The Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer Wars Read online

continued its march until they were met byColonel Pearson with 500 men, coming out to lend a hand to them in casethey should be attacked. The united column then marched into Ekowe.The health of the garrison had suffered much from exposure to the sunand rain, and from the want of vegetables and useful medicine. Beefthey had plenty of, as it was considered advisable to kill and consumethe waggon-oxen rather than see them die from want of forage.

  The great event of the siege had been the discovery of certain strangeflashes of light on the white walls of the church-tower; these, afterpuzzling many of the officers and soldiers, were at length brought underthe notice of an officer of the naval brigade, who had been trained inthe use of the heliograph, and he was able at once to explain themystery. They were three days before they could contrive an apparatus,which could be worked, to reply. Fortunately an old mirror was found,and communication was opened. The effect of their renewed intercoursewith the outer world, and of learning the preparations which were beingmade for their relief, acted more beneficially on the health of theimprisoned garrison than all the tonics the hospital could afford.Nevertheless between the commencement of the siege and the arrival ofthe relief thirty deaths had occurred.

  To the great regret of the garrison they found that it had beendetermined by the general to abandon the fort which they had held solong, as the whole force was required in Natal for operations in theveld in conjunction with the reinforcements on their way out. Beforeleaving, however, it was determined to strike another blow atDabulamanzi, whose private residence had escaped at the time that hiskraal was burnt. A small party of about 200 men therefore went out andfired the place without resistance. Ekowe was evacuated, and, havingleft a garrison at Ginghilovo, Lord Chelmsford retired with his forceacross the Tugela.

  Every day for the next fortnight news reached Newcastle of the arrivalof one or more transports with reinforcements, and in a month from thedate of the arrival of the first from England, seventeen transports camein, bringing more than 9000 soldiers and 2000 horses. The forceconsisted of two regiments of cavalry, 1250 sabres, two batteries ofartillery with 540 men, 190 men of the Royal Engineers, six regiments ofinfantry, 5320 bayonets, draughts of the regiments already in the colonyand Army Service Corps' men, 1200. Most of the regiments brought theirequipments complete and ready for the field--tents, waterproof-sheets,cooking utensils, and camp stores. The Army Service Corps brought withthem 100 light but strongly-built waggons.

  Among the arrivals was the Prince Imperial of France, who had come outas a volunteer.

  To convey the baggage and stores of so numerous a force an immensenumber of waggons was required, and a very urgent appeal was made to theloyalty of the colonists to furnish transport for the troops engaged infighting their battles.

  In answer to this appeal Mr Humphreys and Mr Jackson decided to senddown the new waggons which had just been finished. Immediately theyheard of the decision, Dick and Tom begged for permission again toaccompany the waggons. Their mothers at first refused even to listen tothe request, but their fathers, talking the matter over between them,agreed that harm was not likely this time to come of it.

  The force was so overwhelmingly strong that there was not the slightestprospect of a repetition of the disaster of Isandula. At that timeseveral hundred English soldiers had been surprised and crushed by some20,000 of the enemy, but in future every precaution would be taken, andthe British force would be ten times as strong as that which fought atIsandula. The colonists thought that it would be really an advantage tothe boys to take part in the expedition; it was quite possible that ifthey remained in the colony they might have occasion to take part inwars with one or other of the native tribes, and the experience thatthey would gain in the campaign would in that case assuredly be usefulto them. Having thus decided, Mr Humphreys and his friend succeeded inobtaining their wives' consent to the boys accompanying the waggons, andin high glee they started for Durban on the 20th of April.

  The campaign was arranged on a new plan. The numerous columns in whichthe strength of the force had been frittered away were abolished, andthe following was adopted as the designation of the forces in the field,under the lieutenant-general commanding, viz.:--1st Division SouthAfrican Field-forces, Major-General Crealock, C.B., commanding,consisting of all troops on the left bank of the Lower Tugela; 2ndDivision South African Field-forces, Major-General Newdigate commanding,consisting of all troops in the Utrecht district other than thoseattached to the Flying Column under Brigadier-General Wood, V.C., C.B.,which was designated as "Brigadier-General Wood's Flying Column."Major-General Marshall assumed command of the cavalry brigade, andMajor-General the Hon. H.H. Clifford, C.B., V.C., took up the commandof the base of operations and superintendence of the lines ofcommunication. The forces were divided as follows:--

  First Division (General Crealock's), Lower Tugela Command.

