The Transvaal.

Manawatu Herald, 27 February 1900, Page 2

The Transvaal.

BATTLE OF KOODOOSRAND

Details of the battle show that Majolf-General Kelly- Kenny's column enveloped the Boers on both banks of the Modder river, compelling the main body to hid in the river bed, where they entrenched themselves, the British artillery, and infantry enclosing the position. The bed of the riveY formed a death trap. The Seaforth Highlanders, the Argyle Highlanders and the " Black Watch " advanced on Sunday under Major-Getieral Hector Macdonald (who was afterwards severely wounded) from the south towards the river.

The Essex and Yorkshire regiments with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, formed a line whose left rested on the river bank. The Fusiliers, who were on the extreme right, seized Koodoosrand Drift.

The firing on the open ground soon became deadly, the Boers fighting with desperate courage. They occupied a splendid position facing the Highland Brigade, who advanced partly on the river bed and partly in the open.

The Scottish regiments were compelled to lie on the ground, firing all day amid thunderstorms and terrible heat.

During the engagement Lieut.-Col-onel Smith, with a force which included the Canadians, attacked a laager to the north of the river.

These troops encnuntered a vigorous shell fire from a force of the enemy who, with Vickers-Maxim aud other guns held a kopje on the south bank of the river between the attacking British regiments.

The .Imperial artillery batteries caused great havoc in this laager, their ammunition waggons being set fire by the bursting shells. At the close of the day those portions of the enemy who occupied the river bed were enclosed in a limited area.

The musketry fire on both sides during the engagement was fierce.

From additional details which have come to hand it appears that on Monday and Tuesday the Boers were bombarded by fifty guns, the effect of which was to add considerably to the enemy's losses.

An armistice of twenty-four hours was asked for on Tuesday by General Cronje in order to bury the dead. Lord Kitchener replied, " Not a minute's armistice. Fight or surrender unconditionally." The Battle of Koodoosratid is described as having been a replica of that fought by Lord Methuen against General Cronje's army at Modder river on November 29th.

The result was indecisive, although the Boers confess that their casualties numbered eight hundred.

Lord Roberts, in reporting to the War Office from Paardeburg under date 21st inst. (Wednesday), says: — 44 A careful reconnaissance of the enemy's position yesterday satisfied me that it could not be assailed without very heavy loss. I therefore decided upon an artillery bombardment, and to turn the attention of the enemy's reinforcements." u The result," says the despatch, 14 was most satisfactory, the Boers being driven from the kopjes in all directions losing many killed and wounded, also fifty prisoners. The latter were men who had arrived from before Ladysmith by train two days ago. Our losses were two officers and four men slightly wounded." [The trifling losses mentioned here obviously refer to those suffered during the reconnaissance.] Further information regarding the progress of events at Koodoosrand shows that after receiving Lord Kitchener's reply on Tuesday refusing him an armistice. General Cronje replied that he would fight until he was dead.

Thereupon Lord Kitchener concentrated an awful fire from the howitzers, including lyddite shells, on the area held by the Boers, which was about a mile square. Soon a second message suggesting surrender reached Lord Kitchener,

who invited General Cronje into the British camp to arrange terms of capitulation. On hearing this Cronje declared that a mistake had been made —that he had not the slightest intention to surrender. Lord Roberts then took the situation in hand, and decided to crush the Boer resistance. Accordingly he directed a terrific artillery fire upon the devoted army at a distance of two thousand yards, enfilading the riverbed and the enclosing banks.

The position of the Boers is that they have abundance of water, but it is difficult to get food in the trenches, except at night.

The British reinforcements have been increased, thus preventing the possibility of the Boers now on their way from Natal reinforcing Cronje's -army. From additional information which has reached the authorities it appears that on Tuesday three field batteries add two naval twelve pounders, and three field batteries and three 4.7 m guns posted on the south and north banks of the river respectively, poured a stream of shot and shell into the Boer position. On Wednesday additional guns were brought to bear on the enemy and a continuous and devastating fire was kept up. Green fumes from the bursting lyddite shells were seen rising along the gully where the enemy has been entrapped, while the edges of the river were swept by shrapnel, the ravines and bushes also been searched by shell fire.

- Deserter* who have reached the British lines describe General Cronje's grim determination as overmastering the wishes of his followers, who are fighting with frenzied and tragic courage, the Boer laager being one mass of flames.

The deserters also state that on Tuesday njght General Cronje's wife pleaded with him 'to capitulate, and thus save the lives of his men, but he wad deaf to her entreaties.

The shelling of Cronje's position was again continued by the British artillery on Thursd?y, and the cordon oL sjirroundigg troops drawn tighter around the enemy. The Shropshire regiment has been advanced two hundred yards nearer to the river bed.

A force of 2000 Boers is reported to be hovering to the northward. The British infantry lay still until the artillery drove the Boers out of the laager, upon which the shell fire was concentrated.

