Midway Between The Two
Movements The Formidable Bastion Of Spion Kop Stood Clearly
Outlined Against The Blue Natal Sky.
The heavy naval guns on Mount
Alice (two 4.7's and eight twelve-pounders) were so placed as to
support either advance, and the howitzer battery was given to
Lyttelton to help the frontal attack.
For two days the British
pressed slowly but steadily on to the Boers under the cover of an
incessant rain of shells. Dour and long-suffering the Boers made no
reply, save with sporadic rifle-fire, and refused until the crisis
should come to expose their great guns to the chance of injury.
On January 19th Warren's turning movement began to bring him into
closer touch with the enemy, his thirty-six field guns and the six
howitzers which had returned to him crushing down the opposition
which faced him. The ground in front of him was pleated into long
folds, and his advance meant the carrying of ridge after ridge. In
the earlier stages of the war this would have entailed a murderous
loss; but we had learned our lesson, and the infantry now, with
intervals of ten paces, and every man choosing his own cover, went
up in proper Boer form, carrying position after position, the enemy
always retiring with dignity and decorum. There was no victory on
one side or rout on the other - only a steady advance and an orderly
retirement. That night the infantry slept in their fighting line,
going on again at three in the morning, and light broke to find not
only rifles, but the long-silent Boer guns all blazing at the
British advance.
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