With the Flag to Pretoria: A History of the Boer War of 1899-1900. Volume 1

by Herbert Wrigley Wilson

General Wauchope's premonitions.

Dec. 10-11, 1899.] Disheartening Conditions of the Night March.

At 6·45 p.m. darkness came on and the bombardment ceased. The evening was gloomy and the sky heavily overcast, yet a fitful moon showed through the clouds. The troops bivouacked where they had stood during the bombardment, the Highlanders directly to the south of Magersfontein, the Guards on the right, and the batteries in place, ready to open fire at the ranges which they now well knew. A hasty meal was made of biscuit and bully beef. Silence was maintained and no one might raise his voice above a whisper; no fires were allowed; even pipes could not be lighted. In rear of the infantry Lord Methuen gave General Wauchope his last orders; then the Major-General instructed his battalion commanders as to what was to be done. It was noted by many after that sad night that for days before the Major-General had seemed to forebode his swiftly coming end. His very look bore the "reflection of death." In every campaign in which he had fought he had been wounded; now, it was said, he knew that he was fated to die. Yet, like a brave and proud soldier, he never spoke of these things. He was reported to have strongly protested to Lord Methuen against the night attack, and more especially against the order to march in quarter column, though on rough ground at night this was a not unreasonable disposition. Be this as it may, there were no witnesses at the interview, and the story can only be founded upon vague conjecture. It was also said that he had remarked to an intimate friend upon the nature of his instructions, which seemed to him at once too vague in their indication of the enemy's position and too precise in prescribing the formation to be adopted. There is certainly a concurrence of evidence that the General was rendered uneasy by his orders and anticipated the worst results.

Night march.

The night march was to begin at 12·30, the Brigade in quarter column, which means that the eight companies of each battalion were to be in eight lines, one behind the other and six paces apart. The four battalions also were behind each other, so that the front of the mass of men was but one company, or about 100 men, shoulder to shoulder, and the depth thirty-two ranks. Thus, half-a-dozen men might be stricken down by a single bullet and a hundred killed by one shrapnel skilfully timed. The reason for the closeness of the formation was the difficulty of keeping the men together in the darkness. Ropes were to be used to enable the troops to maintain their order. On nearing the enemy's position at 3·25 a.m., or just before daybreak, the Black Watch was to deploy on the right to the east of Magersfontein, the Seaforths next to them, and then the Argyll and Sutherlands, with the Highland Light Infantry in reserve. The three leading battalions were to extend, placing each of them two companies in the firing line, two in support, and four in reserve.

HOW THE MAUSER IS LOADED.

A group of Boers, some of whom are in the act of pressing the clips of five cartridges each into the magazines of their rifles.

The men—even the company officers—knew nothing of what was intended beyond the fact that they were to march out, and, as they supposed, attack the kopjes. They were given no food before they started and had nothing with them but their emergency ration. Some of them, no doubt, were nervous and highly wrought, with the natural anxiety of men going into battle for the first time against a redoubtable enemy, and thus it was that two rifles were accidentally discharged just before the brigade began its eventful march. About 1 a.m. the head of the column began to move off like a phantom host into the impenetrable darkness. The young moon had set and the obscurity was intense. About half-an-hour after the march began, the night turned from sweltering heat to intense cold and simultaneously a torrential rain descended as a violent thunderstorm broke over the troops. The flashes of lightning were vivid and incessant; they affected the compasses which Major Benson, guiding the column, carried, one in each hand, and the resulting uncertainty delayed the advance. Moreover, the apparently level veldt was found upon closer acquaintance to be full of pitfalls in the darkness. At every moment men stumbled over ant-hills, or boulders, or caught in the six-feet-high Vaal bushes which covered the ground.

Soaked through, chilled to the bone, sleepless, breakfastless, and weary, the Highlanders continued their advance, and each minute the night seemed to the men's anxious eyes to grow blacker. The ground had not been carefully reconnoitred beforehand, although it is a recognised rule that night attacks must only be made over country which has been thoroughly examined by the staff; so that it was difficult to avoid some confusion. On the extreme right could now be seen the flashing of a light; its meaning no one understood, but this much was certain, that it was not shown by a Britisher. It caused a feeling of apprehension, as it revealed that someone amongst the enemy was aware of the march and was following it. On the British left, far ahead in the enemy's position, showed an answering light. It burnt brightly and steadily, and the men watched it with fascinated curiosity. They did not know that at 2 o'clock that morning the enemy had manned the trenches, and was now only waiting their approach to begin the slaughter.