• The seizure of Koodoosrand drift by the Welsh Fusiliers cut the Boer army in half, and the mounted troops and artillery, circling to the south, surrounded the kopjes and cut off their retreat.

Then Lientenaot-General French's cavalry division, marching from Kimberley, completed the circle, completely hemming in the Boer army. The Boers were finally driven to take shelter between the river banks, from which they were subjected the attacking forces to a hail of bullets, which also swept over the only space by which any part of their own men could have escaped. The prisoners captured by Lord Roberts in the late fighting include part of Commandant Louis Botha's commando, wnicli was recently engaged against General Bnller atSpionkop, Natal. Botha, with five hundred men, was routed from a kopje a mile southward ot Cvonje's laager.

LORD ROBERTS'S RAFIDITY OF ACTION.

Recognising the necessities of- rapid movement, Lord Roberts altered the whole-plan of campaign. Prisoners who have been captured by the British troops declare that the unexpected mobility of the army dealt a death blow to the Free State's resistance, and spoiled the proposed combinations of Generals Joubert and Cronje. In consequence of their rapid movements and the^exeessive heat, the British army hjsff exhausted a terrible number of hor^fes. General French's brigade alone has had hundreds disabled. General French's forcep supported by field artillery, is scouring the country towards Bloemfontein, aad has destroyed the approaching Boer reinforcements piecemeal. GENERAL BULLER. LADYSMITH NOT YET REACHED. Boer correspondence found by General Buller, when he obtained possession of the Boer Camp at Green Hill— which adjoins Inhlawe, east of Colenso — showed that the besiegers of Ladysmith were short-handed, and were unable to send to Colenso the reinforcements which had been asked for to resist the British advance there. General Buller has now got his heavy guns across the Tugela river. The Naval Brigade is in occupation of the hills towards Ladysmith. General Buller has reported to the War Office that he had twelve of his men killed and 102 wounded during an engagement on Tuesday and Wednesday last. He has now occupied Fort Wylie, commanding the town of Colenso on the Tugela river. He is conducting the fighting cautiously. The Boers still have their big guns i and considerable force of men on the hills. Fighting took place in the vicinity of Pieter's Station, nine miles south of Ladysmith, on Thursday. Cannonading by General White's artillery was also heard on Thursday. A ROLL OF TRAITORS. A roll of persons who had espoused the cause of the Boers has been found at Dordrecht since -Lieut.-General Gatacre's forces seized the town. It incriminates many settlers in the northern part of Cape Colony as disloyalists, THE CANADIANS. Lord Roberts has paid a tribute to the heroism of the Canadians in charging the Boer laager at Koodoosrand. The Ottawa correspondent of v The Times" says that every province in Canada isjrepreseuted in the casualty list.

/i^^_ i _^_^ 1 :.t_. ;_.... . ... . SOME BRITISH LOSSES. During the fighting on Sunday in the Paardeburg district, 147 of the British rank and file were killed Including thirty five of the Seafiorth Highlanders. Lieutenant J. J.. Grieve, of Sydney who was attached to the " Black Watch" regiment, was also among the killed. During the engagement at Klip Kraal, where Cronje's rearguard laagered for a time, 76 Britishers wera wounded, including Private Give Flint, of the New South Walea Mounted Infantry (dangerously.) *" THE WHITEJFLAG. Lord Roberts has notified that owing to the frequent violation of the Lite flag by the enemy, the British troops are not compelled to accept it. CAPTURE OF BOERS. General French has captured 75 Boers, while a patrol to the westward captured 30. v CAPE COLONY. V The Inniskilling Dragoons and a force of Australians has occupied Moosfontein, a small township in the Naauwpoort district, expelling the Boers, who are now retreating northwards. Three members of the Victorian Mounted Rifles are prostrated with illness." Quartermaster-Sergeant Bishop, $f the Westralian Mounted Infantry, has died at De Aar of sunstroke. Private Atcheson, of the NewSouth Wales Infantry, was killed by a shell at Arundel while holding horses. BRITISH LOSSES. The War Office return of the total casualties to the British army in the course of the campaign up to Saturday last as follows :—

It is also shown that of the wounded twenty-nine officers and 239 men had died from their wounds. Private W. E. Smith, of the south Australian contingent, was killed at Ariindel on the 31st instant. HECTOR MACbONALD. Later information shows that Major General Hector Macdonald of the Highland Brigade (who was wounded at the battle of Koodoosrand on^SjigK' day), was struck in the foot, b* not seriously, as at first reported. !$ KIMBERLEY. . Lieu.-General Lord Methuen will administer affairs in the Kimberley district. s Advices received from Pretoria state that fighting is going on around Petrusville, and also near Kimfy&rley. The result is still doubtful.

Officers. Men. ■ Killed ... 136 1273 ■ Wounded ... 376 5363 •• Missing ... ' 171 3446 ; i 703 897 a ; Total " 9675