lity at nightfall of a severe
fight at close quarters for the guns. He therefore decided to abandon
the guns, and to withdraw the whole of his force forthwith to camp.
The decision was given about 11 a.m.

[Sidenote: Parsons and Lyttelton successfully cover the retreat of
Hart's brigade.]

The retirement of the 5th brigade, which had been ordered more than
three hours earlier, was now approaching completion. Lieut.-Colonel
Parsons[240] had succeeded in moving the 64th and 73rd Field batteries
across the Doornkop Spruit, somewhat higher up than the place of his
first attempt; to afford the infantry better support, he advanced to a
low ridge near a kraal, as close in rear of the left of the brigade as
would permit of sufficient command to fire over them. Thence, at a
range of 2,800 yards, the batteries searched with shell the kopjes on
the north bank of the Tugela, and, assisted by the fire of Captain
Jones' Naval guns, silenced the two Boer guns near the Ladysmith road,
using for this purpose shrapnel with percussion fuse. Parsons'
batteries were at this time only 1,200 yards from the river, and came
under the rifle fire of the enemy. Their casualties were but slight.
The 1st Rifle Brigade and the 1st Durham Light Infantry, which, under
the personal command of Major-General Lyttelton, had gone to assist in
covering Hart's retreat, had reached the Doornkop Spruit. The 1st
Rifle Brigade and four companies of the Durham Light Infantry crossed
it and opened out to six or eight paces interval on the far side, four
companies of the Rifle Brigade and two of the Durham forming a firing
line at a distance of about 500 yards from the river. The three
remaining companies of the Durham Light Infantry lined the spruit.

[Footnote 240: See p. 357.]

[Sidenote: The retreat down the loop.]

The order to retire appears to have reached some of the units of the
5th brigade as early as 7.30 a.m., but under the heavy fire which
still continued, the transmission of orders up the long salient of the
loop was difficult, and the foremost detachments of the intermingled
battalions did not begin to fall back until nearly 10.30 a.m. One or
two small bodies of officers and men, who had reached the bank at the
farthest end, never received the order, and were so absorbed in their
duel across the Tugela that, failing to observe the withdrawal of
their comrades until too late, they were eventually cut off and taken
prisoners. The rest of