THK SIXTH CONTINGENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2506, 2 April 1902, Page 30

THK SIXTH CONTINGENT.

HEAVY FIGHTING BY PLUMER'S COLUMN. HOW SERGT. -MAJOR SMITH WAS KILLED. (Fitou Our Special Courespondext.) WAKKERSTROOM, January 9. Plumor'o column, after nearly three months' work in the South-eastern Transvaal, came into Waklc-rstroom on January 8, in order to lepve the wounded, who numbered nearly 40 ; also to refit, to draw remount-, and supplies to load up the supply waggon*-. To take up tho story of tha doings of the column during the last six month-, we find Jervois, Colvin. and Pultney's corps on No\ei'»bev 2b encamped at Bricvton Farm, picturesquely situated amid a dump of fir trees within sight of Spitzkop, one of the most conspicuous of the high kopjes in the neighbourhood. On this night msuvy of the New Zealanders and QueensJanc'ers are dis-cus-ing the tietjils of a sharp skirmish with part of Louis Botha's, comma udo. On the previous day Major Toll, with about 100 Queenslauders and 50 New Zealaijdcrs under Captain Tucker, had been working wide of the route taken by the column. A section of this party, under Lieutenants Leyneg and Clark, of the Q. 1.8., and Lieutenant Mitchell, or ours, had made a da3h far m ahead, and succeeded in captuiing several hundred head of cattle and a Cape cart. The " wilybrother " then began to concentrate and draw them on to boc;gy ground. But the colonials were not to dp caught napping, and gradually withdrew. While Lieutenant Mitchell was fighting a rearguard action on tha left Lieutenant Leynes feigned complete retirement on the right. The Bcer^ came galloping for all they were worth in rear, but Lieutenants Leynes and Clark had dismounted a few of their men and concealed them behind a rocky ridge. When the pursuing Boers came within 50 yaids of the ridge our rifles rang out. Though checked by the sudden fire, a few attempted to come on. Their leader, an officer of the Staats Artillery, advanced very gallantly, only to fall mortally wounded. Other three were bowled over, though their comrades succeeded in getting them away, only leaving their leader in our hands. Owing to the heavy and persistent rains having made the Assegai River impassable, we did not move out again until DecemDer 2, though every day the district was patrolled by our troops, who brought in a fow stragglers from the enemy. Five New Zealanders one evening caught three " Joes " whilst out gathering wood. Another clay Corporal Griffiths (Otago Squadron) was promoted to lance-sergeant for the smart capture of a Boer scout. On the evening of December 5 .Tervoiu's Corps (Queenslanders, Hants, and Buffs Mounted Infantry, and Yeomanry) marched out from Beolzebub without guns or transport. Colvin's Corps (tlie Si\th New Zealauders and a company of the Commonwealth Ropimont) and Pultn"y"» Coipp iVic torians and Hussars) made a dolour on th' v right. At daybreak (4.30 o'clock) on December 6 the advanced screen of Jervois's eoi":>» i"irpn«ed a Bor-r outpost. Major Toll tfavc the order to trot, firing a fow shot=. Lieutenant Leync, ridiag in t\<e centre, followed by a fey wliofc horses are fleet and fresh, speedily o'ertopped tho ridge o\oi looking Vaal Bank Spruit, and, with an eye for position, immediately galloped for.yard to occupy a Kaffir kraal. One had hardly realised as yet w-liPt the black seetl.ine mass was on the further ridge, 600 yar<'» distant At first it struck one as being a largo mob of cattle, with sonn 1 horsps and men But, as fno light grow better, to our a^tom-h inenl we <>fi\v a force of the fMieniv, which at the fir-t- jrltficf one would estimate at 600 or 700. Wo opened fire : tl'ev began to caddie up "Oh, will the support- never come up? " One looks an\iou«ly in the roar. But we had greatly outdistanced our comrade*. On tho loft. Lieutenant Biirnpidf, with his little