Lancers, a company of M.I. and
Rimington's Guides, the whole under Major M. F. Rimington, were to
work on the outer flank of the brigade of Guards. The troops were to
march off from their respective rendezvous at 3 a.m. By this attack on
Mont Blanc from the north, after the outworks of Table Mountain and
Gun Hill had been carried, the Boers would be driven, not back along
the railway towards Kimberley, but eastwards, well off Lord Methuen's
proposed line of advance.

[Sidenote: Strength and disposition of Boers.]

The enemy under Jacobus Prinsloo consisted of the Jacobsdal, Winburg,
Fauresmith and Bloemfontein commandos, with detachments from
Kroonstad, Hoopstad and Boshof. It is difficult to arrive at an exact
conclusion as to their strength, for the Boers themselves do not agree
as to the number of burghers who took part in the action. Their
estimates vary from 2,100 to 2,500 men, with two field guns and a
pom-pom. Their artillery, however, hardly fired at all, nor were the
reinforcements which De la Rey brought from Kimberley actively
engaged. The exact ground held by each commando cannot be accurately
stated, but their approximate dispositions are shown upon the maps No.
10 and 10(a). There is some reason to believe that the Boer general
had intended to throw part of his right wing across the railway, as
trenches were found west of the line, so constructed as to bring
flanking fire against an attack on Table Mountain; but whether these
works were occupied on the morning of the 23rd cannot be ascertained.
That the enemy had posts along the line to the north of Belmont is
proved by the fact that one of these parties was captured by Colonel
Gough's detachment of mounted men.

[Sidenote: 3.15 a.m. Nov. 23rd. Attack begins.]

The troops left their bivouacs about 2 a.m. on the 23rd, reached their
respective rendezvous at the time appointed, and at about 3.15 moved
off towards the various parts of the enemy's position, to the attack
of which they had been assigned.

[Sidenote: Guards move against Gun Hill.]

In the assault on Gun Hill by the brigade of Guards, the two
battalions of the Coldstream Guards were in reserve; the 1st battalion
Scots Guards and the 3rd battalion Grenadier Guards were detailed to
deliver the attack. As the latter battalions, moving in line of
quarter-column, reached the wire fences along the railway line, they
demolished them or scrambled through them as best they could[155] and
then deplo