THE ENGAGEMENT AT JASFONTEIN.

Otago Witness, 25 January 1900, Page 28

THE ENGAGEMENT AT JASFONTEIN.

NEW ZEALANDERS IN A HOT CORNER. ALMOST SURROUNDED BY BOERS. A PERFECT HAILSTORM OF BULLETS, CLEVER TACTICS AND GALLANT ' CONDUCT. NEW ZEALANDERS WOUNDED. MIRACULOUS ESCAPE INTO CAMP. COMPLIMENTED BY GENERAL FRENCH. (BY OUR SECOND WAR CORRES-" POXDENT).

After the reorganisation of the forces the arrival of General French, details of which I have given elsewhere, the commanding officer had drawn up a plan of campaign for the following day (Monday, 18th December* . At 2.45 a.m. on. the dale mentioned, the while the. New Zealanders were enjoying wellearned rc&t after their arduous labouis of the previous week, when they were aroused from, their slumbers by the guard. "Up there, you men," was the order passed rapidly around from tent to tent, and the Maorilanders surprised jumped up hastily to obey the command. No questions were asked, but with soldier-like rapidity men quickly obeyed the word of command. Tunics, were donned, boots fastened, bandoliers, belts, and haversack, with day's rations and water-bottles were quickly swung, leggings and spurs fixed, horses uncovered and saddled, and in eight minutes from the first word of command the New Zealanders were in their saddles, ready for action. Each man had 150 rounds of ammunition for his Martini-Enfield — 50 in. bandolier, and 100 in pouch. Dawn was just breaking as the men drew up in position. To the right the subdued light of the rising sun shone over the dark-coloured bush-dotted height of Artillery Hill, heralding the advent of tho orb of day, whose piercing rays beat daily down upon those on the veldt, where subsequently the heat waver, radiate, scorching face? and smarting eyes, and creating a thirst that even frequent recourse to the waterbottle cannot quench. As the g-olden raya grew brighter and brighter, and the rockco.vered peaks of the hills to the east stood out more diitinetly against the lightening skybeyond, the Royal Horse Artillery rumbled slowly up, and the headquarters staff — General French and staff officers — appeared. It was then recognised that sorae important movement was contemplated. Though known only to the headquarters staff and the officers (Major Robin being- in command of thf, Nos. 1 and 2 companies of the New Zenjand Contingent, with Captains Davis and Madocks in. immediate charge of the North and South Island Companies), the destination of the force was Jasfontein, lying about south of the Boer main position, and distant from camp about eight miles. The object of the-expedi-tion was a reconnaissance in force to it&certain accurately the Boer position, and determine the strength of the enemy. As the sun rose higher and higher, and its gilded rays were cast over kopjes, bergb, and veldt, the forces moved from camp, and parsing through the nek between Artillery Hill and the range intervening, turned in an easterly direction and oroased the velt between Sannah'u Dam and the kopjes skirting our cimp. No sign of the enemy could be seen, and beyond ihe tread of the New Zealanders' horse, muffled considerably by contact with the du&t of tho karoo, and the rumble of the artillery's gun carriages, no sound could be keard. Far off the heights beyond Jasfontein, our destination, glittered and shimmered in the morning &un, now rising proudly above the ranges of hills and beigs, distant many miles. Below in the valley, between the ' Boers' stronghold and the kopjes from which the enemy had been shelled on a previous occasion — .uid in which engagement the New Zealanderp took a prominent part — the clumpc of trees hid the farm of Jasfontein from view. As we drew nearer and nearer to the guns of the Boers, the ehitter of the men ceased, faces grew .set, and a grim, determined look unconsciously spread over the faces of the New Zealandera and the Royal Horse Artillery. Close attention was paid to rifles, bandoliers were examined, and girths and saddle were tested. We halted about 3000 yards distant from the farm, orders w ere smartly gi\ en and promptly obeyed, the gnns ver unlimbcred, and bang, boom, the 12-poundcrs veve merrily pounding a^ay. Shell aftei shell w?cS poured into the vicinity of the farm, where any cov«r likely to afford hiding-places lor the Boers existed. As the men remembered the hot fire that had plaj-ed from this quarter on a previous occasion, and thought of fallen comrades, they set to work merrily, determined to wipe out old bcore°. The guns were splendidly trained, and the artillery did f,ood woik. The general) who patched the result of tbo

