuen tried to draw the enemy to tha west instead of attacking his centre, the chances of defeating Cronje would thus iiaxe been very materially increased. We arc not in a position to judge all the circumstances that helped to bring about the engagements, so I will hold back further comments until I have more information regarding the events leading up to the disaster that overtook our arms on the 18th, and which made the retreat of Tuesday a necessity. With pleasure I note that the Government of the United States has despatched a high official to the Transvaal to insist on the rights of his Government to protect British interests during the war. - December 20. Cables dated London, Hie 19th, state that Feild-Marshal Lord Roberts and General Kelly-Kenny leave Southampton by the Dunottar Castle on Saturday next. The Dunottar Castle is one of the fatt mail boats of the Castle line of Royal mail steamers, and will probably make the passage on this trip in 14 days, or less. The same cable states that Lord Kitchener will reach Cairo on Friday on his way from the Soudan to take up the duties of his new position as chief of Lord Roberts'* staff. From London also comes the good news that on every hand London and provincial volunteers are enthusiastically responding to the call of the War Office, and that in a number of instances a'most complete regiments have volunteered for service, until the offers exceed the requirements. It is gratifying to note that the Yeomanry Cavalry are also responding to t^e call to arms, a special corps of this valuable auxiliary force being organised by Lord Chesham. He intends to command the force personally. Sir Howard Vincent has otfered to raise a battalion of 1000 skilled | marksmen. While recording the grand | spirit displayed by the voluuteers, yeomanry, and militia at- Home, I am glad to be able to record that the second Canadian contingent has been accepted, and . that we shall soon be able to note their departure for the seat of war. I trust that the action of Canada in being f-o prompt in providing such a strong force will have the effect of rousing Australian Cabinets and teaching them the duty they owe to the Empire. Fuller details of the fighting on the 15th at Colenso are to hand. Cables, dated Durban, 19fch, state that at Groblei-'s Kloof the Boers are said to occupy an impregnable position. Their guns arc able to ( sweep the plains in front of Colenso. so that that town is well within their fire zone. It is reported that the. enemy .suffc;ed very seveiely during the engagement, and, although our losses are pretty heavy, still I !<ee no reason for stating that the repulse could be considered a very serious affair. We shall probably hoar that General Clery h:is turned the enemy's left flank, and hits drawn off the greater portion of the enemy's foico.s tv keep him from ! attempting to gain their ie;ti\ Should they 1 <*- so they will be compelled to weaken

their forces in front of Buller's advance, and we may be prepared to hear that a second crossing of the Tugela will be attempted and that Ladysmith has been relieved, as I do not consider the recent repulse' of so serious a, nature that it will in any way affect Buller's future action, although it may possibly delay the forward movement of his troops until General Clery has secured a strong position on the north side of the Tugela, threatening the enemy's flank. Meanwhile we may expect to hear that General White is not idle, and that he will be prepared to attack the enemy in the rear as soon as Buller and Clery unite in an attack on his front and flank. I consider the position to be full of hope, and, with respect to Ladysmith, there is no need whatever for alarm.

News from the Modder River, under date Capetown, the 19th, reports the left flank of the Boer forces to be resting on the Modder River to the east of the position occupied by General Methtien's troops, but it does not say which branch of the Modder River covers the ; v Hank. The river forks just about ilia Ovnge Free State border, about 10 miles east of the railway, and it is very probable that both branches of the s.tream are covered by the enemy's horsemen, and that General Cronje will attempt to reoccupy his former position a-t Grass Pan, and may possibly take up the position he first occupied near Belmonfc, where he met his first de'eat. It is evident that he intends to obtain possession of the railway to the south of General Methuen's camp, oi" force a general engagement before the arrival of Sir Charles Warren with reinforcements. From the position to the east of Methuen's camp the enemy are constructing a continual line of entrenchments, extending from their left to the westward, connecting their- position at Magersfontein by long lines of defence, their purpose being to continue a complete circle of investments, and to confine the British force north of the river, but in such a positionthat no connection with the garrison at Kimberlev can be effected. From Magersfontein their line of rifle pits circles' to the south and west until their right flank touches the river. Their position consequently may be described as that of a half-moon, their right flank resting on the river at the west. The arch or centre of their lines, being the key of their position, is at Shollz Kop and Magersfontein, while the left is to the eastward, covering the forks of the Moddev. In order to cover this extensive front Cronje must; have a very large force under his command, and his evident intention to extend tjie investment by circling to the south and west clearly proves lhat he considers his force capable of meeting any attack at any point of his lines with safety. The great advantage possessed by the Boers in being able to move their force po as to concentrate quickly on a given point enables their generals to carry out this line of tactics with a much smaller force than our generals could do if they attempted such operations. However scattered the Boer force may be at the commencement of an attack by our force in any given direction, within a couple of hours the Boers could ma= . the greater portion of their army at that point without difficulty, as a march of 20 or 30 miles can be accomplished by them in three or four hours if necessary, while the same march would take at least two days by our troops. I expect to hear that Lord Methuen's division has bsen completely hemmed in by the enemy severing his communications with De Aar, and that the first work General Warren will have- to accomplish will be the concentration, of a sufficiently strong force to give battle to the enemy north of the Orange River, repair the lines of communication, and relieve General Methuen. The arrival of reinforcements at Capetown in large numbers may be looked for shortly, and if General Methuen has sufficient ammunition to last him for the next two weeks, to act on the defensive there is little cause for alarm, as by then Sir Charles Warren will have had time to collect a force equal to the task of defeating Cronje's army.