  Naval Brigade... 800 M. Battery, 6th Brigade, Royal Artillery... 90

  Detachment, 11-7th Royal Artillery... 25 2-3rd Regiment... 836 57th Regiment... 830 3-60th Regiment... 880 88th Regiment... 640 91st Regiment... 850 99th... 870 Mounted Infantry, 2nd Squadron... 70 Army Service Corps... 50 Army Hospital Corps... 20 Royal Engineers... 150 8-7th Royal Artillery... 80 0-6th Regiment... 50 Lonsdale's Horse... 84 Cooke's Horse... 78 Colonial Volunteers... 105 Native Contingent:-- Foot... 2556 Mounted... 151

  Total strength, effective and non-effective... 9215

  Second Division (General Newdigate's.)

  1st Dragoon Guards attached to 2nd Division... 650 17th Lancers attached to 2nd Division... 626 N-5th Royal Artillery... 76 N-6th Royal Artillery... 80 10-7th Royal Artillery... 70 10-6th Royal Artillery... 30 Royal Engineers... 60 2-4th Regiment... 790 Detachment, 1-13th Regiment... 63 2-21st (two companies at Maritzburg)... 820 1-24th Regiment... 530 2-24th Regiment... 586 58th (one company at Durban)... 906 80th (several companies in the Transvaal)... 300 94th (one company at Grey Town)... 870 Army Service Corps... 60 Army Hospital Corps... 30 Grey Town District Colonial Volunteers... 139 Natal Mounted Police... 75 Natal Carabineers... 27 Newcastle Mounted Rifles... 18 Buffalo Mounted Guard... 20 Native Contingent:-- Europeans... 41 Natives (foot)... 3128 Natives (mounted)... 243

  Total strength, effective and non-effective... 10,238

  General Wood's Flying Column.

  11-7th Royal Artillery... 87 Royal Engineers... 13 1-13th Regiment... 721 90th Regiment... 823 1st Squadron, Mounted Infantry... 103 Army Service Corps... 9 Army Hospital Corps... 13 Frontier Light Horse... 173 Baker's Horse... 179 Transvaal Rangers... 141

  1st Battalion, Wood's Irregulars:-- Europeans... 14 Natives... 377

  2nd Battalion, Wood's Irregulars:--

  Europeans... 5 Natives... 355

  Natal Native Horse:-- Europeans... 4 Natives... 75

  Total strength, effective and non-effective... 3092

  Grand Total. 1st Division... 9215 2nd Regiment... 10,238 General Wood's Flying Column. 3092

  Total, effective and non-effective: namely, Europeans, 15,660, and natives, 6885... 22,545

  Out of this grand total there were about 400 sick and non-effective withthe 1st Division, 300 with the 2nd Division, and 600 (including some ofWood's Irregulars, absent and not accounted for since the 28th of March)with Wood's Flying Column. So that altogether, deducting, say, 1500,Lord Chelmsford had at his disposal, from the middle of April, a totalof 21,000 troops, of which over 15,000 were European. Colonels Pearsonand Wood were made Brigadier-Generals, and the former was to commandNumber 1 Brigade, 1st Division, and Colonel Pemberton, 3-60th, theother. They both, however, had to give up their commands throughsickness, and Colonels Rowland, V.C., C.B., and Clark, 57th Regiment,succeeded them.

  Major-General Clifford, V.C., C.B., had the following staff for themanagement of the base of the operations and the maintenance of thelines of communication between Zululand and Natal:--

  Lieutenant Westmacott, 77th Foot, aide-de-ca
mp; Major W.J. Butler,C.B., assistant-adjutant and quartermaster-general, stationed at Durban;and Captain W.R. Fox, Royal Artillery, deputy assistant-adjutant andquartermaster-general.

  On the arrival of the boys with the waggons at Pieter-Maritzburg, theyreported themselves at the headquarters of the transport corps, and weretold that they were not to go down to Durban, but were to load up atonce and accompany the Dragoon Guards, who were to march the nextmorning for the front.

  This time the lads were mounted, as their fathers thought that theywould gain more benefit from their experience if they were able to moveabout instead of being confined to the sides of their waggons, and itwas a satisfaction to their mothers that, in case of any untoward eventagain happening, they would be in a better position for making theirescape.

  General Newdigate's columns were encamped at Landmann's Drift; thecavalry, under General Marshall, was also there. The march wasaltogether without incident.

  Some days passed