Chapter 15

SPION KOP

Whilst Methuen and Gatacre were content to hold their own at the
Modder and at Sterkstroom, and whilst the mobile and energetic French
was herding the Boers into Colesberg, Sir Redvers Buller, the heavy,
obdurate, inexplicable man, was gathering and organising his forces
for another advance upon Ladysmith. Nearly a month had elapsed since
the evil day when his infantry had retired, and his ten guns had not,
from the frontal attack upon Colenso. Since then Sir Charles Warren's
division of infantry and a considerable reinforcement of artillery had
come to him. And yet in view of the terrible nature of the ground in
front of him, of the fighting power of the Boers, and of the fact that
they were always acting upon internal lines, his force even now was,
in the opinion of competent judges, too weak for the matter in hand.

There remained, however, several points in his favour. His excellent
infantry were full of zeal and of confidence in their chief. It
cannot be denied, however much we may criticise some incidents in his
campaign, that he possessed the gift of impressing and encouraging his
followers, and, in spite of Colenso, the sight of his square figure
and heavy impassive face conveyed an assurance of ultimate victory to
those around him. In artillery he was very much stronger than before,
especially in weight of metal. His cavalry was still weak in
proportion to his other arms. When at last he moved out on January
10th to attempt to outflank the Boers, he took with him nineteen
thousand infantry, three thousand cavalry, and sixty guns, which
included six howitzers capable of throwing a 50-lb lyddite shell, and
ten long-range naval pieces. Barton's Brigade and other troops were
left behind to hold the base and line of communications.

An analysis of Buller's force shows that its details were as follows:

Clery's Division
Hildyard's Brigade
2nd West Surrey
2nd Devonshire
2nd West Yorkshire
2nd East Surrey
Hart's Brigade
1st Inniskilling Fusiliers
1st Border Regiment
1st Connaught Rangers
2nd Dublin Fusiliers
Field Artillery, three batteries, 19th, 28th, 63rd;
one squadron 13th Hussars;
Royal Engineers.

Warren's Division
Lyttelton's Brigade
2nd Cameronians
3rd King's Royal Rifles
1st Durham Light Infantry
1st Rifle Brigade
Woodgate's Brigade
2nd Royal Lancaster
2nd Lancashire Fusiliers
1st South Lancashire
York and Lancasters
Field Artillery, three batteries, 7th, 78th, 73rd ;
one squadron 13th Hussars.

Corps Troops
Coke's Brigade
Imperial Light Infantry
2nd Somersets
2nd Dorsets
2nd Middlesex
61st Howitzer Battery; two 4.7 naval guns; eight naval