The Record of a Regiment of the Line | Page 6

guns, the Gordon Highlanders coming
up on the right shortly afterwards. The companies then moved on down
the reverse slope and opened fire on the retiring enemy. On the
detached hill only five of the enemy were found alive, and they showed
a white flag as the hill was charged.
The Regiment was then re-formed, and held the detached hill during
the night.
During the three hours it was under fire, the battalion kept line and
intervals carefully throughout, and adjusted sights and fired as steadily
as if on parade. It is to the perfect steadiness of the men and the
absence of all crowding that the very small losses from the enemy's fire,
which at all times was heavy, can be attributed.
The battalion's losses were:--

Captain W.B. Lafone, slightly wounded. 2nd Lieutenants Gunning,
Hailey, and Green, severely wounded. Twenty-nine non-commissioned
officers and men wounded.
Parties of men were busy during the night collecting the Boer wounded
and taking them down to the laager. Among them was General Koch,
who was badly hit in several places. He died of his wounds a few days
afterwards in Ladysmith.
The losses of the Boers were estimated at 62 killed, 150 wounded, and
184 prisoners.
The force was moved back into Ladysmith early on the 22nd morning,
the infantry by rail, and cavalry by road. The company of the Regiment
and Maxim gun, which had been on Pepworth Hill during the day and
the following night, got back to camp the same afternoon.
The 23rd was given up to rejoicings and congratulations over the
victory, and the two Boer flags which were captured were displayed
outside the officers' mess tent.
The Free State Army had by now come across to the east, and were in
the neighbourhood of Modder Station, and on October 24th a column
was again ordered out with the object of assisting General Yule's force
in from Dundee.
This column consisted of the 5th Lancers, 19th Hussars, Natal
Carbineers, Border Mounted Rifles, Imperial Light Horse, Devons,
Liverpools, Gloucesters, 60th Rifles, and twenty guns, in all about 5500
men.
The enemy was found posted on Tinta Inyoni Mountain, on the summit
of which they brought a gun into action and fired on to the head of Sir
G. White's force, which was in column of route on the road, but without
doing any damage. The action began at 8.30 a.m.
At the commencement of the action the battalion was in reserve, and
was ordered to extend and lie down at the foot of the first slope facing

the enemy's position, and some 300 yards north-west of the railway line,
sending scouts to the crest of the ridge to watch the front. Four
companies were shortly afterwards ordered to advance in attack
formation, forming their own supports, and to place themselves on the
left of the Gloucester Regiment, which was in front of the Regiment at
the time. The Regiment was then on the extreme left of the firing-line.
The four companies of the reserve worked round under cover to a small
nullah about 300 yards on the left and then advanced up it. The
firing-line advanced, under slight rifle fire, across a rocky plateau till
they gained a small ridge overlooking the front, and opened fire by
section volleys on to a ridge about 800 yards in front, from which a
rather heavy fire was coming.
The Maxim gun under Lieutenant Price-Dent came into action in rear
of the left of the line and fired at the enemy to the left front.
The enemy's fire from this ridge was soon silenced, and from that time
the only objective the line had was a few scattered Boers and their
horses on the rear slope of the high hill to the left front, some 2000
yards distant.
The reserve was deployed into two lines of double companies on and
below a small ridge of rocks some 250 yards in rear of the firing-line.
At about 2 p.m. the retirement commenced, and the battalion gradually
followed the Liverpool Regiment and became rearguard. Ladysmith
was reached about 3.30 p.m., after a sixteen-mile march in torrents of
rain.
The casualties of the battalion during the day were:--
1 private killed.[1] 25 privates wounded, none dangerously.
[Footnote 1: This private, the first man of the Regiment killed in the
war, was Private Winsor. He was shot dead through the heart by a stray
bullet.]
This action was known as the action of Reitfontein.

On October 26th General Yule's force marched into Ladysmith. They
had had a bad time, having marched in drenching rain, day and night,
from Sunday till Wednesday. The garrison of Ladysmith gave them
food on arrival, the Regiment supplying the Dublin Fusiliers (officers
and men) with refreshments.
On October 27th it was reported that the Boers