THE BOER WAR.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 28, 12 July 1900, Page 27

THE BOER WAR.

NOTES AND POINTS OF INTEREST TO CATHOLIC READERS.

thl; ages of the c.exehai^. The following are the ages of some of the Generals in Fouth Africa :— Lord Roberts, 68 ; Sir George White, (>~> ; General Clery, 62; General Buller, 61 ; General Kelly-Kenny, (51 ; General Warren, 60 ; General Gataore. .">7 ; Lord Methuen, ">r> ; Lord Kitchener, :>O, and General French, 48.

ALcIiIALAbIAX rOKCL« IN -Ol'l M U'lU< V

The Australian Colonies — New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia — Tasmania, and New Zealand pent a force of about 5353 officers and men to assist the Imperial authorities in the campaign in South Africa. New South Wales and New Zealand sent five contingents each, the former leading the whole of the colonies with a total of 2672, and the latter coming a good second with 1787. As stated in the Governor's speech the other day this Colony was the first to offer assistance through Parliament, and the first to land troops on South African soil. Victoria sent 141!) men and officers, Queensland 112(5, South Australia 377, Western Australia 476, and Tasmania 2%.

TWO PI, AGUES

Mr. Treves, the eminent surgeon, speaking at a banquet at the Reform Club on his return from the front, said so far as the sick were concerned there were only two plagues in South Africa— the plague of flies and the plague of women. The flies they could get rid of by means of horsehair wisps and other appliances, and they departed at night. But the women— the women mentioned by Sir Alfred Milner— were really and absolutely a terror. They came out in the guise of amateur nurses after having exhausted every other form of excitement. Considering the war in which we were engaged, a number of well-dresped ladies in Cape Town and elsewhere giving picnics was a little blot on the campaign. No one could have read Sir Alfred Milner's proclamation on this subject with more joy than those who were so much in the hands of these ladies.

THE AMATEUR NUKbEb

The (Jape Town correspondent of the London Daily Hijires* writes strongly regarding the influx of society amateur nurses from England. He says : They have come out for many and various reasons these fair creatureß who dress so perfectly, and whose boxes overflow from their bedrooms into every corridor and passage. Some came hurrying from England to write letters for the wounded, others to read to them, others again to act as nurses. The work of a hospital nurse is hard ; dysentery and enteric fever are not dainty diseases. Moreover, when 1 visited Woodstock Hospital, where the privates lay in hundreds. I found but one nurse to 70 beds, and not a sign of a fashionable skirt in the place. But the Wynberg and Portland Hospital 1 ", which are so prettily situated and hold tinofficers, are, as I am informed, almost overdone by the kind attention of amateurs.

' ri<;iiTiN<. mac

The most' rapid instance of promotion- from the ranks in the British army on record has been that of Major-General Hector Archibald Macdonald, known as ' Fighting Mac. 1 who succeeded Major-General Wauchope in command of the Highland Hrigade The son of a Highland crofter, he was first ontler's boy at a small inn near Aberdeen, and later a draper's assistant in that city. He enlisted in IM<> in the Gordon Highlanders, and his fine qualities attracting attention he was rapidly promoted to be sergeant. His bravery in the action at Charasiah, the subsequent occupation of Cabul, and the famous march to Kandahar in the Afghan War of 187'J-bO, gained him special mention in de-patches, the medal with three clasps, the bronze star, and his promotion to second lieutenant. In this latter capacity he was in charge of a detachment of the Gordons at Majuba in lbSl, when his bravery caused General Joubert to return him his sword. In the Soudan expedition of I s b-"> he acted as garrison adjutant at Assiout, showing an extraordinary knowledge of tactics and warfare. He further distinguished himself in the Soudan campaign of IsBB-'JI, receiving the most prominent mention of any officer in the despatches, the third-class Medjidie, two clasps, and the Distinguished Service Order, bis conduct later at the capture of Tokar winning him the third-class Osmanieh and the clasp to the bronze star. His next campaign, with the Dongola Expeditionary Force. IVMI, brought him prominent mention for exceptional bravery, the brevet of lieutenant-colonel. and the Khedive's medal with two clasps. At Omdurman he led his Egyptian regiment, whom he had made into soldiers, and his brother Highlanders presented him on his return with a sword of honor. The Duke of Atholl. speaking at a dinner given in his honor, said Hector Macdonald's was a most remarkable career, beginning at the lowest rank of the army, and on the point of reaching one of the highest — that of Krigadier-General — without having skipped a .single grade

HOW THE IKISH BKIuADB WAS) SALUII ICED,

In conversation with a correspondent General Kelly-Kenny said not long ago that the present war in South Africa had made and unmade many reputations. Those from whom much was expected proved utter failures, whilst those who were considered duffers in time of peace proved themselves to be brave and brilliant soldiers. On the whole the Irish generalß have been particularly successful, save in the case of the misfortune which occurred to a portion of General White's force outside Ladysmith in the early days of the war. The best feature of the war has been the splendid bravery displayed on nearly every occasion by the common soldiers, recalling to mind the exploits of the British army in its palmiest days. The war correspondents and other critics are now throwing some light on the causes of many, inexplicable at the time, disasters. An

officer writing in To-day throws a lurid light on the Spion Kop disaster and the slaughter of the Irish Brigade. Here are some of his remarks :—: —

