A RETROSPECT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 69691, 6 December 1900, Page 2

A RETROSPECT.

«. THREE PHASES OF THE WAR. I. — THE PERIOD OF CONFIDENCE. {Daily Express.) On Oct. 12, 1899, the actual fighting work of the Transvaal way -was commenced. As the "Times" of that day put it, "the period of grace allowed by Mr Kruger to the British Empire expired) at tea-time yesterday." As we had failed to accept the terms of the. Boer Ultimatum within, the specified time n state of war wa,s automatically created, without formal declaration. We began the war with a light 'heart a year ago, laughing at the eonsummaite " cheek " of Mr Kruger, aiid at heart not sorry to have a chance of wiping out the record of Majuba Hill. The Boers should be taught a. lesson, to cure them of impertinence, and) give them proper respect for the British Army. They •should see that our soldiers, given a, fajr chance, were not the .easy game they fancied. We should make no more blunders. I Above all, we should avoid the old mistake 1 of holding' the enemy . cheaply, and^think- ; ing to conquer the Transvaal with a regiment or two. We should send twenty thousand, thirty thousand, even forty thousand men, under one of our best generals, so that the campaign might be short, sharp, and decisive. Buller was to go out; that was good news. It was reported that he had undertaken to have tho British 'flag flying over Pretoria, before Christmas Day. WHAT WE EXPECTED. Thus, the man in the street ; thus even thfc expert critic of military affairs. Not one man in a hundred took the campaign seriously, and if any pessimist hinted a year ago that our greatest generals and 200,000 of our best men would be needed -for the task before us ho would have been laughed at. There is a big' difference between what we thought then, what we have learned since, and what we know now. Said the "Times" on Oct. 12: "On the Natal border a large mass of burghers, estimated at about 13,000, aye assembled, bub it is not at all likely that they will be able to obtain any material advantage. They cannot invade Natal to any purpose without attacking strongly entrencheJd' positions, which are now adequately held, and this is an operation m wh^b the Boera wnepicuouelY failed m tb« Oast war. On the whole it seems not improbable that raids, more or less successful, with attempts to cut the railway and destroy bridEes,' may be made on both our eastern and our western frontiers. But in no cue can they affect, the ulterior cour^" of nuiitarv operations." The- "Daily Tele'graJiH" took anuch the same line of argument. "It is difficult.*© «cc Whast particular harm the combiner* forces of Boers suid Free State burghers can do in their invasion of Natal beyond devastating the country and terrorising the natives. Dundee is a constant source of danger to thorn en their flank, which : they can onTy overcome by the extremely unlikely hypothesis of storming the camp. A MISTAKEN ESTIMATE. "Doubtless the Boers have great confidenco in their artillery, but they are hardly gunners in the proper sense of the term, and certainly no match for the English batteries." The writer went on to develop the view that no serious invasion of Natal was to be expected, nothing beyond raids and affairs of outposts, while, relying on. tiho force at Ladysmith, we might " be confident that our southward communication with* Piefcennaritzbirrg and Durban will be secure." We do not give these quotations with, any intention of disparaging the writers, who only expressed with restraint the general opinion held both in military circles and by the general public. At the same time they are amusing reading — to-day. On Oct. "12, also; the military expert of tljp ''Times'' wrote: — "The Boers are reported, to be pluming themselves 'on the capacity of their artillery to make holes in our armoured trains, but they do not appear to fully understand the conditions undter which these useful appliances wM be worked." It was on the evening of the sam; day fcliafc the Boers showed their understanding of the . conditions under which. ann/Sured trains are worked by wrecking one at Kraaipnft, taking two seven-pounder puns and a quantity of ammunition intended for Mafeking, with Lieutenant Nesbitt and fifteen men — the first blow cf the war. NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. There was "no reason whatever " fol alarm as to Kimiberlcy and Mafe'king, the '• Daily Telegraph " told us on Oct. 14. A flying column was being organised to protect the raihvay between Kimberley and the Orange River, which might, therefore, be considered "tolerably secure." Tne " Daily Mail " of the same date struck a truer note : — " Before the conclusion of the Avar we shall not be at all surprised if the Boer incursions are such as will convince even 'Little Englanders' that Greati Britain is not fighting for the franchise of the Uitlanders, but for the possession of her colonies in South Africa." ' But two days later the "Mail" was betrayed into the general confidence: "Unfortunately there is good reason to believe that the Boers will not continue their advance till they- come in contact With the strongly entrenched British positions at Glencoe, ... We must look for little more than meaningless advances, retreats, and cavalry raids on this side." Here are some further comments made ■during the following week, a period when little news came to hand. " The Boers axe said to be much elated at having dragged a heavy gun up a mountain which commands a portion of Natal territory. That is also a very harmless exercise." "Times." " Our first line of defence in Natal, from Dundee to Ladysmith, is perfectly secure, albeit the enemy are slowly gathering their strength eastward and westward of it." — , '" Daily Telegraph." The latter journal estimated that the Boers intended to entrench themselves on . the border of Natal and wait for us to attack, arid "gave its readers, on Oct. 19, the . first version of a rumour destined to become 1 familial-, that " the Boer transport arrangei ments are said to have broken down." Meanwhile the " Times " anticipated raids on the railway to Kimberley and the possible occupation of small places like Vry- [ burg and Lobatsi, "but operations of that kind are futile, and the Boers are not in of position to undertake any others on the western border. " ', DISPARAGING THE ENEMY. Concerning the Boer plans in NataLJjhjL

