THE BOER WAR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8698, 18 December 1899, Page 3

THE BOER WAR.

SERIOUS BRITISH REVERSE. i SIR REDVERS BULLER REPULSED AT COLENSO. LOSS OF ONE THOUSAND MEN. Eteotrio Telegraph-Copyright- United Press ASBOolfttion. (Received Deo. 17, 9-5 a.m.) --;: .' ' London, Dec 16. y'S Sir Redvera Buller reporta from Chieve- ■•' ley to the War Office, tegrettiag that he • uslaiced a serious reverse on Friday, the 15th inst. • . His report is as follows:— :„ ; " Hiving moved to Chieveley with my ■ " full strength, at 4 o'clock this morning, ■ ; " I :iotended to force a passage by either ;'; "of the two'fordable drifts. 5 ,' «'IV intended Major - General Hart's ?; •'brigade .to" attack the left dfiffc and ?;" Major-General Hildyard's brigade to V- ••ikttaok the road Ton the right, while ; ; "Major-General Lyttelton's brigade were ■;':.: "to, operate, in the centre, supporting . "either of the others. ; •' Seeing early that Hart was nnable to ■-'; "force the passage, I directed him to " withdraw, but be had already attacked . ■«• the enemy with great gallantry. " "I fear the Connetoght Rangera, who <■■' ,'Swere leading, have suffered heavily. * ; V •• I ordered Hildyard, with the East to, occupy Colenso station. I ■.; VI then heard that the 14th and 16th '-■;'■"'.' batteries, with six twelve-pounder quickK."firers under liieutenan't-Colonel Long, fc-vJ. 1 whom I' had sent back to attack, were %iMsilent. ""'..■, 5,./ .".it appears .that Long, desiring to ob- #=•' tain a more effeotive range, had advanced "f^'-Vto the river, which was swarming with : \ -":-'• the enemy, who opened a galling fire at {rZ M "close range and killed all his horses, the gunners Jo stand to their Is:^gn«".-" . : !*'•"."■■ .■.•:•-",■'*.: Later. ~y-7:-~- Continuing hiV report on the Chievely JS reverse, Sir' Red vere Butler states that the l^waggon teamß got shelter with some troops ?3;-inaddnga.,. by a desperate •M . '^ijffertfi&yed 1 "two gang. >o}. -. ''>& sdmff'of the battery drivers were fl A'-vonoiii, I refused to allow any further Kt" sacrifice of life in" continuing the gallant '%, " attempt to force the passage of the river ?:?'• without the support of artillery and i%V r ~troopV''»t>d then withdrew iv good 'i/ji-J 'order, ~ ".' '• f§'- " ".Ten guns were abandoned. |?J'- r^heiiibeU' fire of the enemy destroyed gf;.V one giro". „•, feE'.' l.Kope," continues Sir Redvers, " the «;&•« proportion of Major General Hart's £<~"foroe severely wounded will prove &*?> ."The batteries Buffered severely. sga ", " The Earl . of : Ddndonald (2nd Life 'ojl Guards) and' , Major General Barton the 'enemy, who were pressing '<kf.V severely on our right!" is" twenty miles from Estcourt C%nd seven from Colenso, and is the scene fip&i- the capture of an armored train party gsby the Boere a few weeks ago.]