Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/377

 1899.] Africa. — Cape Colony. — War with Boers. [369

The first engagement of the war was on October 12, when an armoured train carrying cannon to Mafeking was attacked and several men were captured. Not many days after, both Mafeking and Kimberley in Cape Colony were invested and heavy guns were brought up to bombard them.

The Free State Boers invaded Cape Colony, November 1. To relieve Kimberley and Ladysmith, and to protect Cape Colony, the British forces were divided into three columns. Lord Methuen with about 7,500 men advanced from Cape Town on the road to Kimberley. General Gatacre with some 4,000 was sent to Queenstown to repel the invasion from the Free State, and General Clery with a much larger force pro- ceeded from Durban towards Ladysmith. Reinforcements continually arriving by the numerous transports were sent on to the front — the largest number going to Natal. Division after division was sent out from England on the long three weeks' voyage of over 6,000 miles, and on November 11 a fifth division was mobilised.

Lord Methuen moved on from the Orange River for the relief of Kimberley; and, on November 23, with the Guards Brigade and the 9th Brigade, drove 2,500 Boers at the point of the bayonet out of their strongly entrenched position at Bel- mont. Two days later at Enshn, near Graspan, a memorable battle was fought against 3,000 Boers, where the Naval Brigade with their heavy guns distinguished themselves, but their losses were very heavy. Fourteen were killed and 91 were wounded of a force of about 550 men, and all their officers excepting two suffered because they took no advantage of cover. The Guards in this battle, as at Belmont, used the bayonet effectively. On November 28 Lord Methuen's army engaged about 8,000 Boers under personal command of General Cronje, strongly entrenched on both banks of the Modder River, and on an island in the full-flowing stream. Lord Methuen described this engagement as one of the hardest and most trying fights in the annals of the British army. After desperate fighting, which lasted for ten hours under a burning sun, the men having no food or water, the enemy quitted their position. Firing was effective up to 1,600 yards, but the troops when lying down were comparatively safe. The ammunition reserve could not be brought to the firing line, and there was no cover for the British troops as they made their frontal attack. Colonel Northcott, Lord Methuen's chief of staff, and three other officers were killed and Lord Methuen* was slightly wounded in this battle. Seventy-one men were killed, and 19 officers and 375 men were wounded.

Meanwhile General Gatacre had begun operations in Cape Colony, northwards of Queenstown. He occupied Bushmen's Hoek, November 27, while his main force was at Putter's Kraal. On December 10 he met with a sad reverse in making a night attack on Stormberg. Misled by guides on his march from

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