Herbert Wrigley Wilson

“ Thus in a few short days had the British people been brought face to face with the tragic realities of war. The scales fell from all eyes; it was clear to every man that this was a struggle for life or death, a struggle in which defeat must mean the loss of South Africa and the shaking of the British Empire to its very foundations, and in which victory at the best could never regain for us what we had forfeited—our reputation before the world. ”

“ It has been said that British soldiers are better at an advance than a retreat. In retreat the very best troops, especially if galled by artillery to which they can make no reply, are apt to break and run. But the soldiers of the Northumberland Fusiliers and Royal Irish Rifles in this hour displayed a steadiness above all praise—a stubbornness and endurance which proved their splendid quality, and showed them equal to any work when well led. They ground their teeth, indeed, as they saw the dead and wounded left behind unaided and untended. ”

“ Our military annals, splendid though these are, contain nothing finer than the advance of the Dublin Fusiliers at Colenso, of the Guards at Belmont, and of the Marines at Enslin, or the conduct of General Pole-Carew and his devoted band in the anxious hours when the Modder River fight swayed to and fro and the balance inclined against us. And yet, though hundreds of brave men now lay festering in the sun or in their shallow graves on the far-off veldt, and hundreds more filled those homes of silent agony, the hospitals, nothing had been accomplished. ”

“ The painful fact was that Sir Charles Warren's army was assaulting a fortress of immense strength held by splendid soldiers—assaulting, too, without the assistance of an overpowering artillery and long-range field guns. No effort was spared by the brigadiers and subordinate officers. General Hart, sword in hand, was in his usual place, the van; the bravest of men, he sent his staff to cover, that the risks he faced might not be theirs. But the hopelessness of the work was slowly dawning upon everyone. At the close of the day, when the firing ceased, the army had again to mourn grievous losses. ”

“ And still the Boers were silent in their trenches and our artillery refrained from speaking out."
Puzzling as was the silence of the Boers, the silence of the British artillery was still more curious. The soldier in his attacks likes to hear the roar of his own guns; it gives him moral courage and a sense of support. He dislikes an enemy who awaits his onset in absolute silence and withholds fire till the last moment. Upon the kopjes no enemy could be discerned; the hills seemed so many huge lifeless stone-heaps, tenanted only by scorpions and lizards. ”

“ Suddenly, after a prolonged silence since the early morning, the Boer artillery began to fire shell and shrapnel at the British guns. Just behind these guns were placed the sad remnants of the Highlanders—a dispirited mass of men in close order. One or two projectiles came shrieking amongst them, whereupon, suddenly and as if at the word of command, the men of the brigade once more precipitately retired, turning their backs upon the enemy and pouring in complete disorder past Lord Methuen's flag. ”

“ At once the Boers replied. Two shells, beautifully aimed, fell right amongst the British guns, putting one ammunition waggon out of action. Our weapons were old and feeble 7-pounders, the Boer guns long-range quick-firing 14-pounders—the weapons lost in the shameful Raid, and now by strange retribution pointed against the brave men who had to pay for the deplorable mistakes of the past. Nothing but withdrawal could have saved the Natal Artillery. The guns fell back and the British force hastened out of range, while General French telegraphed instantly for reinforcements. ”

“ The field artillery, too, poured in a heavy fire. Nothing was more admirable than the manner in which the British infantry went forward under a perfect tempest of bullets and carried one after another of the Boer lines of defence with never a check. The men cheered at each rush; as they mounted the slopes, through the crackle of the musketry came, from the rear, the stirring tunes of a regimental band. It was the Scots Guards' band, stationed well behind the firing line, the only one that played its regiment into action.
"By George! A British infantryman is a plucky chap!" ”

“ The new commander-in-chief, Field-Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar, was in his sixty-eighth year, yet, despite his age, he had retained the vigour and energy of youth. Nineteen years before, in 1881, he had gone out to South Africa to avenge Majuba, and had been recalled when Mr. Gladstone changed his mind and decided to make a humiliating compromise with the Boers. Now he was to achieve the work which then Fortune had withheld from him. No soldier was more beloved and venerated by the nation, to which his name had long been a household word. ”

