THE PRESENT POSITION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6717, 13 February 1900, Page 4

THE PRESENT POSITION.

OPINIONS OF AN EX-MILITARY OFFICER. (By RHAMABIDIKWI.) NOTES. The news to hand since yesterday's notes were written is of a nondescript and very ■unsatisfactory character. Details of the fighting on Wednesday night are wanting, and no particulars whatever that can be regarded as at all reliable 'have been received as to the losses on either side. We are informed that the Boers were found in (Treat strength at Brakfontein especially, and that masked guns kept up an incessant fife and rendered Vaalkrantz, which had been taken at the point of the bayonet, untenable' by the British. . Several shells from their " long Tom " fell among the transports, and others reached as far as Swartzkop, across ihe river. A Nordenfeldt assailed the entrenched British infantry, . while the cross fire of a Creuzot gun and a 100-pounder at Doornkloof caused severe damage. The retirement of the British commenced on Wednesday night, Feb. 7, and was carried cut without special incident. In spite of the previous sentence about severe damage being done, we are told that the casualties, were mostly slight wounds. This may be true, or it may not, and it is to be hoped that the losses were small, »s the absolute gain from the whole of the movement is unfortunately nil. A captive balloon which was sent up with the purpose of discovering, the enemy's position arid strength, is said to have revealed to General Buller a dozed {more or less) cleverly-masked guns at Dboruskloof, commanding the Ladjtemith road, where, it was evidently intended to trap the British. This absolutely traverses all the information cabled arid so far to hand, in reference to the repulse and withdrawal of the British troops Under General Bullet's command. Having in yesterday's notes suhiined up the brief history of General Bullet's Somewhat unfortunate operations in Natal, the writer prefers at present to refrain from further remarks on General Buller's want of success. While the infantry and artillery were engaged in this last linfortuhate attempt to carry the Boer position by a- frontal attack, the question arises, what were Ldrd Dimdotiald and hia force of cavalry and mounted rifles, consisting of 12500 men, doing? In the few days' pause between the retirement over Trichart's Drift after Spidnkop 1 and the resumption of active operations by General Bullet's force, the cavalry were said to have reconnoitred in the direction of Honger's Poort. What the object of this reconnaissance was, or the extent of success gained, it is impossible to fathom, and the cables have thrown no further light 'on the matter.' As the mounted men* unless they left their horses hshihd them, and advanced on foot, would be of little use in the network j of hillis where General Buller's forces were lately operating, the question naturally presents itself, what were these men doing while General Buller's late attack was being developed? As far as the writer can see, if General Buller bad actually beejl d«- ' sirous of playing into the enemy's hands, j he could hot have done it more "effectuallv than by his late insane attempt to batter his j way through the enemy's strongly-en-trenched position at all costs. . If it had been a feigned attack, carried out in force and pressed vigorously with a tremendously searching artillery firej in which tac^cs the whole of General Lyttelton's Brigade had also participated, while Lord Dundonald's mounted men had been rushed round to the right flank, beyond Mount Inhlawe and close to the Second Waterfall, with 1 a few guns and waggons containing engineers and materials for pontoon bridging, it seems to the writer that there would have been -a considerably batter prospect of success. These incessant and continuous attempts to carry strongly entrenched positions of the enemy by hurling masses of infantry at them have been eo constantly commented! on by the writer as practically amounting to a courting of defeat that he would much prefer not being compelled to again mention them. But as iong as we continue to play the Baers' own game by persisting in attacking them in the naturally strong positions where they enttench themselves, so long shall we continue to be defeated. The modern conditions of warfare, with the terribly appalling ' effect of quick-firing and Maxim guns, are j such that, with the exception- of the Russians, who, ffoin their numerical strength ' seem to bo indifferent and careltfcs of their ! losses, and the British, who, through having • had little experience lately of anything but \ ■native figbiing, (still expeot their infantry- j men to carry everything with the bayonet, ! all modern militaiy tacticians endea- \ your to render an enemy's position untenable ! by flanking attacks. . j Whaib the next move may be, if General Buller remains hi command, it is impossible to forecast, but if he should elect to have a go at the right flank, it is to be hoped he ! will do it with a tremendous rush and with- : out a long wait, as, if he proceeds in the ' same' deliberate fashion as he has done with his previous movements, the Boers will ; again forestall him, and be ready waiting with their entrenchments. Nothing but a rapid dash, in a direction unexpected," : by the enemy, carried forward vigorously and by forced marches, can possibly now • succeed ; and, after* his recent reverses, if he contents himself with resting on his oars for a week or so, it is not at all im- ; probable that the Boers will be turning his flank. ' From a Boer source we learn that on Wednesday night there was heavy firing in i the direction of Ladysmith, which they ex- j plain by saying that the garrison was at- j tempting a sortie towards the Free State laager. Further particulars relating to this reported sally will be Anxiously awaited, i and the writer hopes that instead of being an ■ attack on the Free State laager, it may have been a successful endeavour to frustrate ''. the designs of the dam-builders, who are i attempting to stem the waters of the Klip ' River and so flood out Ladysmith. The i latter seems the more probable explanation. What meaning to attach to the activity of the Boers in Zuiuland it is difficult $> know. A few days ago we heard that they had attacked and captured a magistrate and a few white and coloured troopers with their arms and amiminition, arid yesterday's cables inform us of a similar attack on the Inkandhla Magistracy in Zuiuland. The magistrate, Mr Knight, 'however, previous ! to his retirement, exploded the magazine, j and he appears to have safely escaped with hia few police troopers, as -he ia reported i to have arrived at Etchowe. } The reported operations of Boera and ■ British in other parts is veritably a medley. , Sunday's cables informed us tha't Lord .- Roberts had arrived at Sterkstroom, whereas a later cable, published yesterday morn- :. ing, tells us that he had arrived at Modder River, and also that General French, with : cavalry, has 'reached tbe same' place, while ; other reinforcements are arriving. Juther j the first cablegram mus'fc have 'been incorrjet, or General 'Roberts, availing himself of the railway line, is putting in some very hard work and fast travelling, with the determination of personally inspecting the enemy'a various positions, probably previous to a simultaneous attack a't all points. As th& cables state that he is now at Modder River, we presume we must accept it as a truthful report, and can enly come to the con- j elusion that .opsra'tions are to "be pressed by Lord Methuen, and possibly also from > Prieslca's or Zoutscan's Drft, or both ; <but as no indication is given in the cable further than the bare announcement; of his arrival, and that of General French with cavalry and other- reinforcements, we can 'only await developments. That some movement of supreme importance is on' the tapis seems certain, as a Reuter's message states that 'the (foreign attaches have left Capetown for the front. On Friday last, fifty Australians and Tasmariians are reported to have made a, reconnaissance near Colesberg, and to have becoWsuddenly engaged with « large fon* of Boers, before which they retreated, steadily arod in good order, taking advantage of every k°PJ e and- 'sintaMe- covsr on Che. Una of retreat;, «a& fightiag tno Bo<jts motf

