right flank while he was at Bloemfontein. As soon as the
Dutch commandant in the latter instance settled upon {p.171} Wepener
for the expenditure of his strength, he had not only secured that
opportunity for ready retirement to which the partisan looks, but he
had also relieved the British commander from serious anxiety
concerning his communications.

The British disaster at Stormberg possesses no intrinsic interest, or
claim to mention, as a military incident; but as it attracted so much
notice at the time, and carried a certain moral effect, the details
must be summarized. The Dutch were strongly entrenched and in force on
a hill overlooking the place. The British were at Putter's Kraal and
Sterkstrom, some twenty odd miles distant by the railroad, which they
controlled up to Molteno, nine miles from Stormberg. The troops, 2,500
in number, had been marching, or in open railroad trucks, since early
morning of Saturday, December 9, when at 9 P.M. they detrained at
Molteno.

From this place there are two country roads, one direct to Stormberg,
the other branching to the left toward Steynsburg, on the
Stormberg-Naauwport railway. General Gatacre {p.172} intended to
follow the Steynsburg road for four or five miles, and there to take a
turn to the right, which his guides assured him would in another mile
and a half bring him to the south-west angle of the Boer position; but
the turn was missed and passed, with the result that after a very long
circuit, of two hours and a half, the column came out on the
north-west angle. The attack was immediately delivered, but the
troops, greatly exhausted, having halted only forty-five minutes since
9 o'clock, appear to have been incapacitated, by the accumulated
hardships and disappointments of the night, to contend with the
obstacles before them. The character of the casualties sufficiently
indicates the comparative feebleness of the fighting. There were 31
killed, 58 wounded, while in prisoners there were lost 633. The
accounts give the impression that many of the men taken were
physically too depressed to quit the shelter in which they found
themselves, in order to retire further. Two guns also were lost. The
retreat which followed almost immediately was conducted under
difficulties and fatigue, offering "great opportunity for {p.173} an
active enemy"; but it was not disturbed.

Further to the west and north General French, during this same period
and the ensuing month of Janua