Along with the 77th accompanied General Gatacre on the ill-fated expedition to Stormberg (see 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers). Major Pollock, in his 'With Seven Generals in the Boer War', p 55, speaking of the attempted assault, says: "But at this juncture our own artillery, failing in the yet uncertain light to observe the ascent of the infantry, opened fire upon the enemy, and several shells falling short dealt destruction among the assailants of the position". As to the retirement he says, p 57: "Never were batteries more skilfully handled; retiring alternately from position to position, the gunners splendidly atoned for the mischance of the earlier morning. The courage and steadiness of all ranks in the 74th and 77th Field Batteries undeniably saved the remnant of the infantry and themselves also from destruction and capture". The batteries lost two guns. One taken too close to the enemy's position could not be got back; the other overturned in the retreat and had to be abandoned. The 79th joined the Brigade Division in the Queenstown district a few days after the defeat at Stormberg, and the three batteries accompanied General Gatacre across the Orange River.
After he left South Africa they joined Rundle, being engaged near Dewetsdorp and Thabanchu in the latter part of April 1900. The 74th then joined Ian Hamilton's army of the right flank. The 77th and 79th remained with Rundle and were engaged at Biddulphsberg, 29th May (see 2nd Grenadier Guards), and in endless other actions in the north-east of the Orange River Colony. Four guns of the 74th were doing column work under Colonel Bullock and other commanders in the Eastern Transvaal in 1901 (despatch of 8th July). In July and August the column worked in the Orange River Colony, then back to the Vryheid district in September, thereafter by Botha's Pass to the Orange River Colony again, and finally to the Eastern Transvaal. General Spens took over Bullock's column in the autumn of 1901. Two guns remained with Spens until practically the close of the war. This column, which had in it the famous 13th and 14th Battalions Mounted Infantry and J Battery RHA, did an immense amount of work, an admirable account of which is to be found in Lieutenant Moeller's 'Two Years at the Front'.
