Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 December 1899 — BOERS ROUT BULLER. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BOERS ROUT BULLER.

BRITISH COMMANDER CRUSHING DEFEAT. Eleven Guns Lost and Many Men Killed and Wounded in Attempt to Relieve Ladysmith—Carefully Planned Simultaneous Attack at Three Places Fails. News of another crushing defeat to the British arms was received at midnight Friday by the British war office in London. This time the victim is not Methuen orjSatacre, but Gen. Buller, to whom the nation had been looking to redeem it’s tottering military prestige. Gen. Bui ler reports that he was severely defeated by the Boers at the Tugela river during the day, not only suffering heavy losses in killed and wounded, but having to abandon ten guns and losing another that was destroyed by the enemy’s shells. He moved against the • Boers Friday morning, in pursuance of his purpose of raising the siege of Ladysmith, from his camp near Chieveley, his plan being to force the passage of the Tugela simultaneously at two drifts or fords, situated two miles apart, by two brigades, under Gens. Hart and Hildyard respectively, with a third brigade under Lyttleton in the center, ready to give its support where needed. The Boers proved too

strong for Hart, who delivered the first attack on the western drift. He was driven back, with great loss, although his men behaved with the utmost bravery. Then came Hildyard’s turn, and his movement' was begun propitiously, when the crushing disaster of the day occurred. The artillery under Col. Long, which had been withdrawn from its support of Hart to aid in Hildyard’s attempt to cross the eastern drift, approached too close to the river, and was suddenly confronted by a terrible rifle fire from a large force of the enemy, which had been concealed by the river banks. It appears to have been a veritable ambuscade, and the whole of the British artillery was in a few moments put out of action, all its horses being killed. Gallant efforts werp made to save the guns, but all were lost’ but two. Whole Army Retreats. Hildyard’s movement was, of course, out of the question without the support of the artillery, and he was ordered to withdraw, and the whole force retired to the camp at Chieveley. The news of this disastrous reverse of Gen. Buller’s entire army has filled the cup of British bitterness to overflowing. The attack which Englishmen were impatiently awaiting, even demanding, for the relief of Ladysmith. was delivered Friday morning. It not only failed completely, but the British army was driven back to its original position at Chieveley, after heavy slaughter and the loss of a large portion of its artillery. The immediate consequences of Gen. Buller's reverse are very disheartening to the British. There is no need to say that the news startled and aroused England as nothing has done in recent times. From now on the country will go to war as if the life of the empire depended on the issue, as it truly does. Pretoria has now become as vital to the preservation of the British empire as the possession of Bombay, Melbourne or London itself. The struggle in South Africa will now be treated as a great war, which it is, and not as an expedition. England will now mobilize the militia and colonial troops, and also call for vohin; teers, if necessary. She will pour soldiers and guns into South Africa with-, out number. But the first thing she will do is to call a halt. There will be no further attempt to invade the Boer republics until a great army is massed in Africa, and more than a month must elapse before this can be done.

GEN. SIR HENRY REDVERS BULLER.