al Lyttelton's battalions, the 1st Rifle Brigade and the
Durham Light Infantry had already been drawn in from the left flank
after the completion of the duty of covering Hart's brigade. The
foremost of the two remaining battalions was the 3rd King's Royal
Rifles. This unit, about 8.30 a.m., had advanced and extended some 800
yards in rear of Long's guns. When the general retreat was ordered,
the senior officer with the battalion, Major R. C. A. B.
Bewicke-Copley,[241] was told to furnish the outposts. He therefore
held his ground. Each half company occupied a suitable knoll, with its
supporting half company in rear; the left of the battalion rested on
the railway. At 2 p.m. he was directed to fall further back. On this
Major Bewicke-Copley twice submitted a request to Lieut.-Colonel R. G.
Buchanan-Riddell that he might be allowed to stay where he was, with
a view to saving the guns, when dusk came. He was informed that Sir
Francis Clery had issued definite instructions that the battalion must
place all of the outposts further back and more to the west. The
battalion accordingly retired by companies to a line in the immediate
front of the camp. The Scottish Rifles on the left had covered the
retirement of the 2nd brigade, and as soon as the last battalion had
passed through its extended files, it also withdrew to camp.

[Footnote 241: Lieut.-Colonel Buchanan-Riddell was the
commanding officer of the 3rd K.R.R., but on the movement of
General Lyttelton to the western flank he had assumed command
of the battalions left in the centre (Scottish Rifles and
King's Royal Rifles).]

[Sidenote: Captain Jones' guns withdraw from Naval Gun Hill, 2.30
p.m.]

The Naval guns under Captain Jones received the order to retire at
12.40 p.m., but as they had to send back to Shooter's Hill for their
oxen, it was not until nearly 2.30 p.m. that the last gun limbered up
and moved off. The central Naval battery had during the day fired 160
rounds of 4.7-in. and 600 rounds of 12-pounder ammunition. Lieutenant
Ogilvy's six guns expended about 50 rounds per gun.

[Sidenote: Mounted brigade retreats, fighting.]

The order to retreat reached the officer commanding the mounted troops
about noon. The brigade was still hotly engaged with the enemy, and
its gradual disentanglement took nearly three hours. Colonel
Thorneycroft was told by Lord Dundonald to fall back slowly along the
Gomba Spruit, protec