troop, galloped almost within speaking distance of the ennui v. Ono can hoar the shouting and sweaiUitf of tho Dutchmen. But :i nia = rpr mind control-, the Boor force. Thero is little confusion. E\ try " Joey " ib speedily either mounted and riding for a commanding position, or taking cover and pumping lead into us. On the left and right the fighting i.s fa-t a«d furioup. On th--> left. Trooper Roberts is the first to fall, s hot through the head. Lieutenant Burnside, thinking ho is killed, picks up his rifle and bandolier*. Outflanked by overwhelming numbers, lii.s little band is driven back. Trooper Da\is'= horso is shot. Burnsid© picks him up and placerf him behind. The Boers are now co close that he hands his two rifles to Davis aud draws his revolver. Covr-red by the fire of his men and Captain Gurman's company, he at length gaint another r-.0-ition, a cattle kiaal. Hero another poor fellow. Trooper Ma«on, is lying dead. Lie-itenant Clark, on the right, had also been having a hot time. Sergeant-major Price and Trooper Wepler are cut off and «urrounded. The sergeant major has iiifet accounted for a Boer, when he is forced to throw up his hands. Wepler, after the Boers had taken Ins rifle and ammunition, thinking that he might go back to his com-

rancs, walk-; away. A ycunt? Boer the:; shoots him through the body at lr yards' range. Meanwhile Major Toll has got hi- supports up, and lined a ridge on the right. Attempt after attempt is made by tho enemy to outflank him ; one man actually galloping up so near that our men could hear him shouting " We've got them now." Not so ; th? Q. 1.8. got him. When picked up later it was found that he was dangerously wounded, a bullet having pierced his brain. Captain Carter, with Lieutenant Burnside and Cook, has lined the ridge on the loft, and his men are putting volley after volley into the enemy. Trooper Henrickson corner riding up every few minutes, to hand out additional ammunition. " Now, boys, at 1200 yards, volleys, present, fire!'' Captain Cartor shouts as he walks up and down encouraging his men. Then Lieutenant Burnside will give some men a hint as to range-finding. Lieutenant Cook pointing out some party of tho enemy trying to outflank Uj To bold p. kopje on our right rear Lieutenant Ref< % has to be supported by a troop of Hsmt-j Si. l., under Lieutenant Barton. The firing is inces=ant — now heaviest on the ! right, where tho Major is coolly directing operations. Colonel Jervois ha* the main body of Mounted Infantry, under Captain ! Loiarh, in reserve. A helio denotes a column ! cumin tr up. It is Colvin'a Corps of New Zoalanders, ->j?i-th General Plumer and j C olonul Pultney's Victorians. The fifteenpounders and pom-pom quickly unlimber and send tome sheik after the fleeing enemy. By this time Surgeon-captains Hutehins and Pi'rdy have collected the casualties — one killed and 10 wounded — one dangerously (Roberts," since dead), the others mostly slight. Here you ineot a man with 4ib shoulder strap shot away. Another has a bullet through his hat. Many have had thoir horses shot. Next morning Plumer is at them again. As luck would have it, Jervoia's Corps is in the thick of it. But this time it is merely a chn*e. as the Boers make no attempt to Ftand. Thp Q.1.8.'s and M.I. captured tor'ay over 1000 head of cattle and several waggons and Capo carts. Three prisoners aro also taken. Next morning (the Bth) Plumer's forco continues the cliase, cooperating with General Spens (Colonel Jenner and Colonel Pratt's columns) and General Bruce Hamilton (Colonel Williams jnd Rawlin«on) to the- north. News comes of the capture of 134 Boer 3by Hamilton at Tuchnitsfonti'.n, speedily following his bag , of 95. Other 14 surrendered to General I Speng. i Plumer's force is marching with Colvin <-n the light, Jervois in the centre, and Pi.ltney on th« left. Early in tho day