Show v V VAT AT GRAS CRAB PAN AND MODDER RIVER RIVERT T Terrific Fighting as Described from British View T t hEAT pO IN THE SHADE or the tUrn Ilen Who the II of Great Heroism Correspondence Associated Press London Jan war corre correspondents are pourIng In through the malls mails columns of descriptions of opera operations In South Africa Those recently printed refer chiefly to the battles or of Gras Pan and Madder Modder for tor It is IB yet et too early earb for the publication of fuller accounts ot of defeat at Colenso The Times correspondent at Modder river has written a 11 graphic nc ac account count or of the lon long fierce battle that takes Its name from that river For the whole ot of the dl day he writes The guards brigade 10 lay on the op open n veldt In a 11 heat that was waa actually degrees In the shade at midday While the left flank had not been Idle and after the general had personally l them to the summit ot of II a slight rise that commanded the only possible means ot of crossing crossin the dam that had been built to turn the Madder Modder river Into an ornamental water for the picnic of oC I excursionists they moved la in echelon toward the edge II ot of the tho river bank on the ex extremo extremo left That It could even bo be attempted to cross the river sliding sideways through the rush ot of water over oyer the paddles ot of Il a rickety Iron bar one by byone byone one clinginG to the short supports In full tull view ot of the opposite shores was nn an act ot of reckless heroism against which even een the wary Cronje had not provided This however Is what was actually done and It would be to find finda a for Cor the stubborn pluck ot of the themen themen men who accompanied Col Barter across the yards of oC darn dam and weirs one by one some of oC them crossing Then a 11 detachment ot of the royal en showing how well they thoy could take theIr part In the forefront or of the fighting line after alLer that some somo more of oC the tho Yorkshire infantry which cleared several ot of the nearest houses on the right and affected an anac c ot of nn an Irrigation patch from which the they were never dislodGed To ITo fight for tor thirteen hours Is in an or ordeal ordeal deal which In ordinary warfare would be a terrible strain but out on the tre tle less veldt with Ith tM the then ther thermometer nt at the degree above men mentioned mentioned the exhaustion suffered by our men was so great that In hundreds ot of cases men and alike aUke slept as they lay In the scrub careless ot of shell or rifle rille fire To provide them food tood was Impossible to brinK bring a water carton cart on the field ns as the guards fount toun by bitter experience was only tempting men to expose themselves to death rushing for Cor the water at all hu has aids ards and leaving the cover corer such as It was afforded by the tho nine or growth ot of mimosa scrub Early In the afternoon the general genua was shot through the thigh and for tor some time the two brigades In the tho ab scare ot of orders ordeN were compelled to act Inde independently ot of the other the only communication being n a warning to the nInth brigade not to Ore fire upon the first of at which there WAI danger The magnificent manner In which thi Doers Boers had realized and augmented the strength or of the position the success UCC II with which kept their works work and disposition s secret cret until the crucial moment the t feint on the extreme right b by which th they y drew off the entire ar a I tiller strength tren th ot of our force torce from their position and the IUta Gt M tM IM lit ranges should all be remembered to the tho credit ot of their generals But Dut It was lii In the materIal which formed the commando that the they failed Called The They could not do more than the they actu actually ally did with the men under their corn com command mand Already jealousies had sprung Up tip between the generals the men ac accused each other of cowardice and the tho threat of physical force had It if rumors were true to be held over ocr them more than once The Tho Maxim gun cun was the most effective weapon used b by the Boors Boers five or six fired In one second while the gun was tray trav had more moral effect than the steady discharge ot of shrapnel or the or ordinary dinar at aL Intervals One man not tar tram from mo me had both thighs blown off orr as he sat b bone by byone one ot of these little shells landing on the ground between them but there Is no question that the moral effect was vas as asa a rule greater than the practical re ic suIts ault No gun was as more cordially diS diSliked disliked liked men than this new weapon that 1 us hs usually christened Bong ng the patent of which In 1st 1592 1192 was offered d to and declined by our go gov Ot Of the lessons to be learned from odder Modder river this correspondent says sars It Il should be Impossible In an any future wl var r for tor the o to retain their swordS and It will 11 be worth while for tor forthe the war to construct some light carbine that can be carried by them In Instead instead stead of the tho weighty rifle served out to i ithe the men menThe menThe The conduct of the tho marine naval brig brigate ate ads nt at Grans Pan nn Is n a source of un unending unending ending praise froni Crom nil all The Times representative nt at that bat batI battie I tie writes The naval brIgade nd ad advanced In extending order but In con converging verging upon the position to bo be taken the they unconsciously found themselves closed In and the formation attempt attempted ed the Hie ascent The fire dl directed l upon them was terrible and distinguished b by their h lr swords the were first to tall Col Ethelstan was mortally wounded fifty yards ards from the first slope and one b by ono one the rest tell fell as they advanced many with two or three bul bullet bullet let wounds The slaughter wan appalling to watch the gallantry displayed was 4 tise lS leSs under the pitiless s Iron hail that was but slightly checked by the re redoubled ou bled of tile the reInforced battery batter With a cheer the Yorkshire men by curious a coincidence they had been convoyed from MaurItius by the very Cr m men to whose help they now a 11 tremendous Cu fusillade to toward toward ward the crest of the tho San Sangar ar Of DC course they lost heavily but their open forina tion and the ImpossibIlity of distin distinguishing omeara saved them tram from the concentrated fire that had deprived the naval detachment ot of their leaders and little by little the thin line IIno ot of men crawled up to the top The storming line 1100 was now so BO near the crest that the guns could only be directed upon the Doers Beers the tram from tho spurs epurs ot of the kopje on the left and almost In n a calm S C Taylor Talor clo closely I followed by Jones ot of the marines reached the outer works of the Sangar and made their way over In the next fifty men tumbled over and immediately rushed foard to clear the position In the rear This Thin was however stubbornly held for tor a quarter ot of an hour more per perhaps perhaps haps as a l screen n more tItan than anything else to cover the retreat or of the Doers Abo the tho hilltop wan wall almost dripping with blood not a l boulder escaped its or of crimson and the Innumerable ble splinters and chips or of stone blocks Indicated the terrific nature or of our fire nrc Most ot of the dead or wounded Beers DOtI were carried more severely wounded were found In their hospital a quarter ot of a mile hero and there a dead man proved that here the Transvaal hod sent Its men down for forthe forthe the first time to meet the oncoming column |