With the Naval Brigade in Natal, 1899-1900: Journal of Active ServiceBurne, C. R. N. (Charles Richard Newdigate)
History
With the Naval Brigade in Natal, 1899-1900: Journal of Active Service
Burne, C. R. N. (Charles Richard Newdigate)
South African War, 1899-1902
_Saturday, 2nd June._--Marched along the right bank of Buffalo River
towards Ingogo, while Lyttelton's Brigade moved on our right on the
other side of the river towards Laing's Nek. After a pleasant trek
across the open veldt, and therefore no dust, we reached De Wet's farm
near Ingogo in the evening and bivouacked; a grand day marching right
under Majuba and Prospect and yet no sign of the enemy. Had a short
talk with General Hildyard and Prince Christian on the march, as they
rode by my battery, reminding the latter that I had first seen him
when I was in the Royal yacht in 1894 and took his father and himself
about in her steam launch at Cowes--a very different scene to this.
The Prince said he knew all along he had seen me before somewhere.
_Tuesday, 5th June._--Rode to Ingogo and saw the spot where the fight
took place in 1881, the huge rocks from which our fellows were
eventually cut up by Boer rifle fire, the monument set up to the 3rd
Bn. Royal Rifles, and some graves higher up of which one was to a
Captain of the R.E. Poor, unlucky, but gallant Sir George Colley; he
went from Ingogo to Majuba and there met his untimely death. The view
from here of Laing's Nek was glorious at sunset, Majuba frowning on
one side with Mount Prospect and Pougwana on the other, and the bed of
the Ingogo River below in a green and fertile valley. The Boer
position is very strong although our heavy Artillery ought to be able
to force it.
_Wednesday, 6th June._--All on the move, as the armistice which
General Buller was trying to arrange with Chris Botha is up, the
latter replying: "Our heavy guns and Mausers are our own and will be
moved at our convenience; the armistice is over." We hear that Lord
Roberts is in Pretoria and that Kruger has fled; but how
unsatisfactory that this does not end the war. In fact, marching to
Pretoria was the feature and romance of the war, and now must commence
anxious and weary guerilla tactics which may last a long time. About
dark in came orders to the Naval guns to move on and occupy Van Wyk
to-night: and off we went through large grass fires and along awful
roads, getting to the foot of the hill at about 1 a.m. with no worse
mishap than the upset of one of my guns twice on huge rocks hidden in
the long grass.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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