Markham, on the right flank, with the right wing of New Zealanders, i? in hot mirsuit of 30 Boeis with about 1000 eatt!e, which he drives into Pratt's force. Then Major Itolton lets them hpve a full belt of pom-poms. Immedtatey a hot chase commences, Colvin ultimately turning the enemy, about 150 strong," across Jervois's front. Cftptam Doyle, with the Commonwealth troop, is Oolviu's advanced reroen. Lieuten- j ant Quintan is on his left front, being pushed ahead. They manage to get in touch with the Boer rearguard, and 500 more head of cattle fall to their share. The rest of the New Zealanders come up in support, and tiie pom-pom is again going 'merrily. The Boers dash away to the left. Now our hope is that Pultuey will be on to them. But the Victorians have had to make a wide swe-en round, and only arrive in time to see the enemy galloping for I all they are worth throuorii Amersfort. Hay- \ ing already done 30 miles to-day, we halt j for the night, the last transport waggon not j reaching us until after midnight. Next day we trek to Graskop. where we jret supplies from Volk-Tust, and are after them again. On the l*th Major Toll, with the Q. 1.8.'5, romw in contact with them. But before our main body can come up they have cleared. In this skirmish they had two wounded, one of whom afterwards surrendered. On tho. 18th we did a night march from Zoefontein at daybreak. Captain Leigh. ] with the Mounted Infantry, captured a mule i waggon, a prisoner. 14 horses, and five rifles. ] We heard General Spens engaged eight milt»s away across the Vaal. On the 20th we inarched 20 niilca to Leyden, and then to Beelzobub on the 21st, arriving at Spitzkop. Hearing that the enemy had doubled back, we returned to Beelzebub, three Boers surrenderinst to some Now Zealanders en I route On the morning of the 23rd. bavin ir l/isi cl.rd ;iil ni2[ht with no transport, we sur- i pn-od a Boer outpost at daybreak near Gilfilan. Piiltney was in advance, and ! C|iiicklv got Ins guns into action. Jervois's Efuiu al-'o made excellent practice on th^ I lofr. On the right Markhani, m charge of | Col-. :ii's achanco screen, was seen en™£>gpd, | having piii'ied on ahead. A -'harp engapoment commenced, the Victorian- tryinar f> take a kopje at the ga'lon. But tho enemy wrro in strong force in a splendid position for defence, and, in '•pito of the heavy shelling from our guns, succeeded in keppiner us off until they got thoir cattle away. Pultnoy. however, op- , tured eight Boer-, and we afterwards picked ' up two wounded. . Owing to the nature of the ground it wacliftimlt to follow up the onemy. One e-\<r- ' ing we had a terrific hailstorm, compelling . many of the men to lie flat on thoir fae°=. j with a saddle overhead for protection. On the 24th wo arrived at GToetvlei Lately j we have had some dense fogs, which have eoiirirlrrablv hampered operations. One morning Captain Harper captured two Boer sy>ios f'ios-ed in khaki. i Christmas day we spent in ramn near I Nnausnoort N«k. Dff-mVr 28 found up at Ani«M a p«>rt, which place wo loft shortly aftor miclnial.t Owing to a hoa-\y fo<r we hnd to halt for a couple of hoivr' : but after the rr.ifet cleared we got in touch with the I pnemv, whom we ohasnd for over 20 miles, having left the puns behni'l. We drove 35 in to General Spons. ro whom they surrendered. Captain Stenhvn-on actually . diii-cd two Boers right into a blockhouse j near Blaukop. Wp picked up one Boer killod and one wounded. I The New Year found us again ai Naau=- | poort Nek. On January 2, moving half j an hour after midnight, we marched to Vo«kop. ond then on to Balmoral. A strange night soon this night was a prize ' fight between a New Zealand and a Queen*-- | lander. These two men, after doing 30 | miles trek, stripped to tho buff and fom'ht several rounds, snrroundpd by an admiring crowd. Of course this occurred ar a part of the camp not overlooked by those in authority. On the 3rd wo moved out at 5 a."m. to Rotterdam. Colvin's mrp- m advance. On this day Maior Andrew, with about 150 New Zealanders had raMior a touch fight with Qfi&enu&D and Chris. Botha's com-

