EXTRACTS FROM REPORTS OF CAPT. S. L'H. SLOCUM.

REPORT No. 1.

PIETERMARITZBURG, NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA,

December 25, 1899.

ADJUTANT GENERAL, UNITED STATES ARMY,

Washington, D. C.

SIR: I have the honor to report that I and the other foreign military attachés arrived at Cape Town on November 28. The other attachés are, one from France, one from Russia, one from Germany, one from Austria, and one from Italy. The Japanese attaché arrived here two days ago.

On our arrival at Cape Town we found that General Buller was in Natal. On the day following we requested, jointly, through Col. Ivor Herbert, Grenadier Guards, who had been detailed by the war office to have us in charge and who had accompanied us from London, permission to join General Buller in Natal. We were informed officially that the request had been made by cable.

No answer being communicated to us, on December 6 we jointly officially requested permission to join temporarily the Kimberley relief force under Lord Methuen, then at Modder River and distant about 36 hours by rail, a battle being expected at that point within a few days.

On December 7 General Buller replied by cable as follows: "I promise the foreign attachés that they will be allowed to accompany the general advance later, but I can not allow them to join any flying column.”

Lord Methuen's force was the largest then in Cape Colony and was engaged in the principal operation in that region, the relief of Kimberley. It consisted of some 14,000 men.

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probably more, but not many. Were it not for the railroads, their force would be almost immobile.

The Boers knowing this, pick out their position on the railroad, fortify it, and wait for the attack.

BATTLE OF COLENSO, DECEMBER 15.

Gen. Sir Francis Clery had immediate command, though General Buller was present and directing.

From the annexed tracing of a sketch from Chieveley Ridge made by me, I hope the following description will be fairly clear.

General Buller's or Sir Francis Clery's orders, annexed, were as follows:

Fifth brigade, General Hart, 4,000 infantry, to move toward Bridle Drift (or ford), to cross at this point and move toward the kopjes (small hills) north of the Iron Bridge.

Second brigade, General Hildyard, 4,000 infantry, to move in the direction of the Iron Bridge at Colenso; to cross at this point by wagon-road bridge (railroad bridge destroyed.) and gain possession of the hills north of the bridge.

Fourth brigade, General Lyttleton, 4,000 infantry, to
advance to a point between Bridle Drift and the rail-
way, so that it could support either the fifth or second
brigades.

Sixth brigade, General Barton, 3,500 infantry, to move
east of the railroad in the direction of Hlangwane Hill
to a position where he could protect the right flank of
the second brigade, and, if necessary, support it or the
mounted infantry moving toward Hlangwane Hill.
One thousand mounted infantry-100 regulars, the
remainder volunteers-with one battery field artillery,
six 15-pounders, to move in the direction of Hlangwane
Hill to enfilade the kopjes north of the bridge.
Eight hundred regular cavalry to cover the right and
left flanks, respectively, and protect the baggage.
Second brigade division field artillery, 18 guns, to fol-
low the fourth brigade and take up a position whence
it could enfilade the kopjes north of the bridge, and to
act under General Hart's orders.

On December 9 we jointly repeated our request to be allowed to join General Buller. His answer received that night was a refusal.

On the following day, December 10, permission was granted by General Buller for us to join him in Natal.

We sailed on the first mail steamer, December 13, and arrived at Pietermaritzburg on December 18, three days after the battle of Colenso, and found orders to remain here. On December 20 we jointly requested to be allowed to join General Buller's headquarters in camp at Frere Station, about 75 miles from here, and 6 miles from the battlefield of December 15 at Colenso.

General Buller replied the following day that this request could not be granted, as he felt that we would be very uncomfortable in camp on account of the lack of water, etc., but that we could come up for a day and he would take us to the advance post at Chieveley and show us the battlefield and the Boer positions.

Accordingly, on December 23, we proceeded to Frere Camp, breakfasted with General Buller and then accompanied him to the advance post at Chieveley, where, from the ridge, we could see the battlefield in the plain below and the Boer positions across the Tugela River, where they still remained in their intrenchments and could be seen with glasses, working. From this advance post to the Tugela River wagon-road bridge-spoken of in General Buller's battle order as the Iron Bridge is about 7,400 yards.

Before giving the present positions that the English hold from the extreme left at Modder River to the right at Chieveley, I will briefly describe this battle of Colenso to show the tendency of the English to make frontal attacks only.

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That no attempt on a large scale to make a turning movement has been made, is probably due to the fact that they are confined strictly to the railroads, their wagon transportation being totally inadequate. The regimental transports with General Buller's force are drawn by oxen, though there are some 2,000 mules at Port Elizabeth not in use.

In the entire camp at Chieveley and Frere I counted only 60 wagons in my hurried ride through, though there were