The Ladysmith Garrison Had Been Sent Down To
Colenso To Recruit Their Health.
There they were formed into a new
division, the 4th, the brigades being given to Howard and Knox, and
the command to Lyttelton, who had returned his former division, the
second, to Clery.
The 5th and 6th brigades were also formed into
one division, the 10th, which was placed under the capable command
of Hunter, who had confirmed in the south the reputation which he
had won in the north of Africa. In the first week of April Hunter's
Division was sent down to Durban and transferred to the western
side, where they were moved up to Kimberley, whence they advanced
northwards. The man on the horse has had in this war an immense
advantage over the man on foot, but there have been times when the
man on the ship has restored the balance. Captain Mahan might find
some fresh texts in the transference of Hunter's Division, or in
the subsequent expedition to Beira.
On April 10th the Boers descended from their mountains and woke up
our sleepy army corps by a brisk artillery fire. Our own guns
silenced it, and the troops instantly relapsed into their slumber.
There was no movement for a fortnight afterwards upon either side,
save that of Sir Charles Warren, who left the army in order to take
up the governorship of British Bechuanaland, a district which was
still in a disturbed state, and in which his presence had a
peculiar significance, since he had rescued portions of it from
Boer domination in the early days of the Transvaal Republic.
Hildyard took over the command of the 5th Division.
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