shelling ,with -vonsiderable interest, gave the order to cease Aving, and then the New Zeadanders knew ti "sir turn had come. The exrpectant, almost j\ eased, look on their faces showed they were CNiger for the fray, and that .with them it was a N ase of fighting to a finish M such a course mci with the approval of the .general. Remembering that the Jasfontein if arm, had been well occupied by Boers on the occasion of the previous ci. sragement, to which ■I have referred in another place, both officers and men expected a warm encounter when the farm was reached, but I Question whether any man present anticipated <.hat one of the hottest engagements of the campaign was to ensue. No. 1 Company, under Captain Davies, were first ordered to advance, and scarcely had the words of command been ■uttered when the New Zealanders, in the picturesque • uniform, and with hats stuck jauntily on one side, moved forward with alacrits"-. Nearer and nearer to the farm, and yet no sign of the enemy. But the men were now becojning familiar with t^e peculiar fighting tactics adopted by t^e Boers, and every man was on the gui vive. At last the farm was reached, and a party ordered to search the house and surroundings, while a close watch was kept on the clumps of trees and boulders on the adjoining kopjes in case of a surprise. The farm was thoroughly searched, and nothing of importance discovered. The beds had been slept in the previous night, but the occupants had probably fled to the ranges when the firing commenced. After a thorough search of the •house and gardens the party were ordered to retire, and occupy another position. Before this could be done, however, the Boers suddenly appeared, galloping over the first kopje on the right, and taking up a position almost abreast of the party. To counteract this movement, which was evidently the first of a series arranged to trap the New Zealanders: and the artillery and capture the guns, and probably also to capture the general and lieadquarters* staff if they remained close enough to the main body, 20 men were sent across to the right to intercept the; Boer party. They galloped across the karoo, and made straight for the Boers in a most plucky manner, but were stopped by a barbed wire feiice. A movement on the kopje to the right, and the appearance of a number of Boers on the right, showed that the enemy had entrenched themselves in two good fighting places, and had a decided advantage in. this lespecl. The danger of the position was at once recognised, and the men ordered to get under- cover. ' The major portion of the men managed to get close to the farm house, but the others had no time to retire when the Boers appeared on the right and left, and. at a distance -• of about 800 yards, opened fire on our men. The New Zealanders responded most pluckily, and their aim being -better than that of the enemy, many a Boer lost the number of his mess. The New Zealanders who were in the tight corner numbered about 70, and the Boers, it is estimated, were about 300 or 400 strong. The odds therefore were decidedly in favour of the enemy. For 20 minutes a hot fire was kept up, but the Boers were bad marksmen, and their shots went wide. As the New Zealanders sought cover, the Boers evidently made a supreme effort to cut them off from the main body. A perfect "hailstorm of bullets was rained upon them, and the party were envelooed in dust from the bullets striking the sun-dried karoo.. . Away to the north the big guns from the Boer camp were booming away, the shells hustling over the plain and sending up huge clouds of dust that at times almost enveloped the party on the karoo,. Still the little party fought on. seeking shelter all the time, and surrounded by a.' cloudy diist as the bullets rattled on the plain. The little party appeared to bear charmed lives, and with many a shout of encouragement fought bravely and well. „-The men were as steady as rocks, and obeyed the word of command as though on parade. In a nullah to the right of a. wire fence, the same fence that had prevented the New Zealanders from cutting off the first party of Boers that appeared on the kopje to the right. Trooper Bradford, of Paeroa. Auckland^ a member of the Ohinemtlri Rifles, was heading for the farmhouse for shelter when he was shot in the leg Somewhere between the knee and hip. Those who saw him fall say that he was riding towards the farmhouse when_ he suddenly groanetl, placed his hand on his groin, and crying " I've got one." pitched over the horse's shoulder on to the ground, striking.