Lord Roberts Determined To
Drive Them Off, And On March 28th Tucker's 7th Division, Consisting
Of Chermside's Brigade (Lincolns, Norfolks, Hampshires, And
Scottish Borderers), And Wavell's Brigade (Cheshires, East
Lancashires, North Staffords, And South Wales Borderers), Were
Assembled At Glen.
The artillery consisted of the veteran 18th,
62nd, and 75th R.F.A. Three attenuated cavalry brigades with some
mounted infantry completed the force.
The movement was to be upon the old model, and in result it proved
to be only too truly so. French's cavalry were to get round one
flank, Le Gallais's mounted infantry round the other, and Tucker's
Division to attack in front. Nothing could be more perfect in
theory and nothing apparently more defective in practice. Since on
this as on other occasions the mere fact that the cavalry were
demonstrating in the rear caused the complete abandonment of the
position, it is difficult to see what the object of the infantry
attack could be. The ground was irregular and unexplored, and it
was late before the horsemen on their weary steeds found themselves
behind the flank of the enemy. Some of them, Le Gallais's mounted
infantry and Davidson's guns, had come from Bloemfontein during the
night, and the horses were exhausted by the long march, and by the
absurd weight which the British troop-horse is asked to carry.
Tucker advanced his infantry exactly as Kelly-Kenny had done at
Driefontein, and with a precisely similar result. The eight
regiments going forward in echelon of battalions imagined from the
silence of the enemy that the position had been abandoned.
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