A Week Later The Boer Riders Were Dotting The Country Round Phillipolis, Springfontein And Jagersfontein, The Latter Town Being Occupied Upon October 16th, While The Garrison Held Out Upon The Nearest Kopje.

The town was retaken from the enemy by King Hall and his men, who were Seaforth Highlanders and police.

There was fierce fighting in the streets, and from twenty to thirty of each side were killed or wounded. Fauresmith was attacked on October 19th, but was also in the very safe hands of the Seaforths, who held it against a severe assault. Phillipolis was continually attacked between the 18th and the 24th, but made a most notable defence, which was conducted by Gostling, the resident magistrate, with forty civilians. For a week this band of stalwarts held their own against 600 Boers, and were finally relieved by a force from the railway. All the operations were not, however, as successful as these three defences. On October 24th a party of cavalry details belonging to many regiments were snapped up in an ambuscade. On the next day Jacobsdal was attacked, with considerable loss to the British. The place was entered in the night, and the enemy occupied the houses which surrounded the square. The garrison, consisting of about sixty men of the Capetown Highlanders, had encamped in the square, and were helpless when fire was opened upon them in the morning. There was practically no resistance, and yet for hours a murderous fire was kept up upon the tents in which they cowered, so that the affair seems not to have been far removed from murder.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 607 of 842
Words from 162460 to 162726 of 225456