- his head as he fell. The blood welled from his .wound, turning the light, brown of the. karoo to a darker colour, and dying the creen leaves of the small bush on which he fell. Some of the New Zealanders attempted to get near their wounded comrade, with the intention of taking him back, but such a fusillade of bullets was rained upon them that they could not stand nrj against it. Bradford lay as though dead. He was resting 4 on bis side, with his head lying on a smsill flat stone, his knees drawn up, and the head twisted round as if lie were attempting: to look between his legs. He-was believed io be dead, and, iii fact, was reported as tin oh. Several of our men hod most miraculous scapes. Thus Trooner Mainder, Waikato Mounted Rifles, had his water bottle pierced through the neck, and was wounded on the wrist. Trooper Tubman. Canterbury Mounted "Rifles, had a bullet through his wallet and overcoat. Trooner Casev (formerly ppr^eant Auckland Mounted Rifles) liad a bullet hole drilled throuerh his rifle Elinor, and some of the others had very narrow escapes, particularly Lieutenant Lind-"' say (Canterbim ) . who was in oharee of the No. 2 division of the No. 1 Company, who appeared to be sin cried out for st>°cial attention, and around whom the bullets played snerrilv. In fact. * ne rattle of musketry was so rapid that many on officer^expresses the opinion that machine guns were in action. Trooner (farrier) Parkes. from Horetauno-a, 3iad his horse shot from under him. The animal was struck by n bullet which r>pnetrated the heart, and, with a moan, the ho~se stumbled, made an effort to recover his balance, and fell heavily on the plain. Parker was hurled several varcls away, and was nartIv stunned, but Sergeant Mahood (Wpikato jNTounted Rifles) seeing that his comrade was in a dangerous position, as the Bof>r.s were raininsr bullets everywhere, and the shells from the enemy's camp were whistling ncros3 the plain rode bock. Trooper Tlubbard. of Pneroa (Obineimm Rifles) plso noticed Parkes'?. pliant, and. despite the bail of bullets, rode back and slood by him until he had reroveied his senses, and accompanied him io wherp Servant Mahood wos waiting. Parke-- mounted behind Mahood, and the two Np'.v Zeniard°rs returned to camp in this manner amidst tlie'chfors of those" who witnessed tlif> incident. FJpveral horses were wounded, but none seriously, and none of ' the riders were dislodgpd. The small party managed to s?et rleor from the Iconic' and the fire, which camp from tight, left, and centre. and secured shelter

on the farm, when the Boer 3 commenced shelling operations, and pitched shell after shell dangerously near the spot where the little band of Ne\v Zealandcrs were clustered. The General ordered Major Robin to retire the wholo force, and this was done in splendid style. The companies of the New Zealanders became united, the retirement from the farm being made in an interval between volleys from the enemy. The mounted infantry then joined the artillery, which had been firing aWthe Boer camp, but although the Boers' "Long Tom" could reach us, though it was just within their range — about three miles — our 12-pounders were short, and did not do much damage to the enemy's stronghold. A return march was made across the voldt, and the party returned to camp about midday, after one of the hottest and hardest engagements of the campaign. The recon- | naissance was distinctly successful, the enemy's exact position and strength being determined, as from where the forces were congregated a good view of the laager was obtained. The prominent part taken by the '< New Zealanders and the success that attended j their operations drew forth unstinted praise | from the General and members of the head- | quarters staff and officers of the Royal Horse I Artillery. The scouting was excellent, the j shooting well-timed and effective, and the general behaviour and discipline of our men a credit to themselves and to the colony from which they came. Upon return "to camp the Ambulance Corps were informed of Trooper Bradford's death, and oh the urgent request of five comrades permission was granted to Corporal Bodle j (Auckland), Troopers E. G. R. Smith (Cambridge), H. C. Montgomerie (Onehunga,), B. R. Avery (Ohinemuri). and J. W. Tetley (Ohinemuri). to proceed with the ambulance and bring back the body for burial. The plain was negotiated without difficulty and the spot where poor Bradford fell reached, but upon arrival it was found that the body had been removed. A large pool of blood i showed where he had fallen. Inquiries were then instituted, and a Dutch farmer, a loyalist, informed the New Zealanders that their comrade was not dead, and that he