THE FIGHT AT LAINSECK.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 59, 25 March 1881, Page 3

THE FIGHT AT LAINSECK.

. ■* Natal February 7. [ At six in the liui'uiug of Januan ! 28, the order to advance was sounded. . A mounted Squadron, composed ol oven!,y men ot tho 60th, l«d up t" ! the flat which lios in liont of the " v eck " f Howed by tbe Nav.il ' Brigade, with tlm>e rocket tubea,thoSfch, and a » ody of artillery witi two seven |/OUnhr.s ai\d four nine - mourned polite briugiu;*. up the rear with the ambulances. The flat was reached without the enemy making any demonstration. The Brigade with the rocket tubes then took up a position on the left front nearly facing the high road which runs through tli9 "Neck," to the right two nine-pounders unlimbered, and on the extreme right the other two nine-pounders. One company of Rifles (detachment ol 21st) and the Gatlings also left the camp, and at 9.55 the guns began shelling the " Neck." By this time Boers had been seen on the top of the " Neck," but not a shot had been fired by them. Sir G. Colley commanded in person. He was aware of the strength of the enemy's position, Majors Poole and Bukett (For continuation of reading matter see fourth page.)

" L *'■ : ; ,■ • - having Teconnpitred the placo dur ing the night After three-quarrers of an hour's firing .which the guns made excellent practice, it wis thought practicable to carry the position 500-. yards to the left of the Boers' lines, , at, the point of the bayonet.;. Amounted. Squadron W * IS accordingly "ordered to ta^'e the hill on the extreme, light, and tha oSth to oarry' the height. When . the leading oompanios of tie 58th got about half, iyay ; . up the i } J c, th c fir st j troop of the mounted Squadron,' led : hy Major l? JJrownJpw and Sergeant Major. Lunyj, charged the kopje j held by the enemy on our extreme right. The men rode close up to | the place,! 'hut in about five seconds ; half the .^tddle.^ were empty. As an \ instance of the valour shown by tho mounted .men, Sergeant Major Luny actually got into the trenches, hut was there' immediately shot' 'dead, half a dozen rifles being fired at him, the Squadron retired after tbe first destructive Volley-, reformed, and a second time charged up the hill. Nothing, however, could live under the fire, aud fell back with seventeen men killed and wounded, and thirtytwo horses hors fie combat.. By the time the cavalry were in retreat, the 58th were attacking the hill. The first rush np the. hill made tho mon blow hard, as the grass was long, and the previous day's rain made a quick movement- forward -hard woik. After two minutes' rest Ihey gained a slight ridge intervening between them and the position cliey were trying to reach, but before the order given to deploy to the right could be cairied out, the moment the heads of our men were seen by the. enemy; over the ridge, and while they were somewhat crowded together the front company received a, terrific volley, the Uoers en> filadin'g them on tlie right rank. After about -five minutes under this fire they as best as they could. Colonel Deane oalled " charge : ' and immedaitely afterwards his horse was shot under him. He fell to the ground, bat springing to his feet, reassured his men, calling out "1 am all right.*' ' Tho words were hardly out of bis lips when he fell again, this time moitally wounded. When Colonel Deane. called for a charge, Major Hingestin and other officers went well to the front, ia order to en courage them for 'he desperate work before them".' iThe Major was imme» diately shot down, and has since died. The Boers thi* time kept well within their retrenchments-, -*n>.l ouv men, lying on the 'ground, took a *?ho_ ■whenever an opponent waa seen. When the Hritish rose up to charge, the fire poured; into them was described by everyone who came buck as terrible, to remember, fur men were actually w,itbin : twenty yards cf the trenches, and lying on the giouud, kept up the fires That of the Hoers told with fearful effect, whilst ours was necessarily less ' des*ruc- . tive. Here • Major Poole and Lieut. I>olphin were killed. Thnir bodies were found afterwards lyiug well iv the front of their men. Captain Lovegiove was seriously wounded, and nearly all the non commissioned officers were either killed or seriously wounded Thotc who survived the fire say that in the l-Joer lines they saw. colored men armed and fighting, but whether Hottentots or Kaffirs they cannot say. Tho only commissioned officers witli the regiment ..who came out of it aro Captain Lovej-rovo (wounded), Lieut. Bolton, the Hon. Monck, acting- Adjutant O'Donnell (wounded), Morgan, Hill, Peel, Laoy, and Quarter Master Wallace. Captain Hornby, of die 58 th, who was in command of the mounted squadron, now commands ihe 58th. Out of the five staff offi cers only one (Major Essex) came out alive, tie must bear a charmed life, being one of the survivors of Is andula. Returning to the details of the encounter, there is but one fact to add. When the 58th were compelled to retires Lieut Bailie, who carried the r.egimen»al colors, being mortally wounded,Lieut. Peel offered to assist him. " Never mind me ; save the colors, he said." Peel, carrying the Queen's colors, took both, but falling into a hole Sergt. Bridstock, thinking he had bee*^ shot, took the colors and ran with them out bf danger. Bailie's body was recovered the following day, minus the boots, leggings, etc. This applies to the accoutrements of all the men, as-the Dutch"- 'appropriated these articles. When the retreat commenced; the artillery began firing fast on the Boers, who new showed themselves and kept up a constant fusillade. The* shells did good service, and kept (he Boers from following the men,' ami but for the artillery, the loss of life on our side must have been greater than if was. The practice of the - lirtillery was really splendid. Upon reaching the" foot of the Ml, the 58th Pegiment refilled their poucht*. and were, prepared to make another att_«ipt fo 1 storm the position, but they foun'a il ia fc 7*3 had been killed and 100 woutnua. Having c<wne up to the guns, the tfhole force then fell back towarda..tho camp. A flag of tCTflftiFffo .'ken sent forward to the enemy and both parties engaged, in. the i mtk of buryifcg the * dead tahd removing . the wounded The offer of a surgeon to attAtb.the wounded ißoewiwas refused by them. They pi»JbajMs ##»<;> their wounded £ away, as waggons were seen later on Tuesday, gdftjg ia; the; direction of Wakker stroma* -