' General Hart was ordered to send up the Counaught Rangers, the Inniskillings, and the Dublins along the line of the railway to attack some low hills where the river turned again toward the east. The operation was most difficult and dangerous. Six companies of the Inniskillings and two companies of the Connaught Rangers formed the attacking line, the remainder of the Rangers and half of the Dnblins were in support, and the reserve consisted of thf other half of the Dublins. In this order the Irish Brigade recrossed the railway and began the attack, coming at once under a severe cro^ fire from the hills on the right and left. Anyone could see that it was madness to send an attacking force up the central hill while the flanking hill was unoccupied, and the Boers thereon were left free to concentrate their fire for its defence. But stupid as was the scheme, the method adopted for its execution was even worse. General Hart placed himself on a neighboring hill, with a telescope and a bugler ; and he was completely out of touch with the attack, and could not know when a rest was necessary or when an attack could profitably be pressed. These matters are felt only by the officers on the spot, and it is absolutely necessary to leave them to their discretion. But there he stood, sounding at intervals the " Advance," then the " Double," and then the " Charge." When it appeared to him that the attack was not proceeding rapidly enough to suit his tast ' the bugle rang out again in peremptory tones. Our artillery meanwhile was shelling the trench at the top of the hill, and kept down the enemy's fire from that direction, so that the advancing line got to within a hundred yards of what seemed to them to be the top, and waited for a moment to take breath under cover of the Bteepness of the bill. Then the general's bugler sounded the three calls: "Advance," " Double," "Charge." The word was passed along the ranks, bayonets were fixed, and, springing to their feet, the men dashed forward with a cheer. Not a shot was fired by the enemy, and the place seemed to be deserted. The crest was reached and passed, and the triumph seemed complete. But, alas I that crest was a false one; there waß a slight dip behind, then another rise, which constituted the real crest. A b the men advanced over the skyline and exposed themselves to full view, the Boers suddenly stood up in their trenches and fired in quick succession the five rounds with whioh their Mausers were charged at a range of fifty yards. The effect was too terrible to describe. That great rush of men, confident and erect as a great wave nearing the shore, was checked in a moment. There was a stagger forward, and then all that remained was a line of poor, helpless human being struggling on the ground in agony. Some rose again, perhaps not knowing what they were doing, and fell, pierced, in many instances, with a dozen bullets. Those who marvellously escaped the murderous discharge could only lie with the others, hoping to escape observation. The slightest movement of an arm or leg, whether it was the death struggle of a wounded man or the incautious attempt of one of the lucky ones to get better cover behind a rock, drew a shower of bullets, biinging certain death not only to the unfortunate man himself, but to many who lay around him. Stillness was the only hope of life. The loss of the Inniskillings was stated to be well over 400 out of noO mustered that morning, and I have been assured that this estimate is correct. But I believe this to be an exaggeration. Two companies were left behind, only about 500 advanced to the attack, and probably 400 took part in the charge. I should think 300 should be nearer the mark. Five officers only are left.

The disastrous charge took place about five o'clock, and there the unfortunate men lay. dead, wounded, and Bound, huddled together or scattered, just as they fell, covered by Boer rifle, unable to mo\e or even look around. The groans and cries of the wounded were terrible to listen to. Some cried for help, some murmured for water. Once or twice, moved by pity, a sound man would try to get hi* wounded neighbor to the rear, but he was shot instantly. ' To lament over past losses is of no avail, but to leave men who cause them in a position of command is, as I have said before, to commit, not a murder, but a massacre. The hill could not possibly have been taken till Pieter's Hill, on the right rear, came into our possession, and till the enemy had been driven from the kloof and hill on the left. Moreover, if it had been taken it could not have been held, for the summit was swept by cross fire and enfilade. In fact, the Irish Brigade was only saved from annihilation or capture by the extraordinary steadiness of the soldiers, and because the enemy's guns and a great part of the army had already been withdrawn. 1 1 now come to the saddest part of the story. The poor wounded men who had been Btruck down in that gallant charge remained where they fell not only all Friday night, but during all the blazing heat of Saturday, and even Saturday night passed without relief. Not a drop of water in their feverish mouths ;no food, no help, but a tropical sun beating on their heads, Oh, the intolerable agonies that were endured ! If one heard that such a thing happened in England or Ireland to a horse or a dog one would shiver with pity, but here hundreds of gallant Irishmen, who had fought as no other troops had fought in this war, were left on the field to endure a horrible death. Most of them, of course, died. One of them, a very senior omcer (whose name, out of pity, I shall not mention), suffered so terribly that he begged those near him to put him out of pain. lie died during the day, for no help came. I will not attempt to apportion the blame — if blame there may be. General Hart was present till Saturday, and it seems to me that a flag of truce should have been despatched asking for leave to bring in the wounded. The Boers have never yet refused euoh a demand, and have, indeed, been singularly kind and considerate in all suoh cases. There may have been unanswerable reasons against it, but, anyway, no attempt was made, and an explanation ought to be demanded. On Sunday an armistice was asked for and obtained, but the necessity was now more to bury the dead than to tender aid to the wounded.'