had regained consciousness when appi'oached by the ambulance waggon from the Boer camp, and had given the Boers his name. The farmer also stated that the rooinek (red neck), by which name Englishmen are known in the Dutch settlements, had been shot in the thigh, and that he had ascertained that the j other prisoners held by the Boers were recovering. The ambulance party then returned to camp, and reported to headquarters accordingly. Trooper Mainder was in the centre of the j heavy fire when his water bottle was per- I forated at the neck by a bullet which wounded him slightly on the wrist. Mainder, who comes from the Kihi district, Auckland, told me that he scarcely lemembers being hit, and his sole thought at the time of the engagement was whether the boys would get through, or if they were hemmed in on four sides instead of three, as, fortunately, proved to be the case, , how many New Zealanders would come out alive. ! Trooper Tubman, of the Canterbury j Mounted Rifles, who bad a most miraculous | escape, said that he did not feel any excite- i ment when the Boers surrounded our men. j He knew that they were in a tight corner, i and that it was New Zeaianders or Boers for ! it. Lieutenant Lindsay's horse was shot in the stifle, but managed to get home all safe. ho lieutenant led the small party in a splendid manner, and was deservedly complimented by his superior officer. A plucky act was performed by Sergeant , Trumpeter Fox. of the Canterbury Yeo- ; manry. While the small party were under ' heavy fire and the wire fence (mentioned before) was harassing their movements, the ser- I geant rode forward, under a perfect hailstorm of bullets and went up to the fence. He failed to bring it down, and, returning to Major Robin, asked for wire clipper?. These were, supplied, and the brave sergeant rode forward again, and with teeth clenched went through the fire unscathed and cut the wires. It was a gallant deed, and well deserves special mention. j Tr6*oper Tubman also did a plucky thing. He was instructed by Major Robin to warn one of the companies that the Boers were surrounding them. Pulling- his hat over his eyes Tubman sallied forth under heavy fire, | and, having accomplished his mission, shook his fist at the Boers and rode back to where the headquarters staff were stationed. Trooper G. Powell (Alexandra Mounted Rifles, Wanganui) is credited with firing the ■first two shots among the New Zealanders, and both shots told, two Boers. dropping to mother earth. THE OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. Following is the official account of the engagement which, by the kind permission of headquarters staff, I have been enabled to obtain: — On the 18th December, with eight guns of the Royal Horse Artillery, the two companies ,New Zealand contingent started to move on a reconnaissance .found the left of the Boers on Taaisbooch'. The general j officer commanding (General French) and his scaft accompanied the reconnaissance. At about 6 a.m. the guns opened fire on Jasfontein farm, where a sergeant had been killed and a trooper wounded and left by the 6th Dragoons. During the shelling it was necessary to dispose of No. 2 Company to protect the rear and right of artillery by occupying a line of kopjes in that direction. Part of No. 1 Company had to be pushed on to a big, kopje on the extreme right of the farm. After shelling, the farm was occupied by enveloping it by about 70 men. No. 1 Company. The artillery, then being under shell Siro of the enemy, drew back. General French and staff then name up to the farm to view the Boer laager and camp, which could be plainly seen on the high hill of Taaisbooch, in the distance, four or five thousand yards away. While in this position numbers of the enemy were seen moving rapidly from kopje to kopje to envelope our position. Shortly after a heavy fire was opened on our men. and the men held well to their position ; but as more of the enemy kept coming up and enveloping the force, the General, having satisfied himself, ordered the New Zealanders to retire on the guns. This was no easy lask, but, thanks to the steadiness of Hie men, we H°t the division from the far kopje re- ; tired on to the farm. Lieutenant Lindsay (Canterbury) was in charge, and behaved well. Major Robin posted o prnall pa r ty to open a covering, fire to assist tlnir retreat. This did s-ome damage to the Boer-!. By this time the five from the enemy was a. perfect i hail, a'ld they fired several '.hells, which, for- ! tunitelv. did not bur->t into the fprm. At j this time, v-hil" these parties were coming in. i a hor-e in a fjroup, held by one of the No. 3 divipion. was s"!iot drad. Trooper 44 (G. R. | Bi ad ford) was reported killed in a nullah close to a wir« fpnee. vhich h»d hamp°red Us very much. The men were collected under the best cover available, and from there we ; attempted to occupy another kopje, but while doing so the scouts reported more

