On January 7, General French with a squadron of Household Cavalry pushed out a reconnaissance to the east and examined a position near Slingersfontein. The enemy opened a long range fire, and succeeded in cutting off and capturing Captain Ricardo with four troopers. Two days later, Slingersfontein was occupied by Colonel Porter with a force of 600 men and four guns, after a brush with the enemy in which the New Zealanders distinguished themselves. To cover the movement the rest of the artillery shelled the enemy's lines. From his new position, Colonel Porter could see all that was going on in the Boer rear, and noted the arrival of large reinforcements from Magersfontein and Ladysmith. General French, in fact, was acting as a magnet and attracting the enemy's forces. The Boers opposed to him were now about 4,000 or 5,000 strong, and in the course of the next few days were yet further strengthened to 6,000 or 7,000. On his part, General French was reinforced by half the 1st Welsh Regiment and the 4th Field Battery, and was promised a part of the Sixth Division, now beginning to reach South Africa.
C. H. Taffs.] [After a sketch by F. Villiers.
THE WIRE HOIST USED FOR DRAGGING AMMUNITION AND SUPPLIES UP COLES KOP.
Guns and supplies hauled up Coles Kop.
On January 11th, by great efforts, Major Butcher, commanding the 4th Field Battery, succeeded in hauling two 15-pounders to the top of Coles Kop. Five hawsers were used, and in four hours the work was accomplished and the weapons were ready to open fire. Some days later, as the conveyance of food, water, and ammunition to the summit was found extremely laborious in consequence of the precipitous nature of the hill, the engineers rigged up a wire hoist, which proved invaluable. Bridging wire, which bears a strain of 2,000 lbs., was employed for this purpose. On the same day, General French with Colonel Porter's cavalry made a vigorous attempt to reach the enemy's rear from Slingersfontein. Major Hunter Weston with a section of mounted engineers and a troop of cavalry was directed to pass round their flank and destroy the Norvals Pont railway. As, however, strong Boer reinforcements rode up from Norvals Pont, it was impossible to accomplish this, and the Boers were able to extend their left flank so as to threaten General French in his turn. Not caring to risk a decisive action, he fell back to Slingersfontein. On the 12th, the guns on Coles Kop suddenly opened on the Boer laagers, causing the enemy the utmost annoyance and some loss. All their camps had to be moved, but it was not possible to shell the town of Colesberg itself, as there were many British sympathisers and prisoners in it, a fact of which the Boers were not slow to avail themselves.
[Jan. 15-16, 1900.
Boer attack near Slingersfontein.
On the 14th 400 men with two guns were pushed out from the British left towards Colesberg Road bridge, which was shelled at long range, but not destroyed. The enemy endeavoured to intercept the retreat, without, however, any success. On the following day the Boers made a determined attack upon the extreme British right near Slingersfontein, where was a high steep kopje held by one company each of the 1st Yorkshires and New Zealanders. During the night the enemy worked round unobserved to both the east and west sides of the hill; a particularly strong party established itself among the rocks at the foot of the western slope, which was very steep. With daylight the attack from the east was openly developed, and from all quarters the Boers poured in a heavy fire on the men holding the hill. While the attention of our outpost was thus occupied, the Boers to the west crept up and actually got among the Yorkshires before their presence was detected. Captain Orr, commanding the outpost, was wounded, the sergeant-major was killed, and the Yorkshires were left without leaders or guidance. At this most critical moment, Captain Madocks, of the Royal Artillery, who was doing duty with the New Zealanders, saved the day. Calling upon his gallant Colonials to follow him, he dashed to the western face of the hill, ordered the Yorkshires to fix bayonets, and charged at their head, followed by four New Zealanders, of whom the two on either side of him were instantly shot dead by the enemy. Madocks himself grappled a huge Boer, clad in a frock coat, who was urging on his men, and killed him. Several more of the Boers were shot or bayoneted; the rest fled in complete confusion, leaving no less than twenty-one dead behind them. As usual the Boers pretended that they had "one man wounded," though the corpses were seen and counted by our soldiers. The British loss was eight killed, five wounded, and two missing; among the killed was the gallant son of Mr. Gourlay, a member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand. The Boers were estimated to have had at least fifty men wounded.
CAPTAIN ORR (in centre) AND OFFICERS OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS ON NEW ZEALAND HILL, COLESBERG.