NEW ZEALANDERS IN BATTLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 27

NEW ZEALANDERS IN BATTLE.

A GALLANT AND DESPERATE FIGHT (Froh Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, February 28. At last our brave New Zealanders have had— what I feel sure they will deem the good fortune of having— a really good stiff battle with the enemy " all to themselves." It <roes without saying that they acquitted themselves splendidly. Happily they defeated the foe ; unhappily then- losses in. killed and wounded were, I grieve to say, sadly heavy. A despatch received thi=i morning from Pretoria states the fact? as follows : — "On Sunday last, the 23rd mst., the enemy made a determined attempt to break through the enclosing line of troops engaged in another great drive. The object of the British general was to drive the Boer forces upon the Harrhmith-Befchle-hem line of blockhouses, and there compel them to fight or surrender. " The enemy chose Colonel Garrett's position in the encircling chain for making thei* attempt. The total force of the Boers was estimated at from 600 to 800, and these, adopting the now famous battering-ram tactic, sought to drive a fast herd of 6000 cattle through the British line. The beasts, goaded into a maddening gallop, rushed upon the line held by the New Zealanders, but the colonials were equal to the emer-

gency. They kept up a hot fire, mowing down men and cattle, a thick line of beasts strewing the ground. The Boers, seeing that their attempt effectually to break through and escape in the confusion was frustrated, lay down beside the dead cattle, and, using them as a defence, poured in a heavy fire upon the New Zealanders. The fusillade was returned steadily and with great effect, the engagement developing into a stiff battle. The colonials, though they )mffered very severely, never wavered, behaving with the greatest gallantry, and fighting with the utmosc determination. * " The Boers, who no sooner left the shelter afforded by the dead cattle than they were shot down, kept up their fire from behind their defences for time but finally were driven back, leading 15 dead on the field. Several wounded they carried back with them. Seventy dead horses, 100 unwounded horses, and the whole of the great herd of cattle were left on the field Very few of the Boers managed to pierce the line. The enemy were led by Ross, Hans, and Manic Botha, who are Weil 'known as courageous and determined ficrhters. It is believed, though this is not certain, that some Transvaalers under Wessels were also with them." The special correspondent of The Tjmes, referring to this engagement, says The brunt of the attack fell on Colonel Garratt's New Zealanders, who behaved with superb gallantry. They defeated the object of the Boers, but themselves suffered heavily, lo3ing two officers and 18 men killed and five officers and 33 men .wounded." ' By the special correspondent of the Standard the following account is given of this gallant affair:— "A determined attempt Was made by about 800 Boera, on the night 'of the 23rd." to break back to the north between Colonel Byng's and Colonel Rkmngfcon's column?. The3e troops formed a portion of a combined movement from the Orange Colony railway line eastwards between the blockhouse lines, and another move from the north, culminating about Harrismith. The two columns had swung round to the south, near Vrede, when a foody of Boers, using about 6000 cattle as a wedge, sought to force a way between the flanks to the north. The night was wet, and the moon was showing but dimly. The enemy drove hard against Colonel Byng's right flank. It fell to the Seventh Contingent of New Zealanders to repel the attempt, which they did with the utmost dash and elan, the enemy ako behaving with great gallantry. They were hotly engaged, but succeeded in the supreme object of preventing the Boera from getting through. *' Owing to the cover afforded to the enemy by the mob of cattle, the New Zeaianders were obliged to expose themselves more than their opponents, and, as a result, lost somewhat heavily, hating two officers and 18 men killed and five officers and 33 men wounded. The whole of the cattle were taken, 70 Boer horses were shot and 100 captured, and 15 of the enemy were killed and six taken prisoners. Colonel Eimington, who was slightly in action to the right, hod one officer killed and two snen wounded. Only a few Boers escaped uorth. The bulk of them remained in front of the columns." Commenting upon the New Zealanders' battle, the Standard in its first leading article to-day say 3: "Among the memorable exploits of the wa-r the behaviour of the New Zealanders in the affair near Vrede should •have an enduring place. The fuller account of Sunday night's fighting, from our special correspondent, which we publish this rooming, shows that the singular gallantry displayed by the colonials was rewarded by the frustration of the enemy's attempt to force a passage through the Vrede line of posts. Hitherto, there is no evidence that tha Boers have been able, in any considerable bodies, to get through the cordon. At the utmost" they have succeeded in escaping in fragments from some particularly close corner, but even the slippery De .Wet himself is still within the toils. Unquestionably it would have been a serious blow to the confidence entertained in the practical impermeability of the blockhouse bystem had the desperate attack on Colonel Byng's force effected the object intended. Our troops in that region were engaged in one of those carefuly-planned drives, which will more and more become normal features in the present stage of the struggle. The immediate purpose was to pres.s the commandos in front toward the HarrismithBethlehem line, where arrangements had been made to give them a very rough handling. On Sunday night the Boer leaders srere apparently of opinion that, if they were to extricate themselves at all, they must resort to flhe artifice which had enabled their general to slip through. They had the advantage of number*, and the weather was in their favour. The night was wet and dark. In the gloom a body, estimated at 600 or 700 men, drove against •the entanglements a huge mass of 6000 cattle. It is easy to imagine that no barriers, however cunningly deiued, could withstand the tremendous impact of this locomotive battering-ram. The unwieldy bodies of the unhappy bca«ts gave the fugi- '•■ tives just the sort of shelter tliat they knew j 'how to utilise. It might well have bpen ! thought hopeless to arrest the advance of the mixed^ mass of horsemen and oxen. But the New Zealanders die! not stop to calculate. A steady fusillade checked the rush, and soon the Boers had to defend themselves as best they could in the thick of the herd. To force them to retreat, it was necessary that the brare colonials i-hould expose themselves to the deadly fire of these trained marksmen. With what effect the baffled enemy availed themselves of their superior position is disclosed in the list of casualties. Twenty-three officers and men of the Seventh Contingent lay dead upon the field, and 35 were wounded. The losses of tlip Boers, as far as they have been ascertained, were somewhat le=s ; but they were beaten back, and the cattlp weie the spoils of their adver-an<»« Another movement in the neighbourhood on somewhat similar lint's, wa 1 . aUo defeated on the following night How far this was due to the moral effect of tiic slant! m.ide on the Klip may bo conjectured. It is a solid gain that faith has been upset in Genera! De Wet's expedient, and Englishmen will notice with satisfaction that once attain a colonial regiment has been conspicuous in doing a signal service to the Empire. While Canadians were commemorating in every town of the Dominion the splendid part played by thrir brethren at Paaidcberg, the people of New Zealand were enabled to add to their re-cords, with pride and with c otow. the achievements of the Seventh Contingent." The following is the ofScal list of the ■•av.ialties m thi^ cucr.icenient .. — I-a'.igier i-.aclit. n^ar Klip Ki\rr. —Si \ i nth New Z^<i land Mo.siited liifaalr> .—. — Killed. — Lieatcimu Il.irold Li-?si.« i !).> »n jon, Lieut' i' .ik V.'illuui Gooi'j • I'lr-ytho, Serueaut A- ft* *\Ui»ttftk. ■L^uUvi'.-fc^aJxt

