NEWS BY THE MAIL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 53, 8 March 1900, Page 2

NEWS BY THE MAIL

A MAGNIFICENT BAULK.

(Received 7, 8 am.) Hobabt, Match 6. The following further war nam hu been received by the Maori Potqieter's DniFr, February 7. During the last two days was witnessed \ magnificent battle. The Britiah ittacked at daylight on Monday. The enemy's line was swept by & terrific shell fire from 7 o'clock till 2. In the interval the Engineers throw a pontoon bridge across the Tugela River before i false attack disclosed General Buller'e ourpose. When this was apparent, he Boers' guns, which had hitherto been silent, began shelling. For two hours our batteries ooolly pounded away amidst a shower of shrapnel, the shelu bursting all round them. The be* haviour of offioers and men during the rying ordeal was one of the finest lights of the campaign. The guns refiring, the infantry walked the gauntlet >f severe shell fire, lo4ng a number wounded. The real attack was now lisclosed. General Lyttelton's Brigade jroßsed the Tugela from the end of Zwaurt's Kop. Another pontoon whi liii down under a hot fire, and the Tugela was then crossed, the Durham* i'-udiuf, with tha Rifle Brigade next, riia men mot with & warm reception, >ut moving forward with gieat steadi■ieas they rushed the enemy with fixed bnyonet?, cheering as they charged. The Boers (I 'd, forty remaining until ioo lite. Many were taken prisoners, Next morning the bombardment was returned. The enemy' 4 heavy guns shelled the captured positions, forcing be troop 3 at Ztvaart's Kop to retire, The day passed with an artillery duel. At four o'clock in the afternoon six hundred of tlio enemy mide a de<psrate ittcmpb to recapture two kopjes, but .vtre furcud to retire with considerable 'oss. The oncmy got additional guns into position, but the British succeeded in explodiog a magazine on tha creetof the hill. The enemy having been reinforced sent a heavy fire into the idvanced trenches, The position be* con iog a trying one to maintain our men wavered, but the offioers rallied them gallantly. The King's Boyd • Bilks advanced from cover with rug ing cheers, and although the hill waa swept with bullets tl e/ did not falter for a moment. Their enthusiasm was unlimited, and the enemy were re> I pulsed. Another pontion was eonH'ructed in front of the hill, and rein* forcements moved rapidly forward, In the meintime the British opened a heavy artillery fire on a hill where most of the firing came from, forcing the I enemy into cover and relieving the

pressure on the infantry. T1 e enemy on bath nides rendered the position extremely difficult to hold. Wednesday's fighting wag a duplication of the previous day'*. The infantry under wee t a severe shelling and were enfiladed on three sidfs, but the losses were again small, conhideriogthd severity of the Boer*.' {he. As pr«* dieted the position taken north of th 4 Tugela was found difficult to hold, and Geneuil Bu'ltr decided not to pre.<s tlm attack, the chief reason being tl.a« it was impossible to mount gUM OB the captured kopjes, the Inttalioni OOBM* quently being exposed to keivy shell tire, and the troops being inadequate to dislodge the enemy from an overwhelmingly superior position. The withdrawal was completed successfully, (Received 7, 8.30 a.m.) As the infantry were crossing the pontoon bi'idga during General Bullet'a :itta<.'kiug movv inent of ihe s:h and 6th of February, a i-hell burst, hitting the side of the bridge, another shell lall.bg

in the rear of the advancing column. The Boers moved their Nordenfeldts about under cover of ambulance waggons, which contained ammunition, " Long Tom " was fired with common powder and killed a few horses, A shell burst amongst some of the soldiers while they were breakfasting, but only destroyed a teapot. Throughout the battle the hills all around resounded with the crack of the numerous pieces of British artillery and the enemy's heavy ordnance, intermingled with the rattle of rifle musketry. '