Sixteen Killed And Seventy Prisoners Were
The Fruits Of This Expedition.
For the second time in a week the
columns had done their fifty miles a day, and it was no surprise to
hear from their commander that they were in need of a rest.
Nearly
four hundred prisoners had been taken from the most warlike portion
of the Transvaal in ten days by one energetic commander, with a
list of twenty-five casualties to ourselves. The thanks of the
Secretary of War were specially sent to him for his brilliant work.
From then until the end of the year 1901, numbers of smaller
captures continued to be reported from the same region, where
Plumer, Spens, Mackenzie, Rawlinson, and others were working. On
the other hand there was one small setback which occurred to a body
of two hundred Mounted Infantry under Major Bridgford, who had been
detached from Spens's column to search some farmhouses at a place
called Holland, to the south of Ermelo. The expedition set forth
upon the night of December 19th, and next morning surrounded and
examined the farms.
The British force became divided in doing this work, and were
suddenly attacked by several hundred of Britz's commando, who came
to close quarters through their khaki dress, which enabled them to
pass as Plumer's vanguard. The brunt of the fight fell upon an
outlying body of fifty men, nearly all of whom were killed, wounded
or taken. A second body of fifty men were overpowered in the same
way, after a creditable defence.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 767 of 842
Words from 205307 to 205563
of 225456
