At The Same Time Colonel Porter, With The
Half-Battery Of O, His Own Regiment (The Carabineers), And The New
Zealand Mounted Rifles, Left Camp At Two On The Monday Morning And
Took A Position On The Enemy's Left Flank.
The Berkshires under
Major McCracken seized the hill, driving a Boer picket off it, and
the Horse enfiladed the enemy's right flank, and after a risky
artillery duel succeeded in silencing his guns.
Next morning,
however (January 2nd, 1900), it was found that the Boers, strongly
reinforced, were back near their old positions, and French had to
be content to hold them and to wait for more troops.
These were not long in coming, for the Suffolk Regiment had
arrived, followed by the Composite Regiment (chosen from the
Household Cavalry) and the 4th Battery R.F.A. The Boers, however,
had also been reinforced, and showed great energy in their effort
to break the cordon which was being drawn round them. Upon the 4th
a determined effort was made by about a thousand of them under
General Schoeman to turn the left flank of the British, and at dawn
it was actually found that they had eluded the vigilance of the
outposts and had established themselves upon a hill to the rear of
the position. They were shelled off of it, however, by the guns of
O Battery, and in their retreat across the plain they were pursued
by the 10th Hussars and by one squadron of the Inniskillings, who
cut off some of the fugitives. At the same time, De Lisle with his
mounted infantry carried the position which they had originally
held. In this successful and well-managed action the Boer loss was
ninety, and we took in addition twenty-one prisoners. Our own
casualties amounted only to six killed, including Major Harvey of
the 10th, and to fifteen wounded.
Encouraged by this success an attempt was made by the Suffolk
Regiment to carry a hill which formed the key of the enemy's
position. The town of Colesberg lies in a basin surrounded by a
ring of kopjes, and the possession by us of any one of them would
have made the place untenable. The plan has been ascribed to
Colonel Watson of the Suffolks, but it is time that some protest
should be raised against this devolution of responsibility upon
subordinates in the event of failure. When success has crowned our
arms we have been delighted to honour our general; but when our
efforts end in failure our attention is called to Colonel Watson,
Colonel Long, or Colonel Thorneycroft. It is fairer to state that
in this instance General French ordered Colonel Watson to make a
night attack upon the hill.
The result was disastrous. At midnight four companies in canvas
shoes or in their stocking feet set forth upon their venture, and
just before dawn they found themselves upon the slope of the hill.
They were in a formation of quarter column with files extended to
two paces; H Company was leading.
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