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THE BATTLES OF LAING’S NEK AND INGOGO; 
WITH BRIEF NOTES ON THE 
9-pr. Gun of 6 cwt., and General Equipment. 
BY 
LIEUT. C, S. B. PARSONS, R.H.A. 
LAING'S NEK.— 28th January , 1881. 
On the expected outbreak of hostilities in the Transvaal early in 
December, 1880, urgent orders were issued for the immediate despatch 
of troops to Newcastle, Natal, an insignificant dirty town bordering 
on the Transvaal, but, from its situation, peculiarly adapted as a base 
for military operations. The signal for the Boer outbreak was the 
departure for India of the King's Dragoon Guards, the only cavalry 
regiment left in S. Africa after the conclusion of the Zulu war, as well 
as the downward march from the Transvaal of the 58th Regiment, one 
of the three infantry regiments left to garrison the Transvaal. The 
reason for thus withdrawing troops was the popular belief that the 
Boers were quite satisfied with and reconciled to British rule, and that 
there was no further occasion for keeping a stronger force than two 
infantry regiments to garrison a country larger than France. This idea 
was very erroneous, as was shortly shown by the action of the Boers 
at Bronker's Sprint, when the 94th suffered so severely. War was now 
virtually declared. The force of artillery available to be moved with the 
first column from Maritzburg, consisted of two 9-pr. 6 cwt. guns, 
comprising the left division of N/5, R.A., and two 7-pr. 200 lb. 
mountain guns on low standing carriages, manned by volunteers from 
3/60th Rifles, and drawn by mules driven tandem. 
These four guns, escorted by four companies of the 3/60th Rifles, 
the whole under the command of Lieut.-Col. Ogilvie, 60th Rifles, left 
Maritzburg, on the 21st December, 1880, and after a most trying 
and difficult march, reached Newcastle on the 2nd January, 1881. 
The heavy rains prevalent in S. Africa during the winter season had 
rendered the roads almost impassable. The first march from Maritzburg 
was most trying to all, and found us at Howick (a charming little 
village 14 miles from Maritzburg) without food and without tents—the 
transport wagons having broken down in their attempt to get up the long 
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