BOER'S POSITION CAPTURED.

Manawatu Herald, 24 October 1899, Page 2

BOER'S POSITION CAPTURED.

The Boers are attacking Glencoe in great force. A general battle is raging. Reports received by the War

Office state Symons, commanding Glencoe wounded. It is also rumoured that the British captured the Boer position with five guns. Later reports state. 9000 Boers attacked Glencoe at daybreak shelling the town from the surrounging hills. Four thousand British defended. The Boers captured a goods train (on which were several war oorresw pondents), at Ciaudslaagte, thus preventing reinforcements reaching Glencoe. The Natal carbine, s gallantly engaged two thousand of the enemy at Beaters, 16 British being wounded. Lieut. Galwey (son of Sir Michael Henry Galwey), the Chief Justioe of Natal, is amongst the missing. The British artillery at Glencoe were in excellent praotioe. They silenced the Boer gddS. The infantry after hard fighting captured an almost inaccessible position, driving out the Boers, who retired eastward, fhe British losses Wetfe heavy. Later reports with reference to tbe assault on Glencoe states that the Boers managed to creep up to environs of the town unperceived during the night) and disposed their artillery in commanding positions on the top 3of the surrounding hills. Further details are to hand of the battle at Glencoe, whioh lasted for five hoiif_*

A force under General Sir Georg_ White repelled the Boers from Elands Laagte aboat sixteen miles from Lady smith, where they had destroyed the railway line. Tho object of the destruction, which was carried out by a handful of Boer cavalry, was to prevent the troops at Ladysmith from sending assistance to those at Glencoe.

The British captured the enemy's eqnipement, horses and waggons.

In their retreat the Boers were pur. ued by cavalry. General Joubert's main column, which is 7000 strong, and has its headquarters at Dannhauser, sent out an advance body 2000 strong but the Leicestershire Regiment and the 15th Battery of Artillery checked tbe advance of the enemy at Hattingspruit.

At six o'clook on Friday morning, in clear weather 400) Boers with four guns, from Utrecht and De Jaager's Drift, occupied Impati Hill.

The hill is 800 feet high and is situated three miles east of Glencoe. It also overlooks Dundee.

From this commanding position the B -ers began to fire «• plugged " shel's harmlessly into the British camp at Glencoe. /

General Jouberfc's plan was that the Free Staters should attack General Sir White's main body at Ladysmith, while the Utrecht force and his main column attacked at Glencoe.

As things happened only the Utrecht force was engaged.

Brigadier-General Sir W. P Symons. at Glenone, ordered the 13'h, 67th and 69th Batteries of Artillery into action.

The artillery then made splendid practice.

Within an hour the majority of tbe Boer guns were dismounted.

The effects of the British artillery fire caused consternation in tbe enemy's ranks.

Many of tbe Boers descends . tbe slopes of the hill.

To prevent these men from getting behind Glencoe, British infantry and cavalry were ordered forward.

Another section was detailed to prevent tbe enemy from connecting with their main column at Dann* hauser.

The 2nd Battalion (108 rd Fool) of th. Boyal Dublin Fusiliers, the Ist Battalion (60th Foot) of the King's Royal Rifle Corps, and the Ist Battalion (17th Foot) of thp Leicestershire Regiment, advanced under cover of artillery fire, and, taking advantage of cover stormed tho almost impregnable height.

It was a marvellous feat, somewhat of a counterpart of the storming of the heights of Spicheren by the Germans in August, 1870, during the FrancoPrussian war.

The -British infantry advanced in waves of skirmishers.

At the very foot of the mountain their difficulties began.

The Boer marksmen were well posted, but though the British dropped fast, their advance was not prevented.

For a moment the Boers seemed disposed to stand fast, but a section of their opponents outflanked them, and then drove them wildly down the hill towards the main road.

The retreat of the Boers was precipitate, their guns being captured. Some British cavalry and mounted infantry, with a few field guns, pursued the enemy towards the Buffalo river. During their flight mnay of them surrendered.

In the list of British killed there is a large proportion of officers, who refused to seek shelter like their men.

Brigadier-General Symons was terribly wounded in the groin at ten o'clock. Lieutenant-Colonel J. H. Yule, of the ist Battalion (uth Foot) of the Devonshire Regiment, succeeded the wounded commander. Telegraphing to the War Office, Lieutenant-Colonel Yule stated thaj the victory was due to Sir W. P. Symons's skill. The Boers were demoralised through distrust of General Joubert. Their losses are estimated at 600. The artillery and rifle firing of the Boers was bad. Ten British officers and thirty-five rack and file were killed; thirty offi-

cers and 150 rank and file were wounded.

The Queen has promoted Sir W. P. Symons to be a major-general.

There is immense rejoicing at Capetown over the British victory at Glencoe.

As was anticipated, the Orange Free State and Transvaal forces operating in Natal have focussed their pressure upon the two main centres of the British army almost simultaneously.

The same cablegrams from the Cape that tell of the assault on Glencoe also contain news of the approach ot the enemy to the vicinity of Ladysmith. Two thousand Boers appeared at Bester's, a district within a few miles of Ladysmith, situated on the branch railway line that runs into the Orange Free State by way of Van Reenen's Pass. At Bester's they were opposed by a force of the Natal Carbineers, who offered gallant and apparently successful resistance to their advance.

In the course of tbe engagement the colonial force had sixteen men wounded.

Lieutenant Gallwey, a son of Sir Michael Henry Gallwey, Chief Justice of Natal, is missing. On Thursday night two thousand Free Staters reached Actonhomes, Blaanbauk and Bester's from the Mintwa Pass and Van Reenen's Pass.

The Natal Carbineers were engaged nearly all day on Friday at Bester's. Disaster was narrowly escaped by the Carbineers; but by the splendid service of a Maxim gun the Boers were held in check.

Twenty thousand troops will have sailed from England for South Africa by Tuesday.

An armoured train, operating in the direction of Elandslaagate, telephoned that an engagement had taken place, resulting in the silencing of three ofthe Boers guns and the capture of Elandslagate. The enemy numbered iooo to 2000.

General White intended to re-open the railway to Glencoe. Several Boer commandos are required to overawe the natives on the Basuto and Swaziland frontiers. The treatening attitude of the Basutos is relieving the danger to the British at Aliwal North.

' Major Scott, commanding the mounted Police at Vryburg, xjommitted suicide, being unwilling to evacuate the town.

Mr Reitz has issued a manifesto to the Free Staters, denouncing the British as murderers and treaty breakers. He says Sir Alfred Milner and other statesmen have defrauded libelled the Afrikandee nation.

Premier Schreiner is working loyally with Sir A. Milner.

A meeting of Irishmen at Capetown condemned the formation of the Transvaal Irish Brigade. They supported Sir A. Milner. In the Commons before midnight Mr Balfour read a message announcing the Glencoe victory. When he announced that Major General Symons had been mortally wounded, all the members uncovered.

The censorship of the war authorities at the Cape is having the effect of reducing the cable details of the war. Mr Seddon received a cable on Monday morning confirming the Press cablegram account of the British victory at Glencoe and stating the Boers lost a thousand men.

A Reuter's message states the British casualties at Elangslaarge were 100. Many Boers were taken prisoners.