Today To Them, Tomorrow To Us - But It Is For
A Soldier To Thank The God Of Battles For Worthy Foes.
It is one thing, however, to repulse the British soldier and it is
another to rout him.
Within a few hundred yards of their horrible
ordeal at Magersfontein the Highlanders reformed into a military
body. So now the Irishmen fell back no further than the nearest
cover, and there held grimly on to the ground which they had won.
If you would know the advantage which the defence has over the
attack, then do you come and assault this line of tenacious men,
now in your hour of victory and exultation, friend Boer! Friend
Boer did attempt it, and skilfully too, moving a flanking party to
sweep the position with their fire. But the brigade, though sorely
hurt, held them off without difficulty, and was found on the
morning of the 24th to be still lying upon the ground which they
had won.
Our losses had been very heavy, Colonel Thackeray of the
Inniskillings, Colonel Sitwell of the Dublins, three majors, twenty
officers, and a total of about six hundred out of 1200 actually
engaged. To take such punishment and to remain undemoralised is the
supreme test to which troops can be put. Could the loss have been
avoided? By following the original line of advance from Monte
Christo, perhaps, when we should have turned the enemy's left. But
otherwise no. The hill was in the way and had to be taken.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 328 of 842
Words from 87769 to 88021
of 225456
