File:Battles of the nineteenth century (1901) (14595619328).jpg

Identifier: battlesofninetee06forb (find matches)
Title: Battles of the nineteenth century
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Forbes, Archibald, 1838-1900 Atteridge, A. Hilliard (Andrew Hilliard)
Subjects: Battles Military history, Modern
Publisher: London New York : Cassell and Company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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Text Appearing Before Image:
News brought by runners
from the besieged garrison,
of the "diamond" city told
of a desultory bombardment
and occasional sorties and
skirmishes. But at the British
headquarters at the Cape there must have been
an impression that the place was either short of
supplies or in danger of falling before a Boer
attack in force. It is otherwise impossible to
explain the haste with which Lord Methuen
was sent forward to attempt its relief. One
brigade of his division had been sent off to
Natal ; with the other—the Guards, under Sir
Henry Colvile—he went up to De Aar. A
kind of scratch brigade was formed out of some
of the line-of-communication troops at De Aar
and Orange River, and placed under the
command of Brigadier-General Fetherston-
haugh. This improvised brigade was numbered
the 9th. The division formed of the 1st and
9th Brigades was concentrated at Orange River
bridge. It was weak in cavalry, there was no
horse artillery, and, what was more serious, it
had not enough wheeled or pack transport to
Text Appearing After Image:

LIEUT.-COLONEL KEITH-FALCONER.
(Photo : Bassano)


enable it to move more than a very few miles
to right or left of the railway line. Methuen
had to depend for supplies on trains on the
railway protected by the armoured train. His
artillery was reinforced by a couple of naval
12-pounders brought up by a small naval brigade
of seamen and marines.
Lord Methuen's division, concentrated at
Orange River camp on November 20th, was
thus composed :—
1st Brigade (General Sir Henry Colvile) : 3rd
Grenadier Guards, 1st and 2nd Coldstream
Guards, 1st Scots Guards.
9th Brigade (General Fetherstonhaugh) :
1st Northumberland Fusiliers, 2nd Northamp-
tons, 2nd Kings Own York-
shire Light Infantry, half a
battalion (four companies)
1st Loyal North Lancashire
(of which the remainder was
in Kimberley under Colonel
Kekewich) and two com-
panies of the Munster
Fusiliers.
Naval Brigade : a small
detachment of seamen and
marines, under Captain Pro-
thero, R.N.
Cavalry : 9th Lancers,
Rimington's Scouts, and a
part of the New South Wales
Lancers.
Artillery : three batteries
R.F.A. (the 18th, 62nd
and 75th) and two naval
guns

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