Battles of the nineteenth century . at weremoving towards the railwaybetween Elandslaagte andtJie town. The result wasthe action known as thebattle of Rietfontein. Sir George Whites scoutshad reported the movementof the Free State commandoesground near Beesters towards the line of therailway. Their guns could be seen on thesummit of Jononos Kop. On Tuesdajmorningin the twilight White marched out to drivethem from this point of vantage and keep themso frJly occupied as to prevent them frominterfering with Yules retreat. He left Hunter with a small detachment tohold the town. The force that marc
Battles of the nineteenth century . at weremoving towards the railwaybetween Elandslaagte andtJie town. The result wasthe action known as thebattle of Rietfontein. Sir George Whites scoutshad reported the movementof the Free State commandoesground near Beesters towards the line of therailway. Their guns could be seen on thesummit of Jononos Kop. On Tuesdajmorningin the twilight White marched out to drivethem from this point of vantage and keep themso frJly occupied as to prevent them frominterfering with Yules retreat. He left Hunter with a small detachment tohold the town. The force that marched outwas made up of a brigade of infantry (theDevons. Gloucesters, Liverpools, and 2nd KingsRoyal Rifles), of cavalry the ?th Royal IrishLancers and the iQth Hussars, of mountedinfantry the Imperial Light Horse and the NatalRifles, and of artillery eighteen guns suppliedby the loth Mountain Battery and the 42ndand 53rd Batteries In all there wereabout ;,ooo men. Mr. Steevens, who was with the force, de-c huge-horned GENERAL(Pkolo: Yo, scribes the march out in his picturesque style. At four in the dim morning, he says, gunsbegan to roll and rattle through the mud-greasedstreets of Ladysmith. By six the whole northernroad was jammed tight with bearer company,field hospital, ammunition column, all the stiff,unwield}-, crawling tail of an army. Indianstottered and staggered under green-curtaineddoolies ; Kaffir boys guided spans of four andfive and six mules drawing ambulances likebakers vans ; others walked beside waggonscurling whips that would dwarf the biggestsalmon-rod round the flanks of small-bodied,This tail of the army alonecovered three miles of length, emerging in frontof them, you found twoclanking field batteries andsections of mountain gunsjingling on mules. Aheadof these, again, long khakilines of infantry sat besidethe road or pounded itunder their even tramp-Then the general himserand his staff; then bestpart of a regiment of in-fantry ; th
Size: 1321px × 1892px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1901
