mberland
Fusiliers at Stormberg still in their minds they marched forward, only
to meet with fresh disaster at Reddersburg.

=The Disaster at Reddersburg.=

Perhaps the best account of that disaster is given by the Rev. W.C.
Burgess in a letter to the Rev. E.P. Lowry; and as it gives a vivid
picture of a chaplain's work under exceedingly difficult circumstances,
we venture to quote at some length from the _Methodist Times_:--

'On Thursday, March 29, four companies of the Royal Irish Rifles
were under orders to go by march route to De Wet's Dorp, and to
leave one company behind at Helvetia, which is midway between the
two townships. We reached this place on the Friday, leaving Captain
Murphy in charge, and the remaining three companies, under command
of Captain McWhinnie, reached De Wet's Dorp on the Sunday morning
at nine o'clock. We marched through the town and took up a position
on the surrounding hills, when all at once we heard firing in the
distance, and our mounted infantry were soon engaging the enemy's
scouts. About sunset we were reinforced by about 150 of the
Northumberland Fusiliers and Royal Irish Rifles Mounted Infantry.
Our men bivouacked for the night along the ridges, and I slept with
them. About three o'clock on Monday morning our officer commanding
received the order to retire upon Reddersburg. At dawn we marched
out in the pouring rain. We bivouacked that night on or near a Mr.
Kelly's farm, about fifteen miles from De Wet's Dorp. At two
o'clock the next morning--Tuesday, April 3, 1900--a man, of the
name of Murray, of the Cape Mounted Rifles, brought despatches,
informing us that the enemy were in considerable numbers in the
direction of Thaba 'Nchu, on the Modder River, and were likely to
threaten our advance.

'Murray rode with despatches from Smithfield to De Wet's Dorp, and
finding that our column had left, he decided to overtake us, after
having rested his horse; but in the meantime some of the enemy's
scouts had entered the town, had taken his horse, saddle and
bridle, and were making a vigorous search for him, but in vain; and
under cover of the darkness he walked out and reached us in the
early morning. He came and woke me up, and I took him to the
commanding officer. We marched out again in the grey of the
morning, and at about ten o'clo