Casualties at the Action on the Modder River.

Corps or Regiments.Officers.Men.
K.W.K.W.
9th Lancers---1
Royal Artillery-4322
Naval Brigade----
Grenadier Gds.-3840
Coldstream Gds.211077
Scots Guards-21037
N'umberland F.--1134
Loyal N. Lancs-1316
Northamptons----
K.O. Yorks L.I.13846
Highland L.I.----
Argyll Highl.-21595

The Boer forces covering the Siege of Kimberley were under the command of General Cronje, and he, falling back after his third reverse at the Modder River, took up a strong position at Magersfontein, entrenching his whole front for a distance of nine miles. To hasten the relief of Kimberley, Wauchope was now pushed up to reinforce Methuen, and on December 11 that General attacked Cronje, but met with a most serious reverse, losing 22 officers and 188 men killed, 46 officers and 629 men wounded, the bulk of the casualties falling on the Highland Brigade, which also lost its gallant leader, Wauchope, the second of his name to fall at the head of English troops in an unsuccessful action, for Andrew Wauchope's uncle fell at Rosetta in our little-remembered, but unfortunate, expedition to Egypt in 1807.

In the meantime Buller had proceeded to Durban, and was concerting his plans for the relief of Ladysmith. He had at his disposal 18,000 men and thirty field guns, besides a naval brigade with fourteen long-range quick-firers. On December 15 he made his first effort, and was badly defeated at Colenso, losing, in addition to 7 officers and 136 men killed, 47 officers and 709 men wounded, and ten guns. The superior mobility of the Boers, and the fact that White had with him four regiments of cavalry shut up in Ladysmith, induced Buller to make the most earnest representations for a large force of mounted reinforcements, and the War Office responded to the call by mobilizing three more divisions, and taking steps to raise a force of 4,000 Yeomanry.

These repeated disasters had aroused the nation—temporarily, at any rate—to a proper sense of its responsibilities, and all ranks and all classes responded to the call for volunteers. The veteran Field-Marshal Lord Roberts, who had served his apprenticeship at the Siege of Delhi just two-and-forty years before, accepted the chief command, and at once embarked for the seat of war. On his arrival the situation was no clearer. Methuen, with the First Division, lay immobile twelve miles south of Kimberley, with a Boer army strongly entrenched in his front; Gatacre, at Stormberg, had met with a serious reverse; Sir George White was closely besieged in Ladysmith; and Buller was gathering together his forces for a second attempt to carry the strong position before him. Lord Roberts landed in South Africa on January 10, and his first care was to organize his transport, so as to have all in readiness for an advance so soon as the reinforcements now on the seas should arrive. As his Chief of the Staff he had Lord Kitchener, fresh from his successful campaign in Egypt, where he had shown himself a master in the matter of organization.

It was not until the commencement of February that the Field-Marshal felt himself able to move. His plan of campaign was first the relief of Kimberley with the Cavalry Division, under French, then an advance on the capital of the Orange Free State. This advance, he felt sure, would relieve the pressure in Natal, and so enable Buller to join hands with Ladysmith. Approximately, Lord Roberts had now in the Cape Colony 52,000 men, and in Natal 40,000, of whom some 9,000 or 10,000 were shut up in Ladysmith. Even now he felt that he would need heavy reinforcements to meet the wastage of war, and he requested that 8,000 Imperial Yeomanry and thirty battalions of Militia might be despatched to the seat of war as soon as they could be mobilized. Then, and not till then, did Lord Roberts feel justified in his advance. His transport was in an effective condition, and he had received assurance from home that the reinforcements asked for would be sent without delay. On February 6 he left Cape Town for the front, and on the 15th French set forth for the relief of Kimberley.

The troops actually at Lord Roberts's disposal at this period consisted of four divisions of infantry and one of cavalry. The composition of the Cavalry Division is given on [p. 422]; that of the four infantry divisions was as follows:

First Division: Lieutenant-General Lord Methuen.