; mandos, numbering over 500. The Nett Zealanders,» after getting out about four miles from camp in very difficult country, came in touch with a few of the enemj-. ] Captain Stevenson was sent off after on« j party, and after an exciting chase of 1<" ; miles succeeded in capturing 900 head of | cattle. It was really the return of Captain j Stevenson with this large mass of cattle — • I which at the distance the enemy eviden f ly ! mistook for reinforcements from Bruc* j Hamilton — that saved the New Zealancler?. ' as the Boers charged down on them in lar^o j numbers, the brunt of their attack beinon Captain Jones, who had captured and i sent into camp a waggon and 14- mules with i fivp rifles. j Our men were forced to retire and hold a ridge, as it was impossible to get gun* i;p to their support, or even send mounted men, so suddenly and with such determina- | tion did the enemy attack. Sergeant-majo'* I Smith, of the Auckland Squadron, refused | to surrender, and was shot by the enemy at close range. Lieutenant Mitchell received a severe wound in the pnkle. Captain Mostyn I Jones and Lieutenant Mayrick Jones each had their horses ?hot. Sergeant-majoi Lewin, Trooper Cbrk, and Corporal Griffiths, who behaved very pluckily in holdJ ing a ridge with Trooper M'Dcnald, were aH I wounded, but are doing well. t Lieutenant Wood held a kopje with great determination, supported by Lieutenant Morrison..' Thus the eneiriy were driven eff, Major Andrew concentratiug his forces on, . a ridge. Towards evening the enemy cleared ! off. i Sergeant-major Smith will be very much I missed, as he was a well-known and popular non-com., who hnd never missed a. chance with .the Auckland squadror. He was buried by his comrades, near Adeiiderff's farm, a few miles from Rotterdam, not far from where he fell. The two New Zealand doctors, with Lieutenant-colonel ' Porter and Captain Berne. R.A.M.C, had to reroniu out all night with the wounded, as the ground was tno difficult to bring the ambulance across in the dark. When Captain Stepheixson made his smart capture of tho Boer stock he had with him Captain O'Neill, Lieutenant Hutton, Lieutenant Smith, Sergeanf? Smythe and Moors, with only 30 men. During the fight with Opper,man Lieutenant Gwatkins's hovso stuck in a bog. Trooper Thomas Praser very pluckily went under a heavy fire to his assistance, and i afterwards, with a few comrades, covered • hi 3 withdrawal. On 4th January the force moved out at daybreak in the direction of Dankerback, following the way taken by the enemy. Today occurred one of tho heaviest engagements Plumer's column has had during the? war. Vallentine's Corps— Major Vallontina having assumed command of Jervois's Corp3 when Colonel Jervois left to take* over a, column of Iliu own — was in advance, and had halted. Lieutenant. Clark, with 12 ,&ueenslanders on patrol, reported a large %6rco of the enemy- within half a /mile. The Queenslnnders, about 130 in number, were quickly saddled up, and went out. Lieutenant Wilson had galloped forward with hia pom-pom. As the Australians', under Major Toll, rode -for a rir.ige, tk'c place" simply I , vomited ■lead,, a large force' of Boer 3, who lay concealed, firing volleys at 300 yards. Tn» Queenslandsrs wei'e driven back to the r_ift?» behind, having lost several men. Ht»re O-v - tain Leigh with tho Hants M.J. carao to i". .lsupport. The onemy now mado ferocious c.i - \ . {rallopiiiK straight for tin pom-pom. I. , - tenant Wilson let them have a full b«.l: .- • ! 