Campaigning in Kaffirland; Or, Scenes and Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851-52King, William Ross
History
Campaigning in Kaffirland; Or, Scenes and Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851-52
King, William Ross
South Africa -- History -- Frontier Wars, 1811-1878
Though our heavy loss was not immediately known, the regiment was for a
moment thrown into confusion in consequence of his last orders having
been but partly delivered. The rebels yelled in exultation, but the
next instant were silenced by an avenging volley, which drove them in
again behind the shelter of their protecting trees and rocks, which
the regiment boldly and steadily advanced to storm under a fatal fire,
which told fearfully among our ranks. Carey fell, pierced through the
body, at the head of his company, and was carried off the field a
corpse; and immediately afterwards Gordon was mortally wounded by a
ball which passed through both thighs, and lodging in the body of a
soldier close by, killed him on the spot. The loss in the ranks was
equally severe; one man was cut down after another, until, maddened
by the fall of their officers and comrades, the regiment, under
Captain Duff (on whom as senior officer the command had now devolved),
rushed to the fatal barricade with such infuriated and irresistible
determination, as to clear all before them, killing numbers of the
enemy, chiefly rebel Hottentots, who fled in confusion, and carrying
the position, which we maintained almost unmolested until the troops
were withdrawn in the afternoon.
Beside our deeply lamented officers, the casualties among our brave
fellows were very heavy; Sergeants Cairnie and Diarmid, and two rank
and file were killed; a Lance-corporal and one private mortally
wounded; and a Corporal and five men severely, two of whom afterwards
underwent amputation.
In the meantime Lieut.-Col. Sutton's Brigade had ascended the heights
by Mundells Krantz, on our extreme right; and Lieut.-Col. Yarborough,
with the 91st regiment, occupied the left of the position; while the
12th, lying down in extended order across the open, watched the belt
of bush in the right centre, occasionally exchanging a shot or two at
intervals with a few fellows perched in the trees. The guns, however,
were got into position opposite this, the enemy's only remaining point
of occupation, and dropped shot and shell among them wherever they
appeared, with such precision that they must have suffered severely,
and were finally obliged to abandon their last stronghold.
During this, we were holding the position gained at such cost; and
while we lay half hidden among the forest-clothed rocks, along the edge
of the ridge, observed the branches of the trees above our heads cut in
two, and their trunks scored in all directions by the fire of the late
encounter. Among the crevices of the rocks, which here were in cubical
blocks of all sizes, from that of a large four storied house downwards,
we found several of the enemy's caches, containing axes, bullet-moulds,
lead, and cast bullets, and the usual assortment of ornaments and
articles such as we generally found in every village.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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