The Expedition Returned To Modder Camp At The
End Of Two Days Without Having Seen The Enemy.
Save for one or two
similar cavalry reconnaissances, an occasional interchange of
long-range shells, a little sniping, and
One or two false alarms at
night, which broke the whole front of Magersfontein into yellow
lines of angry light, nothing happened to Methuen's force which is
worthy of record up to the time of that movement of General Hector
Macdonald to Koodoosberg which may be considered in connection with
Lord Roberts's decisive operations, of which it was really a part.
The doings of General Gatacre's force during the long interval
which passed between his disaster at Stormberg and the final
general advance may be rapidly chronicled. Although nominally in
command of a division, Gatacre's troops were continually drafted
off to east and to west, so that it was seldom that he had more
than a brigade under his orders. During the weeks of waiting, his
force consisted of three field batteries, the 74th, 77th, and 79th,
some mounted police and irregular horse, the remains of the Royal
Irish Rifles and the 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers, the 1st Royal
Scots, the Derbyshire regiment, and the Berkshires, the whole
amounting to about 5500 men, who had to hold the whole district
from Sterkstroom to East London on the coast, with a victorious
enemy in front and a disaffected population around. Under these
circumstances he could not attempt to do more than to hold his
ground at Sterkstroom, and this he did unflinchingly until the line
of the Boer defence broke down.
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