“ The Boers had Louis Botha—young, brave, active, a born leader of men—who had held a small band steady through the evening, and had even succeeded in bringing up reinforcements. The British troops had no one but Colonel Thorneycroft, and he, weary with twenty-four hours of terrible conflict, appalled by the manner in which the force on the summit had melted and suffered in the struggle, unconscious that the enemy was equally hard hit, and with no knowledge that help was at hand, was in no condition to reach a cool and balanced judgment. ”

“ The British advance across the plain under a fearful fire was splendidly conducted; the Devons were as steady as on parade, firing volleys from time to time and always slowly gaining ground, till they reached the foot of the final steep ascent which led to the summit of the ridge. Men were dropping every moment; the Mauser bullets sang through the air thick as swarms of bees, while in front the crest of the ridge glowed with the perpetual rifle fire of the enemy against the inky blackness of the storm-clouds. ”

“ Mont Blanc was stormed by the 1st Coldstreams with splendid dash, while the Northamptons and Northumberlands attacked a high ridge to the south of it. Here Chaplain Hill, of the Ninth Brigade, covered himself with honour. He followed the fighting line and administered the last consolation of the Sacrament to the dying, standing erect where no man dared to show himself amidst the hail of bullets. It was a noble and inspiring picture; the fallen soldier prone in the grip of death; the priest upright and serene; around on every side the tumult of battle and the rush of the storming line. ”

“ Churchill, [Pg 264] "to stand unmoved and watch the ceaseless living stream—miles of stern-looking men, marching in fours so quickly that they often had to run to keep up, of artillery, ammunition columns, supply columns, baggage, slaughter-cattle, thirty great pontoons, white-hooded, red-crossed ambulance waggons, all the accessories of an army hurrying forward under cover of night—and before them a guiding star, the red gleam of war." ”

“ Away in the front rose dense clouds of dust as from the march of a large body of men. At first it was thought that the movement proceeded from the Boers; but the painful truth was soon revealed. The Highland Brigade had given way once more. Threatened with a flank attack by the enemy, under a heavy cross fire, the shaken, thirst-tortured infantry could hold its ground no longer. Colonel Hughes-Hallett, whom the death of his senior officers had left in command, saw the plight of his men and gave the order to retire. ”

“ The First British Victory of the War.
On the right, the Gordons, Manchesters, and Light Horse were also pushing forward. With a roar of cheering they gained the top of the ridge, living and dead and dying in one compact mass. The air rang with tumultuous shouts; the bugles sounded the charge, for the Gordons had yet to storm their way along the ridge under a withering stream of lead which poured from an eminence at its further end; Colonel Ian Hamilton was playing his last card. ”

“ The ground traversed up to this point had been rough in the extreme, steep hillocks alternating with deep-cut watercourses and mimosa copses. Over these the men blundered in the dark, taking every precaution to hide their movements from the Boers. Smoking and talking were forbidden; the little force picked its way in silence. All was still but for the fitful sputtering of the rifle fire exchanged between the outposts, which echoed in the mountain hollows on the left. ”

“ At Enslin Lord Methuen addressed his troops upon the morning after the battle. He congratulated them upon the work they had done, and expressed his appreciation of their gallant endurance of hardship. The work was the severest encountered by the British Army for many a long day. They had, in front of them, an enemy to whom they could not afford to give one point, whose tactics had been excellent, and whose courage he recognised and admired. When called upon to fight for his country, he preferred to fight against such a foe—a foe worthy of his steel. ”

“ The Australians showed great steadiness and courage. A small party under Captain Cameron dismounted and covered the retreat of the others with a rapid and accurate fire. "They shot like lightning, not volley after volley straight in front of them, as do regular soldiers," said a Boer afterwards, "but every man picked his man and shot to kill. We dared not face them." The Boers endeavoured to work round them and cut them off, but at the right moment the colonials made a dash, mounted their horses, and rode off under a hail of bullets, with only one man slightly wounded. ”

“ If at this moment the uselessness of persisting in the enterprise with worn-out men had been realised, and a prompt retreat ordered, no mischief would have resulted. But, far from retreating, the force pushed on in the dim light carelessly, in close order, as though there had been no enemy within miles. "No cheering, men, but get in silently with the bayonet," was General Gatacre's only order. In the breaking daylight, an admirable target, the column defiled past a line of kopjes. ”

