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Show BRITISH HEROISM. 3ECIMENTS RESISTED UNTIL AMMUNITION AM-MUNITION WAS GONE. Males Stampede With Artillery and Infantry In-fantry Reserve Ammunition-British Fortify a Hill and Fight to the Last. London. Nov. 3. The gloom caused by the British disaster at Ladysmith is, in a measure, relieved by an account of the heroio stand made by the decimated deci-mated battalions until their last cartridges cart-ridges were gone. The British nerve was momentarily shaken by' General White's use of the word capitulate in his first telegram, but now that it is known that the Gloucesters aud Fusi-leers Fusi-leers fought against overwhelming odds and upheld the best traditions of the British army, the tension has been relieved, since there is no longer any ground to dread that the loss of life was accompanied by dishonor. The captured detachments under command of Colonel Carlton was one of two sent out to occupy strong positions. posi-tions. They made a night march successfully suc-cessfully until within two miles of the point they desired to reach, when passing pass-ing through a canyon, boulders were rolled down the hill stampeding the infantry ammunition mules. The stampede spread to the battery mules, which broke loose from their leaders and ran away with practically the whole of the gun equipment and the greater portion of the small arms ammunition. am-munition. The reserve was similarly lost. Of the fight that succeeded General White reports as follows: "The infantry battallions, however, fixed bayonets and accompanied by the personnel of the artillery, seized a hill on the left of the road two miles from the position they expected to occupy, with but little opposition. There they remained unmolested until dawn, the time being occupied in organizing the defense of the hill and constructing stone sangers and walls as cover from fire. " At dawn a skirmishing attack on our position was commenced by the enemy, but made no way until 9:30 a. m., when reinforcements enambed them to rush to the attack with great energy. Their fire became very searching and two companies of the Gloucesters in an advance position were ordered to fall back. The enemy then pressed to short range, the losses on our side becommlng very numerous. "At 3 p. m. our ammunition was practioally exhausted, the position was captured and the survivors of the column col-umn fell into the enemy's hands. The enemy treated our wounded with humanity, hu-manity, General Joubert at once dispatching dis-patching a letter to me offering a safe conduct of doctors and ambulances to remove the wounded. A medical officer of-ficer and parties to render first aid to the wounded were dispatched to the scene of action from Ladysmith. " The want of success of the column was due to the misfortune of the mules stampeding and the consequent loss of the guns and small arm ammunition reserve. The official list of causalties and prisoners will be reported shortly. The latter are understood to have been sent by rail to Pretoria. The security of Ladysmith is in no way affected." The full battalions were not engaged and, therefore, the list of prisoners is materially reduced, while the disaster now appears to have been not so much the consequence of defects in the plan of action as to a misfortune whereby the column was deprived of its ammunition. ammu-nition. Still it seems uncomprehensible why the plight of the luckless column was not known at headquarters as the scene of the surrender was only about three miles northwest of Ladysmith, and Lieutenant-Colonel Carlton must have expected relief to reach him, or, instead of attempting to occupy a defensive de-fensive position he would have retraced his steps to Ladysmith when he suffered suf-fered the loss of his ammunition. |