For These Or
Other Reasons He Determined Upon A Frontal Attack On The Formidable
Boer Position, And He Moved Out Of Chieveley Camp For That Purpose
At Daybreak On Friday, December 15th.
The force which General Buller led into action was the finest which
any British general had handled since the battle of the Alma.
Of
infantry he had four strong brigades: the 2nd (Hildyard's)
consisting of the 2nd Devons, the 2nd Queen's or West Surrey, the
2nd West Yorkshire, and the 2nd East Surrey; the 4th Brigade
(Lyttelton's) comprising the 2nd Cameronians, the 3rd Rifles, the
1st Durhams, and the 1st Rifle Brigade; the 5th Brigade (Hart's)
with the 1st Inniskilling Fusiliers, the 1st Connaught Rangers, 2nd
Dublin Fusiliers, and the Border Regiment, this last taking the
place of the 2nd Irish Rifles, who were with Gatacre. There
remained the 6th Brigade (Barton's), which included the 2nd Royal
Fusiliers, the 2nd Scots Fusiliers, the 1st Welsh Fusiliers, and
the 2nd Irish Fusiliers - in all about 16,000 infantry. The mounted
men, who were commanded by Lord Dundonald, included the 13th
Hussars, the 1st Royals, Bethune's Mounted Infantry, Thorneycroft's
Mounted Infantry, three squadrons of South African Horse, with a
composite regiment formed from the mounted infantry of the Rifles
and of the Dublin Fusiliers with squadrons of the Natal Carabineers
and the Imperial Light Horse. These irregular troops of horse might
be criticised by martinets and pedants, but they contained some of
the finest fighting material in the army, some urged on by personal
hatred of the Boers and some by mere lust of adventure. As an
example of the latter one squadron of the South African Horse was
composed almost entirely of Texan muleteers, who, having come over
with their animals, had been drawn by their own gallant spirit into
the fighting line of their kinsmen.
Cavalry was General Buller's weakest arm, but his artillery was
strong both in its quality and its number of guns. There were five
batteries (30 guns) of the Field Artillery, the 7th, 14th, 63rd,
64th, and 66th. Besides these there were no fewer than sixteen
naval guns from H.M.S. 'Terrible' - fourteen of which were
12-pounders, and the other two of the 4.7 type which had done such
good service both at Ladysmith and with Methuen. The whole force
which moved out from Chieveley Camp numbered about 21,000 men.
The work which was allotted to the army was simple in conception,
however terrible it might prove in execution. There were two points
at which the river might be crossed, one three miles off on the
left, named Bridle Drift, the other straight ahead at the Bridge of
Colenso. The 5th or Irish Brigade was to endeavour to cross at
Bridle Drift, and then to work down the river bank on the far side
so as to support the 2nd or English Brigade, - which was to cross at
Colenso. The 4th Brigade was to advance between these, so as to
help either which should be in difficulties. Meanwhile on the
extreme right the mounted troops under Dundonald were to cover the
flank and to attack Hlangwane Hill, a formidable position held
strongly by the enemy upon the south bank of the Tugela. The
remaining Fusilier brigade of infantry was to support this movement
on the right. The guns were to cover the various attacks, and if
possible gain a position from which the trenches might be
enfiladed. This, simply stated, was the work which lay before the
British army. In the bright clear morning sunshine, under a
cloudless blue sky, they advanced with high hopes to the assault.
Before them lay the long level plain, then the curve of the river,
and beyond, silent and serene, like some peaceful dream landscape,
stretched the lines and lines of gently curving hills. It was just
five o'clock in the morning when the naval guns began to bay, and
huge red dustclouds from the distant foothills showed where the
lyddite was bursting. No answer came back, nor was there any
movement upon the sunlit hills. It was almost brutal, this furious
violence to so gentle and unresponsive a countryside. In no place
could the keenest eye detect a sign of guns or men, and yet death
lurked in every hollow and crouched by every rock.
It is so difficult to make a modern battle intelligible when
fought, as this was, over a front of seven or eight miles, that it
is best perhaps to take the doings of each column in turn,
beginning with the left flank, where Hart's Irish Brigade had
advanced to the assault of Bridle Drift.
Under an unanswered and therefore an unaimed fire from the heavy
guns the Irish infantry moved forward upon the points which they
had been ordered to attack. The Dublins led, then the Connaughts,
the Inniskillings, and the Borderers. Incredible as it may appear
after the recent experiences of Magersfontein and of Stormberg, the
men in the two rear regiments appear to have been advanced in
quarter column, and not to have deployed until after the enemy's
fire had opened. Had shrapnel struck this close formation, as it
was within an ace of doing, the loss of life must have been as
severe as it was unnecessary.
On approaching the Drift - the position or even the existence of
which does not seem to have been very clearly defined - it was found
that the troops had to advance into a loop formed by the river, so
that they were exposed to a very heavy cross-fire upon their right
flank, while they were rained on by shrapnel from in front. No sign
of the enemy could be seen, though the men were dropping fast. It
is a weird and soul-shaking experience to advance over a sunlit and
apparently a lonely countryside, with no slightest movement upon
its broad face, while the path which you take is marked behind you
by sobbing, gasping, writhing men, who can only guess by the
position of their wounds whence the shots came which struck them
down.
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