grand scientific (movement, the Free Qteute. burghers pushing forward south-east, to the' south of Ladysmith, and the ' Transvaal ', burghers co-operating from the north. In, our military article, it will be Been, this plan is pithily described as 'hopelefisjy inept.' If it is attempted it will aLnios* certainly expose the invaders to a series of crushing blows from the powerful British force now assembled at Ladysmith and] Glencoe, under Sir George White." ■ . ■ ■ The military expert declared: "If t&ey attempt large field operations they will court disaster. The British forces at Ladysmith and Qlencoe are numerically infetio^ to their opponent-, but as lighting ittnits they are far batter equipped." So little- did even our experts know— a year ago-. The victory of Glencoe was won on Oct. 20 and -thai of Elandslaagte .on Oot. 21k Thereupon British self-confidence rose higher than ever. * We kid at last taught the Boers what our soldiers, properly led, could do. and Glencoe had been a c;>uiifc_> part of Majuba Hill, with the sides changed. Ocanmenting on thVbittle of Glencoe the "Daily Telegraph" said 1 :— " Joub;i J o -will most likely retire back upon Cherlestown and' tho mountains until he uas succeeded in reorganising the shattered east mrag of ibis army." The' " Times," on Oct. 23., anticipated that Yule would hold Glencoe against any attack. " But, in any event, the engagements of Friday and .Saturday have destroyed; the Boer, plan of 'campaign, aiul rendered ita further prosecution on the original lines hopeless. " On the following day the " Daily Telegraph" adopted 1 the same. view, saying:— » " Enough ie known to show thai the Boot scheme of attack in Natal has been practically frustrated." A SUGGESTION OF DIFFICULTIES. It was on the afternoon of Oct. 23 that the House of Commons was startled by an announcement that General Yule was falling back from Dundee, where he had left iria wounded. Next day the "Times" waxed indignant: 1 — "The Cammandev' 1 -Chief will really have to be more core n his choice of language, if people are going to manufacture scares out of an intimation of this kind/ 'Palling back' is no doubt a correct mili-' tary expression, but a glance at the map 1 will show that so far firom implying retreat' it means in this case an advance to mcct 1 th© enemy. . . . It is not to b© sup* : posed that Dundee is left unguarded because the main body of troops thas faced round to Glencoe." Only twenty-fcur hours later, however, our contemporary had to recognise .that falling back on Ladysmitli was "a militaryi necessity," while maintaining • that there was " no reason for uneasiness for tlie Bri< tish force afc Ladysraith," Ocfc. 30 the had to reQ ogn_ge that; the great superiority of the Bxrer numbers may enable them to -work round £he flanks of the British fores and eStect a more or less complete investment of Ladv 1 -, smith." J I But the "Daily Mail" considered tfcafc;' -- General White has only to hold his ownl tor n fortnight before relief arrives.' Ha should have no difficulty in achieving this task." . • . . j On the mca-ning of Oct. 31 ihe "Daily. Telegraph" said :— " An extremely interesting moment has been reached." There was some unconscious truth in this, for the ,same day was to bring' news of th« Nicholson's Nek disaster, nnd atra-ken us from our pfera >?ant dreams of easy victorv'to the stern reality of the task that Jay before vs. With November be>an tte second stage of the war—the period of depression. •