There is little to report from the eastern and northern districts of Gape Colony, with the exception that General Gataere has forbidden farmers to leave their homes or to move from one place to another without passes. The result of this order will be to compel farmers to remain at home, ard if found di°obevinnr the order it will be considered proof that they are assisting the enemy, and give the military police tlie right to arrest them and send them to tlie rear for safe keeping. This is a measure that, in my opinion, ought to have been adopted <it the first. It is reported that during the retreat of General Gatacre's division from Sformberg the guides who led the force on the occasion of their disastrous march, on the enemy's position were mysteriously shot. The probabilit : es point to the fact that the guides were .suspected of being in league with the enemy, and that our men found a convenient opportunity of for ever ridding the earth of the traitors. A few lessons of this description will have a beneficial effect.

The announcement- is made from Loudon, dated December 19, that another brigade of troops is being sent from India to Natal, and that accompanying this brigade are some batteries of the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery. The arrival of these reinforcements of reasoned troops will be worth a groat deal more than the arrival of the same number of troops dii'pct from England, as the regiments serving in India are the flo'.ver of our arm}% and this is particularly the cans in legard k> our Royal Horse Artillery, batteries. It is a great pity that these "troops were not despatched from Bombay two months: ago. Their presence! in Natal wou'd have ioai.erM.lly changed the condition of aff<iir« and would prob.iblv have prevented the dibabter at Nicholson's Nek. December 21.

i'urtlicr pai'ticulars of the .fighting around Colen&o on the 15th inst. are to hand. '1 lie Boer artillery vie reported to Live had 10 guns in ;u rion, which they t-rved splendidly. The position <if the<-e L'i:n-> was excellently mp^kcrl, ami it wns difficult ior our gunners to pick ug tlie

correct range when replying. Colonel Long, however, gallantly brought his 12 guns into action within 600 yards of the Boer position, but, owing to the havoc caused by the terrible fire from the Boer trenches, he lost nearly all the horses, and found his position untenable, and, being unable to remove to another position, if became necessary to abandon the guns, as the attempt to fight them longer would have been merely throwing away the lives of his gunners. When the enemy beat back our infantry the guns were abandoned, as there was no other course possible-.

General Buller reports that the troops displayed great energy and courage throughout the engagement. Major-general Hart, with his Irish Brigade, made a second determined attempt to carry the enemy's trenches, but found them in too strong force to make success by a front- attack possible. He, however, compelled the Boers to show their full strength, and the positions they had fortified profaqting their entire front. He found the hills protected by different tiers of entrenchments, and at many points Nordenfeldt machine guns were observable on the enemy's lines, materially - adding to the strength of their position and greatly lessening the chances of British success by a direct assault. Notwithstanding the repulse on the 15 tit our troops are eager for a renewal of the attack.

No word regarding the movements of Major-general Clery has bean received lately, consequently we may cxpecb tbat that gallant officer is detached upon some important mission, and we daily expect to hear that he has turned the enemy's flank, and formed a junction with Lieutenantgeneral White's force 3. The public will have to remain in ignorance of the nature of the manoeuvres now being conducted by the force under General Clery, until he has reached a position that will enable him to strike- the enemy. To inform the public at this stage of the movement might be the maans of conaaiunicating information to the enemy that it is desirable to keep dirk until secrecy is no longer necessarr.

Cables from London report that 7000 volunteers are leaving Home for South African service, and are c&mj>.->se:l of one company from e^ch of 70 different regiments. This shov. s how the spirit of Imperialism ha? permeated the ranks for our volunteer forces to copy. Those 7000 volunteers arc to be attached to the regular infantry regiments belonging to their districts that arc serving in South Africa.