Owen, Corporal Alfred Firth, Corporal A. R. Russell, Lance-corporal W. Riddick, Lance-corporal B. Anderson, Lance-corporal Percy Nation, Lance-corporal Farrier L. Greenwood Retter, Private E>avid Bruce, Private J. W. Asmore, Private John Connihan, Private W. Dunlop, Pmate Peter Fletcher, Private H. Finch, Private W. G. Monahan, Private Thoa. M'Lew, Private Alex. Scott, Private W. Stevenson, Private R Eli Timms, Private A. J. Whitney, Private L. A. Ditely. Dangerously Wounded. — Lieutenant J. A. Colledge (thigh), Lieutenant Stapleton Cotton Caulton (arm), Sergeant W. M'Nairn Tiller (thigh), Private Wm. Hill Bennett (back). Severely Wounded. — Lieutenant Charles O. Phair (leg), Lieutenant W. Horace Wilson (leg), Lieutenant Dennis A. Hickie (legs), Sergeant K. Malcolm (shoulder), Sergeant Charles F. Normanby Minifie (leg). Sergeant James Conn (back), Corporal A. S. Houston (leg), Corporal Thomas Legg (head), Corporal J. O. Gilmore (back), Lance-corporal Edward Wylds (shoulder), Private John Buchanan (legs). Private Thomas John Frame (heßd), Private Mourice Edward Fitzgerald (head), Private G. T. Fookes (arm=). Private R. Haiche (legs), Private Charles Dunford (thigh), Private James Carrick M'Clelan (leg), Private William Charle3 M'Donald (thigh). Private J. T. Isbester (leg). Private David H. M'Dairmid (arm), Private Albeit Rosanowski (head), Private Frederick Montagu Rogers (head), Private A. E Sands (leg). Slightly Wounded. — Squadron Sergeantmajor Pat J. Cotton (face), Corporal M. S. Carr (back), Farrier-corporal M. M. Ross (arm), Private George William Armstrong (leg), Private William Boon (leg). Private William Henry Cook (head). Private G. Reynolds (foot), Private J. Waddell Scott (leg), Private Roland John Westropp (hip). Permit me to offer my sincere sympathy with the relatives and friends of my fellowcolonists who have been killed and wounded