If The Position Had Been
Defended As Well As It Had Been Chosen, The Task Would Have Been A
Severe One.
Since the Modder covered the enemy's right the turning movement
could only be developed on their left, and Tucker's Division was
thrown out very wide on that side for the purpose.
But in the
meanwhile a contretemps had occurred which threw out and seriously
hampered the whole British line of battle. General French was in
command of the left wing, which included Kelly-Kenny's Division,
the first cavalry brigade, and Alderson's Mounted Infantry. His
orders had been to keep in touch with the centre, and to avoid
pushing his attack home. In endeavouring to carry out these
instructions French moved his men more and more to the right, until
he had really squeezed in between the Boers and Lord Roberts's
central column, and so masked the latter. The essence of the whole
operation was that the frontal attack should not be delivered until
Tucker had worked round to the rear of the position. It is for
military critics to decide whether it was that the flankers were
too slow or the frontal assailants were too fast, but it is certain
that Kelly-Kenny's Division attacked before the cavalry and the 7th
Division were in their place. Kelly-Kenny was informed that the
position in front of him had been abandoned, and four regiments,
the Buffs, the Essex, the Welsh, and the Yorkshires, were advanced
against it. They were passing over the open when the crash of the
Mauser fire burst out in front of them, and the bullets hissed and
thudded among the ranks.
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