Boers on that flank rapidly approaching. The General ordered Major Robin to retire the whole. This was done in an open interval, and at a steady pace. We moved 1 to flank so as not to smash our guns, which opened fire to cover us. Trooper 4-2 (Main-, der) was phghtly wounded on the wrist ; and ! four horses slightly wounded. It was siirpiy I marvellous that at least 10 or 12 were not J killed. ! On re-forming the artillery, the reconnais- | sance was ordered back to camp. On the Ked Cross going back to recover the body of Trooper Bradford it was ascertained that he had been badly wounded, and had been removed to the Boer hospital, and information v. as also received that the 6th Dragoon believed to be killed was also there, and reI covering. The staff remarked that the affair j was evidently a trap, and that it was only the excellent scouting of the New Zealanders that enabled us to withdraw in safety, and still allow them to gain the information they did. On return to camp General French directed Ma}or Robin to inform the men how entirely satisfied ho was, and that, as he had personal opportunity of seeing them under lire, he had every confidence in the contingent. ! Re the affah' at Jasfontein. three Boer I ambulance? were seen to come down from their position to the farm, so that they must have suffered considerably. The enemy's position h?s now been well determined. 1 COMPLIMENTED BY GENERAL I FRENCH. The complimentary regimental order issued by General French, commanding, was as under: — "General French, commanding, desires it to be conveyed to all ranks of the New Zealand contingent his satisfaction at the excellent work done by them since coming under his command. He also particularly desires to express his pleasure at the steadiness displayed by the men when under fire, especially as he has had personal opportunities of wit- i nessing their conduct." j THE MAILS.— AN EXPLANATION. j Word has just come from the military post office to the effect that owing to the intervention of the Chiistmas holidays the mails for New Zealand close at 1 p.m. to-day (Sat- . urday). This comes as a great disappointment, for many of the members of the contingent had put off letter writing until Christmas Day. To prevent disappointment to ( friends and relatives expecting letters, I note { this __ explanation at the request of several . memTbers of the contingent, who, being on special duty, cannot write in time for this mail. GENERAL. Yesterday I interviewed a gentleman who arrived from Johannesburg the other day. j He left as late as December 2, and states that • the Boers are working several mines — the I Robinson, Terrana, Worcester, Salisbury, and ' another, the identity of which he was not ! certain. • The output is £100,000 per month, and the mint is going night and day. Mine { managers have been appointed, and a superintending engineer conducts the operations j of the whole quintet of mines. The total ! amount of bullion won is placed into the ! National Bank at Johannesburg, and against this vouchers for expenses are presented as charged against each mine. The profits now being made are very large, added my infor- i mant, as the best mines have been choeen, I and the best stone is being picked out. The ' majority of the other mines are flooded. I Since the engagement of the 18th ~very j little activity has been shown, and we are now ! resting prior to an advance in the direction of Colesberg. Patrol parties are out now and then, and the New Zealanders draw as near as possible to the scene of the engagement, where Ihey are doubtless anxious to square accounts with the Boers. The New South Wales Lancers also do similar work, and have been engaged in foraging expeditions, at which they appear to be proficient. Sergeant-major Rogers, who carries out the general orders issued by the Major, has done splendid work, and has been complimented by officers. Trooper M'Auley. of the Permanent Force, and well-known in Auckland and Wellington,' is chief regimental cook, and he and his subordinates perform their work in good style. We expect to make a forward movement in a ; couple of days. The officers and men have requested me to conclude by conveying to relatives and friends in New Zealand their best wishes for a Merry Ohristmas and a Happy New Year.