THE NATAL FRONTIER. DURBAN, February 8

Otago Witness, Issue 2398, 15 February 1900, Page 23

THE NATAL FRONTIER. DURBAN, February 8

General Buller evidently made a feint of crossing the Tugela River at two places. The Boers, imagining he actu illy intended to cross at both places, claim a victory. ! At the Nolen Drift, where the actual crossing took place, the cannonading is described as the fiercest of the war. General Buller, before staiting, obtained , from Durban 100 additional stretcherbearers, j February 9. ' A British gun, overturned -when the artillery were ictiirning from General Wynne's feint to cross the Tugela River on Monday, | was righted under an enfilading fire. The Boers expected that Genera] Buller would have crossed the Tugela at Skiets Drift, and under this belief they massed j thousands of their men on Doom Kloof, stationing only a few hundred on Vaal Krantz. [Doom Kloof must not be confounded with Doom Kop, on the south side of the Ttigela River.] The heavy Boer fire from Spion Kop on Monday imperilled the safety of the 78th Battery, but the coolness of Captain ' Dv Platt Taylor, who was wounded, enabled a safe withdrawal to be made. The Boers assert that they compelled an armoured train with 2000 troops, which was threatening their right on Tuesday, to return to Chieveley. February 11. j The Boers were found in great strength, ; at Brakfontein especially. ! Masked guns kept up an incessant fire, : and rendered Vaal Krantz untenable by the British. Several shells from "Long Tom"' fell i amongst the transports, while others reached Swartz Kop. | Nordenfeldts assailed the British entrenched infantry, while severe damage was done by a cross fire of Cieusot and a 100-pounder at Doom Kloof. The retirement of the British commenced on Wednesday night without special incident. The casualties were mostly slight wounds. The Boers report heavy firing in the direction of Ladysmith. The garrison were attempting a sortie towards the Free State laager. February 12. A shell from the hundred pounder struck a rock on which Prince Christian Victor was sitting. The concussion knocked him down. CAPETOWN, February 9. The Boers at Vaalkrants employed armed natives in the fighting line. LONDON, February 8. The War Office is informed that General Buller crossed the Tujjela River on Mon-

day, and is now advancing towards Ladysmith. Renter's correspondent at -Spearman's Camp says that the sailors with the naval gun opened fire at 7 o'clock on Monday morning, three battalions of infantry and i fix batteries making a feint attack from ' four position* towards Brakfontein, a little to the west of Grobler's Kloof. The Boers at 11 o'clock sent shells i among&t the infantry, who retired at noon. : Meanwhile General Buller made a vigor- | ous attack on our extreme right, the Enj gineers having constructed a pontoon bridge. Cannon hicaen among trees on Swartz Kop bombarded the Boer position heavily. i The infantry then crossed, completely surprising the Boers, and capturing Krantz Kloof Hill, belonging to the Brakfontein Range. The operations were excellently placed. The British resumed the bombardment on Tuesday morning. The enemy worked a disappearing gun on Dooms Kloof Ecightb, to the north-eastward. The British guns exploded its magazine, and the gun itself was disabled till a late hour. An intermittent musketry fire was meanwhile maintained. The Boers in the afternoon -made a determined effort to recapture the hills, but British reinforcements, advancing with cheers, repulsed the enemy. The British then advanced along the ridge. The correspondent of the London Times cubles as follows : — The Boers occupied three miles of kopjes eastward from Spion Kop, with their ' eastern extremity cxirved southwaid towards Swartz Kop. Strong batteries of the British naval, ! field, and mountain artillery were massed at Swartz Kop. Major-general Wynne operated on the British left, and Major-general Lyttelton on their right. Major-general ~ Lyttelton captured the southernmost kopje on the northern bank. The Boers on Doom Kloof Hill shelled the Britibh column, and succeeded in arresfc- ' ing its advance, maintaining a long-range shell fire throughout Monday. a On Tuesday the battle was resumed, but it was difficult to locate the Boers, owing to their using smokeless powder. The Boers having recaptured the northern end of the kopje, which Lyttelton's men had carried on the Monday, the position was stormed, and recarried by the British infantry at the point of the bayonet. During General Wynne's attack his forces were heavily shelled by the Boer*.

The British casualties are estimated a* 250. General Buller used 72 guns in his attack upon the Boer position. The work of the British artillery was Fuperbj the guns raking the Boer trenches , continuously. The Durham Light Infantry carried Vaal Krantz at the point of the bayonet. Tt is the key of the lower ridges. The Rifle Brigade cairicd Krantz .-vloof. General Buller's field force number <?4,000 troops, with 100 guns. ' In Monday's fighting the first battalion of the Durh-un Light Infantry lost 80 men, ihe first battalion of the Rifle Brigade 70, and the other regiments 60. Reports from Ladysmith are to the effect that there are signs that the Boers are preparing for a general retreat towards Van Reenen's Pass in the event of their defeat at the hands of General Buller. ' The Boer scheme of flooding Ladysmith by damming the Klip River is regarded a^ impracticable, although there are 1300 natives at work on the dam. The Daily Chronicle says that if the Boers continue to arm the blacks Britain may consider the employment of Indian troops for garrison and police duties. February 10. The Boers report that General Buller, after being heavily shelled, again withdrew across the Tugela River. The War Office subsequently received confirmation of General Buller's retirement. Piior to the official confirmation of General Buller's retirement across the Tugela, Mr Balfour, in the House of Commons, said General Buller was not pressing his advance on Ladysmith from, the position he occupied on Wednesday. The Government were not pressing him for information while operations were "'v progress. The Daily News correspondent showed that after the British secured a footing at Moler Drift the pontoons were sent further down the river, in front of Krantz Kop, in order to obtain a shorter cut to the Boer positions across the river. The editor -of the Daily News, in a footnote, concludes that the conformation of the gr<-"<nd misled the Boers at Doom Kloof into imagining a partial movement was in reality a withdrawal of the whole of General Buller's forces. . The Daily News discredited the Boer report of General Buller's withdrawal. February 11. A balloon revealed to General Buller tha fact that there were a dozen cunningly marked guns at Doom Kloof, commanding the Lady&mith road. They were evidently intended for a trap. The Boers have taken the Inkandhla magistracy in Zululand. Mr Knight, who was the magistrate previous to the Boer occupation, exploded the magazine before his departure. He has arrived at Eshowa with the police force. February 12. General Lyttelton reported that there were no facilities for artillery at Vaal Kiantz, and that it would be difficult to maintain communications if the advance was pressed. Mr Winston Churchill reports that General Buller is preparing for a fresh advance. Apparently the troops returned to Frere. The Boers have occupied Hill Broy's farm, south of the Tugela, within an hour's ride of Chieveley. This, combined with their movements in Zululand, has created the impression that a wide turning movement is intended, via Greytown.