“ An attack on a similar train three days earlier, at Kraaipan, near Mafeking, was the first overt act of war.
The Reserves mobilised.
Yet there was outward calm. The reservists answered the call like Englishmen; like men, that is to say, who know a painful duty lies before them and will do it. Scarcely one was missing when the time given them to rejoin had elapsed. Deserters, who had shipped for America, of their own free will came back to fight the Boers. Men rose from beds of sickness that they might serve with the old colours and not betray the confidence reposed in them. ”

“ Always the British field artillery kept its position in the open, its gunners working like demons to save their comrades and shake the enemy's nerves. Always the tempests of bullets passed, for the most part innocuous, over the prone infantry. Always the enemy's rifles crackled and his guns pounded and banged. ”

“ Finally, the strength of the second Canadian contingent was raised to 1,300 men with six 12-pounder guns, but even so, it was far below the wishes of the people. The men who were picked were active and intelligent, accustomed to an outdoor life, sitting their horses like centaurs. They speedily showed in war that they were a full match for the Boers, man for man, in marksmanship, the art of taking cover, and stubborn courage, while they had that high spirit which preaches attack rather than defence, and which the Boers, among their many fine qualities, altogether lacked. ”

“ From the magazine rifles of the Boers poured a continuous stream of lead upon the struggling, confused mass of British soldiers, "packed like sardines." The disorder was terrible; in the darkness the men could not discern their officers or sergeants and knew not whom to obey or how and where to rally. All manner of cries and orders were heard: "Lie down!" "Extend!" "Fix bayonets!" "Charge!" "Retire!" "No, Forward!" Two companies did charge, but, stung by the hail of bullets from in front and fired into also by the excited men behind, had to fall back. ”

“ Fatigue of the British troops.
So exhausted were the men by their long march and by the climb, that when the retreat began many threw themselves down and instantly fell asleep under the enemy's fire. No efforts of their officers or comrades could keep them awake. Men fell in a heavy slumber as they staggered down the mountain side. Others had not the endurance left to march back through the bullet-swept zone behind them, and sank down on the kopjes waiting to be made prisoners, because they felt escape was beyond their strength. ”

“ To men who bear themselves thus, both statesmen and the nation owe a duty in their turn. They must provide the best weapons, the best training, the best leadership, the best equipment, that the sacrifice may not be made in vain; they are responsible in the sight of posterity and of God, if they needlessly waste human lives or bring sorrow and bereavement upon thousands of homes; they are not asked, like our devoted reservists, private soldiers, and officers, to face the scorching heat and the devouring thirst of the march, the chills of the sodden bivouac, the blood and torture of battle ”

“ A patrol of Light Horse rode down to the river; the Devons and West Yorkshires followed; the field batteries on the heights overlooking the drift drew up in line and prepared to open; from the right through the morning air came the thunder of the howitzers and the heavy thud of the naval guns on Spearman's Hill, telling that General Lyttelton was already in action. The uproar of battle re-echoed through this remote mountain land and reverberated in the lonely eyries of Taba Myama. ”

“ Then followed the din of the thirty British howitzers and field guns, bombarding the Boer trenches might and main to take the pressure off the Scotsmen. Their much-needed aid was not without effect. It was no longer possible for the Boers to fire with complete impunity, and though the Highlanders could not retreat or move without drawing a storm of bullets, they no longer lost heavily. Like the British troops at the Modder River, they lay flat on the ground behind what cover they could find. ”

“ Napoleon once said that France and England would never remain at peace; their peace would be only suppressed war. And it might as truly be said of the Transvaal that, since the great betrayal of British interests which followed Majuba and which gave self-government back to the Dutch Republic, it had never been at peace with Britain, but had for eighteen years maintained barely concealed hostilities against all things British. It had armed, plotted, lied, conspired, intrigued, oppressed, prevaricated for the one great end of domination in South Africa at whatever cost. ”

“ Lord Roberts arrived, and at the head of his troops made his entry. There was no looting or plundering. The British Army, always famous for its rigid discipline in war, filed in in perfect order, and paid for everything which it took. Military police patrolled the streets; sentries stood in front of every store. The hungry and thirsty khaki-clad men bought up all the bread and milk that they could get, and the Boers began almost to bless a war which had brought them such customers. ”