On Thursday, January 11, Sir Redvers Buller began his operations for forcing the Tugela and relieving Ladysmith.  Barton’s Brigade entrenched itself at Chieveley, guarding the line of railway communication.  Hildyard’s Brigade marched westward six miles to Pretorius’s Farm, where they were joined by the cavalry, the naval guns, three batteries Field Artillery, and Hart’s Brigade from Frere.  The infantry and two batteries remained and encamped, making Clery’s division, while the mounted forces under Dundonald moved forward to take the bridge across the Little Tugela at Springfield, and, finding this unoccupied, pushed on and seized the heights overlooking Potgieter’s Drift on the Tugela, On the 12th Warren’s division, comprising the brigades of Lyttelton and Woodgate, with three batteries, marched to Springfield, where they camped.  On the 13th the mounted troops, holding the heights above Potgieter’s Drift, were strengthened by the arrival of two battalions of Lyttelton’s Brigade from Springfield.  Sir Redvers Buller established his headquarters in this camp.  On the 14th the rest of the brigade followed, and the same day the corps troops, consisting of Coke’s Brigade, one howitzer, and one field battery, reached Springfield.  On the 15th Coke moved to the position before Potgieter’s, and the naval guns were established on the heights commanding the ford.  All this while the Boers contented themselves with fortifying their horseshoe position which enclosed the debouches from Potgieter’s Drift, and only picket firing disturbed the general peace.

Such was the situation when I wrote my last letter.  It was soon to develop, though in a most leisurely and deliberate manner.  The mounted forces, which had arrived at Spearman’s Hill, as the position before Potgieter’s was called, on the 11th, passed nearly a week of expectation.  Daily we watched the enemy fortifying his position, and observed the long lines of trenches which grew and spread along the face of the opposite hills.  Daily we made reconnoitring expeditions both east and west along the Tugela, expeditions always attended with incident, sometimes with adventure.  One day Colonel Byng crawled with two squadrons to the summit of a high hill which overlooked the road from Colenso to Potgieter’s, and a long and patient vigil was rewarded by the arrival of five Boer ox waggons toiling sluggishly along with supplies, on which we directed a rapid and effective fire till they found some refuge in a cutting.  Another day we strengthened ourselves with two guns, and, marching nearly to the junction of the Tugelas, gave the Boers camped there an honest hour’s shelling, and extricated a patrol of Bethune’s Mounted Infantry from a rather disagreeable position, so that they were able to bring off a wounded trooper.  Nightly the cavalry camp went to sleep in the belief that a general attack would open on the enemy’s position at dawn.  Day after day the expected did not happen.  Buller had other resources than to butt his head against the tremendous entrenchments which were springing up before him.  Everyone discussed every conceivable alternative, and in the meanwhile it was always ‘battle to-morrow,’ but never ‘battle to-day.’  And so it has continued until this moment, and the great event—­the main trial of strength—­still impends.