Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1899 — DEFEAT OF BRITONS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DEFEAT OF BRITONS

Disastrous Result of the Battle Near Ladysmith. BOERS ARE VICTORS. Surround and Capture Three Regiments of the Queen’s Troops. Irish Fuaileera, 'tenth Mountain Battery and Gloucester Regiment Capitulate—General White’s Staff Officers and Eight Cannon included Among the Captures—Ncwa of the Disaster to British Arms Causes Gloom In London. Gen. White, at the head of 12,000 British, and Gen. Joubert, commanding 10,000 Boers, measured arms in the vicinity of Ladysmith Sunday and Monday, and the result was a crushing defeat for the Britons. Three whole regiments were surrounded and captured and eight cannon were taken. The British admit casualties of from eighty to a hundred men. The two armies on Monday fought from daybreak to the middle of the afternoon. Joubert began the fight about 5 o’clock in the morning, firing several 100-pound shells in the direction of that part of the British force stationed near the railway station. Their ammunition was good and their aim excellent. Gen. White first ordered the artillery tire re-

turned and then ordered out a large force of cavalry and infantry to advance upon the Boer positions. White’s forces followed up the supposed advantage, but soon found themselves face to face with a laTge army of Boers, who were all well armed and full of fight. The fighting raged fiercely until shortly before noon, when White withdrew without having forced the Boers within their laagers, and with a heavy loss. The column of troops, consisting of the Irish Fusdleers, the Tenth Mountain battery and the Gloucester regiment, sent agaiiw-t the Boers Sunday, was scut rounded in the hills and after losing heavily. had to capitulate. A Boer orderly came in to the British lines in the evening under a flag of truce with letters from the survivors of the captured column, asking assistance to bury the dead. Among those captured nre Maj. Adye of Gen. White's staff: the lieutenant colonel, the majors and all the captains and lieutenants of the Irish Fusileers: the majors, captains and lieutenants of the Gloucester regiment: Maj. Bryant of the Royal artillery, all the ik n tenants of the Mountain battery and also the chaplain of the Irish Fusileers. Many of the captured officers and men were wounded. The Boers in the meantime kept up their artillery fire, and, besides playing havoc with the British troops, stampeded about forty mules used for transporting the heavy guns. The British were so busy using their small arms that they were unable to look after the mules, with the result that eight cannon were lost.' Charee Upon Big Gnns. It seems Gen. White’s first purpose was to charge the positions of the Boer batteries and rapture, if possible, the big guns, which played so important a part at Glencoe. The charge was considered successful at first, but upon their arrival at the point where the Boer gnns had been located the British found them gone. How Joubert managed, to remove the awkward, heavy weapons is a mystery to the British,, as they are said to weigh fully four tons each with their carriages. One London newspaper, trying to account for the British retirement, says that presumably the Boers were driven back until they reached strong positions, which White naturally refused to attack. Gen. White reports the stampede happening during the night, as the result of battery fighting. But the newspaper accounts indicate she runaway occurred during the day's action.

t ntland Is Ftartled. All England was startled at the news of the first severe disaster to the British. White, in what was evidently an important movement, almost lost 20 per cent of hie fighting force and eight of his fifty guns at one crack. Monday he had every available man engaged against the Boers, and reading between the lines of the official report and the dispatches of the English correspondents, he had all lie could do to get back to his base at Ladysmith after making his sortie. It is apparent that he had hoped to march out and strike a blow at one column of the enemy that would weaken the attack on all sides and give him the upper hand. He loot his left wing in attempting this plan. Three extra battalions of foot and one mountain battery, with reserves, will leave England during the course of ten days to make good the casualties. The war office has ordered a second army corps to be in readiness to be called out. The military officials are determined to have everything in readiness either for a demonstration in Europe of Great Britain’s capabilities or for sending even a larger force to the scene of action. One tramp and eighteen freight cars were demolished in a wreck at Nemo, Tenn.

GEN. SIR GEORGE WHITE.