I am unable to inform my readers regarding tha conclusions of the Government in regard to the_ number of men which will compose the second New Zealand contingent to be ' sent to South Africa. lam satisfied that the public, without regard to politics or any other considerations, would hail with delight a proposition to send a force of not less than one thousand men.

Very severe criticism is indulged in bj many writers in the newspapers recording the action of Colonel Long on the 15th in^t. during the engagement on the Tugehi. These critics are for the time being itn&blc to judge correctly as to the merits of the action referred to, as we have very little news regarding it. But the little we have does not justify any hostile criticism of that gallant officer's conduct on that occasion. He received orders to support the infantry in an attempt to force a passage across the drifts of the Tugela Eiver. and, in carrying out his instructions, he found it necessary to obtaiu a position close to the enemy's lines. As his guns .were inferior in. weight of metal and range to thoss of the enemy it was necessary to engage- the Boer guns at close quarters if he hoped to silence their fire. But while' moving forward to cbtain . a favourable position - the riflemen, ci the enemy opened a severe' fire on his batteries, aiming at the horses, so as to prevent Colonel Loner from reaching the position he intended to take up.' With tho loss of his horses two courses alone were open -to Colonel Long. He had either to abandon his guns or fight them in an exposed position, and, to the everlasting credit of himself and tbe Royal Arfcrlkrv. he and his gunner* stood to their guns and ftnight them aa British artUlery have ever done before. In criticisms of the acts of officers- under such conditions two things ax-e necessary — first, a thorough knowledge of the topography of tho country ; and. secondly, an equally thorou-rh knowledge oj: the enemy's position, strength, and the - location of his guns and their range. Perhaps the critics will pardon me if I state that not one of them knows anything about any of these imuort.iut details, and some of them are quite as ignorant of military manoeuvres as they are of th£ conditions existing which led to the heroic action of Colonel Long and his men. It must be borne in mind that General Bulfer had ordered his troops to attempt to t?ke the position occupied by the enemy, and in order to accomplish tliat object it w;w necessary for the artillery to cover the infantry from the enemy's riflemen as they crossed the drift, as in crossing the stream the troops would be more or less massed, and consequently the enemy would concentrate their fire on. the drift at range which they knew to a yard. But to effectually cover the infantry and to reach the position of the Boer guns with his short-range weapons, Colonel Long found he would have to move forward and risJc the chances of reaching a position where he could do all that was possible to demoralise the ertfemy by shelling them at short range. Unfortunately the cnemv were too numerous and too well po-ted, and our infantry were driven back, and Colonel L-jng with mo-t of his men were hors de combat before his guns "were abandoned. We all remember the act of Lord Charles Beresford, of Condor fame, when he ran his little vessel under fehe Egyptian batteries and made himself for ever famous and the naval hero of the period, although a single shot from the Egyptian batteries would havo sunk his vessel. I a.«k tho public to say whether tho act of Colonel Long in moving to obtain a position where he cjuld do his duty and yive the infantry a fair chance of

being able to carry the enemy's works wa» blameworthy or otherwise. Has the British public, either at Home or in the colonies, ceased to admire the pluck that was shown by Charlie Long (as he "used to be known), or has a slight reverse so blurred the public gaze that $he people can no longer see the heroism that was displayed 1 by Colonel Long and his f gallant artillery? I believe the British, nation will do justice to Colonel Long, and that the country will do its duty by recognising the act of the brave soldier of 1899 as it did that of ths brave sailor m 1882. Let the. critics say what they will, they cannot say Long -was a coward. Later. Cables, dated Durban, on the 20th, state that the Boer guns were of longer range than the British "ordnance during the battle o.i the Tugela and elsewhere. x It is satisfactory to be able to report that the 10 guns abandoned by our forces on the 15th inst. remain in the position they then occupied, and so far the Boers have not dared to attempt to cross the river lo capture them. It is xeasonable to suppose that they are within range of the remaining guns of Buller's army, and that the Boers consider tho cost of an attempt to remove the guns to be too great, and * consequently will not risk any' -portion" of ! their forces in an attempt to move them. Weighing this ( despatch with those prereceived, r6porfcing the engagement, I sec no reason whatever for casting the slightest reflection, on the acts of Colonel Long, as the sole reason why the guns had to ba placed in a dangerous position was on account of the inferior range of his batteries. In fact, I consider his act was that of a brave soldier, who deserves well of his country instead of condemnation. It was his kind of pluck that has made England she is, and. cavil as critics may, I believe that those high in authority will recognise his bravery. I expect shortly to hear that Generals Clery. Buller, and White have attacked thu enemy from three different directions. I do not expect for a moment that the enemy will be able to withstand a combined attack from the divisions operating on the front and flank, nor do I expect this attack to be delaj-ed until the arrival of the