stubbornly. Owing to their numerical Superiority, the 'Boers twice succeeded in working to their rear, and once nearly captured the horses. But the Australians remounted and made good their retreat, with the loss, apparently, of only one Tasmanian, slightly wounded. Mr Lamhie, war correspondent to the Melbourne "Age," and Mr Hales, acting in the same capacity for West Australian papers, are .both reported missing, and most probably "nave fallen into* the hands of the Boers. . . . Some six days ago, a most unlikely cable was received stating that General French surrounded 7000 Boers in the hills about Colesberg, and on Feb. 7 the writer pointed out the absurdity of this message, as it would be impossible for General French, with about 8000 troops, to effectively enclose them, stating thwt the Boers practically had the best of it, as they were posted in strong positions in the hills and held the town of Colesberg. Yesterday's cables, which appeared in the evening papers, proved that, the contention was correct, as they stated in so many words that the Boere are not surrounded, but hold the whole of the northern Colesberg district, extending in a semicircle east and West, presenting a strong thirty-mile frontage, with a full line of communication into the Free State. If this is the case, it is to be hoped that General French's despatch to Modder River with a considerable portion ot the cavalry force may not., have weakened the British posts in this rieighbourKood too greatly, as if the Boers are in such force, they might break through our line and seiie the line between. Naauwpbort and De Aar, and make a rapid rush on the latter piace.