100 yards, lliis checked them for a ff F.F '.' minutes and allowed him to. limber un : ■ ' retire, though he had himself to cut r.i>> dead horses out of the traces, and h;ul twq gunners shot. Major Valentine, with hii staff officer, Captain Parsons, were both wounded. Major Valentine was shot at fchort range by a bullet which passed through his horse and through his staff-sergeant, Sergeant Laycock. Both these men wera ' thrown from their horses. The Major began • to run towards the man who had ahot him, j and he immediately fired again and killed | him. The Q.F.B.'s and M.I made a gallant 1 .stand, and drove back the charging Boers three times. Captain Leigh was severely wounded. He had also some wonderfully neac phave*-'. His helmet had five bullets through it. Three others wont through his carbine and one through hia glasses. Lieutenant I Johnson of the Yeomanry wao mortal 1«I wounded. Captain Carter and Lieutcnni : Higgins, of the Q.T 8., wore also wouii'l- . Altogether we liacl 20 killed ami 26 wouiu'' . j Lieutenant Wilson made good execuil' > ■ v.-itii his pom-pom, which w.t-i evidently t!-u I objective of the Bon attack. After he get it out of action he rallied the e-tort and any stragglers, and seizing a carbine, led « charge up the nil l , retaking a commanding position. By thio time Colonel V'ahs had bren gem foiward to tako command. The Victoriant of Pultney's Corps had aho arrived, and they made a dashing charge, driving tha Boeis before them. However, the enemy , chow -d great determination. They mustered ' about 600, and returned again auel again , to the attack. Then, all cur guns and tho oiher pom-pom having come up with Col1 \m's Corps and the New Zealander3, we . began to have it all our own way. Shrapj iil'l after shrapnel burst amongst tho retreating fiicmy. We saw nine oi them killed j and th: - ce wounded. A pri=oi.cr whom we captured next day stated that their ca.-ualties numbered 40, and that the Boers estimated ours at 60. | This Boer reported that General Oft'erman, I (who shared the command with Chris. Bothu and Grobelaar) wad killed by a shell. The ground after the fight was strewn with dead and dying men, showing how fiercely the Boers and Britons had fought. I There were many incidents worthy of nota ' during the fight. Of 30 Hants M.I. only &oven etcaped being killed or wounded. Sergeant Shannon (Q. 1.8.), since dead, , brought a horse up for his officer and got I him out of a dangerous position, though he himself was dangerously wounded. I But perhaps the pluckiest piece of work j on our side was the way Lieutenant Wilsoa j stuck to his gun, and worked it under heavy fire. After he had got it out of action, and hidden he was conspicuous in leading I troops he could gather together, and charg- ! ing the enemy on foot. Colonel Vialls (kno»tn popularly at Eiitong), cool a* u-ual, in.-pircd confidence in. all a» he rode about encouraging the men in the second attack, saying, " Let thc-m. come; if they get near enough, lei the gnu g've them cas.° thot." The New Zealanc'ei-=. being rearguard, 1 did not partiiipatp in this big fight, though 1 they cciiiir> up as f.-;oit to Colvin's gun-, I which armed in time to loin in the £ e n,eiv.l I -helling of the enemy.

Sergeant Gallagher takes Sergeant-major Smith's place as sergeant-major of the Auckland Squadron. Sergeant-major Morraine is now regimental sergeant-major. Lieutenant M'Millan, who acts as veterinary officer with the New Zealanders, cap'fcufed three Boers on the flank on© morning. ► Captain Harper bagged a couple of Boer jpies in khaki. The New Zealanders appreciated the ordnance stores sent from home. The boots .fcere especially welcome. ■ The Otago Witness presentation copies are greatly appreciated, and we all miss the other weeklies which used to aTrive regularly until the last few months. T3ie hard work of the last month, the arduous night marching — the men often not getting time to cook meat — may prevent xnany from signing on with the eighth.