The following letter has been received from Trooper Tom Morris and was addressed to his parents at Dunolly, Singleton - 'As the heading of this letter shows, we have got a little further towards Bloemfontein since I penned my last communication.
We have driven the enemy back as far as Colesberg and are camped within four-and-a-half miles of the town. The New South Wales Lancers, Carbineers and New Zealanders, were sent out on Saturday night to take up a position just to the right of Colesberg and within 2,000 yards of the enemy's big gun, called 'Long Tom'. We held the position all Saturday night, keeping watch in the stoney kopjes.
On Saturday morning a party of Boers blew up the Railway line about a mile-and-a-half away, right under our eyes. We could not do anything as the range was too far for our rifles and if we had ridden out after them we would have been fired upon by the enemy's big guns, which command the Railway line for five miles. Later in the day, four Boers came out of the kopjes on the plain to secure some horses which had strayed.
We would have had a good shot at them but the New Zealanders opened fire at 1400 yards and the Boers cleared out. Commandant Grobbler informed us next day if we did not clear out he would shell us out. We came in at daylight, have been fighting all day; we will soon be in Colesberg.