The
Boers Escaping Down The Reverse Slope Of The Hill Came Under A
Heavy Fire Of Our Infantry, And Fifty Of Them Were Wounded Or
Taken.
It was in this action, during the fighting on the hill, that
Captain Towse, of the Gordons, though shot through the eyes and
totally blind, encouraged his men to charge through a group of the
enemy who had gathered round them.
After this victory Hamilton's
men, who had fought for seven days out of ten, halted for a rest at
Jacobsrust, where they were joined by Broadwood's cavalry and Bruce
Hamilton's infantry brigade. Ian Hamilton's column now contained
two infantry brigades (Smith-Dorrien's and Bruce Hamilton's),
Ridley's Mounted Infantry, Broadwood's Cavalry Brigade, five
batteries of artillery, two heavy guns, altogether 13,000 men. With
this force in constant touch with Botha's rearguard, Ian Hamilton
pushed on once more on May 4th. On May 5th he fought a brisk
cavalry skirmish, in which Kitchener's Horse and the 12th Lancers
distinguished themselves, and on the same day he took possession of
Winburg, thus covering the right of Lord Roberts's great advance.
The distribution of the troops on the eastern side of the Free
State was, at the time of this the final advance of the main army,
as follows - Ian Hamilton with his mounted infantry, Smith-Dorrien's
brigade, Macdonald's brigade, Bruce Hamilton's brigade, and
Broadwood's cavalry were at Winburg. Rundle was at Thabanchu, and
Brabant's colonial division was moving up to the same point.
Chermside was at Dewetsdorp, and had detached a force under Lord
Castletown to garrison Wepener.
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