The Key Of The British Position At This Point Was A Kopje Held By
Three Companies Of The 2nd Worcester Regiment.
Upon this the Boers
made a fierce onslaught, but were as fiercely repelled.
They came
up in the dark between the set of moon and rise of sun, as they had
done at the great assault of Ladysmith, and the first dim light saw
them in the advanced sangars. The Boer generals do not favour night
attacks, but they are exceedingly fond of using darkness for taking
up a good position and pushing onwards as soon as it is possible to
see. This is what they did upon this occasion, and the first
intimation which the outposts had of their presence was the rush of
feet and loom of figures in the cold misty light of dawn. The
occupants of the sangars were killed to a man, and the assailants
rushed onwards. As the sun topped the line of the veld half the
kopje was in their possession. Shouting and firing, they pressed
onwards.
But the Worcester men were steady old soldiers, and the battalion
contained no less than four hundred and fifty marksmen in its
ranks. Of these the companies upon the hill had their due
proportion, and their fire was so accurate that the Boers found
themselves unable to advance any further. Through the long day a
desperate duel was maintained between the two lines of riflemen.
Colonel Cuningham and Major Stubbs were killed while endeavouring
to recover the ground which had been lost.
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