The second action of the war occurred at Elandslaagte on
Saturday. General White discovered that a force of Boers had broken the railway communication between Ladysmith and Glencoe, had seized the station at Elandslaagte, and had occupied a strong position on the neighbouring hills. Here was another opportunity for taking the Boers in detail, and at the same time accomplishing the necessary work of restoring communication between Ladysmith and Glencoe. Accordingly, General White sent out a force of all arms, under General French, to Elandslaagte, and they in the most complete manner "rolled up" the Boer commando, which is said to have been that of the Hollanders and the Johannesburg Boers. The tactics of the fight were very much the same as those used at Glencoe,—ehelling of a mountain by our batteries to silence enemy's fire, frontal and flank attack by our infantry (Devons, Gordons, and Mauchesters), and cutting off of fugi- tives by cavalry charges. At Elandslaagte our success was, however, greater than at Glencoe, for we took two hundred prisoners, a couple of guns, a great many horses, and camp stores. Colonel Schiel, the German artillery officer and soldier of fortune, was wounded and taken prisoner, as also was Commandant Ben Viljoen. Mr. Kock, the Judge, and Advocate Koster were killed.
